Willow Weep No More

A victim of last night's storm this willow was a favorite of area photographers for a background when shooting engagement photo sets and such I will miss this one I am glad the bridge was not damaged

The Shadow of Pattern

Carroll Creek Park

Seeing and Isolating Pattern

Morning photo walk --the project for the day is "seeing and isolating pattern" -- begin on South Street. The townhouse is antibellum. There is also a pattern of color. All the exterior woodwork and the door is of the same deep red and the brick is dark green as shown at the side of this photo. I suspect this was on purpose. The glass storm door has a sticker by the handle - gold leaf on deep red " SEMPER FIDELIS" Note the work contains a form of the the Fleur de Lis.

Panama Jack on Market

Street Art
Stencil Painted on the pavement near the old Landis Watchmakers shop at 27 N Market

Texture in Photography

Frederick-
Carroll Creek Way and Market
Texture in art and photography is the perceived surface quality obtained in a two dimensional surface. The effect is often obtained with early and late light that cuts across the subject's rough surface In the photo here the viewer should note the clear difference in perceived texture between the evening light that cuts across the old stone side of this building compared with that which remains in shadows.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texture_(visual_arts)

Coal Fired Steam Locomotive

Walkersville
This afternoon an old steam locomotive is being used for the Walkersville. I notes the ash on some fees stacked neat the track and remembered how dirty coal is. In my college days the heating plant for the University was coal fired and I often tasted the bitter acid in the air and found ash all over my white Healy. I am glad today we have natural gas.

Crimson Crescent

Carroll Creek
This pretty blossom is about six inches long. It is on a tree/bush with a trunk of only about 4" at the base and splits into two main branches. The bark is smooth with a fine hair. Leaves are 8 opposed leaflets width one at the end. A very pretty treat this summer Saturday

Refurbished Antebellum Bridge

The city recently completed the complete refurbishment of this old foot bridge that used to be along Benz Street and was moved upstream two blocks when the Corps of Engineers made the changes to Carroll Creek to prevent future flooding of the city.
See more shots here from before refurbishment
http://www.bridgemeister.com/pic.php?pid=125

Three Herons

I might get a flock if I wait long enough!

Two Herons

Two Herons an unusual shot captured on my walk home from post Green legs and beak. Browns I reckon. I got to watch them for a few minutes together until a dog decided to enter the creek and get a closer look and one left but one stood his ground as the owners got the dog under control. I stood beneath this Weeping Willow for quite some time watching the remaining Heron fish from his perch in a rock. He saw something near the bank and quickly jogged over too it. Some ducks came over too close to see and he promptly dispatched them. By and by the partner returned. The good thing about standing under this Willowr is that it makes our 104 degree heat under sunny skies tolerable

Form that gives Substance

Notice how the play of light on this beech tree lends a sense of depth and substance to this photograph. I took one immediately prior from the angle where the setting sun struck the tree directly. The trunk only conveys two dimensions: height and width and in the first photo that is the impression To achieve the illusion of the third dimension then there must be a play of light which gives form, such as curvature emphasized here as the shadow begins faintly at the tangent and increases around the circumference. This is Protect 2 from John Hedgecoe's Guide to Photography. Hedgecoe is quite famous and is known as the man who taught the world to make pictures. One of his works has sold 200 billion copies: the royal stamp
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hedgecoe

Light Fibers au Natural

Culler Lake.
While out on a short photo walk as the sun began its descent this afternoon I happened upon a fern tree with the prettiest blossoms illuminated in places by the rays of the setting sun from behind and above. The effect was like that which I sometimes see in novelty lamps with their light fibers and colored tips I wonder if this natural effect inspired the creation of the artificial

Geometrical

We got shapes here folks
My quest for shapes in this photo assignment revealed this site below one of the bridges that span Carroll Creek. Note closest to me is the brickwork of chevrons meeting the blank concrete. Further on there is a cross pattern that you might be able to detect. Beyond that is the horizontal channel of the faux creek and in the very center rises the column mast of the bridge followed by the far horizontal bank. Above this menagerie of shapes one sees the elliptical bridge itself in a bold red with its dark shadow falling on the brick walk. Against the far side are rectangular boxes. I figure this project is a GO!

Key Memorial Chapel

Named in memory of Francis Scott Key who lays nearby. I was out for some hobby photography this afternoon. My assignment was shapes and to focus on how they work together. One of the examples in the course was a church with three progressively higher piedmonts and a steeple and directly behind them a peaked mountaintop in the background. We have no towering mountains here, but I think this may be the only building in town where I could get three piedmonts in one shot. The buttresses remind me of our church in Beattyville. Using the iPhone4s standard camera, I was not able to get the exposure and the a good sized cloud passed over the EV dropped from 15 to 14. I exposed on the stone and since there was no hard shadow I was able to make this very nice shot. The inscription reads built 1911 "christened" 1998. I wonder if the funerals before 1998 are legit as well as the commendation to rest. Christening normally refers to baptisms in my tradition, where as dedications refer to objects. I wonder what heretic christened this -- for all have been labeled such by those who consider themselves to be the true church at one time or another
http://www.mountolivetcemeteryinc.com/



ps: I shopped at Target today and while waiting for the photo lab clerk a young lady came up beside me and I could not help but notice writ large on her gray Tee shirt in bold black was "GOOD GRAMMAR IS SEXY". Hmmm It always helps in grammar when we use words according to their standard English usage. Or at the very least an acceptable usage. So in pondering whether some minister might have "christianized" this beautiful old chapel by some act akin to sprinkling holy water and some blessing of word invoking some politically correct god, I decided to consult the dictionary. To "christen is used for a baptism of a human and the "first use naming" of an object--such as when some VIP breaks a bottle of champaign over the bow of a ship. Lord knows what they did in this chapel in 1998 to "christen it". Not at all in good taste I think. I've no doubt when it was rightly dedicated in 1911 all that should have been done was done

http://i.word.com/idictionary/christened

Mobilis

Hitching Post

Frederick. Downtown residential area. Folks here about take pride in preserving the historic appearance of neighborhoods. This hitching post likely dates from the period before the Rebellion.   In this shot I opened up the aperture to about f1.4 to throw the background out of focus but positioned myself a little below the post at an angle where the door in the background would give context (Nikon FE 50mm f1.4 AI --Fuji Xtra 200)

