Fireworks, fireworks and more fireworks

Just because. Off to Door County for a few days.

Click on pictures to enlarge. Photographs © 2008 James Jordan.

Kaboom

A portion of a fantastic fireworks display in Huntley, Illinois.

Exposure: 4 seconds at f5.6, 100 ISO.

Taking off for a few days in Door County, Wisconsin. Back with photos. Have a great week.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Rorschach

There have been some impressive cloud formations over northern Illinois of late as line after line of thunderstorms have moved through. I've been snapping pictures of cumulus clouds for the last couple of weeks with the idea of doing something with them eventually.

Here's one. This photo was taken from the parking lot of a Target store in Lake In The Hills, Illinois. The parking lot full of cars and lampposts was cropped out, the photo was then copied, flipped and pasted under the original picture. A little tweaking of the "reflected" image in Photoshop Elements 6 completed the picture. The whole thing reminded me of a Rorschach ink blot test.

Let me know what you see.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

I had read earlier this week that if you sprayed a layer of lacquer on a globe, it would represent the thickness of our atmosphere relative to the mass of the planet. Yet it is within that very thin layer of air that powerful forces flow.

It’s been a weird spring and summer in these here parts. Very cool and wet spring followed by a very mild but wet and stormy summer. My lawn loves it. The mosquitoes love it. Anyone living along the Fox River hates it.

This was taken last weekend as yet another series of storms rolled through northern Illinois. More turbulence in our layer of air is on its way today and tomorrow.

That itty bitty layer of air also makes for some good photography.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Hidden nymph

A katydid nymph trusts its coloration to keep it safe while the humongous camera lens hovers above. I’ve come across katydid nymphs in my garden throughout the spring and early summer. I’m not going to go so far as to say it’s the same one I’ve seen over and over again, but I have only seen one each time. Hmmmm.

This nymph, or one just like it, was captured in this photo. I also have another katydid photo, taken in my dad’s garden about a week after he passed away last fall.

Jeff Clow is a contact of mine at Flickr and has a number of nymph katydid photos taken in his amazing macro style. Check them out.

Photo blogging: I used to feel right at home carrying my camera around in public places, exploring the architectural and human landscape. Nowadays, I feel extremely self conscious. Getting stopped repeatedly by security guards wondering what you could possibly be doing with a camera in a public place can do that to you, I suppose. Even though there are no laws restricting photography in public places, it gets tiring trying to explain that to overzealous Barney Fife types.

The Beyond Robson blog looks at the security situation in Vancouver. Bruce Gilden, a New York City street photographer for Magnum, doesn't give a rip about what people think about photographing people on the streets.

Click here for a larger view of this picture. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Heirarchy

The one at the top gets to bloom first while everyone else waits their turn. An image of nature’s org chart.

The thing I love about making photos with my trusty black foam board background is how it reveals the light on the surface of subjects. This image is all natural light, no flash or reflectors. The plants themselves look no different with or without the black backdrop, it’s just easier to see the light when distraction are removed.

There’s a lesson in there somewhere.

Photo blogging: Last week I featured a photographer who brings live animals into her studio to create a strange juxtaposition of the natural and synthetic. Sara Remington has posted something similar but different. She explored a natural history museum display under construction. Plastic wrapped gazelles sit within realistically painted backdrops. Stuffed animals coexist with construction equipment.

See for yourself.

Update: This photo of a seashell in sand was chosen as a weekly favorite at Moody Monday for their theme, "Beach." Not bad for a pic staged and shot on my dining room table.

Click on image to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Bloom where you're planted

The follow-up to this photo.

Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Bumper crop

There’s a side effect of the rains and flooding in the Midwest this year, and only within the last few days has it become painfully obvious – mosquitoes. Record rainfall and moisture has activated zillions of dormant mosquito eggs – some that have been lying around for several years – guaranteeing a bumper crop of the bloodsucking pests and raising concerns about the spread of the West Nile virus.

The mosquitoes that are likely to carry the virus typically don’t hatch until mid-July, and only when hot, humid weather ensues. Thus far, the National Weather Service is calling for a cooler than normal July in Illinois, raising some cautious optimism.

