This Moment Captured 2010

FABRIC

2010-12-12T22:13:00.001-05:00

Detail of the fabric of the bridesmaids dresses for the Hindu wedding ceremony of our daughter and her fiance.

SOFT

2010-12-12T22:06:00.001-05:00

Falling snow makes the world seem a little softer.

PROSPERITY

2010-10-31T06:33:00.004-04:00

Grandpa dug into his vintage toy box and gave an early wedding gift to our young engaged couple.

I think he gave me a toaster when I got married.

HANGING

2010-10-31T06:30:00.001-04:00

I've never seen a crawdad hit on a baited hook before and then continue to hang on when reeled in.

MOTION

2010-10-31T06:30:00.000-04:00

ORDINARY

2010-10-30T19:27:00.000-04:00

Ordinary day.

He plays a soccer match then walks alongside to tag the ball back when it gets away from his little cousin.

Ordinary day.

He waits on the sidelines through two matches until he gets his turn with the ball; his chance to be like his older cousin.

Ordinary day.

Extraordinary boys.

ORANGE

2010-10-30T18:35:00.000-04:00

SEASONAL

2010-10-30T18:09:00.003-04:00

All I wanted was to get him to a pumpkin patch where he could pick the biggest pumpkin in the place and I could get the best photo of my life. He chose a small pumpkin, one he could carry by himself. I chose to live in the moment and only grabbed a couple of shots of the day. The seasons of our life pass far too fast and the moments even faster.

POVERTY

2010-09-18T06:56:00.007-04:00

What struck me first were the "Keep Right" sign and "One Way" sign pointing up the hill with the man asking for help just below them. What strikes me now is the contrast of the lush green corner garden across the roads with the near lack of color in the midst of the roads where the man is standing. You can see the water line around the garden across the roads where the grass turns from manicured green to a thirsty dull shade. Life in the city. Monotone poverty on one block then you turn a corner to well kept gardens and green green grass.

CLUSTERED

2010-09-02T22:20:00.002-04:00

Tomato hornworms are strange looking critters. Stranger still when there are wasp cocoons clustered on them. If you look closely, you can see that some of the cocoons have open ends where the wasps have emerged.
It's actually a very cool bit of nature in play. The hornworms are feasting on my tomato plants (the ones Mr. L. now refuses to feast on because the idea that green monsters crawled around on them grosses him out) and the wasp larvae are feasting on the hornworms. Eventually the wasp larvae would kill the hornworm so it's a natural pest deterent in theory. In reality, the hornworms usually eat the tomat plant bare long before the wasp larvae kill them. Still very cool.

High Style

2010-08-04T19:58:00.001-04:00

Youngest Ms. Lorri created a video entry for a contest by Aveda. She's the stylist in the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaDDDV3KxlI

MOVEMENT

2010-07-26T05:15:00.002-04:00

One captive makes a move toward freedom.

No crawdads were harmed in the splashing, rock turning, mudbug catching chase in the creek and all were returned to their home in short order.

FOUND

2010-07-25T05:01:00.004-04:00

Found: A bucket full of crawdads while wading the creek with 3 little boys.

Found: The forgotten wonder of little boys in exploration mode.

DISCOVERY

2010-07-24T20:39:00.008-04:00

I guess a guy is willing to take a risk when he discovers a box full of birdseed and corn just waiting to be enjoyed.

And imagine our surprise when we discovered him stuck in one deck box and his five siblings stranded in another.

4-H/FAIR RESULTS

2010-07-24T20:14:00.010-04:00

My 4-H girls did well in their county fair--both received a blue in their class, both were considered for higher honors and one of the girls ended up winning Grand Champion in her class. There were over 100 entries in their project. They are already talking about next year's project. Thanks to those ofyou who reviewed their shots and helped with selection. You can see their photo boards by looking through my archive for "4-H Photography" The lighter blue board is the one that received Grand Champion.

