Sunday’s Snapshot – Supermoon with Jetliner Passing By
Nikon D3200, handheld – 300mm – ISO 800 – f/5.6 – 1/1000 – cropped – July 12, 2014, 10:35 p.m. (Image copyrighted to Mary McAvoy)
I tried to get a good moon shot on supermoon night, but that night the moon was just too bright and all the images came out overexposed beyond repair. But the night before and the night after (last night), I did get some great shots. The moon was visually just as full but it was darker and easier to capture.
I was aware last night as I took a series of photos that something passed in front of the lens for one of my shots. I thought it was an insect. The mosquitos were buzzing all around me making for less than optimal conditions.
So, I was stunned when I sorted through my photos and saw the jetliner clear as can be passing in front of the moon!
I love when I get a “two-fer” (two-for-one) – two interesting subjects in one photo, with one being a complete surprise.
I think this is my best two-fer ever!!!
I Read Books Simultaneously
I make my bed every day. I have since I was in about sixth grade. I don’t know if it’s a good habit or an obsession. I know I cannot leave the house without the bed being made…so it could be an obsession…!
As I made my bed a few mornings ago, I realized that over the course of the past several weeks a collection of books had accumulated and were now strewn about the bed. This is not unusual. In fact, it’s the way my sleeping area has always looked. The books either are upon the bed or stacked untidily on the table beside my bed.
That morning, I took mental inventory of where I was in each of the books pictured. I also took a photo of the books, exactly where they lay, and posted the image to Instagram. The photo is above.
The little red one is a book of Russian short stories titled Best Russian Short Stories, compiled and edited by Thomas Seltzer. I started it about a month ago and have not gone very far into it.
The book in the foreground, looking as if it’s placed to impress but is exactly to where it’s been maneuvered through the weeks, is Tolstoy’s Tales of Courage and Conflict, edited by Charles Neider.
A funny thing about my approach to these two books. For years, I never got much from an introduction till I’d finished reading a book. So, nearly always, I read the introduction last. But lately, I like to studiously approach an introduction before I tackle the book and then again afterwards. So for the two books mentioned above, I’ve read the introductions and have begun the first story in each and have gotten no further. Though I intend to.
The white book next to “Snuggly” (a super soft cuddly gift that was given to me by my daughter about 15 years ago), is Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson. I’ve mentioned in a past post that this book is a favorite, and one of my comfort books. Those of you who know Jackson for her five-page short story The Lottery, will be challenged to imagine how a book by Jackson with the title Life Among the Savages could be soothing! As it happens, it’s an endearing memoir of her years as a young mother of two, three, and then four children – the savages! I will write a review of it as soon as I finish the last quarter of the book.
Underneath Snuggly, with just it’s orange edge showing is my own book, Love’s Compass. Recently I had it out to review a chapter I then posted here at sublime days in response to a photo challenge by another blogger who I follow. I left the book on the bed as I like to read a chapter of it now and then. It was the first book I wrote (in 2007) and I like to see how my writing has improved since, though Love’s Compass has a simplicity that adds to its appeal.
At the top of the image is the book that shares my attention at the moment with the Jackson book. The book is The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe. It was sent to me last week by my brother as he thought I’d find a kinship in spirit (my phrase, not his) in reading the parallels (his word) we experienced when my mother was dying. It’s a sad journey through this book but it’s also a way to revisit and honor the gift we had of caring for and loving my mother through every moment until that final one of solitary exit from this life. I’m about a third into this book.
As I look at this collection of books, I see that they represent works that engage the reader in studies of the basic human experiences: birth, life, love, separation, suffering, joy, war, death. It’s no wonder that it’s about these things that I write. It’s to books of this style that I’ve always been drawn.
More to follow about “the Jackson” and “the Schwalbe” (as Schwalbe and his mother would phrase it) as I finish them…
The first time I went out with my new Nikon D3200 I was really excited by the crop of images I reaped. When I came home I uploaded them to iPhoto and was so pleased with the color quality and lighting the camera had captured. I posted several here at sublime days. But I was saving the photo above for my photography site, The Ripest Pics, where I showcase what I consider my best images.