In the photo above, that’s my knuckle being sacrificed in the name of art. I was out photographing some flowers and potential models swarmed over me. I got the shot while this one got a snack.

Update: Roger, from whom I got the inspiration to get a shot of a bitin' varmint, has posted some of his skeeter pics at his blog, Listing Through Life. More closer up than this one, and in better light, no less.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Shy (and busy) guy

It took a while to catch a photo of this little guy. He’s one of those kind of kids who do not stay still long enough to let my autofocus focus. While he hid behind the wooden column of a pavilion at a park, I focused on the edge of the column and waited for him to check to see if I was still there. He did and I was and I tripped the shutter at the peak of his peek.

The photo is not as sharp as I would have liked, but the setting, light and expression are all there.

Some excellent portrait photographer types I hang with at Flickr.

Photo blogging: Animals from Alligator to Zebra. I’ve noticed that many photographers have latched on to a BIG IDEA and built a career out of it. Ansel Adams and the U.S. National Parks, Anne Geddes and decorated babies, some French dude and break dancers in grocery stores.

While still searching for a BIG IDEA of my own, I came across a photographer with a BIG IDEA - animals. I know what you’re thinking, it’s been done. But not the way that Catherine Ledner does it. Rather than traipse into the wild for National Geographish pics of animals in their habitat, Katherine brings exotic beasts into her studio, places them before wallpaperish backdrops, lights them in a manner worthy of high fashion and fires away. The result is an intriguing juxtaposition of the natural and the synthetic.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Storm signals

Some snarly weather passed over my house several times over the past few days. I live near the Fox River in northern Illinois, which is still swollen from recent rains. Reports indicate that is has reached its peak in my neck of the woods. The Fox is still well above flood stage, but is receding. The abundance of water will soon make its way to the Illinois River and eventually to the Mississippi River, adding to its already burgeoning overflow.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

The fence and the flower

Sometimes you can’t break free of the things that restrain you. It’s then that you shine where you are.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Tiger lily on black

There wasn’t much that I needed to do to this image of a tiger lily to make it appear to glow – the coloration of the petals took care of that for the most part. The black background served to heighten the effect. Slightly underexposed to intensify the colors, some sharpening, levels adjustments and Orton processing applied in Photoshop Elements 6.

Photo blogging: And now for something completely different. Denis Darzacq is a French photographer who takes strange pictures. His latest effort is a series titled Hyper, which depicts break dancers doing their stuff in what appears to be grocery and retail store settings. I’m sure there is art in there somewhere, although it looks like it could have been titled Slip and Fall in Aisle 2.

Photo EXIF: 1/80 sec. @ f4.5, 400 ISO. Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Duck abstract

Or should I say, "Aflact?"

Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Baby robin

Ever feel too big for the nest but not quite ready to fly? I found this guy perched in a bush in my front yard. He was quite accomodating to a series of closeup pictures, some with the lens not more than two inches away from his head. Waving a finger in front of his face caused him to open his mouth wide in anticipation of food. He eventually came to the realization that he was no longer invisible, then fluttered/hopped away.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Snug as a bug on a rose

More black-background flower and buggishness.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Photo blogging: Work, Interrupted. MR. Toledano photographed a series of empty offices of bankrupt companies. His images capture a combination of archaeology, death and an “abandon ship” mentality where decorum is no longer considered an asset. The photos were published in a book and has traveled in an exhibit across the country. Check out the photo series, Bankrupt.

Nature Photography Day ...

... was yesterday, I just found out. Missed it. I was busy taking pictures outside.

Photo: Crazy metallic drangonfly type bug. Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Update: The insect pictured above is a Black-Winged Damselfly.

Daylily

This daylily stood out from the others in the flower bed by the graceful sweep of its stem. Shot using natural light with a trusty sheet of black foam board to provide the background.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Directionally attuned

Happy Friday. Whichever compass point you're headed toward, I hope it works out for you.

Have a great weekend.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Goodnight moon

At the close of a day filled with thunder, lightning, wind and rain, the clouds, having spent their anger, withdrew, leaving the crescent moon to preside over the quieting twilight.