Mobilis

Foggy Bottom

Baker Park and Carroll Creek Bottom. Bell Tower
I got this back the other day from some of my winter shots. It was the pick of the litter and is the most artistic of my photographs of this area so far. The sun is in the upper right area of the tree
I suspect framing from this angle was a challenge and so I had to sacrifice the tree top and include a bit of distracting pavement.
(equipment handheld FE Nikon and 200 ASA Fuji supra 50mm 1.4 Ai lens Captured from the 4x6 print for the www with iPhone4s)

Signs, Signs, Everywhere are Signs

Enough said. One of the more succinct street signs I've seen of late. This man is John Wojmowaki. A survivor. See his story and a comment here SorryPope.com

Montrose Walk and Park.

The old townhouses in Washington and Georgetown are quite a joy to visit. Today I am trying to find an entrance to Oak Hill Cemeter,y but all the gates are locked and I've yet to find an entrance. My search brought me to this area of Montrose. The park was set aside in 1915, but I suspect the townhouses are somewhat older. Next to Montrose is Rock Creek Park.

The original Spotsylvania Courthouse

Lees Headquarters

"May 12-18, 1864. Between the armies of Lee and Grant is unmatched for its display of unyielding heroism and devotion to duty and principle. Here thousands of valorous men, fighting with bayonets and clubbed muskets, wrote their imperishable epitaph." UDC 1927
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Spotsylvania_Court_House

Mobilis

Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse

Lee made his headquarters on this ground. Plaque reads: "May 12-18, 1864. Between the armies of Lee and Grant is unmatched for its display of unyielding heroism and devotion to duty and principle. Here thousands of valorous men, fighting with bayonets and clubbed muskets, wrote their imperishable epitaph." UDC 1927
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Spotsylvania_Court_House

Retro Photo

c 1928 AGFA JEGTAR ANASTIGMAT f8.8 100mm Medium Format 6cm x 9cm Camera. Picked it up in a antique store for $8.00 today. All parts function but shutter may not be snappy (yet) Appears that the bellows is light tight. Lens in excellent shape. Made in Germany. Apertures 1:8.8, 12.5, 18 shutter speeds Bulb, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100 with two focus point Fern (far) and Nah (near) See more here
http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Agfa_Billy_Jgetar_8.8

. (note. This series was only made from 1928-1930. The thing on the top right is the viewer that you look down into and the image is right side up.). This is a real camera with leather covering in very good condition for a camera that is nearly 85 years old. The film is a popular medium format 120 so I may have to give it a trial.

Hager Mill 1791

I came upon this old mill stone that has been set in the walk around the City Park Pond. The embedding of this relic is a nice way to remember the historic mill and the man: Andrew Hager: likely a kinsman of Captain Jonathan Hager who settled in this area in 1734
http://millpictures.com/mills.php?millid=1467

Dunker Church

Dunker Church. Sharpsbug vicinity. Established by German Baptist Brethren. The name from the practice of full immersion as in "They are real 'Dunkers'". Site of the battle for this ground held by Jackson's Corps in the bloodiest one day of US history --  marks of musketry on sunny side above door and windows. Many a soldier fell about this old church that day. This is a most appropriate place and time to reflect on the Southron soldiers on Confederate Memorial Day 2012. 

1862 http://www.wpclipart.com/American_History/civil_war/Antietam/Antietam_bodies_in_front_of_Dunker_Church.png

Mobilis

Lee Equestrian

Overlooking the Antietam from the east side! With fields glasses in hand it must represent a reconnaissance of the approach of Boonesboro Pike and the middle bridge ot the Antitetam before the American Napoleon arrived with his big Army of the Potomac from South Mountain. Lee hoped for victory but only achieved a draw due to his skill and McClellan's ineptitude

Confederate Memorial Day

Frederick Cemetery. This day is an official state holiday in Kentucky and so I visited the Confederate where this silent sentinel watches over the many buried here from the battles of South Mountain and the Monocacy. The days also marks the birth of Jefferson Davis-Kentucky born and educated hero of the Mexican American war and president of the CSA.
This interesting shot has the effect of a glorious light

First Love

Eatin' Goober Peas

Festival of the Arts -- Frederick
http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/on-the-homefront/culture/music/eatin-goober-peas/eatin-goober-peas.html

One hundred year old peanut roaster gets my vote as the most interesting item today. The unsalted nuts were delicious. This roaster runs on electricity, and it takes about 25 minutes to roast a lot. The lady from Randy's Candy told me they buy their peanuts in bulk from Virginia

With this being the eve of Kentucky Confederate Memorial Day, I was reminded that goober peas we're a staple for those starving Rebel armies, who sang,

Peas, peas, peas, peas
Eating goober peas
Goodness, how delicious,
Eating goober peas.