Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: Photography


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Stalking the super moon

Sunday night's moon.

Sunday’s moon.


Let’s just call this a good lesson in what not to do while trying to get that perfect shot of a huge moon rising up from the pumpkin patch. Oh wait. That’s a different story.

The super moon sort of snuck up on me, even though we’d been told about it daily for at least a week. Suddenly it was Sunday and I hadn’t looked up any instructions on how to shoot a great image. I figured I’d wing it, using things I’d learned about shooting stars.

Moving up into Sunday's sky

Moving up into Sunday’s sky

Right. Never wing something that only occurs every 18 years. Especially when you’re already 60. I never did get it right, though, while messing with white balance I did get a gray image that was pretty sharp.

Different white balance on Sunday night.

Different white balance on Sunday night.

So Sunday night I went home and read some articles online. I put the manual settings into the camera prior to heading out into the dark. I had good intentions.

A little cloudy Monday evening.

A little cloudy Monday evening.

Monday evening the moon came up more than 45 minutes later than Sunday night. Plus the library was open, so there were lots of parking lot lights to contend with. AND the moon came up much further to the north on Monday.

So far to the north that at first we thought it had been obscured by clouds, and we packed stuff up and headed to the car. During the walk down the hill I glanced over my shoulder and saw it, right above the library!

Super moon over library.

Super moon over library.

I tried a lot of different shutter speeds and found out that the faster it moved the sharper the image when it was just the moon.

Golden orange moon Monday night.

Golden orange moon Monday night.

The clouds shifted, moved over the moon, then moved again setting it free. The moon grew more golden, though it still came out orange in my camera.

It was a dark and cloudy night.

It was a dark and cloudy night.

I tried and tried to get a true color, trying all the white balance options, but though I got one shot that was more black and grey, otherwise they were just shades of orange. Eventually the moon was high and my fingers were cold, so I gave up and went home. Some of the images are nice, but none of them are what I actually saw.

Clouds move in.

Clouds move in.

So more lessons must be learned, more studying needs to be done. And I need another clear night with a beautiful moon so that I can try it again.

I can’t say the evenings were total failures — after all I got to spend two nights under a beautiful super moon.

Really, I can’t complain.

Goodnight moon.

Goodnight moon.


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Finding color in all the right places

Katie here. So it’s mid-November, the leaves are pretty much gone from the trees and it’s getting cold. I like the cold unless it’s rain. I don’t appreciate my mama making me walk through cold rain to do my business, but I like snow. I don’t know why mama doesn’t. She’s silly, my mama.

Hey mama! Wait up!

Hey mama! Wait up!

Anyway.

We don’t have snow here yet, but I’m having fun anyway. This weekend my mama took me to meet my friend Deuce and his mom Karen and we got to walk in beautiful Bloomer Park!

My friend Deuce and me.

My friend Deuce and me.

Even though most of the leaves were gone, we still found a ton of color. The down side is that the moms made us pose next to every single leaf. I swear. Every. Single. Leaf.

Are there treats involved in this?

Are there treats involved in this?

OK. Maybe not every leaf. But a whole lot of them! We got bored!

BORING mama!!

BORING mama!!

But mostly we had fun! And guess what? We walked two whole miles! That’s a record for me lately.

Do you see me? Isn't this beautiful?

Do you see me? Isn’t this beautiful?

I’m sort of a one mile kind of princess, you know?

Did you get my good side mama?

Did you get my good side mama?

I did get sort of tired at the end and my mama worried she was going to have to carry me but I was strong and powered through it.

Never ever underestimate a princess.

Talk later guys!

Talk later guys!


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WordPress Photo Challenge: Chaos

New York City can be pretty chaotic. It’s a city that can chew you up and spit you out, and by the end of my ten day stay last July I was exhausted.

Near the end of our visit we rode the Staten Island Ferry over to the island and back. It was a relaxing trip, and I expected to get some nice night shots of the city.

But the vibration from the huge engine deep within the ship caused everything on board to vibrate too. Including me and my camera. So versions of this is what I got.

imported-photos-01682-cropped

I was disappointed, but didn’t delete all the blurry images. Some of them were kind of cool and I figured I’d find a use for them. And even if I didn’t, looking at these reminds me of the boat trip across the warm night water, of the floor vibrating beneath my feet, the rails shaking under my hand, the lights shimmering along the shore.

And I think this particular shot provides a beautiful and impressionistic image of the chaos that is New York City.

It’s early in this challenge, but here are a few of my favorite chaos entries so far.

You have time to play along, this challenge continues until next Friday. Look around. I bet each one of you has a bit of chaos in your life! Show it to us, it might reduce it to fun for a moment.

And that’s worth a lot.

Staten Island orange.

Staten Island orange.


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When the future is uncertain

Autumn light catches color.

Autumn light catches color.

I suppose the future is uncertain for everyone, after all tomorrow is not promised. But when you’re 101 the future is even less certain.

I wonder what that feels like.

We grow up looking forward into forever. When we’re five we can’t wait until we’re 10, excited by those double digits. And then we want to be sixteen so that we can drive a car and eighteen so we can vote, and twenty-one so we can legally celebrate with a beer.

Golden glow tinged with red.