EXIF: ¼ second @ f13.6. 64ISO. Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Beacons

Racine, Wisconsin is a fairly typical Midwestern town that just happens to sit on Lake Michigan. It is trying very hard to recast itself as an artist’s community, and I think it has a good shot at succeeding. They city has invested heavily in its waterfront area, which is a boost to downtown businesses. If initiatives like Create Uptown Racine can coax more people off Interstate 94, they will do well.

And I’m not just saying that because one of my photos of the Racine harbor was selected for the Create Uptown Racine Web site. I’ve long been a fan of the city and its waterfront, and have the photos to prove it.

Photo: Old Racine breakwater light with Wind Point Lighthouse in the distance. Photograph © James Jordan.

Blustery sunset

Wave after wave of storms moved through the upper Midwest this past weekend. I was able to find a window of time to make my way out to shoot that also coincided with sunset. This scene occurred after a day of thunderstorms. The wind was still very brisk and I purposely used a slow shutter speed to blur the foreground flowers. I also purposely tilted the composition to heighten the effect of being messed with by nature’s forces.

Taken at the Jelke’s Creek Bird Sanctuary in Sleepy Hollow, Illinois. It’s a great place to capture the best that God has to offer.

Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Ten commandments of photography

Eric Hamilton posts ten things to keep in mind when carrying a camera around. If you (like me) can only remember two or three things, go with 1, 2 and 8. The rest will follow.

1. Shoot what you love
2. Use light to communicate.
3. Capture or provoke emotions.
4. Tell a story.
5. Master technique.
6. Show old things in new ways.
7. Be true to your own style and your own voice.
8. Always seek to improve your craft.
9. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
10. Shoot to kill! (See previous post)

This will do nothing to convince people that photographers are not terrorists

h/t: Unique Daily

House guest

For the last two summers, we’ve hosted families of house wrens. My wife and daughters have a hobby of painting decorative birdhouses, which we hang on our deck. For the past couple of weeks, a male wren has been hard at work building a nest in one of the birdhouses. In the house wren world, it's the male who is responsible to find a suitable location for a nest and fill it with twigs. He then convinces a female to move into his bachelor pad and lay eggs. So far, I’ve not noticed a female, but our boy still has some time.

House wrens have a bubbling sing-songy call (you can hear a sample at the beginning of the video, below), and this guy lets it out from sunrise to sunset, proclaiming ownership of his territory – in this case, my suburban quarter-acre. He tolerates humans pretty well and we usually coexist peacefully on the deck, unless we wander too close to his birdhouse, whereupon he lets loose with a few warning chirps.

I’ll let you know how the courtship of Mr. Wren plays out.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Try try again

It's not easy filling a birdhouse with twigs, especially if you're a bird of very little brain. Video of Mr. Wren trying to install a twig that just won't cooperate.

Three ducks on a rooftop, in anticipation of the approaching rainstorm at sunset

The title pretty much says it all.

Have a great weekend.

More anti-photographer craziness: It was only a matter of time. A Fox news reporter is taping a report on photographers being hassled by security guards at D.C.’s Union Station. In the middle of a report, taped at the station, a security guard hassles the news crew, ordering them to shut down the cameras. The person being interviewed was none other than a spokesman for Amtrak, who had just stated on camera that photography was absolutely allowed in the Amtrak portion of the station. Sheesh.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

It's complicated

The iris is a flower that goes to a lot of trouble to attract and accommodate pollinating insects. The colorful upper petals, called the standard, is designed to convince insects that Café Nectar is open for business. The lower petals, called the falls, act as a landing pad. Bright lines on the surface of the falls lead to the interior where the nectar is stashed. A strip of brightly colored follicles, appropriately called the beard, provides an insect with something to grip on its way in.

The stamen is located at the entrance to a “tunnel” leading to a small pool of nectar. As the insect nears the nectar pool, it collects pollen on its back from the “ceiling” of the tunnel. The stamen is designed as a one-way pollen collector – as the insect backs out of the tunnel, the stamen blocks its own pollen from itself. When an insect arrives from another iris and makes its way into the tunnel, the stamen collects the pollen from the insect’s body.

Sort of like God’s Rube Goldberg machine.

