Weekly Picture Project: Week 5 (Exposure)

This week's Picture Project letter was "E," so we decided to focus on "Exposure," with a little bonus time going to depth of field again. So, here is what I came up with:

In these first three pictures, I was basically trying to do a "good" exposure, an underexposure, and an overexposure. All were shot at f/22 and an ISO of 1600 (probably shouldn't have set the ISO to automatic, but oh well):

"Good" exposure: 1/13th of a second

Underexposed: 1/40th of a second

Overexposed: 1/5th of a second

In these next four pictures, I just decided to narrow the depth of field by using a wider aperture (and a smaller f-stop number). I thought it would be interesting to focus on each bagel in turn. Each is shot at f/1.8, most for around 1/125th of a second:

I guess the following two aren't anything special, but the first is taken at f/1.8, and the second is at f/22. I was still learning about exposure, so the ISO ratings are way different, so I kind of missed the mark on the results. As I said, though, at least I learned a bit, which is the point of the Picture Project:

f/1.8

f/22

I think these last three turned out a bit better. They were all shot at the same ISO, at least (100), and they show the results of an increasingly wide depth of field:

f/1.8; 1/4,000 sec.

f/6.3; 1/500 sec.

f/11; 1/160 sec.

For these three pictures, I guess it's a matter of personal preference which looks better. I like the deeper blue sky in the latter two, but I like the narrow depth of focus in the first one, which helps some branches stand out, and lets others go blurry. However, there's not really a central subject in these pictures, so maybe the last one is better, since it's all in focus.

Any thoughts?

So, that's it for now. Thanks for checking out the pictures!

Stupor Bowl

I guess that today is the Super Bowl, even though it feels like that should have happened some day back in January. I'm hoping that the fact that the Super Bowl keeps creeping later and later into the year doesn't mean that the football season will soon be year-round, like baseball and basketball (note: those sports may not be year-round, but it sure as hell feels like it).

In any case, as I mentioned recently on my other blog, I've started listening to the funny and entertaining podcast called "The Complete Guide to Everything." This last week they had a podcast about the Super Bowl, and one of the hosts (Tim) made a comment that I liked:

"I watch a football game like I'll stop if I'm walking by a dog park: just to watch some dogs run around... It's like, "Oh, this is cool! Whoa, hey! Alright. Alright. Well, I have an appointment to get to now. I can't spend all day at the dog park. I'm not gonna learn all these dogs' names and what their strengths and weaknesses are."

That cracked me up. In any case, to everyone in the U.S., enjoy the good food and company that come with the day!

Ditchmobiles....A Fact of Life

Just when you think everything is going fine, cruising down the road at a reasonable speed, you move over a hair. That's when the pull begins, and bingo, you can't fight it. You're a ditchmobile. No, this hasn't happened to me in a long time. And only once, thank heavens. It did have to be at New Year's, one of my busiest stretches of the year. But that was so long ago, I can't even recall if it was Dec. 30th or 31st.

Whenever I see the scars from vehicles that have gone into the ditch, I think that it might make for an interesting blog post. It's not that I would photograph and broadcast someone's misfortune. Maybe it's more that it is a good reminder for myself to do my best to stay away from the deceptive edges of the road. That is really the problem here. The snow does an excellent job of hiding where the road ends and the shoulder begins. In some cases, the shoulder is only inches wide and the ditch below it is quite deep. The snow acts like quicksand, and sucks the tire right in. You aren't going anywhere in that case.

Greg is quite adept at pulling cars out of ditches. Anyone up here with a big truck likely is. It comes with the territory. What I find interesting are the ways in which a ditchmobile finds a good Samaritan, way out here in the remote areas. If you are within walking distance of people, you can find someone willing to help. But if it's miles to the next residence or lodge, you are at the mercy of whatever traffic might be driving by. On a cold winter night, you might wait a while.

Last night, I was waiting at the end of the side road for a friend who kindly picked up a plow part in town for Greg. She was on her way home, and we had pre-arranged to meet at the Trail when she would be passing by. Since Greg was out plowing, I said that I would meet her. I sat out there with my knitting, pleasantly listening to the radio while I waited. She got there about ten minutes after our expected meet-up, but that was not surprising given the driving snow that was falling at the time. She apologized for her delay, and explained that she had stopped to help a couple in the ditch about a mile back. The three of them were unable to get the car unstuck, so she said that she would relay the situation to me.

