The Power of Light

Power of Light
Originally uploaded by CaptPiper.

Pause.
Breathe air, pump blood.
Wrap yourself up in now.
Stop the thoughts from running in circles.
Call back the dogs from their useless sniffing out the future.
Muzzle the memories, barking for the moon past.
This hour, this minute, will never come again.
Be here, look at it.
Peace.

Barn Heaven

Barn Heaven
Originally uploaded by CaptPiper.

This is my world - on some mornings; especially in September.
Warm wet earth meets crisp air. Rural, tranquil, filled with light.
On my way to school, I drive into the sun.
On my way home, I drive into the sun.
Sometime this makes things difficult,
but sometimes the beauty is
almost unbearable
and brings tears
to my eyes.

September Light

Morning Light 3
Originally uploaded by CaptPiper.

Whereas September can be the dreaded month, signaling the end of summer freedom and a return to the paper chains of schoolwork, there is an up side.
Warm wet earth and cool morning air creates clouds of fog that sit tight to the earth, or layer themselves along the branches of trees, dividing the morning sun into slanted golden fingers that play where the sky comes down to the earth so that you can touch it and breath it and walk through it.
Or you could, if you didn' t have to go to school.

Field Hunter

Field Hunter
Originally uploaded by CaptPiper.

Today was a very good picture day. It started with a beautifully misty/sunny morning in which I meandered to school, seeking out light and forms in the fog, and no I wasn't late.
After school, I took my camera and went hunting butterflies in the shorn field next to the orchard. Cally saw me lying on my stomach and assumed I was after prey. She came out to join in the hunt.
I have enough photos to upload for a week.

Break-Through

Break-Through
Originally uploaded by CaptPiper.

As I begin to fall back into the rhythm of rising early and going to school, I can at least appreciate the approach of fall. The misty mornings, the slanting light, the trees beginning to turn, the glorious goldenrod in the fields - all this color bleeding out of my world with the dead-white approach of winter.
Winter seems so dominate in Michigan, with summer only a pleasant but short interlude. From November 1 to May 1 the trees are stark skeletons against a mostly gray sky.

Enjoy the moment, live in the now, don't think about something that is six weeks away, and about which you can do nothing.

Mother and Child

Mother and Child
Originally uploaded by CaptPiper.

For the few of you who read my blog, this photo may give you pause. After all, most of my photos are appropriately seasonal. No. It is not snowing in Michigan.

Yesterday I received a Flickr email from a woman who said she worked for Popular Photography and Imaging magazine and was interested in featuring my snowflake photos on the “My Project” page. She asked would I be interested in working with her on this?
[visualize my jaw hitting the floor]
Popular Photography is probably the foremost photography magazine for serious hobbyists in the nation.
I answered that that sounded like fun.
As soon as I got home from work, I ran upstairs and dug up my August issue of Popular Photography. Sure Enough. This woman is listed as the copy editor and there is a feature called “My Project” that she writes.
The next morning she had already responded to my email, asking if we could schedule an interview soon. I emailed her back giving her the school’s number and telling her that my prep period was about 11:15 to noon, assuming that she would call in the next couple of weeks.
At quarter to noon, she called. I gave up a little of my lunch time to finish the interview, because being interviewed is more fun than eating a salad. I have done probably over a hundred interviews in my brief newspaper career, but this was the first time anyone had ever interviewed me. To say it was a heady experience would be and overstatement, but it was fun.

So anyway, the result is that the December issue of Popular Photography will immortalize my humble, amateurish snowflake captures.

If you would like to see them, go to my flickr site (www.flickr.com/piper) and scroll down the main page. On the right you will see my sets. Click on the “Snowflake Project” set.

Now I have to go calm myself down before God sends me something embarrassing to keep me from getting a big head.

You say, oh come now… God wouldn’t bother with that. Oh, yes, He would.
I’m his kid.

Camera Shy

Camera Shy
Originally uploaded by CaptPiper.

I don't often get the opportunity to shoot hummers. Today I sat quietly by the woodpile and waited for the goldfinches. When they came back, Lucy immediately scared them away. After putting the dog in the house, I went back to my seat. Presently I noticed a hummingbird visiting the sunflowers, then coming closer and going after the zinnias.