Photo blogging: More on the misconception that photographers are dangerous.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Sad iris

A raindrop from an overnight shower appears as a tear on the petal of an iris blossom.

Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Japanese tree lilac

When I moved into my current home, I was able to trim and shape a Japanese tree lilac in my backyard using a stepladder. That tree is now about 20 feet tall and ten feet wide. The only trimming I do now is to keep a walking space open underneath the tree.

The white blossoms of this species of lilac blooms later than its more well-known bushy relatives – usually about mid-June, depending on the weather throughout the spring. Cold springs, like we’ve had this year, delays the opening. A warm spring speeds up the process.

A branch hanging down below the others, like the one pictured, would have been a candidate for pruning any other year. But since I’m spending more time taking pictures around my home this year, it became a photo project instead.

I set the camera’s self-timer, then prefocused the autofocus on the branch and locked it in, along with the exposure. After I pushed the shutter, and while the self-timer was counting down, I lifted a sheet of black foam board behind the branch to provide the background. That way the black background doesn’t fool the camera’s meter into thinking the scene is darker than it is, resulting in an overexposure.

In a week or so, I’ll post a photo of the open blossoms.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Did it myself, and cheap

I just read a marketing e-newsletter this morning that proclaims that cheap is the new chic. Do It Yourself is already sweeping the country. My daughter, who will be getting married next summer, is planning her wedding from a book entitled The DIY Bride. Everything in her wedding will be DIY and/or cheap. And it will still be cool. Because everything about it will reflect her own personality, tastes and passions. And as the guy expected to foot the bill for the shindig, I couldn’t be happier (for her of course).

The high cost of nearly everything is only adding fuel to the trend. The rising cost of gasoline has already put a crimp in the travel budget for yours truly. By this time last year, I had already taken several far-flung photo excursions. I haven’t been much farther than my own backyard or the nearby river so far this year. Vacation? Who knows.

This year’s photos are already reflecting the times. Cheap camera. Cheap software and nearby locales. The challenge for me is to keep pushing the limits of the equipment and continue to explore for photo-worthy views of very familiar territory - without making it look cheap.

Photo: Gerbera daisy: $6.99. Fijifilm Finepix S700: $199. Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 to create Orton effect: $79.00. Making something all by myself on the cheap: Priceless. Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

In tow

As peaceful as this scene appears, behind it is a tragedy. Ducks have broods of several ducklings - I've seen some this year of nine or more on my evening walks through Dundee. To have only two ducklings following a mother duck means something happened to the greater part of this brood, and that something was not good.

Nature is tough. Even here in the suburbs.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Window dressing

My wife and I fequently take evening walks through Dundee, Illinois. Our usual route takes us through the old business section of town. And every time we pass this building with the ornate windows and Italianate architecture I snap a photo of it if I happen to have a camera with me.

Somehow I think looking out through this window just doesn't compare with the view looking in.

It's done with mirrors. I've been providing tips to one of my friends who is getting into some serious photography. Last evening inspiration hit and the results are some very clever images involving nature and a curved mirror. Well done, grasshopper.

Click on pictures to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

A bee or not a bee?

I found this creature crawling up the inside of a paper lawn waste bag last weekend. At first I thought it was a small bumblebee. Then I took a closer look at the head. Definitely a fly’s noggin.

A little digging on Google revealed that this is indeed a fly and relatively harmless (as flies go). It’s one of a number of species of Great Bulb Flies (Merodon equestris). They’re very fond of narcissus bulbs (hence the name) and will lay eggs on any exposed bulb, where 100 or so younglings will feed once they hatch.

This fella allowed me to take several very closeup shots before he decided it would be best to fly away.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Park. Or park not. There is no try.

Apparently the village of Dundee, Illinois has hired Yoda to paint its parking lot directional signs.

Speaking of street art, here's a clever example.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Happy Memorial Day

Take a moment to remember those who paid the ultimate price in the defense of our country.

Photo: U.S. Flag Sculpture, Walton Island, Elgin, Illinois. Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Iris

I decided to go minimal with a shot of an iris growing in my backyard. My trusty sheet of black foam board provided the background. God provided the excellent lighting (one medium-sized yellow star, at an oblique angle above and slightly to the left about 93 million miles from the subject, large oak tree overhead as a diffuser). Photoshop provided the Orton processing.

