Photography | Change Is Hard

This week the photo challenge from WordPress is to provide a photo that represented the concept of saturation. The post was talking about saturated color so here’s just a tiny piece of the color in my yard at this time of the year. The garden is trying so hard to be spectacular, as if it knows frost could arrive at any moment.

buzzzzzzz….

Of course before I read the complete instructions I was thinking more along these lines:

Saturated!

I guess the flower is prettier. But don’t tell Katie that, she gets her feelings hurt easily. Don’t you know.

Light

September 25, 2013
by dawnkinster 9 Comments

Weekly photo challenge: From Lines to Patterns

Last Friday the latest WordPress photo challenge was issued. I was immediately intrigued. I had some ideas, but no time this week to execute them. Now here it is Wednesday night and the Friday deadline is looming.

I was thinking about one particular photo I had in my archives from our trip to Washington DC last may. As I searched for it I realized there were a lot of shots from that great city that spoke to lines and patterns.

So I followed the instructions from WordPress to create a tile filled with multiple photos. If you know me you know how hard that technical stuff is. So I’m thrilled to show you a photo collage of lines and patterns in Washington DC!

From top left first row: Ceiling of Jefferson Monument; Arches inside the National Cathedral, apartment buildings. Second row from left: Roswell metro station; stairway in Senate building. Third row from left: Treasury building at night; Arlington office building reflections from our hotel room.

This was fun. I still might head out sometime looking for more rural lines and patterns. Or head into Detroit to see what’s there. You’ll be the first to see whatever I come up with. Sooner or later.

September 25, 2013
by dawnkinster 9 Comments

Wordless Wednesday – officially Fall (click on photos for details)

Golden

Crab apples

Hungry birds

Summer fades

Last of the tomatoes.

September 19, 2013
by dawnkinster 17 Comments

Small town

Before this week gets away from me I wanted to share a few more photos from my adventure last Sunday. Photos that are not barns. Because really there is more to life in rural Michigan.

I stopped in the small farming community of Coleman. I think it’s a farming community because right in the center of town is a grain elevator.

The working parts

I thought the whole thing was picturesque. I suppose if you’re a farmer it’s just equipment.

Buy your feed here

But to an outsider it’s all color and angles.

Years of feed sold here

Interesting. In a dusty sort of way.

At least the driver can see

I parked near a store. Can you guess what they sell?

You guessed it!

They sell auto and bicycle parts! Cool combination.

Along the way I also passed this garden. I actually turned around and went back for these photos.

So pretty

They even had a cow.

Moo!

It was a fun adventure. I’m glad I went. Hopefully I can get back on the road sometime soon!

Glory

September 16, 2013
by dawnkinster 13 Comments

Sunday adventure. No dog involved.

Sunday my rambling genes took over and I left the house in early morning. I took the camera, not knowing where I was going or what I was looking for. It wasn’t a pretty day; the skies were grey with low hanging clouds. Not even interesting low hanging clouds. Rain threatened.

As usual when my heart is tugging me toward the road I headed north for awhile. After an hour or so I knew I was in farm country and headed west on a smaller highway. I saw the soybean fields were turning yellow and then I knew what I’d be looking for.

You guessed it.

Red barn, green roof, yellow field.

Barns in fields of yellow soybeans. (Make sure you click on the photos to get all the detail.)

Along the way I also saw other stuff, some of which I even stopped to photograph. Those will have to be displayed in future blogs. Because this one is about barns and yellow soybean fields.

Red barn…yellow field.

Of course some of the best photos I have only in my mind as there was nowhere to stop. I was usually out on a freeway thinking “DARN! There’s another great shot!” But when I got off the freeway and meandered down dirt roads I found plenty of picturesque stuff.

Yep. It’s another barn in a soybean field. Pretty, isn’t it!

Ummm…red barn…you’ve got the rest…

Obviously I thought so.

Not a red barn, but still pretty.

September 14, 2013
by dawnkinster 15 Comments

Weekly photo challenge (inside)

For a long time now I’ve been getting daily prompts from WordPress providing ideas for blogs. Once a week they even provide prompts for a photo challenge. Many of the ideas have been interesting but I never quite got to any of them. I’d save the idea and then something always came up.

This week’s photo prompt is “inside.” We’re to provide a photo that shows our interpretation of that word. I’ve been thinking about it and had some ideas. I remembered when we were kids and Dad always made a big deal about the first sighting of the inside of our Halloween pumpkin. I thought about a photo of Katie inside her kennel in the back yard. I thought about a photo of the inside of my closet, but that would scare you all away.

Yesterday as I was working in the yard I looked up and saw my photo. (Click on it to see the details.)

Inside art

The dahlias I picked Friday night fearing frost were glowing in a puddle of sun inside the kitchen window, framed in reflections of outside. The whole thing was a bit of abstract art.

I smiled and went for the camera.

Fun stuff.

September 14, 2013
by dawnkinster 13 Comments

Frosty morning

Garden beauty

This time of year we here in Michigan are always threatened by an early frost. Just when late blooming dahlias are at their best the weather turns cool and those dastardly weather people start making noises about frost. Wednesday it was in the 90’s (32.2 C) here. Last night we were warned it could go as low as 38 (3.33C) in the city, maybe colder out here in the country. So after supper Katie and I went out and cut a few of the beautiful blooms, bringing them in to save them from the cold.

New variety

Katie had to go out this morning at 5:30 and I could see there was frost on the roof of the car parked in the driveway but I haven’t been out now that it’s daylight to see if the frost killed any plants. We covered the tomatoes with sheets so they should be fine. Meanwhile I have these lovely flowers inside to enjoy. And Katie and I saw a shooting star when we were wandering in the cold earlier.