Rain, Rain, Go Away ... and don't even bother coming back another day!



I have been complaining about this weather because it's just so dull when I can't go out as much as I'd like ... especially after being cooped up for a long winter season. But ... I have to admit that everything is beautifully lush green. Spring took its time and uncovered itself slowly which is rare for us. Normally the trees fill in within a couple of days and the blooms all come in at once and disapear just as quickly. This year everything happened in slow motion and we've been able to enjoy it for a longer period of time. I'm sure the level of enjoyment was directly proportional to the delay.

The nice thing about having an overcast sky is that the light is difused and renders softer pictures. Everything is slightly muted without the harsh light and shadow contrast that accompanies a bright sunny day. Droplets of water a facinating to observe. They gather randomly, sometimes join, and sometimes join so much that they eventually fall off due to their weight. It's a little messier to photograph under these circumstances since I never think of bringing a pad or something to protect my knees from the wet grass. Taking on odd positions to capture a special moment involves getting close to the ground.

I'll continue to complain about the rain only because we've truly had our fill of it but I'm also grateful for the opprtunities it has provided. It basically forced me to find alternative ways of amusing myself and see things that I normally would not have paid any attention to. My surroundings are kept fresh and green. It feels nice when I drive around my neighborhood and see these different shades of green that mother nature is feeding on a daily basis with this abundance of water. It won't be long before the summer heat begins to brown our lawns and dry up our flower beds, and then we will have to take care of the watering ourselves.

An experiment with the abstract

Another rainy day ... but this time I was prepared. I had a bunch of photography experiments I wanted to try based on a photography magazine article I read. These experiments involved the use of crystals, water, food colour, and oils. 

I first played around with my crystal butterfly to see which kind of lighting would produce the most colourful reflections. As it turns out, a light underneath a decorative piece of glass produced the most amazing colours. A 'real' butterfly would surely be flattered to have so many sparkling colours! Then I moved on to the Pierrot. This time, I tried to focus on simplicity and create some sort of outline instead of trying to make it as colourful as possible. He looks icy and crisp.

Next came the experiment with water and food colour. I used a rectabular vase that was rather narrow so that the colour would have less horizontal space to spread out in. I think the vase glass is a bit too thick since it was very difficult to obtain a sharp focus. Nevertheless, the effect turned out very interesting.

I subsequently change my colour combination and found that shades or yellow, green, blue, and red worked better in terms of focus/clarity. I think it's because overall the water was of a lighter colour and the backlight came through better.

Then I experimented with water and oil. I used a shallow glass pie plate, partially filled it with water, and added two2 different kinds of oils, sunflower and olive, since they have a slightly different colour. I put an abstract painting under the glass dish to use as background colour (which I could could also move around).  I took several pictures but the best effect occured once I stirred up the water oil mixture causing more bubbles. Eventually it all began to look like some life form ...

Believe it or not, I took about 200 pictures! Not only of water and oils but also of fruits, flowers, and other small objects. I would say that only about 10 of them are worth keeping since I make a point of changing aperture, ISO, and shutter speed to see which combination produces what result. So far, the learning process has been a lot of fun.

Our cat Chester ... the mollester

Our cat Chester is pretty cool. 

He's big, strong, and a good hunter, yet he also has a soft touch and is very patient with our puppy. 

We began calling him Chester the Mollester when he was a kitten. He used to spend his daily 'crazy' hour zipping around in circles, attacking anything in his path especially our feet! Fortunately that stage is over and he spends most of his time lazing around or hunting mice.

Cats are interesting creatures. 

Most of them appear to be less attached to humans than dogs however I think it's a disguised behaviour. Chester is always happy to see us and is very demonstrative with our dog. He will rub himself against her every time he comes back into the house. He behaved the same way with our previous dog Biko. Chester was in fact quite out of sorts for at least 3 days after Biko died. He'd go into our backyard on his own and sit on the deck as if expecting Biko to show up any minute. It was rather sad to watch especially since my own sadness overwhelmed me.

Chester has come to tolerate our new puppy very. Initially his back was up and he didn't appreciate the new addition to our family. Eventually we let him into the pup's area and he accepted her after 3 days of sharing the same space. Now Nikita, being so playful, continuously jumps on him, nibbles at him, and doesn't take 'no' for an answer. He may growl, hiss, and even swat her but he's never any rougher than he needs to be. I'll know they have become friends for life when I eventually see them cuddled up together for a nap.

Reflections ...

We've just had 2 beautiful days but today, again, was overcast. It didn't affect me as much though since I had a sunshine fix. What a perfect day to try some indoor 'special' photography!

I have a small piece of black glass which I used as the base for the Cala Lily. I had never tried reflective photos before and I was very excited at the thought of it. Playing with light direction and shutter speed was easier than I thought. The only challenge is knowing when I have the 'right' picture. My camera's screen is a bit small to discern the details and colours, computer screens show colours differently depending on the angle, posting a picture rounds up looking different, and who knows what results I'll have once I print a picture. More to learn ...

All in all I'm rather happy with the results considering it's my first time and the fact that I'm rather new at all of this. The reflection of the lily came out nice and clear and the lily is just slightly lighter than I'd like it to be. There is a colour balance that impacts the quality and brightness of the reflection.

I will try later this evening, once it's dark, and see how the effect changes when I only have artificial lighting.

From caves to posts ...

Here is another picture I took on my outing in the big city. Can you guess what it is?

Hint - We were strolling on the university campus. I could see this all over the place. It's temporary yet always there.

 So here is goes - I became very aware of the numerous posters that were slapped on everywhere as we strolled through the university campus. They announced concerts, exhibitions, special lectures, and various language courses. Some people pasted their poster over other posters and others stapled them. You could see how often posters had been fully or partially removed. Posts were scratched, guey, messy, and laden with broken staples. It was colourful and interesting yet untidy. I suppose it's a sight we are used to and can walk by without noticing it unless we are we are in that space where we are more conscious of our surroundings.

This is a picture of a section of a post with its 'leftovers'. The renmants appear to have melded and become matter of their own with tidbits of history still present. It resembles prehistoric cave walls with renmants of animal paintings. It kind of makes sense when you think about it. Cavemen were preoccupied with survival and at that time hunting, family, and fire were the main focus. These days people focus on education as a means of survival. The 'mental' has taken over  the 'physical'.