I’m once again on the lookout for photos that have elements of the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi (imperfect, impermanent, incomplete). I recently gave a presentation to one of my photo groups on this topic, and next month we will all be bringing in our wabi-sabi photos. Here are a couple shots in and by the Drover’s Shed at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, which show the process of weathering and decay over time.
The windmill:
The kitchen:
Here’s one of the many pathways at the arboretum- this one guarded by barrel cactus.
at the Bryce Thompson Arboretum
Like most photographers, I’m attracted to the old and rustic. On the grounds of the Boyce Thompson Arboretum is a building called the Drover’s Wool Shed. I assume that this is a replica (I’m thinking of an Australian sheep ranch) – although it certainly does look old- and rustic. If there was an explanation, I missed it.
A view of the outside:
And the view looking in:
On Saturday, Lonnie and I got OUT OF TOWN! After a couple weeks of illness- and then a water leak which will eventually lead to our floors being replaced- we were more than ready for an outing. We didn’t go far- just southeast to the town of Superior to visit the Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, where we walked and walked and walked admiring all the different cacti and wildflowers. It is a beautiful spot! I took dozens and dozens of photos; it felt so good to get out and use my camera again.
These rocks form the backdrop of the state park, which is right by the highway. Octotillo was in bloom everywhere!
I brought my Lensbaby Edge 80 along too, which I used on these flowers (along with a bit of enhancement from Topaz Impression).
Don’t you always wonder what they are talking about out there?
We had a great time at a pre-season Giants-Royals game (courtesy of our daughter!) a couple weeks ago. I didn’t come out with any stellar photos, but had a great time just being there enjoying seeing the players and watching the game. This photo as been taken into Topaz Impression (Urban Street Art) and Simplify for fun.
Here are a couple shots from V Bar V, where we saw the petroglyphs. It was the color contrasts that caught my eye.
This little gate caught my eye as we were walking to the petroglyph site the other day.
It is almost a tradition with us to go out driving into the forested side of town on a snowy day to see what we can see. Although we live in a relatively small town, there are definitely microclimates within the town. Our neighborhood is definitely a high desert climate, but a few miles away (and a few hundred feet higher), it is more of a mountain climate. They get more snow- and it is really pretty!
I took this through the front windshield as we drove toward the Thumb Butte, which was shrouded in fog that morning. We only have patches of snow left at our house- but I would imagine there is still a lot of snow left in this part of town.
It was snowing as I waited at the church for members of my HeartMath group to arrive. I entertained myself by taking photos (of course) and was especially drawn to a group of robins on the roof. Two were flying around while this little guy sat there, making up his mind what to do next. I love our snow days!
The snow of a few days ago turned into a drizzle, which created reflections of the Christmas lights at Courthouse Square last night.
Of the photos I took Courthouse Square in the snow, this one is my favorite. After I took photos with my Nikon and got back in the car, I decided to take a quick iPhone shot for Facebook and to text to a few friends. Of course, that one ended up being my favorite- the point of view from the car was much better than from where I had stood for my other photos. I can’t believe I didn’t see that when I was taking pictures. My excuse is that I was concerned about the snow falling on my camera. . .
I converted it to black and white in Lightroom to use for my photo club on Tuesday (the theme was black and white). The photo was well-received, although not a winner in the voting- and the comments all had to do with the unique point of view- the angle of the fence etc. etc. Maybe when it snows again, I can shoot from this angle again- only with my big-girl camera!
Monday was a snowy day. Although it snowed for most of the day, we ended up with only an inch or so, which melted away in the afternoon even as the snowflakes continued to fall. We went out for coffee in the morning, and then drove downtown where I took some photos as it snowed. Christmas decorations are already being put up, alas (a pet peeve of mine), even though Thanksgiving is still a week away. But actually, I think the Christmas tree adds to the photo. I edited it in Topaz Texture Effects, using one of the Fairy Light presets, and added additional textures in Photoshop.
My husband and I took a short walk at Willow Lake last week. We were hoping to view some migrating birds, but they seemed to be avoiding us. Of course there were weeds to photograph- one of my standard subjects for photos. This weedy image was edited using the new Topaz Texture Effects, which I downloaded on a 30 Day trial. It reminds me of some of my iPhone apps- what a fun new filter! I have only just begun to explore what it has to offer.
Last week’s walk down Mt. Vernon Street yielded some fall photos as well as all the photos of Halloween decorations. I think I should post them sooner rather than later, because this week’s big storms may have blown many of the leaves off the trees.
melinda anderson photography 