Chapter 70 - All Things Considered

Oh, good grief. Seems like I had nothing for this Chapter and now I fear there's too much. I'm feeling like I need to sit down and pound out this narrative before I go out and get anymore pictures. Hahaha, yeah, I admit this whole thing is a loose structure for me to show my pictures with some repartee thrown in just to justify my calling it a personal blog or visual diary.

Well, all things considered, it's not that bad of a diary. I just define my life with pictures and a few words rather than the other way around with a lot of words and a few pictures.

And I also, sort of, document my growth (or lack of it) in photography. I marvel at times at how important photography has become to me. It's a pleasant and welcome diversion for me. It's a way of, and excuse me for sounding like I'm an artist or anything, expressing myself. Of finding things that interest me and giving them reality...capturing them in an image and then figuring out the emotions behind them. Or something like that.

I don't know, really.

When the Pack walked down to the beach, I caught these sunset shots. I rendered a couple of them in B&W (my never-ending quest) to see what was what. I played with the few controls I have and came up with these. I realize the compositions are dull but they're devices for me to try and learn how to achieve a 'distinctive' (B&W picture I actually like and could be proud of) photo.

Same scene with some subtle manipulations. I prefer the darker, moodier one. However, I can see the merit in the lighter one...still moody but, maybe, not as threatening?

Ah, and there's the fun. Like Don Quixote, it's the quest that matters and not the accouterments, the external noise, involved in it. 

And this is what it looked like in color. I zoomed in a little when I took this. It's ominous as well and maybe more so as it more closely resembles what you would normally see. And, yeah, it did sprinkle on us as we walked back to the Firehouse.

POW!!

Hahahaha, quick change of scene and pace. I found this small puzzle and had an enjoyable afternoon slapping it together. It's one of those that you get at the $Tree Store. Someplace in Iceland, I think.

A life lived here and there, all things considered.

BOOM!!

Another change of pace!! I was bored after attending the Kiwanis Luncheon and so Carol and I took off on a short drive to see the sights. I drove out to Knight's Park on the Salmon near the ocean just because we haven't been out there in more than a year.

We launched our kayaks here for a Audubon Kayak excursion. Not much has changed except I don't know if the fallen tree was there last time we were.

Some of the quiet waters near the park and off the course of the river. The Park is just to the left here. 

Hahaha, someday, I promise, I will give up on taking pictures of Gulls. And, maybe, on B&W, too. Still, for a large feathered rodent there's a certain dignity to the way a Gull rides the water.

And, if B&W is good then it must be even better in color. 

Hahaha, I try.

Some of the wild flora of Oregon growing in Knight's Park.

I think I'm drawn to flowers because they're easy. Seriously, I almost always get a decent shot of a flower whenever I shoot. Except for daffodils and red flowers. They don't seem to want to cooperate with me. 

But I am realistic about my personality and abilities...mostly. And flowers are a safe and easy venue to photograph. Maybe that's why I gravitate to them so much. Because they take so little effort.

Hmmmmmmmm....

And the road home. The mystery and beauty of the black ribbon cutting through the forest. What is it about roads that pique my artistic (?) interest?

I don't know yet. I haven't figured that one out. I play around on the fringes and point out the allure of finding out what lies around the curve in the road...the adventures waiting just ahead. I don't know. But I likes me some road pictures. Look at that forest!! And I live within five miles of it all. Amazing.

OK, I'm trying to explore, expand and experiment with this wonderful piece of technology I call MY camera. It's so damn powerful. It can do so many things...and so easily. And yet, it is complicated and has so many different features that I can't remember them all. And, to be honest, I've been too lazy to learn them. But I've resolved to try. A little.

And this is one of the first things I've learned. Way back in the late 70's I took a bunch (back then a bunch were 10-12 pictures...remember, film and developing cost money) of pictures using bulb and locking the shutter open. I even once put the camera on a tripod and then wedged it between the front seats so it was looking out through the front windshield. I was driving down a brightly lit street with plenty of neon signs. I had the camera set on bulb and locked the shutter open and kept the lens cap on until I was ready then I reached up and took the lens cap off while I was driving. After a couple seconds I put it back on and then repeated it. It was a fun experiment.

Then I would walk around with the camera on a tripod and the shutter locked on. I placed the camera pointing in the direction I wanted (the viewfinder was blocked cuz the shutter was open) and then I steadied the camera and took the lens cap off for a couple seconds and then, quick, put the cap back on. I would repeat this several times. Got a couple interesting shots doing that.

