Mar 11 2008
Just Shadows of Themselves
(Note: All readers of “Bernie” will find the conclusion now available. I also adjusted Part Twelve so that it’s a little easier to follow. Hey, author’s prerogative.)
What started as a simple stroll back to work after leaving Homer with our honest mechanic turned into a black-and-white photography shoot.
My first thought as I crossed the field behind the garage? In some countries, I couldn’t just light out across an unfamiliar field without fear of stepping on a land mine.
Then I grumbled because I had to walk through a little mud.
The clear, sunny day provided plenty of my favorite photographic subjects — shadows. As luck had it, I had brought along my trusty Canon A560. A month from now, the most intricate of these won’t be the same.
Do you know why? Can you identify the shadow casters? (click any pic to enlarge)
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
Here’s a bonus for all who’ve come this far. The first sign that spring is just around the corner in Texas.
Very nice pictures Mark…. and I recognize them all!
Are those cherry blossoms?
Yeah, I can’t wait till Spring here too bud… have a great day.
A month from now the most intricate of these (#3) won’t be the same because it’s in the middle of a suburban area zoned for a new condominium complex, and it (along with all of its neighbouring trees) will be cut down to make way for human habitats?
That, or it’s going to blossom. One of the two.
I especially like #4, the shadow of the cross where Jesus’ half brother Biff was tied up and nearly crucified before he miraculously transformed into a three-legged stoat and burrowed his way to America, accidentally dragging the cross with him. Most people don’t know that.
I’m disappointed. You didn’t give all the details of the camera settings (now that we’re interested) or tell us if this was post processed color to black and white images (not that you would ever do that). You did say there was an abundance of light, so that gives me some insight, but details Mark, DETAILS. How are the rest of us ever to be satisfied with our own images if you don’t give us some more pointers. Some of us DO want to know. Hey, will I be able to get this feed in Florida, or is there a dumbed down Bubba version you’re working on for me?
Dave - Redbud tree in the last shot. I don’t know if you have them up there in your area. They’re always the first wild trees to bloom. I say that because only the Bradford pears beat them, but they’re in landscaping, not in the woods.
Simon - Nice guess, especially for one in the business of planning such projects. Your second guess was the best, however. In fact, it might leaf out inside a couple weeks.
Loved your story for #4.
Josh - Okay, since you asked —
Camera : Canon PowerShot A560, available at multiple locations for about $130. Very portable, and even pocketable with loose-fit, straight-leg jeans, Dockers, or the inside pocket of a faux leather jacket.
White Balance : Sunny
Aperture : F/10 (chosen by the camera)
Shutter : 1/320 (chosen by the camera)
ISO : 80
Mexapixels : 7
JPEG mode: superfine
Metering mode : Spot (metered off the sidewalk/grass, not the shade)
The photos looked pretty good just like that, with no editing.
Now that I mentioned all of that, however, you can throw a lot of it out the window. I opened the photos in my favorite photo editor and immediately chose Desaturate (this removes any colors except shades of gray). I then adjusted the Curves to increase contrast. Specifically, I clicked to make a node in the middle of the curve, and then clicked on the line about halfway from that node and the top. I dragged that node up and to the left until the shadows were nice and dark. I then resampled them to a smaller size for blog display and added some sharpening lost during the resampling (a fancy word for resizing without pixelating everything).
Pardon me for not knowing all the technical jargon for this stuff. I’ve never taken a class nor worked through a tutorial on photo editing. I’ve only looked over the shoulder of professional photojournalists when I was a reporter. Hear me now and believe me later: the pros adjust the colors/levels/curves, etc. a LOT to make their pics look better.
And, yes, this feed will come to you all the way in Florida, no special translation filter needed. Heck, people in Canada can read it.
Yeah, I missed the obvious answer to the riddle. I was assuming the cloth on the cross was Lent-specific and thus woul dbe different in a month. But yeah…trees do get leaves soon don’t they?
The shadows are quite striking. A very cool idea for a theme post. I on’t know why, but as I scrolled down the page, I was totally expecting a shadow of you striking some odd pose. Maybe that’s just what I would have done ;)
I love shadows Mark…
These are very appealing! Thanks for your comment on my post tonight. I was actually nervous posting them for my Blog friends to see…
Anyhow, glad you thought they were good. I tried to be tasteful and classic while being fresh an fun…
I know…that is a lot to try to capture, huh?
Awesome pics, honey! As such a talented photographer AND writer, it’s a wonder you don’t have a huge head (oh, wait, you do - never mind). But seriously, we have to enlarge and frame some of these!
Shan: Look at the size of that boy’s head!
Charles: It’s like an orange on a toothpick!
Shan: It’s a virtual planetoid!
Charles: Has its own weather system.
Shan: Oh, that was off-side!
Charles: Oh, aye. He’ll probably cry himself to sleep on his gargantuan pillow.
Simon,
While I have a long history of poking fun at Mark’s melon, I have really cut back in recent years. In fact, I think even he will attest to the fact that he’s actually cracked on his melon more than I have.
I figure it’s only a matter of time before he turns the tide and starts poking fun at me for something, so at some point I just decided to lay low.
Now that Shannon has apparently started picking up the slack, I feel even better about my decision. :-)
Hey, I’m not the only one picking up the slack - I think Simon’s doing a bang-up job up there!
Ummmmm, no offense, Chuck, but Mark could easily tease you about your UNDER-sized head (and that’s not just compared to Mark’s) - you guys have the 2 extremes covered in just one small family!
Shannon. Yep, I have a small melon. It’s like a grapefruit up there. For some reason though, it just isn’t as much fun to make fun of a small noggin, which is fortunate for me.
By the way, does it really ever make it more palateable when peeple preface something with, “no offense?” I think it actually serves the exact opposite purpose. Here’s what it really does….
1. Fires a warning shot across the bow that you’re about to say something that you’ve actually thought about enough to warrant prefacing it, which really just draws attention to it.
2. Shows that you really think it may offend the listener, and therefore probably could go without being said at all….but say it anyway.
3. If you’re going to say it, then it’s the listener’s prerogative as to whether or not they’re offended despite said preface.
But…strangely, it makes us at least feel a little better about trying to “couch” the statement with some empathy.
Compare these two statements for example:
1. No offense, but your head seems a little smaller than average.
2. Your head seems a little smaller than average.
In my mind, the first one actually shows that you’re given it thought, and you’re convinced of it. To me, the second one actually suggests that you’re inviting a rebuttal or a discussion, and it seems like a softer comment, especially with the right voice inflection.
Just my observation. Strange huh?