In my local county fair I was pleased to get a Reserve Champion with an Ohio landscape shot, an Honorable Mention in Manipulated Photos and blue ribbons in 5 other categories. This little county fair gets close to 1000 photo entries each year.

BLUR

2010-07-14T05:46:00.002-04:00

Playing with a wide angle lens with a macro ring. Nothing high tech or high end, picked it up on eBay for fifteen bucks.

RED

2010-07-13T05:33:00.000-04:00

Sunlit petunia.

FRAGILE

2010-07-12T05:03:00.000-04:00

I think dragonflies are actually a little creepy which contrasts with the fragile appearance of their wings.

GLITTERING

2010-07-11T05:17:00.002-04:00

Fireworks glittering like jewels in the night.

Another from the King's Island amusement park's July 4th show.

This is an example of my camera knowing better than me. After reviewing several shots done according to various articles I read, I popped the camera on "Auto" for a few shots and got this one.

NIGHT

2010-07-10T04:50:00.004-04:00

Fireworks light up the night at King's Island amusement park in Ohio.

Life always gets in the way of my best intentions. I read a few articles about shooting fireworks and practiced camera settings, got the tripod ready, dug out the cable release. In the end, though, I made a quick relocation to an open spot with a better view and shot handheld.

So much for good intentions.

PATRIOTIC

2010-07-09T21:43:00.003-04:00

Two young men from Denmark spent the July 4th weekend with us in Ohio. They wanted to visit "an American funpark" for the holiday. As we arrived at King's Island there were sky divers coming in to open the holiday celebration.

I had seconds to grab a camera. Ended up with no sky in the background.

4-H Photography

2010-07-03T14:55:00.004-04:00

Our little girls, ages 9 and 11, completed their boards for 4-H Photography. In their early divisions there is not a lot of room for creativity. All color or all black & white shots, 10 to a board with a pre-determined title.

The girls did a good job, though, and here are their completed boards. Judging will be July 15 so keep your fingers crossed for a good outcome.

Hannah, age 11, has the top board on the darker blue background. Andrea, age 9, has the bottom, lighter blue, board.

THE CITY

2010-06-11T22:38:00.005-04:00

Mr. L. and two friends look out from a hillside high above the city. They can see Great American Ballpark, home of the Reds, clear across the Ohio River and into Kentucky.

The girls are visiting from a neighboring state to work on their 4-H Photography projects. It's been fun to see them going from taking snapshots to photos that many of us would be proud to claim. The youngest especially. She listens to an instruction and I can see her putting it into action with her next shot. she can name the parts of the camera and is using "Auto" less each day.

SEASIDE

2010-06-11T04:09:00.005-04:00

I'm sad to say this is as close to seaside as I'm likely to get this summer.

FEMININE (one of many themes I missed over the months!)

2010-06-09T06:38:00.005-04:00

Our daughter has a quiet moment to reflect in the midst of the engagement celebration. The wedding day will be a celebration of both our family's Catholic Christian traditions and her fiance's Hindu traditions. For this Hindu engagement blessing she is honoring her future husband's traditions by wearing a bindi (a small jewel that doesn't really show well in the photo) in the center of her forehead. The red marking is a powder (sometimes a paste is used but our girl has sensitive skin!) and is, I think, called "tilak."

PASSAGE OF TIME

2010-06-07T22:04:00.005-04:00

Our daughter receives a welcoming hug from her fiance's grandmother following their engagement blessing ceremony, a Hindu tradition. I liked the behind the scenes perspective and the way the passage of time is measured in generations in this shot.

VEHICLE

2010-06-07T17:54:00.003-04:00

He didn't seem to mind the off and on mist of rain. I liked the texture the misty rain added to the shot.

DROPLETS

2010-06-02T05:42:00.002-04:00

A visit to our garden after an early day rain.

PAIR

2010-06-01T17:36:00.001-04:00

A pair of swans glide past a pair of boaters.