And once I put the camera on a tripod and then wrote out my name or something with a flashlight. That was fun. And finally I set everything up on a dark, moonless night and then ran around the backyard firing off my flash at different things. That was fun. Point is, I was thinking and trying as best I could with the money I had.

Now I can shoot, shoot, shoot all I want but...I can't lock the shutter open. Dammit!

So I'll improvise.

The first three shots were shot of the same subject but a few seconds shorter. So the first one was like 5 seconds and the second at 4 seconds and the third at 3 seconds. The times vary from what I said here but I wanted to give you the idea.

The longest exposure is OK. Plenty of detail. Sky has some clouds. 

Losing some of the detail now. Sky has darkened.

And the third one with the shortest exposure. You can see where the light has fallen off. Less detail. But this one I prefer. Which one do you like best?

This was my big experiment. Shooting the same scene with different exposure times. EZ-PZ and a good place to start. I had my shutter release on the camera so I was able to trip the shutter without having to touch the camera. My only challenge was that I had to stay where I was, with the camera, to keep the shutter tripped. No way to lock it open, not with the shutter release I have.

So this is the only sequence where I included all three of the timed shots. Just so you can see the difference a second or two makes. The rest were mostly shot in a series of three timed shots but I've only chosen one picture of the three to present.

You'd get even more bored than you normally get with my Blog if I included all the shots. So you get just the one.

And this one a guy was walking his dog along the other side of the road. He was carrying a flashlight and you can see it swinging along the road even if you can't see the man carrying it.

I wanted to try multiple exposures on one shot, like I'd done years before, but I couldn't because of the shutter thingie. Then I thought I'd just hold a piece of cardboard in front of the lens and use that to block the light coming into the camera while I repositioned the tripod for another view.

Well, I exposed and kept the shutter open and then put the cardboard in front of the lens. Now, I've got the shutter release in my right hand and I'm holding the cardboard in front of the lens with my left hand. So I'm standing there wondering what hand I was going to use to move the tripod!?! 

A conundrum for sure. Hahaha, I had thought I'd just use my right hand to move the tripod but it wasn't as easy in reality as it was in my mind. I did, using the right hand and my body, move the camera slightly but it was difficult and I worried about dumping the camera and myself all over the place. I didn't move it very far, either. 

This, then, is the double-exposure. Not much and you have to know what you're looking for to recognize it as a double-exposure so this experiment was a bust. But I learned one way I wasn't going to take pictures like that so it gave me something. Bottom line, until I figure out a better way I'll need a second set of hands for shots like these. You listening, Carol Anne?

I did like 2 seconds for each shot.

Then I was back on the three shot thingie again. I learned here to also play with the temp of the light. I had it set for auto but still the light was a bit too yellow. Maybe try some different light sources next time to see what happens. 

Hooah!!

Then I zoomed in and tried a bulb exposure. Just an experiment so I wasn't looking for an pleasing composition. Again with the yellow light. Plus, a car came around the curve on Jetty and joined in the fun. A light bulb went off over my head and I thought why not try for the long trailing lights of a moving car.

And I was off. This was fun. Same as before but with the moving car in it. 

While I was editing I also picked a few to render into B&W. You know, I'm sure, that B&W is one of my small passions. So it should come as no surprise that I've converted several of them into a B&W format.

Like this one. When I converted it into B&W I lost a lot of the detail around the picture and so I cropped it much more than I did the colored version. I like it, though. A tighter composition. Pushes the viewer into a more intimate relationship with the subject, the streetlight-lit road. The buildings on either side just establish the fact the road is there even if you can't see it beyond the circle of light given off by the streetlight.

I do have a penchant for streets and roads. I just realized as I was writing about this picture that the subject was the road and not anything around it. The long and winding road that leads to...

I also took a beach scene and put it into B&W. And, yeah, I like it. My first thought on seeing this in B&W was, "Second star to the right and straight on until morning." The quarter-moon illuminating the clouds were a bonus to creating that thought.

Mood and mystery on the beach. Adventure? Peril? A rendezvous? Whatever you see it could be there.

And here's the same picture in the original color. You get a different feel from the same picture. Maybe some similar emotions but, still, a different reaction. Different expectations. Even the clouds obscuring the moon seem different.

The medium does affect the reaction.

Hahaha, it'll take me forever but I enjoy pondering, briefly, those reactions and questions.