From my iris to yours. Have a great weekend.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Time has flown

It's probably safe to assume that there are still more dandelions in the world than there are photographs of them, but photographers all over the world are working hard to close the gap. So here is another contribution from me to the world.

The symbolism is there - the passage of time, age, leaving a legacy. Maybe that's what makes them such a popular subject on Flickr.

I strolled through my backyard last evening photographing some of the flowers that are appearing. I carried a sheet of black foam board to create backgrounds for several shots. Before I stepped back inside, I noticed this guy near the back of my garage.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

A new day

I grew up a fan of Paul Simon. With partner Art Garfunkel and later on his own, Paul wrote and performed music that was inventive and perceptive. In high school, I bought a large book of Paul Simon's compositions. In the introduction, penned in 1973, Paul wrote that he believed his best songs had yet to be written.

That's crazy, I thought. How could he say that? Look at the masterpieces already in the volume I held in my hands. Sound of Silence. Mrs. Robinson. Bridge Over Troubled Water. Simon then spent the rest of the 70s and the 80s proving that he was right about what he said in 1973.

I suppose it's human nature to look at past accomplishments and believe that it would be difficult if not impossible to top those achievements. It takes some effort to look forward with the confidence that what is to come will outshine what has passed. Simon made it happen by exploring new styles of music and delving deeply into topics that were both personal and painful. He refused to be defined by his past. These days, I catch Simon from time to time on television teamed up with his old partner Garfunkel singing the old songs. And I know that he can't really be happy doing that.

All that to say ... as I look forward after 965 posts and three years of photo blogging ... I believe that my best photographs have yet to be taken. Stay tuned.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Three years later

Points of Light will mark its third anniversary tomorrow with a simple ceremony. I will sit down at the computer with a cup of coffee, select a photo that I have queued, and upload it to Blogger along with a few thoughts. It will be very similar to the nearly one thousand ceremonies that preceded it.

A lot of friends from a lot of places have passed by in the course of the last three years. An intrepid few of you still stop by to visit. I appreciate you all. This whole thing started as a way to give my photographs some exposure. At the time, it seemed that the world wide interwebs just might be the place to do it.

And has it ever. Combined with my postings at Flickr, my photos rack up about 4,000 to 5,000 views a week. The grand total so far is about 350,000 views. And since they're posted with a Creative Commons license, they've appeared on numerous web sites and blogs and Lord-knows-how-many computer desktops. I've even had the fortune of selling a few for publication now and then.

If there's one thing I learned about the internet in the last three years, it's this - there are very, very few instant successes that rack up thousands or millions of hits overnight. But that's okay. For the rest of us, the internet and its search engines reward consistency of effort over time.

Hey, life is kind of like that, too.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

The moon above

Is the moon tired? She looks so pale

Within her misty veil:

She scales the sky from east to west,

And takes no rest.

Before the coming of the night

The moon shows papery white;

Before the dawning of the day

She fades away.

Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph© 2008 James Jordan.

Gerbera

The gerbera daisy is associated with friendship. I appreciate the friends who visit and comment here. Hope your weekend is spent in the company of good friends.

Have a good one.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

From my back door

Continuing with the theme of the view from my backyard is this time lapse video taken from the back door of my garage. I discovered that using the continuous shooting mode of my digital camera can record a time lapse series of photos. Using a freeware application to compile several hundred photos into a video results in the clip posted here. This was taken as a storm front moved through a couple of weekends ago.

So turn up the sound and watch the storm clouds roll. Those of you who subscribe via RSS feed will probably need to come to the blog to see the video.

Faded glory

Time makes its incessant march into eternity. It will eventually overtake us all. The lesson: Make the most of the time you have today.

Who’s in my blogroll: Kathleen Connally is in love with the people and places in rural Durham Township, Pennsylvania. And it shows in her carefully crafted images – lyrical landscapes, candid portraits of her family and the folks who populate the world of Durham Township. Consistently one of the highest rated photo blogs in the U.S. I had the pleasure of meeting Kathleen a year ago at a Photoblogger's meetup in Chicago. Visit A Walk Through Durham Township.