DISTANT

2010-06-01T17:32:00.003-04:00

The ground is a distant speck when you're perched on top of a water tower while painting.

COMPLEX

2010-06-01T06:44:00.003-04:00

Our middle daughter is engaged to a young man of the Hindu faith. His family hosted an engagement blessing for the couple. This is a close up of the detail work in the mehndi done on her hands the evening before the event. It is done with henna and lasts a few weeks. The darkness of the final ink is determined by one's own body temperature.

PEACEFUL

2010-05-31T22:14:00.003-04:00

A busy weekend.

Late nights.

Early mornings.

A long car ride home.

A few peaceful moments before the little guy wakes up and life kicks back to high gear.

PORTRAIT

2010-05-31T21:44:00.002-04:00

Thirteen months and counting.

COOL

2010-05-12T05:08:00.003-04:00

Main Entry: cool !kUl
Pronunciation: \ ˈkül \
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English col, from Old English cōl; akin to Old High German kuoli cool, Old English ceald cold - More at - cold
Date: before 12th century
Results.....
......7. slang a. very good : excellent also all right b. fashionable hip

Grandson #1 looking very cool in his sunglasses and showing off the very cool patch he was awarded at this weekend's soccer match. Each coach in the league is given a patch to award at the conclusion of each match to a player on the opposing team who exhibits good game skills and good sportsmanship.

YOUNG AND OLD

2010-05-11T20:39:00.008-04:00

Two of our family treasures.

One year old Hollis, the youngest member of our family, visits with Grandma Annie, his 98 years young great-great-grandmother. Granny Annie spends the cold midwestern winters in Arizona so Hollis hasn't seen her in 7 months. I wanted something better than snapshots of the two of them but Hollis wasn't convinced he knew Granny Annie well enough to sit with her. He was willing, though, to stop by and visit as he showed off his recently acquired walking skills.

THE SPORTING LIFE

2010-05-04T05:15:00.002-04:00

It's soccer season. Two double headers a weekend, two practices a week. Grandson #1 and his family live The Sporting Life.

YELLOW

2010-05-03T05:50:00.002-04:00

Still working with the new lens, trying to master a point of clear focus while getting the desired edge blur.

BLOSSOM

2010-05-02T05:20:00.002-04:00

A single orchid blossom.

Still playing around with focus, I intentionally have most of the flower slightly soft and concentrated on highlighting the "mouth," so to speak, of the orchid.

BIRTHDAY AFTERMATH

2010-05-01T07:33:00.004-04:00

Oh sure, they're all about encouraging you to play in the birthday cake. And then--once you've been lured in--someone comes along, puts your head in a lock down position and starts scrubbing your face off with a spit drenched Kleenex.

PhotoWalk Friday Tip

2010-05-01T07:08:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday, Karin! Have a bite of birthday cake with my youngest grandson as he celebrates Birthday #1.

Bring your own wipes.

Photo Salvage

2010-04-28T19:49:00.005-04:00

I liked the emotion of this shot of youngest grandson watching his older cousin play soccer, but it was a miserably out of focus shot. A little color and texture work gave it a quasi-vintage look that I find more appealing than the original.

EMOTIONS

2010-04-28T18:59:00.003-04:00

Bright eyes, dimpled cheeks, toothy grin. Emotions.

ONE

2010-04-19T20:33:00.002-04:00

One lovely blossom.

PARTS

2010-04-19T20:25:00.004-04:00

Still playing with new lens; trying to consistently determine the parts of the image that are sharp and the parts that are blurred. Hand held; I know I'll need to use a tripod to get something printable.

PARTS II

2010-04-19T20:22:00.001-04:00

Grandma Paparazzi

2010-04-19T19:31:00.003-04:00

All done with a wicked belly laugh as he got those slobbery hands on the camera.

VIOLET

2010-04-07T05:00:00.001-04:00

Yeah, real men wear violet.

