Blitherings – Page 149 – Ink, Yarn & Beer

A Tale of Change

One thing about taking a photo, it becomes a creative process afterwards using software. When I first began digital photography, it seemed like cheating to post-process an image. However, I soon saw – learned – discovered – whatever – that it really was a way to enhance a mood, convey a feeling, evoke a sense of place.

The picture above is a pano, pieced together using two or three images. This is pretty much how they came out of the camera. Not a lot of dynamic “pop” here – and really, not as colorful as I recall the morning I took these images. Moving on, some changes. I wanted the clouds and sky to be more visible, and yet an overall softness of color be retained. Already, a different mood. Below, black and white, probably derived from the picture above. I like to look at anything I take in color in black and white. This helps me look for gradation and contrast. At times, I will set my camera to do all jpgs in black and white, and the raw files in color. (Cannot do anything further than that, anyway!) When I chimp, then I see the monochrome. At times, it’s fun to play a game with myself to guess if the picture will be successful before I take it. This means analyzing contrast and texture before shooting. More failures than successes at this time, but it is good training for the eye. The same can be done to consider what a histogram might look like, too. Finally, a bit of HDR and specialized filters in use. I pushed the image a bit in Photomatix Pro and then moved it into Color Efex Pro 2, and used the detail extractor and ND filter overlays. There you have it – a tale of changes. Each has a different visual quality and emotional or intellectual quality. Some are more a bit more dreamy, others sharper on the eye and evocative of a season or time.

Listen or Read?

Eyeglasses

Getting older means eyesight changes, and with eyesight changes come some choices. Do I read a book, and then wait for hours before my eyes can focus at a distance again, or do I listen to a book while I do something else so I don’t have double vision afterwards?

A bit of history: I am myopic, and have small cataracts. I live in earthquake country. I love being able to see. When one gets older, eye muscles are not as adaptable as they used to be. I am also extremely picky about my eyes – even with my myopia, I always was able to correct my lenses to 20-15 (or however you write it). Now I can only get corrections to 20-20. Not fun. I also have a macular pucker and oodles of floaters; I see my retinologist every year for stability checks.

So what’s with the “earthquake country” comment? Well, someone is bound to point out that lasik could solve a lot of problems. My return is eye surgery? Are you nuts? Cutting my eyes? What if there were an earthquake in the middle of the procedure?????

A bit neurotic, eh?

Audiobooks are a great listen when a great reader tells the tale. Awful voices, wrong voices, ugly voices, poor cadence when reading, etc., all make for a bad experience, and make a good read not so enjoyable. However, the downside to audiobooks is all you do is listen. That is, unless you pick up something to do, or go to the gym, or work out on the elliptical, or go for a walk, or knit, or make dinner and hope you don’t drop you ear buds in the soup or go to the bathroom with the ipod in your pocket and have it fall in the toilet with everything else you have deposited.

I know, I’ve done it.

All alone, audiobooks are not a physically active experience. Reading a book is a physically active, multi-sensual experience. Look, read, look at pictures, admire the type font, enjoy the layout, read, turn a page, enjoy the smell of a new book, turn the book around to see what something is, sit, become involved in another world, think about it later. Can you multi-task when reading? You bet – but why?

I am reading again, and double-vision be damned. I miss the experience. I just wish I didn’t walk like a drunk afterward.

Another Sunday Hike

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Another weekend hike! This one was a surprise to me – sort of like a kidnap party where you don’t know where you are going to end up. I get picked up, and off we drive. I knew we would be going somewhere in the next town over, Simi, but not the specifics.

Pano 4

We ended up in Tapo Canyon, which leads into the Santa Monica mountains north of the city. Another dirt road with beautiful oak trees, wild grasses, and little if any poison oak. About a mile or so in, the flat dirt road gives way to a short, but steep, climb. No trees, just grassy hills so typical of the southern California landscape.

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The view from the top of the saddle looked into another valley, and down into the one we had just climbed out. We could have continued, but not wanting to spend the whole morning hiking – or the whole day as who knows where the trail would come out! – we turned around and headed back to the car.

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Downhill is different that up hill, just as in is different than out. Viewpoints change. All of this makes for interesting photography opportunities. For me, the most fun was seeing two different snakes, one short and stripped, another longer and mottled, both scuttling away into the grasses as we came down the hill. Luckily, no rattlers!

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And this is all part of the art of living, eh?

Art & Life

Contemplation

In my more cynical moments, I am annoyed that I spend time sitting in front of a computer looking at pictures and playing with software. Who will see them? Does anyone care? Even writing these words seems to be a bit of a waste of time.

Years ago, in my younger days, I aspired to be an artist. The need to earn my keep held me back, but also fostered the question of what is the value of art? Value implies something which can have a monetary amount attached to it, but on a deeper level it also means merit, worth, esteem and often ethics, principles, standards. My conclusion was that if it had value to me, then it was art. No more angst over it, and a very simple answer.

Still, life intervenes. Things need to be done such as working, taking care of a house, paying bills. People, too, need to be nurtured; friendships and family relationships are inherently important. Physical, mental, and spiritual health need attention. All of these take away from time “doing” or “making” art. However, there is also the art of living, which is all-encompassing.

LIttle talks with myself in moments of why? are very important. I expect most of us have these dialogs. Our inner voices need to be heard, and sometimes the only one who can provide an answer is the voice within, from whatever it is derived. Perspective helps; hindsight aids.

So, to answer my own question: The value of the time I spend developing pictures is the value I place on it. When it pales in value, my focus needs to change to something more satisfying. Yes, life’s little chores need attending, but they are part of daily rhythms. Questions like this may also allude to dissatisfaction with solitary activities, or one kind of activity, or sitting rather than being outdoors hiking or gardening or seeing new things or meeting up with friends and family.

Regroup, rethink, and move on!

Hiking: Happy Camp Canyon

Weed

My friend Rashelle and I have made a pact, which, for now, I expect we will be able to keep: Go hiking every Sunday morning! Last week we went up through a bit of Wildwood, here in Thousand Oaks, and this morning we went to Happy Camp Canyon, located in the Santa Monica Mountains outside of Moorpark, California.

Eucalyptus TreesPPro_HDR 1

Getting there we got lost, ending up in a canyon on the other side of the hills. There we found avocado groves, a road in bad repair, and old eucalyptus trees for windbreaks. We figured out we were in the wrong area when we asked a gentleman, who very kindly gave us better directions than the ones I had copied.

Road 1b Happy Camp Canyon is very flat, which makes for easy hiking. The scenery is fading a bit from the flowering we had after our few rains, but still lovely. The hills are amazingly golden and green, with sunflowers and yucca and mustard dotting the fields and hills. A few oak trees dot the landscape, along with tobacco bush and other native plants. Birds were all over, and in the quiet, unafraid to sing or fly from tree to bush.

Oak Tree 2

Morning walks outdoors, amongst the flora and fauna of California, beats the pavement of suburbia. End this with some coffee and nosh at a good coffee shop, and Sunday is a great day!