photography – Page 6 – ToadMama.com

May 20, 2013May 20, 2013

Dripping Wet

I did a quick post yesterday where i mentioned that a misty rain had fallen Saturday night/early Sunday morning.

Around 11:00 AM on Sunday, I left my house, camera in hand, headed over to Sibby’s to take some food pictures for their Web site. I told the owner I’d do it as a favor. I was going to pop in, shoot some food, then come home and be domestic (more to-dos to get done).

When I am out and about with my camera, however, I never know what is going to catch my eye.

I hadn’t even gone 10 feet down the driveway when I noticed the evergreens in our neighbors’ yard covered with masses of water droplets.

Water drops on plants fascinate me. I think they make for some really interesting images. So I snapped a shot or two and off I went.

My timing sucks and I found Sibby’s closed. So I headed back toward home. I popped into the bakery for some goodies, then thought home was my next stop. That’s when I saw the “butterflower” from yesterday’s post. After capturing that, I started looking at and shooting other stuff.

It was probably 45 minutes later that I finally got home. But I’m glad I made that detour. I think I captured some cool stuff. My favorites are posted below. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Remember, if you click on the image, you’ll get a larger view.

Of all these images, I believe the last one, shared below, is my favorite. The color is so rich and deep. The water drops lend that rose a little extra bit of interestingness whereas it’s the water drops themselves that really make some of these shots, like the one immediately above.

I hope you enjoyed the results of my detour, too.

Enjoy your week.

UPDATE: A big THANKS to Trobairitz for setting me straight on the BARBERRY. I knew “bayberry” wasn’t right but could not think of what it was.

May 19, 2013

Butterflower

It’s been rather wet in these parts lately. It’s good for the flowers, though. And the weeds are growing just like weeds have been known to grow… fast and furious.

I’ll be policing the yard this week for sure. Have to stay on top of those buggers.

Early this morning, the off-and-on rain had become a gentle mist. A thin layer of water coated everything. For me, in Spring, that sheen of tiny droplets makes for some rather interesting pictures.

I’ll try and share a few more tomorrow. Tonight, I just had to post my favorite capture of the day.

It wasn’t the water droplets that drew me to capture that image. I just found it interesting. Especially since at first glance I thought I was seeing a butterfly.

But when is the last time you saw a butterfly with water droplets on its wings?

It’s just a flower with some petals missing, but doesn’t it make a cool capture?

April 24, 2013

Lightbulb Moment

I was strolling through town earlier this month (April 13) when I noticed a cute little outbuilding that I’d never noticed before. The metal roof had a very cool patina. I snapped a picture with my cell phone and moseyed on. But first I told myself, “Self, you have to remember to come back here with your real camera.”

Fast forward to this past Sunday (April 21). I did a photo stroll to capture some of the Spring blooms before they go away.

When I got to the outbuilding, it looked lovelier than ever. I didn’t notice the patina I’d remembered, but chalked it up to lighting conditions. Light does interesting stuff.

Here’s the shot I captured with my real camera.

I actually captured quite a few really good images on Sunday, which I hope to one day share with you all.

Later that evening, as I was deleting pics from my phone, I came across the cell phone capture of the same building.

That’s when the lightbulb went off.

“Huh!” I said.

“‘Huh’, what?” Shannon, who was still here, asked.

When I showed her the pic, she said, “Huh,” too.

Why? Have a look at the cell phone capture.

There WAS a cool patina on the roof. The key term here being “was.”

Amazing what a little paint can do, eh?

April 14, 2013April 15, 2013

To Market, To Market…

I had every intention of focusing solely on a specific sewing project yesterday. Then I stepped out our back door and noticed the Farmer’s Market was open.

Ah, the Farmer’s Market. I HAD to go. Plus, it was yet another picture-perfect day here in OTW.

The Warrenton Farmers Market operates on Saturdays and Wednesdays for a good part of the year. The Saturday market is very close to our house. It’s one of Old Town Warrenton’s attractions that I really enjoy, so I try hard to support it by visiting and usually buying some sort of merchandise. It’s too early in the year for a lot of the fresh produce I enjoy — tomatoes and corn — but there were plenty of flowers and other wares to intrigue me.