Grandson #2 working his trendy accountant look.

GLOW

2010-04-07T04:00:00.003-04:00

The Easter fire casts a glow on the faces of the parish community as the Vigil begins.

The Easter Vigil is celebrated in the Catholic Church during the hours between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter Sunday morning. In our parish it typically begins just beyond sundown, between 8:30 and 9:00.

There are 4 parts:

The Service of Light

The Liturgy of The Word

Christian Initiation/Renewal of Baptism Vows

Communion

The fire is lit and the Christ candle (representing The Light of Christ in the world) is lit. Everyone follows the candle into the dark church. Candles are lit and held by the entire community as the Exsultet is sung, telling the story of Christian salvation history. As seven Old Testament readings are read, the lights are gradually brought up in the church. The water in the baptismal pool is blessed by immersing the lit candle in it three times. The fonts in the church are filled after possibly 6 Lenten weeks of being empty. The music is loud and joyfull. Those adults being baptized into the faith begin to be received, those people joining by profession from another faith are met and all are confirmed. The entire community recalls their own baptismal promises during a very wet sprinkling rite throughout the church. The liturgy continues through the celebration of Communion and dismisses, often as late as midnight.

It's an evening rich with tradition and deep with meaning in the Catholic faith.

ACTION/ACTIVE

2010-04-06T05:04:00.006-04:00

Easter Baptism

Two years of active faith formation.

The action of the priest pouring water three times over her head.

Stopping the action of the falling water droplets (I love their shadows on the priest's chausable)

BLOOMS

2010-04-05T21:51:00.004-04:00

One tulip in bloom after a few warm, sunny days and the promise of more blooms in the coming days.

The circular blur in the high background is casued by a new toy--a wide angle/macro lens that screws onto other lens I own. I'm in the early stages of learning what can be done with it. Very low cost fun.

UMBRELLA

2010-03-29T20:11:00.002-04:00

A wet, dripping umbrella tells the weather story of Mr. L's walk in from work.

CONSPICUOUS

2010-03-28T08:38:00.000-04:00

Indianapolis is conspicuously preparing to host the NCAA Final Four Tournament. There are banners and ads everywhere including one we watched being hoisted on the side of a building on Monument Circle in downtown Indy.

(and GO BUTLER!)

Fun Stuff

2010-03-27T20:04:00.005-04:00

A photo I entered in the Indiana Agriculture Department contest won first place in the Water Uses division. The shot is an old one taken a few years ago during a day at my sister's farm. Our now eight year old grandson climbed into our canoe with his fishing pole and a promise from his mom and aunt. The little guy waited patiently for 45 minutes before the girls were ready to take him for the promised canoe ride. This week we traveled to Indiana for a reception with the Lt. Governor to introduce the photos and photographers who placed in the contest. I'm not sure if our grandson was more pleased about being in the winning photo, getting to have lunch downtown in Indianapolis, meeting the Lt. Governor or getting to cut an afternoon of school. Who am I kidding--he liked getting out of school!

BLESSING

2010-03-27T19:57:00.005-04:00

It's certainly a blessing to be able to share something I enjoy with a grandson who is equally interested. Eight year old Joshua and I spent an enjoyable hour photographing downtown Indianapolis.

UNEXPECTED

2010-03-27T19:52:00.002-04:00

I was certainly caught by surprise when I was greeted yesterday morning by snow covering the daffodils! I think the daffodils were surprised too.

STACKED

2010-03-08T18:37:00.004-05:00

A little photo multi-tasking. Was setting up a product shot for work and realized it would serve well as a photo walk post too.

The color cast on the thermos is caused by a manufacturing issue. I think the stainless steel construction below the outer coating is actually bleeding through slightly because there's a definite hint of color in the body.

