Unexpected discoveries like this old house always make my day. The surprising thing was its location. It was less than five miles from where I live and right behind a grocery market I frequently drive by.
Tag: Ridgeway Virginia
A Small Country Church
As I was driving along a rural highway close to home, I happened to glance behind a popular local food market I pass frequently and saw a small church I’d never spotted before. I stopped and found this nice photo opportunity.
What made it special to me was the brightly painted mailbox out front. I’m not sure if church services are still held inside, but the building itself is reasonably well maintained to make that possible. This proves my belief that we photographers always need to keep an open eye to our surroundings, there is much to be discovered.
Happy Little Tire Swing
This peaceful farm scene is just two blocks away from our home. It’s nice to live in a small town residential area with such a variety of potential photo compositions within walking distance..
One of my favorite movies is “O Brother,Where Art Thou.” Toward the end, there is a climactic scene where our three main characters are seeking their way, trying to stay clear of pursuing lawmen, back to a Tennessee depression era farm location where they are told by the farm owner there is “treasure” and they will know they have arrived when they see” A happy little tire swing.” Once there, they don’t see it. One character explains. “Where’s the happy little tree swing?” They notice fearfully it’s been replaced by three hanging nooses put there by waiting corrupt lawmen. Not to worry, God intervenes and they survive. So, wherever I see a tire swing I think of this iconic line from my favorite movie.
First Daffodils – 2019
It was a rainy day yesterday when my wife looked out the kitchen window, saw a small bit of yellow about 50 yards away across very wet ground, and alerted me by saying, “I see the first Daffodils!”. Just five were blooming. We have literally hundreds of plants all over our 2.5 acre yard. Bright green stems of the flowers are poking out of the ground in mass. Hundreds of yellow and white blooms will soon follow. With hard rain falling I made the image below while sheltered under the patio roof … with decorative ceramic squirrels frozen in their usual place. I needed more photos. But, not enough to get wet. So, I waited.
Around 1800 the rain turned to drizzle so I decided to make a soggy walk across the grass with a few muddy pools to dodge, and get at those yellow blooms that attracted our attention in the first place. The light was not good, so it was time to use the built-in camera’s flash.
Not satisfied with what I had captured thus far, when I got out of bed this morning I grabbed my Fujifilm camera with 35mm prime lens and again dodged wet places in the grass to get close to the scant number of yellow blooms. It was much more satisfying. Especially the last two images below. The tilting LCD on the camera makes it possible to “get low” which would have been difficult on the sloped, muddy ground, coupled with my creaky, aged body. I felt good when I finally got the photos I wanted to represent our first Daffodils for 2019. It brightened my day. Hopefully yours as well.
Abandoned to Nature
This home was once a nice dwelling. Today it’s abandoned and slowly falling apart. I enjoy making photos of old structures like this, and often wonder about past occupants. The textures close-up are interesting and make nice photo compositions.
Signs of Fall
Small town Produce Markets displaying Pumpkins, Gourds, Potted Mums, and other seasonal items are now doing business in that regard. Like the farm market just two miles from where we live in SW Virginia. I saw this while driving past, and on my way back home, I stopped to make these photos using my iPhone 7 Plus Camera. Always handy and very capable.
Lots of Photo Variety
What’s interesting to me may not be so to another. But, I suspect most folks like to see a variety of photographs to judge on their own. Here are several, starting with one made inside our house. Items found or purchased near Upper Michigan’s Whitefish Point Museum form the basis of this wall display. The remainder of the photos were made around the outside of our home.
(Photos made with Fujifilm X-T100 with 50mm f2 lens)
Lantana. One of my favorite flowers. They have a “unique” smell. Keeps the deer away.
Crape Myrtle. Note the seed buds bottom right.
The 50mm lens I just began using gives a representation of what our eyes see. As opposed to wider or closer view zoom lens. I prefer that. So, I think the lens will become one that will remain on my camera a lot. If I need to change the composition, I simply zoom “with my feet” by moving around until I get what I want. For me, the “joy” of photography is being creative, and not let letting the camera decide what that means using it’s auto mode.
