You've been a bad cart. Go stand in the corner

I have a new camera and I was trying out some of its “creative modes”. This is high contrast black and white. Since I’ve never used this type of feature before, I was pleasantly surprised by the effect. While the stark nature of the photo is not appropriate for a lot of subjects, it does lend a certain mood to this one.

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Cats in the cradle and the silver moon

The moon can look so huge when it arises, as if it could fill half the sky. The camera tells another tale. When we take photos we lose the optical illusion of the big orb in the sky. Knowing that, I often don’t shoot and lose the lovely huge moon effect.

Sometimes it's just too hard to hold still

This little fellow was not happy with mom’s boring coffee drinking at Better Living Through Coffee.

After the flowers are gone

I see this photo as a metaphor. An ornamental garden needs to work all year, not just when the showy blooms are out. This is a convoluted way of approaching the photos on this blog.

When I started, I didn’t have much of an idea where this was going. I saw lots of photo opportunities around Port Townsend. There are the classic old buildings, the boats, stunning scenery, wildlife wandering through the streets, great gardens, and so on. I think of those as the blooms in the photographic garden.

But living in a place is not only about Kodak moments. Life is often about very everyday things, like winter gardens. As I’ve worked through the tourist shots, I’ve been drawn more and more into having my pictures tell stories, including mundane ones like this. It’s all part of life in the slow lane.

So, that brings me to my New Year’s resolution: make my photos more about telling the everyday story of life in Port Townsend and the surrounding area. Oh, if I catch great light or a picturesque setting, be sure I take the picture. I never met a photo opportunity I didn’t like. And, I continue to work on developing my skill as a visual story teller.

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Seasons Greetings

May peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing throughout the coming year.

Christmas color

Some years it’s easy to get into the holiday spirit, some not.  This is one of the not years for me. I’m trying to photograph my way into some Christmas spirit by taking holiday related pictures. If nothing else, poinsettias are colorful.

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It's the dark time in Port Townsend

Port Townsend is pretty far north. We can actually see Vancouver Island, British Columbia from several points in town. That means that we have wide seasonal variations in daylight length. I think of this time of year as the dark. In midsummer I can walk without a flashlight at 10 pm. Now it’s dark by 5. That makes evenings long, and it’s easy to start to feel stir crazy.

This photo is an attempt to capture the feeling of gloom that the long nights create. Don’t know if it succeeds or not. What do you think?

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