Photo: Decayed daffodil and faded denim. Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

A promise of lilacs

More visual snippets of my backyard. The person who owned my house before I bought it was an avid gardener, which is a good thing. A number of perennials continue to make their yearly appearance, even after nearly 13 years.

Although my father was also blessed with a green thumb, that little bit of his genetic code did not transfer to me. I'm much more adept at growing weeds and crabgrass than anything else.

But I did acquire his love for photography, so I can appreciate and capture what others have established before me.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

In my backyard

A number of ongoing projects have curtailed my ability to get out and about with a camera this spring, so I’ve taken advantage of infrequent available moments to step out into my backyard for some photos as spring has sprung forth.

I must say that I’ve never really forced myself to look at my very familiar, small suburban backyard as anything terribly wondrous. Some people seem to have a spectacular back yard at their photographic disposal. I am not one of those people.

It’s been a good exercise to force myself to see the familiar in new ways. More of my backyard to come.

Photo: Purple leaf sand cherry. Click on picture to enlarge (makes an excellent desktop wallpaper – see the license and instruction on the righthand saidebar). Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Fishin'

Here's a great weekend-type photo. Hope whatever it is that you're fishing for makes a nibble on your line.

Photo blogging: The Blackstar photo agency Web site just started publishing a blog for photographers. One post offers some tips for photo bloggers ... but really anyone can make good use of these blogging tips.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Which famous photographer are you?

No surprise for me. How about you?

Which famous photographer are you? Ansel Adams: Known for large scale silver gelatin landscapes especially of Yosemite National Park "Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter."

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

You can take the quiz for yourself here.

Fire and rain

The sky cried last night. The earth held on to some of its tears.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Pretty pears

This is a portion of the Bradford pear tree that stands in my front yard. Taken late in the day, I held a sheet of black foam board behind the branch to provide a contrasting background.

Yes, the neighbors were probably wondering what the crazy person was doing in his yard, but it's not like they haven't seen me take pictures before while laying in the grass or kneeling in the snow.

Happy Wednesday.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

It may look like dew, but it's snot

In yesterday’s post about dew, I mentioned that the picture I posted did not actually show dew.

Dew is water droplets that appear on exposed objects in the morning or evening. As the exposed surface cools by radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate greater than that of which it can evaporate, resulting in the formation of water droplets.

What yesterday’s and today’s photos depict is guttation. Guttation is the appearance of drops of sap on the tips or edges of leaves or grass. High moisture content of the soil builds pressure in the roots, sometimes causing plants to exude water through their leaf tips. The fluid usually contains sugars and some minerals. Kind of like plant snot.

ChrisJ, who commented on yesterday’s post, flirted with the answer. She knew something that I didn’t until a couple of days ago. Leave it to a teacher.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Doin' the dew

Yesterday morning was a dewy one. And, not being one to pass up an opportunity to catch an interesting photo when one appears, I plunged headlong into the moist vegetation. Literally. A sheet of plastic kept me mostly dry, but I still wound up in a water puddle I didn’t see.

I got a number of low-perspective shots of dewy goodness in the early morning sunlight. I’ll be posting those this week.

Dew shows up a number of times in the Bible. It signifies the blessings of God and the transient nature of life. One person used dew to make sure he understood what God was asking him to do.

Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. Deuteronomy 32:1-2

The scientifically astute will recognize that this photo does not actually depict dew. I'll explain tomorrow. Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

Storm lapse

I took a number of shots last weekend as storm clouds rolled by my home (hoping to capture some lightning that never materialized). Scrolling through the shots on my digital camera, I was struck by the apparent motion of the clouds as the frames progressed.

I loaded the shots into a freeware time-lapse video creation application and created a short loop in Windows Movie Maker. I found a music clip in the Windows Media Player library, and by a happy accident, it matches the tempo of the scrolling photos.

The color of the clouds is from light pollution in the city in which I live. These photos were taken about 45 minutes after sunset.

Look for more (and better) time lapse stuff to come.