Sunday Stills: The Color Green

Ed challenged us with green because many participating photographers are currently snowed in! But here in southwest Texas the Live Oaks and Junipers keep us surrounded in green during the Winter. So I decided to challenge myself in other ways of photographing green.

Those of you that follow my blog know it's a rare day you'll see a photo of me on it. So I thought I would try some self-portraits: a green-eyed lady in green glasses and green coat in front of a green mirrored sculpture on the side of our house. I've used some digital manipulation to cut the glare on the mirror and create a dream-like effect.

Perhaps I should have cleaned the mirrors first! On this last one I decided to collage in an old cotton doily. Do you like it?

For more images of green, visit Sunday Stills!

Hill Country anniversary trip

We took a little day trip to Enchanted Rock--where we got married--on our anniversary this year. It's too bad I forgot to charge the battery of my loaner camera overnight, but it actually ran out of space before it ran out of juice.

On the way we stopped to take some photos of things we've passed by a zillion times and always meant to photograph if we weren't rushing from here to there. It was nice actually making time for them.

This little hobbit house in Hunt, Texas, is tucked into the woods and sits right on the river's edge. It has a sign that says 'Toad Hall' but an quick online check says that's for two cabins they rent out, so I'm thinking this must be their residence, as photos of it do not appear anywhere on their website.

Just down the road there is a unique fence that keeps some horses off the road. (Click to biggify).

The cedar posts are covered with used boots, some of them quite colorful. I've heard this started in the old days as a way of recycling old boots and protecting the ends of posts from absorbing rain and rotting. But cedar posts are very long-lived even without boots. I have the feeling the owner started it, and then people passing by have just added to it over the years. I've certainly watched the collection grow over the past decade.

On the banks of the river we saw this very large, rubbery Evening Primrose species. The flowers were at chest height and I'm fairly tall. I didn't get enough details to key it out, but it's definitely water-loving and day-blooming so that should narrow things down a bit. Unlike others in its genus, it doesn't seem prolific as this is the only one we saw.

We took a back road through the ghost town of Crabapple, and stopped to photograph the ruins.

This building was the old school until the late 50's and is now considered the Community Center, although the Census does not show anyone presently residing in Crabapple. The next two images I processed to give them a vintage feel.

This building was the teacherage, where the teacher lived.

And this was the church, built in 1897. These are all great examples of the stonework that is so predominant throughout the Texas Hill Country done by the early German settlers.

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area can be seen in the distance from the highway approach to the south. The main dome where we were married is the tallest one on the right. Although sedimentary limestone is the predominant rock of the Hill Country, here there is a giant pink granite batholith pushed up from the depths of the Earth.

Along the trails there you will find many interesting rock formations, many of them sculpted by the wind. It is a mecca for rock climbers.

Here is Moss Lake and a view of the back side of the main dome on the right. In my younger days I took up rock climbing for a year and I climbed the steep, back side of Enchanted Rock twice. It is the equivalent of a 20 story building and takes about 7 hours. They say if you can learn to climb granite you can climb anything. I learned a lot about strength and courage but I could never, ever, say it was fun. Eventually I took up whitewater kayaking which I found more to my liking.

We continued around the loop trail, cut through Echo Canyon and made our own trail to the top of Enchanted Rock from a side with a more gentle approach. It was a blustery day similar to our wedding day, sans double rainbow. It was unfortunate the camera conked out at this point, as the view, as always, was spectacular. We caught a bite of Mexican Food back in Fredericksburg before heading home after a very nice day.

Sunday Stills: Valentines

Sending all my friends in blogland this image of one of my favorite vintage Valentines! This holiday is special to me, as it was on Valentines Day that Farmer Rick proposed.

We have been in San Antonio this week, down on the lovely Riverwalk, attending the state's Music Educators convention. The Riverwalk is the most romantic place in Texas and a good place to do photography.

 

Everywhere you turn there is something to delight the senses--textures, colors, sounds.

  

We stayed in a historic district a brief walk away from the convention center. Although we were in the newer part of the hotel, there was an old-world feel to the room. We only wish the lighting had been more suitable to reading!

