A Difficult Choice

I shot and processed the original photograph in this series and was pleased with the results.  However, I decided to retouch it to appear distressed and then again to look like a watercolor painting.  Which version do you prefer?

Original

Distressed

Watercolor

Line, Symmetry, Pattern & Oddities

As an aspiring photographer I have made a conscious effort to notice the overlooked; the shapes and subtle nuances in the environment that make for interesting photographs.  This is not always an easy endeavor since what you and I find interesting in a photograph may vary immensely.

The weather has taken a break from a consistent barrage of snow, rain, wind and cold to reveal a beautiful sunny day that is greatly appreciated.  I seized the day and geared up with the intention of heading to Fort Taber in New Bedford.  Since I have been recovering from a bout of the stomach flu I thought better of a long trip and opted to shoot at Battleship Cove - a few minutes away.

While there I decided to focus on line, symmetry, pattern and oddities as the subjects for my photographs and here are the results:



Need

Is the action of nature not unlike drawing a bow?
What is higher is pulled down, and what is lower is raised up;
What is taller is shortened, and what is thinner is broadened;
Nature's motion decreases those who have more than they need
And increases those who need more than they have.

It is not so with Man.
Man decreases those who need more than they have
And increases those who have more than they need.

To give away what you do not need is to follow the Way.
So the sage gives without expectation,
Accomplishes without claiming credit,
And has no desire for ostentation.

-LaoTze-

Some days are a struggle!

How was your day?  This guy's having a rough one!

Time Capsule

Some of my greatest insights occur while showering, drinking or listening to music.  Yesterday, I was having some wine with dinner when it occurred to  me that a bottle of wine is like a time capsule.  A record of the year of vintage!  If you ask nicely and are aware, sometimes it will share the secrets with you - but only if you are aware!  1995 was good year in France!

 

Halo Wars!

It was rather cold here today and fortunately I didn't have to be out for too long running errands!  I did, however, manage to assemble some Mega Bloks Halo Wars themed character sets.  The battle that ensued was quite the spectacle and there was much loss of life!

Snoopy & The Snow Flake Bokeh!

The challenge in this series was to cut out a shape in a piece of card stock - black - cover the lens with it so that the focal point for the subject went through the cut out.  I used a snowflake shape that my wife had - she made the cutout for me and helped me to figure out how to secure it to the lens.  The lens was set to the maximum aperture (f1.8) and the shutter speed and ISO adjusted to the correct exposure for the desired effect.  This was way more troublesome to accomplish than the simple description suggests but none the less I got some usable results...

Every King must have a Queen!