Golden glow tinged with red.

And the future stretches out forever into the horizon.

Then suddenly you’re closing in on one hundred, then a hundred and one, and you’ve outlived most of your siblings, many of your friends. Your only child. And you remember the smallest details about the century just past, the events, the places you’ve lived, the places you’ve left. So many people that are now gone.

Purple focus.

Purple focus.

You don’t see so well now, you’re uncertain who is entering your space, and family and friends announce themselves and you smile and nod, glad of the company, the time to talk, to tell some of the stories, some of the things you have stored in your mind.

You know time is passing, that your body is becoming more frail, that a fall will likely cause you to lose the last bits of independence you enjoy now. You’re careful. Still, it is inevitable.

Early morning light shimmers.

Early morning light shimmers.

And when you fall you hesitate to push the button for help. You know it will mean leaving your home behind, perhaps for the last time. You’ll be leaving all that is familiar and under your control.

You know you’ll no longer be able to make all the decisions, that you’ll have to live somewhere else. Somewhere different and less private with less privileges and fewer friends near.

Lonely.

Lonely.

But you push the button.

And now things are being sorted out and you wish you could go home but that’s probably not an option. And the future looks different than you wished it could be but maybe that doesn’t matter so much anymore.

Maybe you’ll be fine for the time you have left no matter where you end up, as long as your friends and family still come to visit and you all get to tell the stories of the old days and remember the good times.

Standing proud.

Standing proud.

Maybe you’ll be fine. Because no mater the length of time allotted your future still stretches into the horizon.

Note: Many of you have read and care about Aunt V. She’s in a rehab center now and things are being sorted out.

She’s being brave, but change is hard.

Pink. A favorite color.

Pink. A favorite color.


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Fall – it’s my favorite time of the year

Exploring the village of Milford.

Exploring the village of Milford.

Katie here. Boy oh boy oh boy. My mama has been feeling guilty because I haven’t had school for two weeks and I never get to do anything fun. So she’s been taking me out on adventures, mostly consisting of walking through the woods, but I’m not complaining cause that’s one of my most funnest things to do!

Yesterday she said she had a special place to investigate and did I want to go on a ride? Well sure mama! I always want to go on a ride!

We ended up in Milford, a little town a few miles south of where I live. Mama saw this giant pumpkin when she was driving through the town last week and she thought it looked perfect for a “Princess in the Fall” photo shoot.

Did you say TREATS mama??

Did you say TREATS mama??

What do you think? Was this perfect or what? Except for the cars going by right behind mama’s back that needed watching. And the people walking by on the sidewalk; most of whom, might I add, stopped to watch. People don’t get to see a Princess very often so I was the center of attention. Anyway, I kept watching all this stuff and not looking at my mama at all until she hollered “TREATS!” and then my head snapped right back around to stare at her. Two ladies on the sidewalk started to laugh but I didn’t care. I smiled for my mama and got my treat!

Sometimes I have to be reminded that I’m working.

After we did the great pumpkin shoot we wandered around downtown Milford. Everyone we met wanted to pet me and I let them. For a little bit. But really, I am a Princess and I have things to do people! If you don’t have a treat for me then I only have a few moments for you.

Can we eat here mama?

Can we eat here mama?

Mama did make me sit in front of a few other cute fall settings outside stores. I didn’t get to go inside any, even though I walked confidently up to several doors. Mama just said ‘not today sweetie” as if that was going to stop me from searching for treats! I’m sure if she had let me go inside I’d have found people more than willing to give me something good.

I was too busy sniffing to notice this guy. Mama said he was cute.

I was too busy sniffing to notice this guy. Mama said he was cute.

Anyway, after we had sniffed out everything interesting in Milford mama took me out to Kensington, the big park just south of Milford. It’s mama’s favorite place to go so I figured I could humor her and sit around in the leaves for a little bit.

Hurry up mama, it's cold out here!

Hurry up mama, I want my treat!

Yep, I’ll sit pretty as long as I got a treat after each pose. Really mama, you don’t expect me to just sit there and let you snap away do you? After each click of the camera I expect to be paid, so I get up and walk right up to her to demand payment. I know what a camera lens sounds like when a picture has been taken. You can’t fool me!

This tree is pretty mama. But I'm beautiful.

This tree is pretty mama. But I’m beautiful.

We didn’t stay a real long time cause mama is a wimp and didn’t bring gloves. Geeze. I didn’t have gloves either and I was fine. She is just disorganized. You know how mama is. She gets all excited about taking pictures and forgets to bring provisions. Good thing she didn’t forget the treats this time! I would have gone on strike! And then where would she have been?

She’d have been up the park without a dog, that’s where! Hahahahahahahaha.

Ahem.

I digress.

We walked a lot and eventually I told my mama that was enough. I mean, really, how many pictures of me does she need? She already has about a gazillion billion. I told her I needed my lunch and a nap.

I need a nap!

I need a nap!

So she loaded me back into my chariot and we headed home to my daddy and lunch. It’s hard to get good help, but I think I struck it lucky when I got my mama. She’s hard at work planning our next adventure now.

I’ll let you know how it turns out.

You going to buy me a watch mama?

You going to buy me a watch mama?