The next day, when I went into iPhoto to get the image above for posting at The Ripest Pics, all the images from that shoot were gone. I spent HOURS trying to find them. I was baffled and went through every file knowing they must have landed somewhere in iPhoto.
I knew I had uploaded them successfully since I had worked with several for the sublime days post. Of small consolation was that those images were in a desktop file. But the versions there had been greatly reduced in preparation of uploading them to WordPress, so they wouldn’t be good for printing.
My greatest frustration was the thought that I had lost the photo above. I could see it in my mind, but I couldn’t find it anywhere in my files. And, as is my habit, I had chosen to erase from the SanDisk all the images of that day once they had uploaded to my iPhoto files.
I went to bed that night feeling crushed. And I found myself reflecting on a story I’ve told on the About page of The Ripest Pics – an event that mirrors the loss of these photos (the first images from a new camera), some 50 years ago.
The following day, I googled “can I retrieve images deleted from a SanDisk?” and lo!, there is software that can be downloaded for just this purpose! I couldn’t imagine it actually working, but reviews from Mac sites even promoted a couple of the applications. So, I reviewed two and chose one, RescuePro, a product offered by LCTechnology International.
What’s nice is that RescuePro lets you do a free trial on the actual disk you are concerned about. It will recover up to 25 images. This reassures you (and the RescuePro folks) that the disk is not damaged beyond the ability of their software before you purchase the product. (But note that in that case, you can send your SanDisk to RescuePro and they will try to get the images from it.)
I ran the free trial, all the while wrestling with the question, what would I do if that one image were in the 25? Would I still purchase the software or settle to have the one photo back. Well, by the time 25 of the images appeared on my screen, for the magic of it, I wanted the rest of the images, and also, the photo above was not in the group.
RescuePro has three versions of the software priced at three different levels. Without much thought I bought the mid-range version for $69.00. I had put so much time into these lost photos I had run out of steam for studying the packages and opted for the middle of the road choice.
Very soon afterwards, all the images were safely filed in iPhoto, much to my relief.
Of course I reflected on how far technology has come since the mid 1960s when my first roll of film was destroyed beyond recapturing, those images that would now be priceless to me.
So, the question that lingers in my mind after this karmic event is “Is that one picture worth $69.00?”
My answer is yes.
Saturday’s Songs – Mahgeetah and Golden and I Will Sing You Songs by My Morning Jacket
As I write, I know absolutely nothing about the band My Morning Jacket. I don’t know if they are from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, ’00s or ’10s – or combinations of.
All I know is that on my iTunes song collection My Morning Jacket follows another “M” artist who I’ve been listening to (and they precede Nat King Cole). So, Thursday night while I was concentrating on something I was writing, I found that I’d slipped into listening to My Morning Jacket, a band I didn’t know. But I liked what I was hearing. The first song I heard was Mahgeetah, above.
I think this band has a sound that’s a “fold” (like you do in baking, not “mix” but “fold,” which results in the folded parts adhering to one another but remaining distinct) of the extended length, moody blue tunes of the Moody Blues, the haunting, high pitched sometimes-sound of Neil Young and The (rocking) Black Keys. Now that’s some combination I know. But that’s where my head goes as I listen to these guys or girls or guys and girls. So, what’s not to like? Well, actually, the Moody Blues was never a favorite of mine, but that’s okay. Folded with the other two, their sound is alright!
Here’s a 9 minute and 19 second song (…Moody Blues length…), I Will Sing You Songs. It’ll reverberate through your heart.
Now, listen to Golden, which stands on its own in terms of sound, a heavenly sound:
I didn’t want to check out My Morning Jacket on the internet before writing this far. Now I’ll go see what I can see about them on the www.
**********
Hey, they are from Louisville, Kentucky! (Listen to Easy Morning Rebel and you’ll hear more than a tinge of country along with the rock sound similar to The Black Keys.) According to their Wiki page, they’ve been on David Letterman, SNL and they did a four-hour show at Bonnaroo in 2008. I think it’s an all guy band. They formed in 1998 and as far as I can tell, their last album was released in 2011. Check out My Morning Jacket official site to see what they’re up to now.
Crank up Run Thru and be Moody Blues mellow till 2:30 – then rock like you might to The Black Keys!
And I love Just One Thing.
