Monday the temperature was in the 90’s. Today, it won’t break 60. Autumn.
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Category: Photography
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Botanical goodness
I wanted to thank Daniel Mosquin for his kind words about my photographs, and also take this opportunity to point to his Botany Photo of the Day site. It’s really a terrific site to explore. In fact, I was exploring it, via Tim Bray when I had a note from Daniel, asking if I minded if he linked my Botanical Garden photo set.
It is a small, small world. With lots of pretty plants.
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Balloon Glow
Last night, I went to the Forest Park Glow: the lighting of the hot air balloons before today’s hound and hare balloon race. It was about the most amazing thing I’d ever seen. The weather was perfect–cool and overcast and without the heat that’s oppressed the area this summer. The crowd was mellow and excited and friendly, and the balloons! Dozens of them, dotting the hill at Forest Park below the World’s Fair Pavilion. I had my camera on my tripod and spent three hours dashing everywhere to take pictures, always with an ear for the signal to call all balloons to light ’em up; chatting with friendly folk every where I went.
When I got home, I became quite sick–whether food poisoning or something else I don’t know, though I’m suspecting the something else. Because of it I had to forgo the actual balloon race today; more time to work on the projects, which makes me so very disciplined. Besides, I had so much fun at the Glow last night that I didn’t mind.
That last paragraph used a semicolon. I use these frequently, without being aware that semicolons are bad, according to US usage. Not, though, according to a great article written by Trevor Butterworth, pointed out by Tim Bray. Now, if I could only cure myself of comma overuse.
The fall rains started this week, bringing with them the cool of Autumn and the promise of hikes again in the woods among trees heavy with colorful leaves. I have forgotten these walks; this summer has been too long.
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Point and shoot vs SLR
Doc, who seems to have the worst luck with keeping his equipment going, talks about having to rent a D70 after his Coolpix 5700 broke:
I really missed the CoolPix last night. It’s not nearly as responsive or flexible as the D70, has 1 less megapixel, and a UI that may actually be worse; but I can take better pictures with it, mostly because the flip-out viewer allows me to shoot candids from all over the place. I don’t have to heft a contraption the size of a surface-to-air missle launcher up to my eyeball and set off conditioned responses (Smile for the camera!) in the direction it’s pointed.
I have the D70, a camera which I’ve been exceptionally pleased with. It’s lighter than my Nikon 8008s, and can do about everything I want it to do. Best of all, it works with all of the lenses I’ve collected over the years for my film cameras.
What Doc needed to know was that most of the functionality of the D70 isn’t needed on scene, because you can take a photo in Nikon’s NEF RAW format and then adjust the image at leisure later. Also, if you set the camera shutter and aperture to auto, the film speed to 400, the lens to autofocus, and the white balance to auto, it is pretty much point and shoot.
As for stealth mode when taking the pictures, I’m still trying to figure out how Walker Evans snuck(sneaked) a camera under his coat in such a way that no one noticed it, or him, or heard the shutter closing with his famous series of street photos of subway riders. Even if the camera was small, a lens peeping out of a coat is a lens peeping out of a coat. If he could do this successfully, it’s a piece of cake to do something similar with the D70 at a wedding where people are partying and most likely drinking champagne.
Doc may look a little odd at the wedding dressed in a big overcoat, though. In California.
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Gardens at Twilight
Here it is, the week before Labor Day weekend and I only now find out that the Missouri Botanical Gardens have been open to 8pm every Wednesday between Memorial Day and Labor Day. At least last night I was able to go and attempt a little dusk photography–helped along by finding the part that attaches from my camera to the tripod.
The Gardens are undergoing its sprucing up in time for the big festivities: the Japanese Festival this weekend. I’m not sure if the lights outlining the pools have always been there, or were added specifically for this event, but they added a lovely touch to the waterlilies and dragonflies.
I don’t know if I’ll go to the Japanese festival. It has all my favorites: the Candy Man, the Taiko Drums, Bon Odori, and this year, Sumo wrestlers. But I have work to do, and I’m still feeling peaky. However, the food is fantastic, and the presentations wonderous. Perhaps if I work especially hard tomorrow.
I have come to really appreciate the Gardens this year, particularly since because of finances and problems with heat and bugs I haven’t been able to go out to the trails as much this summer. No matter how busy it is, I can always find a quiet spot to sit, just sit, and I have been almost desperate for such lately. Now, more than ever, we should grab these moments when we can, as often as we can.
