How cold is it?

It is so cold the sun can't cut through.

I am ready for some Spring.

(Actual temperature: 6º F, -25º wind chill)

Ripped-off

Maybe it is difficult to know what this is. It is an art piece. A sculpture. A decorator's hip accessory.

Obviously it started out as a log. But through some strange unknown process foreign slabs of wood are mysteriously integrated into the stump. And the wood has been aged, or distressed, to a curious texture.

It is a masterful and primitive looking work of art.

Taking a photo like this feels a bit like a rip off to me. Sure I have made creative decisions about angle, framing and cropping, but I have captured something that is only a refection of the creation of someone else.

But maybe that is OK. To quote filmmaker Jim Jarmusch:

"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination".

Pink clouds

Late in the day, as the sun dips below the horizon, I love the way the clouds turn pink... especially against a blue sky. It only lasts a minute or two, but I can be magical.

How it looks in winter

And how it looks in summer.

No, the pine tree did not grow to that size in one season... it is just a slightly different angle.

When a bad picture is a good picture

This picture has been a fixture on my various work desks over the last twelve years. What is curious, however, is that no one has ever asked my why I have a photo of a water tower on display.

It was shot on September 25, 2002, with my first digital camera, a Canon Powershot S100 (the first one made back in 2001... there is another camera of the same name and model made in 2011!). The little camera was capable of two-megabytes of jpeg quality, and to make matters even more challenging, this is a small crop of the original exposure. The photo was ratty enough that I have now run it though a Topaz plug-in to mask the limitations of the low quality image. The resulting photo has a retro, almost postcard quality that I enjoy... but I don't think anyone would ever claim it is a technically good picture (click the picture to see it bigger and badder).

So why do I keep this picture on my desk?

It is to me a reminder that good things can happen even when you become convinced that they will not.

I had lost my job of almost 30 years due to a company reduction-in-force... a layoff. Being fifty years old and having only worked for one company for almost all of my career, I did not have much luck finding new employment. In fact after searching for almost seven months I became convinced that no respectable employment would ever be offered to me.

But in time a good opportunity did materialize. This photo was shot across the parking lot of the new office during my first week on the job. I was really lucky.

My new job lasted for ten years, and then though another twist of fate, I was again out of work before I was ready to retire. Once again luck smiled on me and I found another great job which I have been at for almost two years now.

So this little picture has been a totem for me, reminding me that good opportunities are always possible, with a bit of luck, and sufficient persistence.

Candles in the windows

Sure they are electric and flameless, but the candles provide a warm glow that makes the home inviting none the less.

Shadows on snow

Do not enter

High piles of snow and 15º F... even with a bit of late day sun.

Curious

This is the pattern I found on the walkway on my trudge into the office today. 

Strange pattern. And of course I wondered what caused such a design.

If you look closely you will see gains of salt that were scattered to dissipate the ice. For some reason the mineral was disturbed by wind or by shovel to create the worm-like patterns.

Interesting what you can see if you take time to look.

Looking up

I keep finding these older images that were never posted. I really need to get back to my usual routine of photos only a day or two old, but for now this is the best I can do.

Muted yellow

Surreal

The cold continues to keep me from making pictures these days, which seems strange and almost surreal as it is something I enjoy. I always am on the look out for something interesting to photograph, but I just don't have the fortitude to stop, remove my gloves, dig out a camera, and venture into the chill.

So, speaking of surreal, browsing my photo library I came across this unusual image that was part of my infrared experiments a while back. The strange colors certainly have a warmth. The grass and trees seem to be snow covered but are not. This was taken on a warm summer morning in North Carolina.

Revisiting old photos keeps me going for now, but soon I will be back at it. New photos always happen when they happen.