 

There are many restaurants along the Riverwalk, and in better weather you can sit outside along the water. The food at most of them is mediocre at best, but you cannot surpass the view.

 

From our window we could see the Tower of the Americas built for Hemisfair 1968. Somewhere in that plaza my great-grandfather's house once stood. It rained the first day and a half, but Saturday the sun came out and it was a cheerful place.

 

When you are down along the Riverwalk you become oblivious to the traffic above at street level.

 

There are little pocket parks, paths, fountains, and art.

This statue is of Saint Anthony, for which the town gets its name.

  

Artistic detail abounds.

 

There are many foot bridges to get you from one side to the other without ever having to rejoin the hectic world at street level.

  

Usually there are more flowers this time of year, but even San Antonio has been having a colder winter than expected.

 

If you get tired of walking, you can always take a river taxi!

The convention center had a magnificent landscape joining into the Riverwalk.

The landscape architect obviously spent much time studying rocks and waterfalls in nature to be able to design such a pleasant space.

 

I'd definitely like to come back in a few months when the plants leaf out and the flowers bloom.

 

It is amazing something that mimics the beauty of where I live could be forged out of concrete in the heart of the city.

For more Valentines, visit Sunday Stills!

Sunday Stills: Pets

Happy anniversary Sunday Stills! This week's theme of pets coincides nicely with the designing our holiday greeting card. I've always loved the hand painted cards over at Punkin's Patch showing each of the farm animals and pets and wondered if someday I might do something like that photographically. Only our animals don't tend to get along with each other that well.

So, today I made the attempt. Using our well house as a backdrop and setting up the camera with a time delay on a tripod, I took multiple exposures of the various animals one at a time with us and then I used Photoshop to collage them together. Don't we look like the peaceable kingdom!

 Click to biggify!

Pictured (L-R) are: Wilson, Finley, Topaz, Me with Avo, Starley, Farmer Rick with Millicent, Francisco and Cody. These are the main characters of my blog. We are only missing the other 49 chickens and a couple of wayward kittens. You can even read the label on the pitchfork: Ranch Hand. Sort of a twist on American Gothic.

For more pet pictures visit Sunday Stills!

Macro Monday: Campfire, Flowers, Thoughts

Yesterday I went to the funeral of my friend's father.

He was the kind of person that lived life to its fullest.

My own milestone around the corner, I have begun contemplating...

 

...is this my authentic self?

Or, is there something still pulling at my soul?

Am I ready to awaken into my true creative life?

 

I am in a funk. For more detailed and perhaps less pensive images visit Macro Monday.

Sunday Stills: Photoshop

Photoshop is my favorite software and I use it daily as a professional graphic artist. Mostly I use it for image collage, such as the rooster who appears to be holding a flower in his beak in my blog header.

It's easy to get carried away using filters. I find the greatest challenge, however, is finding a subtle combination of them that actually makes an OK photo even better, pushing it toward the artistic without destroying the original.

Here is a finished portrait of Presley, a Silver Laced Polish rooster, and the changes from the original so you can see the progression. Not only did I use several filters, I used them on multiple copies of the original and gave them different types and percentages of blending modes.

Click to biggify

A little added color for artistic enhancement

 

Enhanced eye shine through adding a luminosity layer

 

 Here I've accented the edges giving more emphasis to the feathers

 

The original image--nice enough but not very exciting

For more examples of Photoshop, visit Sunday Stills.

Macro Monday: Maple Seeds

I remember the first time as a child I found a maple seed floating in a small lake at summer camp and thought it was the wings of an insect. The counselor assured me it was plant life and nothing to be worried about.

There is a nearby canyon of Bigtooth Maples, an isolated remnant of ones from the north. These photos are from mine, even more astray. Since my macro shots didn't come out as crisp as I would have liked them, I decided to make them more artsy with filters.

