What I See Right Now.

What I See Right Now.

Deliciously dreary has morphed into a beautiful sky.  It really is what I see right now.

A Summer Day In Yorktown.

It’s a deliciously dreary day here in Richmond, VA.  I have always been a fan of these kinds of days…chilly, cloudy and rainy.  Summer was never my favorite, but this past summer I happened to spend a lot of time outside for a change.  Being inside caused much anxiety so I would flee to the outdoors every chance I got and began to appreciate the hot, humid summers VA is notorious for.  I had a meeting near Yorktown in July and decided to stop by Yorktown on my way back home.  It’s steeped in history as it was founded in 1691 and served as a major port and settlement. These were taken before I had even used a “grown up” camera and was relying on my HTC phone’s camera.  I added the effects as I went – a feature that I sometimes miss with the Nikons I’ve used lately.

Here’s what a hot humid July day in Yorktown VA looks like.  Enjoy.

So Many Photos.

In going through my 14.6 GB, 3565 files, 216 folders of photos from the past 8 months I have discovered that not only do I have more photos than I thought but haven’t gotten around to posting a majority of them.  I committed to 3 posts per week (Mon, Wed, Fri) and now I think to get my work out into the world I may up that to every day…as time allows.  This having to work a full-time gig really puts a damper on my time for art.

As far as the Portfolio project for the site goes…it’s bigger than I thought.  Many of the folders have a combination of shots from my phone, the Nikon D50 and the Nikon D40.  So decisions need to be made – Am I posting phone pics and camera shots together or separating them out?  Am I organizing by type of photo, where the photo was taken or just combining the best shots from each location?  Yeah…It’ll all get worked out.  Sleep has been elusive lately so I think this project will fulfill me more than watching horrible TV all night.  I also now have a tripod so night photography is no longer a shaky, blurry adventure.  Again it will give me a break from infomercial hell.

So for my generous subscribers (thank you all for visiting and sticking around) you can expect more photos along with random writings about those photos – where they were taken and occasionally some links if you’d like to check the places out for yourselves.  Since I’m doing more in manual mode and adjusting settings as I go I think a small notebook will accompany me so I can make notes and hopefully learn a thing or two as I go.

For now here’s some photos of Pump House Park from August 2, 2011 taken with the HTC.  The pump house was in use as the city’s waterworks from 1883 to 1924.  When I first moved here about 20 years ago the pump house was accessible but is locked now.  The building also served as a social hall.  There’s a placard stating the building was slated to be refurbished but nothing has happened yet.  So here’s some green summertime shots for a winter’s day.

Enjoy.

Canal Reflection

Canal Bridge

Canal and Trestle

Walking Trail

Woodsy Canal

Leaf

Dance Hall

 

 

Sometimes The Best Laid Plans…

…are rained out.  I had a plan to take some photos today but alas I couldn’t beat Mother Nature.  So for this rainy afternoon Wednesday post I decided to dig through the many many many photos I have and post some random shots.  No rhyme or reason, just ones I have that have not been posted.  I also have a plan to add a Portfolio type page of the best ones from each folder…the best one at Belle Isle…the best one at Maymont…that kind of thing.   I have a lot to go through to find ones I think are “the best”.  It may take a while.  It’ll give you something to look forward to. In the meantime here’s some shots to look at.

Enjoy.

Starry Walk

Stairs to The Amphitheater at Poor Farm Park

Green Glass Bottle at Belle Isle

Tree's Face at Bryan Park

7 Legged Spider - Providence Forge, VA

Out of Light at Byrd Park

Bridge at Echo Lake

Carnival Face at RVA Folk Festival

This fireman showed up on my window sill one day

A Rose Is A Rose at Maymont Park

Another Buddha

Floppy Disc Wall

The Puzzle I Should Have Taken Home...

Aqua Flower in Vase

Reflections Of Summer.

It’s kinda cold here in VA…I miss being able to play hooky from work and wander around local parks taking photos.  I could and still do when it’s not too cold but lately out of well…just pure laziness I suppose I’ve been holed up in my apartment being one with my cats.

So in honor of the warm summer days I spent last year wandering aimlessly and reflecting, here’s some photos from Pump House Park of reflections.  Clever eh?

These were taken with the trusty HTC phone camera with different effects added as I was taking them.

Enjoy.

Maymont Then And Now.

Maymont is one of my favorite places to go no matter what season.  I spent a lot of time there this past summer and have a lot of photos.  New Year’s Day was beautiful weather-wise so I went and wandered around.  As I was walking through I saw how different it looked as compared to the summer.  No water in the fountains or grotto, less koi in the ponds and the lush greenery had turned brown.  Still plenty of beauty to be seen – just a different kind.

I took some photos of some of the differences I noticed while wandering around…Enjoy.

Bear Pool in Summer

Bear Pool in Winter

Big Tree in Summer

Big Tree in Winter

The Grotto in Summer

The Grotto in Winter

Fleur de Lis Pond in Summer

Fleur de Lis Pond in Winter

Waterfall in Summer

Waterfall in Winter

Waterfall in Summer

Waterfall in Winter

New Stuff For A New Year.

I hope everyone out there on the interwebs had a good holiday whichever one you chose to celebrate.  I spent time with family and friends and think everything went well.  2012 should bring some interesting things, what with the world ending in less than a year and all…

A while back (I looked for the mention but couldn’t find it) I’m pretty sure I mentioned a project idea involving my now infamous “Hobbit Hat”.  The wait is over.  I have decided to do a 365 project involving The Hat.  If you’re interested in following it check it out here.  Or click the link I added over to the right in the Blogroll.  I downloaded a wordpress app for my HTC and will be using that since I can upload the photos directly to the new site…I hope.  If it works like it should that is.  Ideally it’ll be 1 photo a day that incorporates The Hat in some way.  It should be easy enough as long as the weather is cold and I remember to have Hat with me all the time.  It may be a bit more of a challenge in the summer when it’s too hot to wear it.

Have a safe and happy New Year.  Please be safe and designate a driver or take a cab home.

I Window Shop For You In My Mind.

Christmas has made it’s mark in Carytown already.  I say already because many of the local shops had their Christmas windows up and running before Thanksgiving.  It does get earlier every year doesn’t it?  So one evening I took a walk through Carytown with my HTC and here’s some of the windows and decorations I saw…

Enjoy.

Lounging Ladies

Cary Court Bakery

Cary Court Branch Decor

CanCan Reflected

Cary Court Tree

Hanukkah

Bangles n Beads

Bygone Penguins

Merry Buddha

Pink

Pillow Boat

Richmond Camera

Santa's Bad Day

Stone Owls See You

The Byrd Theater

World of Mirth

And on my way back home I walked down Belmont and couldn’t not notice this flower shop…

Hope everyone has a minute to enjoy the lights and find some interesting decor in your neighborhoods…

Watch out for these guys though…

Rudolph The Giant Reindeer vs. Mini Yeti

Everyone Deserves a Thanksgiving Feast.

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving with friends and family.  I went home to visit my Mom as I do every year.  We’re lucky…we don’t cook.  We have gone to her best friend’s house for years and it makes for a pretty stress free day.  So on our way to dinner we drove past an apartment complex.  On a main road and near a busy intersection.  As we’re driving by I was amazed at what I saw.  I had her turn the car around so I could get a video on my HTC.  I have to share it here…but be warned.  It’s beautiful in a “that’s how nature works” way but it could be considered a bit graphic.  I gotta say it was exciting to be that close to this scene.  The video is short because a) We were supposed to be at dinner and b) I got a little nervous when it made eye contact…about a minute in you can tell I’m slowly backing away…

Enjoy.