BLUE

2010-03-02T21:46:00.001-05:00

ADDICTION

2010-03-01T21:08:00.004-05:00

My not so secret craving. I even have particular ones I dig through the bag to find. The ones that are sort of pitted and not so coated with that shiny food lacquer stuff--they dissolve faster, taste stronger. I've been known to dig under the seats in my truck when the bag turns up empty and I need a minty kick.

WHITE

2010-02-20T22:17:00.003-05:00

The roadsides are very white this week after several snows in a short time.

CHOCOLATE

2010-02-20T22:12:00.002-05:00

A little chocolate makes work go easier.

ALONE

2010-02-09T19:24:00.004-05:00

I appeared to be alone on the road as I drove home in a snowstorm this afternoon.

FIVE

2010-02-07T06:45:00.001-05:00

Five male cardinals hoping for a turn at the feeder.

Now, here's the trick. Find the three female cardinals also in the picture.

ODDITY

2010-02-06T18:44:00.000-05:00

A pepper growing inside another pepper.

EDIBLE

2010-01-31T17:24:00.004-05:00

It's about that time of day when I peer into the depths of the refrigerator and think, "There's nothing edible in here!"

Interesting bit of knowledge gained on this shot: I learned that I find it oddly creepy to let the world peek into my refrigerator and I felt compelled to bury a portion of the usual top shelf junk food items under the veggies. The veggies are consumed by Mr. L. I eat the junk.

MASCULINE

2010-01-31T17:21:00.004-05:00

Masculine. In several ways. Not only are the shoes a man's pair, but they are left--still tied--where they were kicked off on the living room floor.

PINK

2010-01-25T07:36:00.001-05:00

ARCS UPON ARC

2010-01-20T08:55:00.003-05:00

The sweeping arc of this bridge span over the Little Miami River is stunning from a slightly lower view. If you look closely below the roadbed, you can see another series of arcs in the construction.

WARNING

2010-01-18T04:13:00.001-05:00

He's thinking he should send a warning out to his more southern robin friends....

"Don't come home yet!!!"

TEXTURE

2010-01-17T05:10:00.001-05:00

Meadow grasses on a bright snowy day.

PATTERN

2010-01-16T05:08:00.000-05:00

Hoar frost highlights the pattern of wire spiraling around the power lines.

LAYERS

2010-01-15T05:05:00.000-05:00

A coating of hoar frost adds interesting ice crystal layers to the roadside brush.

DOORS & WINDOWS

2010-01-14T04:59:00.004-05:00

A night shot highlights the doors and windows of the county courthouse.

hand held, existing light only

BOLD

2010-01-13T07:50:00.008-05:00

Although the rest of the neighborhood in Dayton's Oregon district looks a little drab in the early morning, the windows of the local erotica shop are a bold splash of color.

Shot discretely hand held out the car window so as not to disturb the patrons checking out the 25 cent peep show establishment next door.

MEDITATIVE

2010-01-11T04:58:00.003-05:00

CHAOS

2010-01-10T06:46:00.007-05:00

Sometimes what appears as chaos is actually an intricately contrived and maintained effort. Intersections in downtown Dayton, Ohio, appear to have an overhead tangle of wires as the various electric trolleybus lines cross over.

COLD

2010-01-05T06:28:00.003-05:00

Ice forms in the winter cold from natural springs seeping through limestone ridges.

LOOKING DOWN

2010-01-04T13:03:00.006-05:00

A late winter afternoon, looking down from the dam at Caesar Creek toward the spillway park below.

I intentionally went for the sun flare by setting the shot up more toward the lowering sun then shifting toward the valley and shooting. I wanted to add some color to the otherwise drab winter landscape.

TRIO

2010-01-03T20:34:00.005-05:00

The Christmas decorations are packed away for another year with the exception of the nativity set. The nativity will stay out until January 6th, when this trio will join the other pieces at the stable.

I was playing with depth of focus a little to see how the look changed with one, two, all or none of the figures in focus.

The most critical thing I learned with this shot is that I really, really need to dust the hall table.