I've already seen the first of the migratory Viceroy and Monarch Butterflies coming through to feed on our Frostweed, and I think the maple seeds back lit by the sun greatly resemble their wings. It's interesting how much mimicry there is in nature. In the case of the Viceroy, it is a comimic of the Monarch butterfly. But what is the purpose of the maple seed to resemble insect wings?

For more up close views on the world, visit Macro Monday!

Sunday Stills: Sound

Ed has given us quite the challenge with this week's subject of sound!

With fifteen roosters, there's really no lack of sound to photograph in my world. Here's King Avelino, a Gold Laced Polish, telling the world good morning, as Gino, a Sicilian Buttercup, waits his turn.

Otto, an Apenzeller Spitzhauben, puts in his opinion about the day. It seems all of them decided it was a day for endless crowing. Could it be they know our neighbors are trying to have a wedding next door right now?

Thought you might get a kick out of this. Out of kindness we took our rescue sheep, blind Phoebe and her son Finley, to the far side of the property early this morning to graze since their pen is not too far from where the wedding was going to take place. When they hear people around they like to tell you in a noisy way they are hungry, because no matter how much we feed these two they are always looking for a handout.

While I was uploading the chicken photos, I heard Finley's distress call, a loud, low, persistent baaah that means "momma, come quick!" (Any hope for a peaceful country wedding by this time was crushed). So I rushed down the creek, and there was Finley coming to get me to lead me to the problem. I love it when he "boings" as if all four legs were pogo sticks.



Up the hill we go to a thicket and he shows me the problem: Phoebe is tangled in green brier and juniper. He's been caught in green brier before and thought something was "biting" him.



I was getting dressed up in case they invited me to the wedding! Sheep!

For more noisy photos, be sure to visit Sunday Stills!

Sunday Stills: The Elements

We were certainly out in "the elements" on our recent vacation. Here's a storm rolling in over what used to be the Kiowa National Grasslands in the panhandle of Texas.

The last time I visited a couple decades ago, the grass was as tall as me. Back then, you might have recognized it as the place where the buffalo scene in Dances with Wolves was shot. But there are no longer any signs (or signage) of it being a protected grassland. Perhaps it was lost to the last administration. What a pity.

click to biggify

I wish I could figure out a way to upload a larger file in Blogger, as these next images are humongous files and very sharp. I will be writing more about this exciting trek along the Rio de Pueblo de Taos River gorge in New Mexico and getting caught in this electrical storm without shelter, dumping two inches of hail on us. You can see the faint line of the trail along the left side of the gorge wall. My husband kept asking if I should really be standing there shooting in it.

click to biggify

Lucky enough to live through it, but not fortunate enough to catch one of the many lightning bolts in my photos! Do you like it better in color or altered color?

For more photos of the elements be sure to visit Sunday Stills.

Color Carnival: Gonolobus

No, it isn't an STD. It's a type of Milkweed flower that inhabits Mexico. I love the intricate, magenta center. Originally called Gonolobus cyclophyllus, it is now known as Matelea cyclophyllus. Like many asclepiads it is pollinated by flies and has the fragrance of carrion. I must need two of them, as this one has never developed a seed pod. Do you have one I could borrow?

For more colorful photos, visit this week's Color Carnival!

Sunday Stills: Things with Wings

This week's photography challenge was wings. I have been working on my own challenge of color manipulating backgrounds without altering the colors of the subject.

Here is the winged stem of Frostweed, Verbesina virginica. It gets its common name from the fact that in the winter when it freezes the dead stems will split and curly shavings of ice will extrude out. They live in colonies in the understory of our creek and serve as butterfly cafes when blooming. You can see a photo of one in bloom with a butterfly at this older post.

I think Borage is one of the most intensely beautiful blue flowers in the herb garden. After we finished picking blackberries yesterday (see previous post) I caught these ladybugs enjoying them too. There is a folktale that if you float these flowers in the drink of a man you like he will ask you to marry him.

This is a Pipevine Swallowtail, Battus philenor, so perfect it must have just emerged from its chrysalis to sun itself. The bitterness of its host plant--Pipevine--makes it unpalatable to birds.

Check out more interpretations of wings at Sunday Stills.