There were lots of folks out and about, enjoying the market and the gorgeous weather. I think it was in the mid-50s when I left the house. Perfect weather in my my book. Hubby thought it was chilly.

On the way to the market, I noticed that our neighbor’s flowering tree is getting ready to bloom.

I’ll have to keep my eyes on that one. It’s gorgeous when in bloom.

Following are some images from the market.

The image immediately above shows offerings from “blurose,” a husband and wife operating out of nearby Amissville in Rappahannock County.

I hadn’t planned on buying anything at the market. I was just going to take pictures. So after seeing several things that needed to go home with me, I had to walk to the bank machine. Which is why this post also includes some not-market-related town images.

This building is adjacent to the parking lot that houses the market.

One of these days I’ll get a shot of this building without cars parked there. Maybe.

I am drawn to this building for some reason. I guess it’s the red color. Plus the green ivy climbing up one corner. And the church steeple in the background.

Pretty Tree + Favorite Red Building = Photo Op

The coasters shown below are what inspired my trip to the bank machine.

There were a number of different woods represented. All wood was harvested from trees downed by Hurricane Sandy in Rappahannock and Fauquier Counties. Jan, who owns Blurose, explained that she and her husband, Chris, were devastated at seeing so many downed trees. Chris decided to turn nature’s fury to his advantage and make use of what would otherwise have been senselessly wasted wood.

The little pamphlet that came with the coasters said, “The tree that gave us these coasters was a monster. It was most likely over 120′ with a huge canopy. Size was its downfall. Standing alone on the ridge crest at the top of a small valley that funneled the wind, it was subjected to the full force of the storm. It has gone, but here is something to remember it by.”

How could I NOT buy such gorgeous coasters made by a man who describes himself as one with a “passion” for “finding the beauty of wood in its most natural forms.” He can write, too, as evidenced by the pamphlet on my coasters and other writings about the products.

Warrenton Farmer's Market — Warrenton Farmer’s Market

Another very cool merchant I met are the folks behind Primrose Farm in nearby Nokesville. Kathleen and George are a lovely older couple selling heirloom flowers and other goods. George is actually a very good watercolor artist, and their booth carried a wide range of note cards showcasing some of his lovely paintings.

I also bought some Chorizo Grillers (sausages) being sold by Walnut Hill Farm in Falmouth, VA. Big coolers of meat don’t make for great photos, but I LOVED this tablecloth. I think it was one of the owners who told me he’d purchased the table covering in France some years ago. I’m pretty sure he said his wife bought a blue one. I should have warned him about Janet, the Empty Nest proprietor, who loves all things French, especially chickens and other critters.

I didn’t buy anything from Caroline, but I loved her sign. I chatted with her a bit, admiring her multi-colored eggs, about which she said, “My mother is VERY proud of her chickens.” I’m sure I’ll see Caroline again next week.

I did bring some of those Zinnias home with me. I might get them into the dirt today, assuming I finish that sewing project I mentioned earlier.

Speaking of that sewing project, I’d better get busy!

April 10, 2013

Hello, Spring!

Spring finally arrived here in Old Town Warrenton. Truth be told, I think Summer is here. I think we hit the low 90s today.

Weather in the Virginia Piedmont may be even more fickle than in Maryland!

Really, though, it was gorgeous. I couldn’t NOT go outside. So I grabbed my real camera for a change, as opposed to the iPhone, and went for a stroll.

I so enjoyed seeing all of the flowers. It was just lovely… looking, strolling, snapping a pic or two. Us photographer types are afflicted with a curse that really makes us SEE stuff. Colors, lines, shadows, oddities… the phrase seeing the big picture doesn’t apply. We see everything.

I’ll just let these pics — there are lots — speak for themselves.

Note… that thermometer says 100! It’s in the sun, but that proves how warm it got today.

Can I just say I am really glad I have friends who are storekeepers that aren’t afraid to run their air conditioner? Thanks, Sherrie, Janet, and Kelly Ann!

And hats off to the Red Truck Bakery, which is where I bought a drink today and very tasty Birdseed Cookie (sugar cookie with poppy seeds, anise, fennel, and some other stuff). Of course, I had seeds stuck in my teeth afterward, but it was worth it!