The old branches shrouded the stump, looking like wings of snow. Almost angelic to the bunnies or birds that could have hidden beneath, protected from cold or predators.
On the trail or on the rails? Which way? Last photo on the DSLR.
The first sign of Christmas shall be the last photo on my cell. As my daughter lives 3,000 miles away, we decorate together by sending cell pics to each other. My mother bought this Nativity set in 1963. Remembering setting it up and turning the key to play its music brings her back to me. This year, looking at the old box’s splitting seams, I noticed the sticker for the first time: Einneitspappkasten? Hachstgawidt? “Made in Germany.”
Wishing for snow … maybe if I envision it … snow will fall and I will enter its treasury … “let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!” I live just below the snowline, too low to ever shovel but high enough to reach snow in 30 minutes. Several years back, I captured this close-up of the Ponderosa Pine 20 feet from my deck after a rare snowfall at our home. Seeing it on my desktop always makes me winter happy.
“He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.”
The week before, the trail was clear, and the aspen leaves blocked the sky overhead. What a change a bomb cyclone has made. This day, the snow was 8 to 12 inches deep, and golden leaves dotted the crystalline carpet.
“Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.” Red sun rising … the bright sun red burned out to white as the camera tried to see through thick smoke from 4 wildfires. Normally, the Sierra Mountain ridge, about 60 miles away, stands sharply visible below the eastern sky. This morning’s smoke from those wildfires hid the ridge. Above is the unedited original. Below are Elements 14 (Photoshop) edits.
First, on the left, I matched the photo’s sun to the red sun my eyes had seen. Selecting and filling the selection was easy peasy. Oh yes, I cropped the top and bottom edges.
Then, on the right, I applied the haze removal tool.
The left is the same version as the above right. But now, on this right is a solarized iteration of the version with the burned out sun.
And what about the elastic texture of time? It flies smoothly when having fun, yet drags roughly when dutifully dogging work.
I’ve not had time to capture or create an image to express this taffy-pull challenge of returning to work, that necessary reality tugging time from photography. And, therein lies the rub of my existential Which Way Photo Challenge: take time to make a living or make time to take a photo.
“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”: “‘… my disciple must … take up their cross and follow me …’ ‘… learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’”