All the songs mentioned in this post are on the It Still Moves album, released in 2003. I’m guessing I gave it to my son as a gift and that’s how it’s on my iTunes lineup. Glad I found it, if years later…
This has been a great discovery for me this week. Live and learn! Sing and dance! 😉
An Excerpt From My Novella, Love’s Compass
Photo by Leanne Cole
I follow the blog of photographer Leanne Cole. In fact, I’ve just been a guest blogger on her site, writing about SEO (search engine optimization) for photographers, though the article is helpful to anyone with a blog or website. The post appeared in Leanne’s Up For Discussion series in two parts, Part 1 and Part 2.
Leanne has posted the photo above in a recent post. She challenged her readers to write a piece inspired by the image. I can’t see a park bench without remembering “the park bench scene” I wrote for Love’s Compass, my first novella. In fact, just this past weekend I was snapping shots of a park bench that reminded me of the scene.
Here’s the park bench photo I took in the late afternoon sun. In my mind, I see Liv and Orin, the two main characters in Love’s Compass, sitting here.
While Leanne asked for her readers to create a written piece inspired by her photo, I think it’s okay that I share something I wrote several years ago. So, from my novella, Love’s Compass, here’s the park bench scene. Note: each chapter of this book begins with a plant name and the meaning associated with the plant. These are thematic to the chapter they precede.
Bittersweet
~ truth ~
XXV
Mid-morning on Tuesday, as Liv worked at her desk, a courier envelope arrived addressed to her. She opened it and found a handwritten letter from Orin.
He said that although he was absorbing himself in his new venture in art, she was always in his thoughts. He apologized for the angst he caused her. And he asked if she might talk with him during the early evening on Friday. He suggested that if it were alright with her, they meet at a bench in a park near her office.
She emailed him her reply that, yes, she would meet him. After the workday on Friday, they sat in the comfort of the sun, glad that it held back the slight chill of the late August evening. They did not move from the locations in which they had each positioned themselves – some three feet apart.
Orin spoke first, “I miss you. Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay and I miss you, too. And I’m feeling pretty lost and alone and indecisive, and well…morally corrupt. This business of falling in love while married to someone else, despite it being a most imperfect marriage, just isn’t comfortable for me,” Liv replied. The ‘morally corrupt’ phrase was a truth, but she said it with a mild attempt at humor over her despondency. While she had not looked at him as she said the words, she gave him a side-glance when she finished. His eyes were on her and she could see grief in his face. He said nothing, and turning away he gazed across the park.
She continued, “Please try to understand that I need time. I know I’m divorcing but beyond that, I can’t be sure of, or rush, any decisions. I have my children – I have to talk with them and give them time to get their heads around this. They’re not young, but I need to be thoughtful about how this impacts them.”
She kept her eyes on him, and continuing with exact and deliberate expression she said, “Orin, I can’t just walk away from my family, hurriedly to you. I need time to put things in order, mostly to put my mind in order. I’m a bit of a mess, actually. This has been a long time coming, but still, I need to go about it in a way that preserves me. I have to come out of it whole. Otherwise, I’m afraid I won’t be the person you’ve come to love.”
As she finished this thought, Orin’s eyes looked into his lap and he watched his fingers busily twirl an errant thread on his shirt. His downcast demeanor summarized the sorrow between them. Saying nothing, he looked over at her and offered his hand, midway across the bench. She took it, knowing that this was his acknowledgement and acceptance of what she had said.
And there they sat in silence, as the people around them gave off the exuberance of freedom that comes with the arrival of the weekend. Again, she was amazed at the coldhearted way the world kept turning despite sadness in its midst.
In time, he found his voice, though he was only able to comment on the activity of the sights before them, such as the puppy-like wrestling of two young boys, each with the objective to overpower the other, while having no intent to hurt each other. With a little smile he commented that the scene reminded him of his brother and himself at the same age.
After sharing further observations, he wound his way to a comment on the weather. It was apparent to them both that he could not find words to express any more of what was in his heart than what he had expressed the week before.
Instead, he asked if she would want to meet again, at the bench, the following Friday. She said that would be fine and then, still holding her hand, he walked her to her bus stop as the sun began its descent.