Now I was feeling a bit randy and so, remembering those long-ago days, I wondered how I could use a different light source to illuminate parts of the picture. I had brought out one of those little $1 flashlights I got at Walmart just in case I needed to see where I was walking and so I got that out of my pocket and used it.

I had the cable for the shutter release in my right hand and so I stood to the left of the camera and opened the shutter and began rolling the light around the rock out in the middle of the yard. I hadn't realized I was catching part of the flashlight in the picture. Really professional, eh!?!  But it's OK, it was just another experiment and another learning opportunity.

The light given off wasn't all that bright and you can tell looking at the rock. But it got me thinking and I remembered using the flash to 'paint different parts of the scene. So once I got back inside I found my camera flash and put in new batteries. Now, the next time I go out, I'll have a proper flash and we'll see what we get from that. But I am still constrained by the 3' length of the cable shutter release. Until Carol gets back.

Having shot up the beach I turned around and shot the road from a different angle. I waited for cars heading back from the Casino to color my picture.

VROOMMMMMM...

Then, from the same position, I zoomed the camera in. The first shot I played with and put it into a B&W. I like the B&W better to be honest. But there's something to be said for the color one as well.

It's subtle but you can tell. The grass really gives it away. Essentially the same picture but two different interpretations.

Which one do you prefer? 

Then I pulled back for a short exposure with no cars to streak across the picture. I also noted that the sky to the west still showed a significant amount of reflected light from the sun which had set already. This sky, to the east, was noticeably darker.

This one was interesting because the truck on the lower left was sitting with his foot on his brake waiting to back out of the parking lot. His brake lights lit up the apartment building while a cab came down Jetty from the Casino. You can tell it's a cab from the yellow light it had on the roof of the car. The streaks are from the headlights and the light on the roof of the vehicle.

From that same location, I swung the camera round and focused on the rental house across the street. Again, I was shooting more for the experience and the experiment rather than looking for a composition. But I have a start now. Eyes open, maybe I'll be out shooting at night again. This time for something a bit more substantial as a composition.

It was fun and, all things considered, I learned a bit more and grew a bit more as a photographer or, as I refer to myself, a 'taker of pictures'.

But I haven't forgotten my other amusement. 

PUZZLES!!

Hahaha, I still found time to knock out this little country scene.

The birds were singing...

...and the love for America was palpable. Unlike most places these days.

It was another fun puzzle with that nostalgia thing going on. Right there at Cheer-Up Farms.

Then I knocked out this one. A bit more challenging...only by a bit. But just as much fun.

Hahaha, I don't know why but I like these silly cartoon puzzles. Maybe because they're so easy.

But then I screwed up and opened this monster. It's 1,000 pieces. It's complicated and it is difficult.

I've had this puzzle for over a year. It's sat, unopened, in a place where I could see it often and, just as often, regret having purchased it. The pieces are small and, as you'll see, they are REALLY unusual in shape. I mean there's no logic to some of these pieces in this puzzle.

Hahaha, I should have left it in the bag.

But, no. I was feeling like I'd spent the money I might as well get the puzzle. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

ARGH!!!!

Right about now I was REALLY beginning to regret my opening this particular bag of worms.

Small pieces means there is less detail to use to associate a piece to a particular area of the puzzle. Look at those shapes!! No rhyme and no reason. 

I think I was seduced by the U.S. Army Theme. 

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Hahahaha, right about now I could care less about this.

I'm at a point now to where I feel if I get 10 pieces put together in a day then I've been successful. Have I mentioned how stupid, stupid, stupid I thought opening this puzzle was? Well, I should have if I already didn't.

ARGH!!!!

I've published a few pictures of the mating mallards that are visiting my feeders again this year. The two have been here for almost a month now. 

Unfortunately, the drake was killed somehow several days ago and now the hen is left here, alone. She's stayed close, showing up every day and spending time down in the small stream running alongside my place. I was mowing the lawn and watched her walk down to the creek and got this picture of her.

Sharon came over while I was mowing to tell me her mate had been killed. She had seen his body in some bushes just around the corner. She said she saw some blood but didn't know how he died.

After some prodding by Carol and my conscience, I went over to get his body and bury it. He was stretched out in the bush with some napkins around him. I'm thinking he was hit by a car and then the people, using the napkins, lifted him up and dumped him in the bushes off the road at least.

I recovered his body and then buried him about three feet deep alongside the back of my place. I'm surprised at how much this affected me. It was just a stupid duck but he was, in a way, my duck. Anyway, he was taken care of.

And now I wonder at what the hen will do. How long will she wait for her mate? Carol thinks she'll find a new mate. I hope so.

