Weave Poles

This is the shot that I wanted.

This is the shot I got first. Because why would I ever play with weave poles without the Aussie? She's helping.

Textures

Just playing with the new camera. Nothing in particular.

Playground Series

I uploaded the whole playground series on DeviantArt. It's another old project (old as in about 3 years ago now), but it's an idea I want to revisit. I've got DeviantArt arranged in roughly chronological order, so it's a bit toward the back now. Here's the series in case you can't find it on there.

Bridge
Over Under
Perspective
Tunnel
Turning
Arches
Slide

I really like how abstract the colors and shapes on the playground can become. It started out just as an experiment with the idea that you can't really see a whole space in just one photo. So I started combining multiple images or trying multiple exposures. This series was the end result, which became much more abstract in some instances than when I began (and probably more so than any of my other work). If I go back to this project, I'd like to try using a much more shallow depth of field. I'm not sure what I could use as a subject other than playgrounds or if I even need to switch subject. Agility equipment is in the running, which I guess is a sort of playground. Go ahead and throw out any ideas. I'd love to hear it.

Moss

I actually did play with the new camera today! Since my life is governed by the demands of a little red dog, we ended up at the state park.

It's taking a while to go through today's photos because I decided to shoot all in RAW. Since I've never done it before and it's a time consuming process regardless, I've finished one. That's right, one. If it looks like crap on your monitor, I'm blaming this monitor. My better monitor bit the dust last weekend (or hopefully, just its power cord).

Drawing Process

I got a new camera, so I should be playing with that but my muse (who is an angry bluebird, by the way) decided that I must draw now. So I figure I'll go with it, but as a compromise I'm taking photos of the drawing as I go along. If nothing else, I think it will be cool to have a record of how this thing evolves. It's not a complicated drawing. I'm still trying to build up a pet portfolio, so that's what you get. I make no excuses for the quality of the photos. I'm just to lazy to obsess over color-correcting and adjusting the in-progress photos. The final one will look good. The rest, well at least you can see what I'm doing, right?


Here's the initial drawing, done in compressed charcoal on colored paper. I tend to use charcoal very much like finger paint in the beginning stages. Also, the chamois is an essential tool.



Throw in some darks. It's starting to get a little more form.



The whole thing doesn't always go well from start to finish. This an example of it starting to go bad. Really bad.



Now the drawing is starting to get better. It's getting a little too tight though.



I loosened up the face a bit and started to add some white for the highlights. It's too soon for the white. It's really not working. Her head is a little big for her body too.



That's all for now! I'll add more to this post as I go along.

Peepers

Sometimes photos just don't capture it. I'm not much of a writer, but some moments just deserve words.

I took the red dog for a walk tonight. It was a perfect, still night. No stars. The air was heavy and humid with a wind blowing high though the trees, too high to feel but strong and loud all the same. We walked through the stillness until we reached the top of the hill. It drops down again into a wet, still marsh and there the peepers were deafening. The first peepers of the year are always significant. They sing to spring and of warm summer nights. These guys made no small entrance. I don't remember ever hearing them so loud. Interesting, they kept to one side of the road. On the other side, where the water was moving, it was silent. It was like wearing headphones with one broken ear piece.

I was going to stop at the end of the neighborhood. It was late, and we'd avoid traffic by turning around. Iris believes that cars need chasing, and sticking to the neighborhood usually means seeing no cars. It's a good compromise. But I could hear the peepers down by the pond, and the pull to go down there was strong. It meant a longer walk, and Iris was happy to go along. The night was so peaceful, there seemed no reason to head home just yet.

We got to the beach and the gate was slightly ajar. It's a public beach, but it felt like we were intruding on the stillness of the place. We padded softly inside and across the sand. The water is high and deep. The peepers called out from down the shallow end of the pond. Clouds covered the stars but the wind rippled the water and caused the lights to shimmer across the surface. I stood listening, while the red dog explored the scents on the sand. We left as quietly as we'd entered.

As we past the old airport field, an airport than doesn't see planes anymore and half the buildings have been torn down, Iris started to walk down the path. I was thinking the same thing, little girl. The wind continued to rumble above us. Even without the moon, it was light enough to see in the field. We only made it about 3/4 of the way down when Iris spotted something. A raccoon? A fox? I could see the shape but not close enough. He started to move away from us and then circled back and into the path ahead of us. Iris was straining at the leash. She wanted to tussle. I think he just wanted to head for the treeline. We left him to his hunting.

As we walked toward home, the wind changed from a rumble to a roar. Lightning flickered, but without thunder. The air still hung heavy around us while the wind tugged at the tops of the trees making them creek and groan. We left the water behind us and the silence returned. One more spot of marsh, this time it was filled with wood frogs. They sound like ducks. Iris wasn't convinced.

And there was one last lonely peeper calling as we walked back up the street and slipped inside before the rain.