Barn in Lafayette County © 2010 Bo Mackison
I used one of the art filters, black and white grainy, that are on the Olympus E-P1 (PEN) but much of the time the filters are a bit over the top for my preferences. So I modified the black and white tones in Lightroom.
I went to the Apple store last week for an in depth discussion on Aperture 3. After waiting for 6 months, Aperture 3 is out and finally there is support for the Olympus PEN cameras (and all the other micro four-thirds). I liked using the Aperture program before I purchased the PEN (and then no longer had access to it) and I’m considering getting the upgrade. It means another learning curve while learning to a new program. Sigh! And comes at a busy time for me, so I’m vacillating a bit.
I’ve got an appointment at Apple for next week…I’m thinking.
Gray Skies, But There's Still Gold in the Grasses
“I saw old Autumn in the misty morn
Stand shadow less like silence, listening
To silence.”
- Thomas Hood, Ode: Autumn, 1827
… a show and a web store.
Arboretum View
I am exhibiting my photography products at the first ever “Close to Home: Arboretum Local Products Expo” at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum. The show will be emphasizing products that promote sustainability, recycling and locally produced goods. If you are in the Madison area, come visit and check out my display of photo art cards, prints, and posters on Sunday November 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Visitor Center, 1207 Seminole Highway. Directions to the Arboretum.
Today is also the official opening of Seeded Earth Studio’s new storefront. You can find a link to the store in the menu at the top of this page or go to Seeded Earth’s shopping site. Check back frequently as I have just begun stocking my virtual shelves and will be adding new items weekly.
November Continues
Pheasant Branch Conservancy, in Middleton, the city just north of Madison, contains a marsh with open water, springs, prairies, meadows, lowland forest, and wooded hills. These various habitats sustain a wide variety of plants and animals, including some that are threatened or endangered. Although surrounded on three sides by urban development, the conservancy provides a quiet refuge for bird-watchers, nature enthusiasts, and wayward photographers – lost in a fog!
Lake Mendota
Madison was fogged in today, but it wasn’t my best day for photography. Early this morning, with the fog swirling around the second story window of my studio, I removed the screen from the window. Then I preset my camera and set it up on the tripod for a skyward shot. Hundreds of Canada Geese have been flying past my window several times a day, and with the fog as a background, I thought I’d take advantage of this photo op. When I heard the honking, I sprang into action, but in my hurry to get the window cranked open, I forgot -sigh! -to remove the lens cover. By the time I realized my error, I missed the moment of the flyover.
The day doesn’t get much better. I went to Lake Mendota and shot a few photographs of the fogged-in lake, then drove to a prairie about a half hour from my home. The fog had settled into a crevice, and hovered magically over the gap. I walked in to get some shots. I had only taken four photos when my battery, without warning, died. No problem. I always carry a second battery, but when I searched my camera bagg – no battery. By this time, my hands were cold, and I was gettting a bit cranky, so I chalked the day up to bad karma, and headed home.
Once home, I again searched for the missing battery – and found it right where it was supposed to be. IN my camera bag!
Yep, one of THOSE days!
Browns and Blue
Though I’m not quite ready for the snows to come, I’m wearying of brown in all its many variations. It’s nice enough with a dose of sunshine and blue skies, but already I am missing the bright colors that were in the gardens only a few weeks ago. And now snow is predicted for Wednesday, just in time to cause Thanksgiving travel woes.
Final Bit of Fall Color
I was out exploring the local Arboretum, simply to see what I could see. In all the many layers of November browns, there was this bit of color – one last stand of Purple Asters still sporting a few blossoms of bright purples and yellows.
Gone to Seed
November has been a very brown month in Wisconsin. Though it’s not unusual to get a good snow or two, it’s been a rather mild November and I’ve only seen a few snow flurries. After a disappointing October which seemed rather like November, it’s only fair to have a November that is rather like October. Indeed!
Brown Jugs Behind Glass
Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in. ~ Alan Alda
Black Oak or White Oak
I know this is a pile of leaves. I happen to like piles of leaves, but I thought it a good idea if I had a reason for posting a photo of a pile of leaves. So…for those of you who weren’t in scouts for half your childhood or trained to be a naturalist or park ranger, I will tell you a fail proof method of determining if an oak leaf is a white oak or a black oak. (I know there are other oaks – pin oaks, turkey oaks, canyon oaks, and perhaps another 400 types of oaks, but this fun trick only works for the black and white ones.)
There are mostly black oak leaves in the photo, but I see one white oak leaf in the lower left corner. To tell if an oak leaf is a black oak look at the tip of its leaf. Are the tips sharp like a Halloween witches’ hat? Yes? The traditional Halloween witch is dressed in black. The oak is a black oak. Black=black!
Now consider the white oak leaf. Its tips are rounded. Yes, rounded like a little ghost. And Halloween ghosts are white. Aha! White=white!
So know you will always be able to tell a black oak from a white oak. You, too, can impress small children and large adults alike with your knowledge of tree lore. Enjoy!
