Auguries of Innocence*
by William Blake
To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
*An excerpt.
photography
All posts tagged photography
I couldn't help myself. I just had to try a few more shots.
This will be the last of this sort I post… today… I hope!
I couldn't help it. I simply had to try and improve on the icicle photos I'd made a few minutes earlier. So I hauled out my best camera and shot a few more photos of icicles dripping lit by the day's unexpected brilliance against a shockingly blue sky. I checked my first "second" batch and found the lens had been spattered by drops of water striking the window frame. I blotted the offending drops off the expensive glass and tried again. I guess this was more like a third try. As I write, I hear occasional crashes as the stalactites lose their grip and fall to shatter against the ground. We photograph to preserve the ephemeral; we do it to stop time.
I haven't done "people" photos –portraits, dance, illustration– in a very long time. Recently I was running a Google Image search for pictures of Albert Einstein. I'd seen a photograph of the great theoretical physicist in the middle of a big laugh. While Einstein was known for the twinkle in his eye and had been photographed poking out his tongue, gently smiling, and riding a bicycle, I'd never seen him in a full-out laugh. Well, I found that image unfortunately without attribution; I don't know the photographer, publisher, or copyright status (please forgive me if you own this image). As I was searching, however, I came across a more formal portrait of Einstein… this one by Yousuf Karsh (1908 – 2002). That led me to order a book about his life and work, Karsh: A Biography In Images. My admiration for the work of the late Arnold Newman (1918 – 2006) resurfaced. All of this served to stir my longing to continue rekindling my practice of photography and get back into the action. Maybe seek out a photo assignment. We'll see. I'm already pulled in too many directions. Perhaps I'm coming back around to my true heading.
Leaving work today I glanced out the window and spied a beautifully-sculpted snowdrift glowing in the early evening sun. It's only a foot or two tall but could be any size, even the stature of a mountain, and be no more beautiful. As I approached the parking lot I glanced through a line of trees directly towards the sun. Long shadows on the snow and a spark of brilliance made me stop and haul out the camera once more. There's a major winter storm due 24 hours from now and this is the beautiful calm before.
Driving to work this morning was both a pain and a pleasure. It was very cold this morning; en route my car's thermometer hit a low of 4 degrees (F) on the east side of Strongsville. At home and in many areas along my route, hoar frost had coated very twig producing an amazing landscape at every turn. It was a beautiful trip but painful to resist the urge to play hooky, wade through the snow, and take photographs everywhere I went. Helping little, I told myself to simply enjoy the passing view and not worry about photographing. Still, I did succumb and pulled into a conveniently located Metroparks parking lot immediately adjacent to an open field lined with flocked trees. The sun was just beginning to illuminate the treeline when I shot the last of my morning's pictures.
Too beautiful a winter's day to stay at home, we headed out to Hudson for lunch at Chipolte and a walk around their quaint downtown area. We picked up a few items, including a couple of nice bottles of wine at Heinen's then headed towards home. On a lark we stopped in Peninsula and visited the Century Cycles store there. As we were wrapping up, the northbound run of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad pulled in and stopped right in front of the trackside store. Remarking, "train!" I excused myself and stepped outside to greet the rumbling giant and shoot a few portraits of its mighty engine, #6777 (formerly Canadian National #6777, ca. 1959).
Don't worry… the train was headed away from me but at a full stop, with air brakes firmly set!
I didn't do much photography today –a little in Hudson, including a snow-covered bistro patio arrangement, Loomis Observatory;, and then the train in Peninsula– but under an intensely blue patch of sky, the Peninsula church steeple was the shot of the day.
It was a beautiful day. The weather was cold (it's January, after all) but sunny and blue skies have been mighty scarce this winter!
We spent the day running about: to the Cleveland Home & Garden Show followed by a visit to Legacy Village. We had hoped that, in a new venue, the Home & Garden Show would improve but were bitterly disappointed. Not only had the show itself declined in quality but its new venue was shoddy and unwelcoming. The owners of the Great Lakes Expo Center would have done everyone a favor it they'd have hired some of the exhibitors to fix the place up. The converted DIY retail facility needed wallboard, paint, plumbing, and light. The Show? Well let's just say there were no homes, few gardens, and way too many hucksters. We won't be going back any year soon and will likely skip any other show housed at the Center.
High point of the day was lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen restaurant followed by window shopping at other Legacy Village stores. She had the roasted vegetable salad and I enjoyed the simple margherita pizza. From there we strolled to the Joseph Beth bookstore where She sat in a warm, sunny spot and paged through baker Duff Goldman's Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes. I quietly perused the art, science, and bargain books. A most pleasant way to spend a chilly, sunny, Sunday afternoon.
Back home She Who Must Be Obeyed pointed out interesting impressions in the snow next to our sidewalk. A bird or birds, engaged in some sort of struggle, had left body and wing marks in the dry, sand-like dusting. I grabbed the camera and recorded the scene created by birds in a more ephemeral medium.
On an outing this afternoon I stopped by the Metroparks' Mill Stream Run Reservation and explored the frozen landscape. I photographed shadows, animal tracks, snow, and the stream. It was 16 (F) degrees so I did not stay for long. Hands sore from the cold, I made my way back towards my waiting car. As I crossed the small bridge to the parking lot, I stopped to gaze at the frigid water. For just a moment the ice turned golden.
Saturday was spent in travels both on errands and for the enjoyment of being out of doors on a fine winter's day. It really didn't start out quite so fine –it was gray and snowy– but as the day progressed, things changed. The clouds grew thinner and gave way to peeks of blue and by the end of the day, the sky was cloud free with the sun illuminating nature's recently-decorated landscapes.
We did discover, however, just how unique our position was: from the road and slightly lower elevations we got a look at hilltops similar to ours. Off in the distance, across a valley, we spied what, at first, seemed to be snow-capped mountains. No, not mountains at all but the very hills we live in — the tops only just high enough to catch freezing fog on their trees. Anything below the critical elevation was typicaly winter-bare. A remarkable sight.
I took another winter photo-walk in our neighborhood, again with the new lens and the old Canon Digital Rebel, re-photographing some of Friday's discoveries; this time with clear blue sky and bright late-day sunlight to enhance the view. Clearly visible were the plate-shaped ice deposits on trees and shrubs. The frosting was beautiful by itself but gave added hold to the light, dry snow that fell and resulted in several days of amazing winter scenes.
Though it was very cold here last night (10F degrees) winds have kicked up and the snow coats have begun to fall from our trees. We did have splendid sights here, thanks to our unique position. While we often wish we lived someplace else, where we are occasionally has its high points.
PhotonStopper 