It happened that I had seen Greg's truck parked at a neighbor's, so I drove back to where he was. After telling the story, I had not one, but two plow guys ready to help out. We drove down the trail, and sure enough, by the Loon Lake access road, there they were. Within about ten minutes, Greg and John had the straps and chains in place, and in a blink, Greg had backed up and the car popped right out and up on to the solid road bed. He made it look so easy.

Naturally, the couple was quite thankful and appreciative. We were more than happy to help them. It's a neat sort of karma that lets paths cross in the way that ours all did last night. That's reassuring when we think that it might be us next time in the ditchmobile.

A Page from the Notebook

In the Quiet of Winter

The days have passed, the calendar pages turned, and I find myself in the middle of the quiet winter. It's quiet in that way that nature provides. When I walked up to the mailbox earlier, the only sound was the squeak of the snow under my feet. More flakes were falling silently, joining the millions of others already laying on the ground. This is one of the prettiest winters that I can remember, as the trees are still laden with thick, heavy dollops. The roofs are stacked with layers of previous snowfalls. In some cases, I can see the delineations, like the lines in sedimentary rocks. Fortunately, the ice line is very small, almost unnoticeable. That came right after Christmas, and was immediately followed by more snow. As a result, we've not had to deal with icy roads. Just a good old-fashioned winter with plenty of snow.



Despite the quiet nature of the season, life is busy here and all around us. Yesterday morning as I sipped my tea, I heard Greg call to me from the kitchen. It was in that loud whisper sort of way that signals to me that Something Big is Happening Outside. I silently hurried to where he stood by the door, and saw a big beautiful timber wolf, standing in the roadway. We watched, unmoving and mute, as it surveyed the area. Greg whispered that, while he was preparing his cup of coffee, he had noticed a deer running by, outside the kitchen windows. He went to investigate, and there was the wolf. The deer was nowhere in sight. Somehow, the wolf had lost the trail in its pursuit, and was attempting to determine its next move. It started to sniff along the ground, and came to a bit of leftover food, given the previous day to the ravens. The wolf then looked up, and suddenly caught scent of something. It gracefully lifted its nose into the air and did a quick circling motion--amazing to watch. Then it headed down the road towards the point for a short distance, changed its mind, and turned to go back up the main road, from whence it had come. I watched as it loped up the hill, with a gait that was measured, steady, and powerful all at the same time. I also knew, though I couldn't hear, that it was a silent trek, unlike the crunching sound that I make when walking the road. The wolf turned on to one of the many deer trails criss-crossing the land, and continued with its hunt. I hope it was successful. We love having the wolves around.



Late in the afternoon, I was walking down the hill to the sauna, to fire it up. As I looked out at the lake, a musher with a team of eight dogs sledded by in front of me. They, too, were silent, as the dogs made their way through the deep snow. Carefully, gracefully, they strode along, pulling the sled and musher behind them. It wasn't long before they were well down the lake and nearly out of sight.

Such an amazing place in which I get to live.....Each day, I find reminders of that.

Lesley's Nature Watch - Promises of Things to Come

These Daffodils have been in flower in my garden for 3 weeks, but they are the exception. I have hundreds more that are only a few inches high with tight buds. However, the signs of the approach of Spring are all around: The Catkins have dropped on the Hazel trees. The aparently naked branches on the winter trees are, on closer inspection, covered with tiny buds, some already showing green. A few weeks ago, the only birdsong was the bitter-sweet tune of a lonely Robin somewhere. Now he is joined by joyous sounds of chirpy Great Tits, melodious Blackbirds & many more. Last week I saw my first Celandine of the year.

Yes, Spring is still a distance away but, as with walking in Brittany, every step of the journey is as delightful as the final arrival.

Twitter Twit

I signed up for a twitter account for me, as well as for Sitzman ABC. If you want to follow either, you're certainly more than welcome to!

Sitzblog:


SitzmanABC:

Notice how one says "me," the other says "us"? Clever, huh? Anyhow, we'll see how twitter works out for me and for Sitzman ABC. I think it'll be better for the language-learning blog, but I'm not sure what I'll personally use it for. 

Then again, I've already started following Pam Grier, Martha Stewart, and Axl Rose, so any service that brings three such different people together into one convenient place sounds promising!

Happy twitting!

(The picture is from a tumblr blog, but it wasn't credited. If you know who did it, tell me and I can credit it.)