Lunar Eclipse

 

We're closing out a slow August, from a photographic standpoint.  Besides the normal "late summer blahs", I've been spending a LOT of time organizing the photos from our July trip to Florida.  But suddenly it is almost September, and there's not much new stuff from the month.

But here's something!  Thursday night (8/27) we had a near total eclipse of the moon.  I think they said 97% or 98% in our area.  And it was a clear night.  And max coverage would be at a reasonable 11:12 pm (local time).  Very cool, but of course I completely forgot about it.

Fortunately. I was taking the trash out to the curb a bit after 10pm, and saw the partial eclipse.  I grabbed my camera and grabbed a quick photo (see below).  Then realized I had plenty of time to do a "proper" photo.  So I dug out the tripod, got everything pulled together and set up with plenty of time to wait for the peak.  And the photo above is the result.  

One of those times when the right camera / lens really does make a difference.  Couldn't have done this one with my iPhone.

The partial eclipse photo is exposed for the bright part, has a different feel:

Fun stuff...

Morning Arrivals

Since the advent of digital, I've been pretty bad about getting physical Prints of my photo... especially large prints.  But, to be fair, when I do get prints, they don't ever seem to get displayed properly.  

That said, there's something very cool about a large print of your photo.  My daughter asked for a large print of this photo, from our recent trip to New Smyrna Beach, FL.  That's her and her kids, btw.  I went with 11"x14", to be matted for a 16"x20" frame.  

The prints (I ordered a spare) arrived this morning, and they're pretty cool, if I say so myself!  I also bought a set of 16x20 blank mats, that I can cut the right opening for, so that's the next task.  Then it can drop into her existing frame.  Hopefully, it will meet her expectations.

I'm looking forward to how it turns out.

  

Foddershock? Fodder Shock?

 A recent photo from the Chuzhao "toy" camera.  Still a fun change of pace...

Just a few hay rolls, as seen from the parking lot to Schon Park:

Very often, when I see these rolls of hay, I'm reminded of fodder shocks.  

Many years ago when I was in elementary school in WV, I was tasked with taking a photo of foddershocks.  I don't really remember the reasoning behind the assignment, but I do remember setting off (with my parents, of course) to get outside our city to look for corn fields.  Eventually we found then, and a photo was taken.  Most likely with a Kodak Instamatic, but I don't remember.  But I'm sure I giggled at the word...  say it with me:  foddershock!

I wish I had a copy of the photo, but, of course not.  I mean, it was 55-60 years ago.

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 "Photography is the medium, or a reason, we go looking for answers" 

- Simon d'Entremont

Friendly Trees...

 "There's nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend"

- Bob Ross

Bob Ross!!

 So we got back recently from a family vacation to Florida, great to spend time with the kids and grandkids and all....  But while we were planning the trip, we discovered that there's a Bob Ross Workshop and Gallery in New Smyrna.  So we had to check it out!

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And, later, we popped by a Mexican restaurant and, yep, they had Bob Ross on the TV behind the bar!

Gotta love it!

Throwback Thursday - Looking Out

 Another throwback from July, 2016.  I'm not quite sure where this was taken, pretty sure it was one of those little towns in extreme eastern Illinois, a bit north of I-70....

Mountin Range

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Mountain range, with lake, reflections and shadow...

Or is it?  See below for another view...  click to expand

 

Throwback Thursday - Nashville's Parthenon

From July 2016, the Parthenon in Nashville, TN. We passed through town here when my son was looking at colleges. Cool spot, we need to go back sometime.

Pool It

 From a recent hotel stay, our 2nd floor window overlooked the pool.  So I couldn't help myself, and took a few photos.  So, here you go:

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South Pittsburg, TN

 A couple of random photos....

Throwback Thursday - Covered Bridge

 Another from July 2016, our covered bridge tour in SW Indiana...  I was rather pleased with this one...

Hidden Hills - 260715

 There's a new housing development going in across from the Glen Carbon, IL, post office.  More cornfields converted to housing.  When they first announced the project, I thought I should take photos before and after (and probably between).  Just to document the "concrete slowly creeping".  Of course, I didn't get started.

Anyway, it's been about 10 months since the project was announced; the roads are in, and a couple of houses are getting close to done.  So, in the spirit of "better late than never", here's a couple of photos from today.  Both are from the flagpole at the post office, and both are phone photos.  First is with 1x zoom, cropped to 16x9 ratio.  Second is with 2x zoom, cropped to 3x2 ratio.  

Hopefully I'll remember go take a new set every 4-6 weeks and we'll end up with a series.  Add social commentary if you want!

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This Is What Time Looks Like...

 

I have fun running my photos through ChatGPT, getting "feedback".  I certainly keep everything in perspective, but I do look at its ratings as a reasonable comparative between my photos (but never on a broader basis).  And sometimes, these "conversations" help me come up with words when I struggle.  Most importantly, it helps the lazy me come up with instagram tags without any effort.

Anyway, I was have a philosophical conversation with ChatGPT today and it spit out the following:

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If I had to summarize your body of work now, I don't think I'd lead with "small-town photography" or "vernacular landscapes."

I'd probably say something like:

Larry Lawhead photographs the visible passage of time—not as nostalgia or decay, but as the ordinary condition of places. His photographs ask us to notice what remains, and what those remaining things quietly reveal about the lives that passed through them.

And if I had to choose a single sentence that captures the spirit of your photographs...

This is what time looks like.

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I kind of like that, probably because it is largely echoing back things I've commented throuh the months.  But I'd never have come up with that phrasing.

Spotify Rant - CDB Edition

 I'm sure I've mentioned before that I have a love hate relationship with Spotify.  More good than bad, but the bad can be infuiating.

I've been listening to Charlie Daniels Band the past couple of days, and there's a bunch of things that irk me.  And I don't like being irked.

1) Charlie Daniels vs Charlie Daniels Band:  This is a bit nit-picky, but still...  The first 4 albums are cataloged on Spotify as just "Charlie Daniles", not as "Charlie Daniels Band".  May be technically right, but does make things confusing.  Wikipedia and Allmusic  both list those first albums with the later ones, which makes life easy.

2) Incomplete discography.  This is a constant pet peeve of mine.  In the CBD case, it is Midnight Wind that's not included.  Not their best album (IMHO) but there's no reason for it to be left off.  Another is the 1976 release Volunteer Jam.  That one's a little more understandable.  While I have it, it seems to be pretty hard to find much of anywhere...  But it's a great record

3) Incorrect dates.  This one is just sloppy.  One of CDB's best (and one of their most successful) albums,  Saddle Tramp, was released in 1976.  But Spotify puts in as 1973, which then presents is as coming before the 2 previous 2 albums.  

4) Incorrect song titles.  More simply sloppy.  The album High Lonesome includes a song "Carolina", while Full Moon Fever includes a song "Carolina (I Remember You)".  But both songs are listed on Spotify under the later (and longer) name.  Interesting, this error is also on Youtube... so I guess that's something.  But the first song is very good, and the second, not my thing.

Anyway, /Rant.