Ah, life. And death.

Cabin Fever again. 

Carol and I had gone to the Campor-Ree at Wapiti and I thought that area would be nice for a walk and so, when the house got too close in on me, I grabbed the camera, the tripod and the monopod and headed off for a country walk.

I'm not big on long treks but, hey, I can walk the heck out of a mile and a half or so. And even look dashing doing it. It was a great day for a walk.

Me and my best friend, after Carol.

I drove up S. Drift Creek Road a bit and found a large lot to leave the KIA in while I was off exploring and adventuring. I knew it was OK because it was right by the "Happy Trails Ranch".

Hahaha, Trivia Question: What 50s TV show ended with the Star Couple singing "Happy Trails to You"? C'Mon, you know it!!

And the Broom was in bloom. Yellow fought with green for the primary color. And yellow lost.

I swear Karma is still pissed at me for some reason. As soon as I got set up and pointed the camera at the broom, the wind picked up and the broom was waggling back and forth. I waited and got 'grab' shots whenever the wind died down a bit.

But then the open road called to me and I answered.

I do, I really do appreciate the area I live. It has a singular beauty all around. It seems almost as if anywhere you turn you can be amazed. And there was blue sky, too. An added bonus!!

It was so quiet. I could even hear the birds. And as I walked I felt, seeing this, like I was back in Kentucky way back when.

I wasn't feeling too inspired with the camera and I can see it in the pictures I took. I was just snapping, really. There are times when I can tell things are clicking and I am in tune with my camera but on this day it was just taking pictures of this and that.

Even a back-lit flower wasn't working for me. It just wasn't a day for photography or, as I do it, taking pictures. (I am not, by any means, a photographer) Usually, backlit flowers are a keeper. Not these.

So bear with me and use these mediocre pics to just see where I walked.

Down a country road. In truth it was quiet...until someone began mowing their lawn with a tractor. The drone of the engine was all over and no way I could escape it. Regardless, I enjoyed my walk in the country.

And there were still beautiful vistas to be seen.

This wire fence was interesting but I didn't get it. I guess I should have moved in closer for more detail but I couldn't see it. Nothing was working for me and I just recorded the scene rather than capturing a picture.

While I was walking I saw two horses at the far end of this field. As I neared, they came towards me, obviously interested in me...possibly as a source of food. They got this close and stopped and just watched me until I began walking again. As I came even with them, they lost interest in me and went back to what they were doing.

Yeah, we're watching you!! So what!?!

Colors are the smiles of Nature.

                                                                      Leigh Hunt

And some more smiles.

And more. But even with these great subjects, the pictures are flat. I just wasn't there that day.

You know I like patterns and repetition. I found it in the grass growing wild by the side of the road. Just not in this shot. But you know what did work? Putting these shots of the wild grass into B&W.

Now this one I like. 

POW!! 

This one worked for me when I converted it into a B&W. The best shot, by far, that I had all day.

I was looking forward to walking along the creek. But it wasn't as impressive in reality as it had been in my mind. Just a gentle stream, this Drift Creek.

And looking in the other direction.

I really do marvel at how clean the waters here in Oregon are. 

(On a sad side note, as I write it is 1923. I glanced out the window and the hen is sitting between the feeders. It's like she's waiting for her drake. I told her earlier that he wasn't coming back but I don't guess she believed me.)

Ah, clear water, blue skies and a cool afternoon. What more could I ask for?

This was such I nice scene I even shot it vertically. You see, I had the camera on a monopod. Just some extra stability as I was shooting with an Aperture Priority and a slow ASA of 200. So to shoot it vertical I had to hold the camera and the monopod on its side. Kinda of silly looking if you were to watch me but there it is. The things you do for your art, eh? Hahaha, and even though it was the same scene, really, I think I prefer the horizontal picture. The one I would have normally taken. '

Live and learn.

Hopefully.

Nope. Missed the mark. Even in my beloved B&W it's still a bloody boring picture. I wasn't there that day.

It only looks moderately better in color. Should I have moved in? Moved out? What? Well, I know when you don't have the feeling there isn't much you can do except bang away. 

I was just shooting and got these needles from an evergreen. It was boring, again, in color and so, just playing, I rendered it in Noir B&W and it looked a wee bit better. Not much, mind you, just a tad better.

This should have been better, too. Backlit and all. Maybe it's my cropping. Ah...

