RIP J.D. Souther

"But say goodbye, tell me goodbye

Say a pretty goodbye

Baby, you could be gone with a smile on your face

Instead of letting those good tears go to waste"

 - J.D. Souther, Pretty Goodbyes.

From the album Souther Hillman Furay Band (1974).  JD Souther passed away yesterday (9/17/2024) at the age of 1978.

I made a spotify playlist of songs written/co-written by JD Souther, I know it is FAR from complete.  Feel free to suggest additions!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/10M45qWmxk7SpsPEjIrwpe?si=342b026d36cb4c26

Moon Crazy

 There was a partial eclipse of the moon last night, I decided to try a photo.  I think it turned out pretty well.  What say you?

Taken with my 100-400mm zoom, for an equivalent focal length of 600mm.  1/1000th sec exposure, f/10, ISO=640...  handheld.  This is the first moon photo I've taken that I was pleased with, I'll have to try some more.

Photographing Landscapes and Cityscapes at Missouri Botanical Garden (Part 3)

  Part 3 of the series, see Part 1 for more background. This is the 2nd batch of photos (chronologically)  from my recent photo class at MBG.  

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Seiwa-en, Japanese Garden

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Seiwa-en, Japanese Garden

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 Lichtenstein Victorian District

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 Lichtenstein Victorian District

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 Lichtenstein Victorian District

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See all the posts from this outing using the tag PLC.  

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Photographing Landscapes and Cityscapes at Missouri Botanical Garden (Part 2)

 Part 2 of the series, see Part 1 for more background. This is the 2nd batch of photos (chronologically)  from my recent photo class at MBG.  

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Backlit plant,

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Grigg Nanjing Friendship Chinese Garden

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Grigg Nanjing Friendship Chinese Garden

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Grigg Nanjing Friendship Chinese Garden

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Blanke Boxwood Garden

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Outside Blanke Boxwood Garden

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See all the posts from this outing using the tag PLC.  

Photographing Landscapes and Cityscapes at Missouri Botanical Garden (Part 1)

 I stepped a bit outside of my comfort zone this week, and did a photo "thing".  Hosted by Missouri Botanical Garden, this was a class. entitled "Photographing Landscapes and Cityscapes".  I'm generally a self-taught, solitary shooter kind of guy, but need to 

This class description read:  

All levels. Learn how to create more dramatic landscapes in the field. We will find several areas that emphasize foreground, midground, and background. By adding the elements of layer, shape, and leading lines, we will add depth to the image. In addition, we will discuss the importance of selecting an interesting foreground that creates balance. A tripod and polarizer are helpful, but not necessary.

Sounded good, more experiential than class room. So I decided to give it a try.  And it was a fun experience.  Very low key. 6 photographers wandering the garden with our leader (Scott Avetta), with him talking about general composition etc.  Nothing new or dramatic for me, but a really good experience all the same.  Three (3) hours with the Garden to ourselves (essentially), from late afternoon until after sunset.

I took 115 photos, which I culled down to 27 processed images, then down to a dozen for Facebook.  I'll plan to post the 27 here, in batches of 6-8...  presented chronologically.   Hope you enjoy!

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Outside the visitor center, the outdoor seating area for the cafe

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Linnean House

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Linnean House, Fountain

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Climatron, Central Axis

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One of the ponds on Central Axis, with Chihuly sculptures

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Water Lilly (1)

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Water Lilly (2)

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Stay tuned for more!

Back To It

 Well, not the first time the blog has fallen to the wayside....  sorry once again.  But time to get it back to happening:

Nice walk at Watershed Nature Center yesterday, managed a couple of sunset photos with the phone.  Here's the one I decided to drop to FB and the photo sites:

I was pretty pleased with this one there's a minimal of tweaking, here's the Straight Out Of Camera (SOOC) Version for reference below.  Can you tell the difference?