Day-to-Day Photos

2012-03-03T20:02:00.000-06:00

They were my Friends

Sherwood (Moon) Mullen

Moon posed for this portrait March 5, 2011. At that time his cancer was in remission, he had lost more than 100 pounds, but he said he was feeling better than ever. He liked to talk and was very proud of his service as a police officer and his career with the railroad.

He told me the most interesting things he had done were jumping out of airplanes and working narcotics with the Detroit Police Department. The one thing he would most like to do again was take one more jump with the C-47 club.

Moon died January 14, 2012

Gary Larson

Gary posed for me the same afternoon Moon did.

He was suffering with chronic back pain and thought it was a spinal alignment problem. In January, this winter, he was informed that the problem was cancer.

Gary served with the U.S. Army's occupational forces in China and Korea. He told me the most dangerous thing he ever did was serving with the U.S. Army in Korea where he was a weapons and supply specialist.

The most exciting thing he ever did was to take flying lessons, although he never completed the training. The thing he would most like to have accomplished was shooting par golf.

Gary and his wife Joanne served as King and Queen at the Sleepy Valley RV Resort for the 2009 season.

Gary died February 12, 2012

2012-01-29T00:24:00.002-06:00

This magnificent horse was dancing at the staging ground for the Citrus Parade in Mission, TX this afternoon, January 28, 2012. It seems a shame that such fierce, proud, beautiful animal is enslaved in a bridle and forced to perform unnatural acts, such as dancing to a marching band. On the other hand, I am too far removed from horsemanship to truly know the nature of the beasts.

2012-01-22T05:23:00.000-06:00

Christmas in Mexico. A bartender at the Old Town Restaurant in Nuevo Progreso, coming to terms with the concept of a Martini that has no Vermouth and no ice. He learned to make a very dirty Absolute martini with 5 huge olives. It was delicioso.

2012-01-22T05:06:00.000-06:00

Boned out Virago wasting away down in Old Mexico.

2011-12-16T00:48:00.001-06:00

Johnny Comes Marching Home

Autumn's End

2011-10-25T22:41:00.000-05:00

A Maple leaf on a rain covered asphalt parking lot in northern Illinois. A gray, dreary day near the end of October when nearly all the colorful leaves have fallen; the ground is wet and muddy. It's cold outside - what am I doing here?

2011-09-01T15:21:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time it was very modern. Everybody had to have one - or four.

Youth's Revenge

2011-08-18T06:26:00.000-05:00

Cedar Waxwing Chicks

2011-07-30T21:50:00.000-05:00

Water Lily

2011-07-14T17:06:00.000-05:00

Would Monet approve?

Summer Meadow

2011-06-26T13:33:00.000-05:00

Daisies

2011-06-13T04:12:00.000-05:00

Daisies in an overgrown field, overcast day, where you might not think to look for a beautiful photo op.

Wild John

2011-06-05T08:27:00.000-05:00

A fine place to sit while admiring the wonders of nature.

Lost Fishing Boat?

2011-05-19T11:52:00.000-05:00

Spanish Moss

2011-03-19T10:07:00.002-05:00

Spanish Moss hanging from an ebony tree at Santa Anna National Wildlife Refuge, Alamo, TX

Northern Cardinal, Santa Anna Wildlife Refuge

Connotations II

2011-02-17T04:12:00.001-06:00

With a little added color, different lighting, puffy clouds in the sky and a slightly altered point of view, does the building still cast connotations of a prison? I thought if I had removed the cell tower, telephone poles and power lines the building complex would look even more friendly, but would have added an unrelated variable to the concept of lighting, color, and point of view changing a viewer's perception of an image.

For comparison, see Blog Post "Connotations" posted Feb, 2011.

Connotations

2011-02-03T11:44:00.002-06:00

Consider the connotations of the lighting, the foreground, sky, point-of-view and the building complex itself. What kind of place would you guess this to be? What is the purpose of the people who occupy this space?
If you didn't know the place, would you have guessed it is a convention center? It is a rather large, very nice convention and exhibit center at McAllen, TX.
When I first saw this view on this particular day, my initial thoughts were "Forbidden City", "secret spaces", "keep out", "black ops", "clandestine activities", etc.

Variations on a Century Plant

2011-01-28T15:45:00.001-06:00

The first version is as it came from the camera with just a small contrast adjustment in curves.


In the second version I used a Photoshop preset of high saturation.

In this third version, I used a color negative effect from Photoshop.

Light Painting

2011-01-26T03:26:00.000-06:00

Calla Lily painted with LED flashlight and Photoshop filter effects added.

An unidentified blossom painted with LED flashlight. This is a straight photo without Photoshop filters.

Friends assured me there was too much ambient light to apply this technique in the neighborhood where we live. I was simply not convinced and tried it anyway.

Vermillion Flycatcher

2011-01-23T01:28:00.000-06:00

A Vermillion Flycatcher photographed at Rio Grande Bentsen State Park near Mission, TX

Dinner

2011-01-19T13:15:00.000-06:00

Dinner at Mama's restaurant in McAllen, TX. It was a delicious salad with sauteed Protobello mushrooms, fresh strawberries served with a marvelous balsamic viniagrette. Too pretty not to photograph.

Fine and delicate balance

2011-01-15T16:38:00.000-06:00

From a series on rocks, clouds and water.