Still, you can get a feel for what a beautiful afternoon it was. I deliberately waited until late afternoon so I would get a slanting sun. The light is better in the early morning or late afternoon.

I was heading back and thought this might be a better view of the Drift Creek than the first one I got. I do like these rivers and streams and creeks here in Oregon. And, yeah, this is a better view of the creek. And its pristine waters.

Now I was beginning to see some compositions. Some pleasing shots. I felt this was a contrasty picture so I lowered the exposure compensation a bit to get it a bit more depth and mood.

And it semi-worked. Well, it's better than what I had been doing. What I enjoyed, though, was that I was thinking and seeing. It wasn't just ISIPIS. I actually thought about this one and that active thinking about it affected the final picture.

Hooah!!

And things were picking up. I shot this several times and wasn't happy and then realized I 'saw' the whole scene which included the log in the foreground but I had been 'shooting' only the fence pole and the flowers. 

I backed up and got them all in and it semi-worked. I saw the others (and threw them away) and, believe me, this was the best of the lot. Sometimes I need to remind myself to back up a little for a picture.

Ah, good golly, I did like that fence. I didn't but I should have gotten off the road and shot along the fence. Or maybe gotten farther away and used the zoom to compress the whole fence. Hahaha, an old song but I am liking that I am beginning to think.

And isn't this a good view. Hate to have to mow the lawn though. Can you imagine doing that with a push mower? Me, neither.

The winding road leading up to my KIA.

I'd seen dozens of robins but hadn't shot any. But this guy looked more interesting sitting on the gate here. I didn't expect him to stay so I didn't rush myself in opening up the monopod and getting the camera ready.  

I was, honestly, surprised he was still there when I was ready to shoot and so I grabbed a quick shot intending to zoom in on him for my next shot. Hahaha, that never happened. As I had already known, just as soon as I was getting things ready for the 'money' shot, he flew away, the bastard.

Still, I got the one picture and I'm grateful enough for that.

Walkin' along, humming a tune in my head, enjoying the day and I glanced to my left at the broom and saw instead a pair of shoes neatly placed under the fence alongside the broom.

What. The. Heck.

I had to have a picture and I took it. But I wonder at what set of events led to these shoes being placed just so under the fence next to the broom. What is the story these shoes aren't telling? One of those odd little mysteries that life presents now and again.

And, finally, the KIA waiting right where I left her. And a welcome sight as my feet were beginning to sing, and not in a nice way, to me. 

And on the whole walk I was passed by three cars. Two heading north and one heading south. Not a lot of traffic on this country road.

But a lot to see...if you look.

That evening I thought I'd see what the sunset looked like. I haven't paid much attention to the sunsets this year. The cool, damp and miserably wet winter and spring (so far) have conspired to make me ignore any sunset. But not tonight. 

And when I got out there I realized it was a middling sunset so why not have some fun and shoot it 'Creative'?

Remember that setting? It takes one shutter release and the camera automatically shoots six different takes on the same scene. It plays with the color, zooms it in on a part of the scene, crops it down and does other funny stuff to get those six takes. And even though you snap them one right after the other each time it takes six different takes. Each time it does six different takes. So I did this one scene with four snaps and got, really, 24 different takes of the same subject. 

These were the ones that didn't end up in the trash can.

Let me qualify, for reference I shot one with the camera on "P" to get a 'normal' shot. Then I shot the 'Creative' shots. So after this first one, the one to measure them by, then begins the ones that didn't end up in the trash.

This one is my favorite. It became my 'Cover' Picture for my FB page.

Interesting and, really, only slightly different than the one above but still, slightly akin to it as well.

I didn't crop any of these so if the center has moved it is the camera doing the hinky-jinky while it's playing with the scene.

Another intense color version. Interesting.

And, finally, this one which looks very close to the first, 'normal' picture.

And so, all things considered, it's been a growing week. I've learned a little, experimented a little, grown a little and had a little fun.

Hahaha, all things in moderation, right!?!

And so another chapter ends. A little drama, a little tragedy, and a little farce. Pretty much a regular edition of The Adventures of Smilin' Jack.

I am grateful for the opportunities I have. Now to use them to their best advantage, eh? There's the rub.

I'm reminded of a famous philosopher's take on life.

All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia.

                                                   W.C. Fields

But I wouldn't leave you with that. How about this one...

If you got this far, congratulations!! You're a persistent little fellow, aren't you. Anyway, the answer to the Trivia Question is, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. They would always sing this song at the end of their adventure. 

Here you go if you want to hear it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY47sdLrMbA