*********
If you’re interested in reading more of this story about love, marriage, family and divorcee, visit the the Love’s Compass page on this site. Love’s Compass is a great beach read. At less that 150 pages, you can enjoy a satisfying story in an afternoon. You’ll find reviews at Amazon where Love’s Compass is available in hardcover, paper back and for your Kindle.
SEO for Photographers-Part 2 at Leanne Cole Photography
Monday (Tuesday Australia time), my Part 2 of an article about best SEO (search engine optimization) practices for photographers was posted at Leanne Cole PHOTOGRAPHY.
Leanne is a wonderful photographer in Australia who generously shares her work and tips (as well as the work of others) on her site, which has been featured on Freshly Pressed here on WordPress. Leanne offers private and group lessons. She’s in the Melbourne area. So, if ever you are visiting Melbourne and you’d like to see some great sites and improve your photography skill, contact Leanne!
I really enjoyed being a guest blogger for her site – preparing the article and responding to the wonderful comments and questions.
Please visit the posts if you are a photographer for whom SEO is important. Links are below.
In fact, even if you are not a photographer, the posts, which focus on maximizing SEO on your site, are valuable.
I feel as if I’m a one-trick pony with my Sunday’s Snapshots. Not only do I keep repeating images of New England flowers and blossoms, I’m going back to the same place, the Stevens-Coolidge house, to take photos.
I am amazed at how the gardens have looked fresh for weeks now. It must be a well thought out gardening plan so that new blossoms are coming as others are on the wane.
The photos in today’s post were taken yesterday with my new camera, the Nikon D3200. I’m really enjoying getting to know this camera. I have much to learn. I understand many concepts but it’s a matter of figuring out the shortest route to achieving them with a new layout of buttons and screen displays.
I refer to these Sunday posts as “snapshots” but I think that you can count on many of the photos I post on Sundays as being moderately good photography. I post my best photos at The Ripest Pics, my photography site. Hop on over there anytime to see what I’ve posted on that site over the past four years.
Enjoy today’s images by clicking on any one of them and viewing in the gallery where you can scroll through enlarged versions of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dE3qmNKZl8
About a year ago, my son sent me the link to a song, Look Out Mama. I loved it after one listen.
Today, I was stuck in traffic for over an hour, creeping along at about 20 feet per minute. I whiled away the time taking photos out the car window with my htc one phone. And I kept flipping between my two favorite radio stations – The Emerson College station, WERS 88.9 and The River, WXRV 92.5.
Just when I was beginning to think I’d be spending my whole weekend in a traffic jam, a song came on the radio that I couldn’t help grooving to. I turned it up and started doing my car seat dancing. I was able to read the band’s name, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and song title, I Know It’s Wrong, from my radio panel and I put it in my notebook as the song played, knowing I’d found this week’s Saturday’s Song.
And don’t you know, just as the song ended, the lanes opened and we were cruising at a good clip at long last.
As I began to prepare this post and I looked up the song’s video, I was so happy to see that it’s by the same band my son alerted me to last year. Their sound is great.
Here’s Look Out Mama –
My Guest Blogging Gig With Leanne Cole Photography
Yesterday, one of my favorite photography sites, Leanne Cole Photography, hosted me as a guest blogger as part of the Up For Discussions series. Leanne, whose site has been featured on WordPress’ Freshly Pressed, posts daily to her site. I’ve been enjoying her blog for several months now and I encourage you to check it out!
My guest post yesterday at Leanne’s site is Part 1 in a two-part series about SEO for photographers. The post is geared to WordPress users, though the tips I offer apply to any website. Part 2, which is about how to effectively label your photos to maximize SEO, will post next week on Leanne’s site.
I have really enjoyed reading and responding to the comments on the post!
My thanks to Leanne for a fun experience!
This week I upgraded my camera gear, adding a Nikon D3200. I’ve been out with it once and the images in this gallery (except for the bee on the star-of-Bethlehem, which I took with my D40) are among the first shots I took with the camera. I’ve been using a D40 for seven years and immediately, I find the controls and options on the D3200 to be far more intuitively placed and easy to read. And the LCD screen displays the information about settings in a better organized way and also in larger icons and print than the D40.
I may have to refine the setting of the diopter. I think I don’t yet have the focus set as sharp as it should be. When you wear glasses with progressive lenses, it’s not easy to get the setting just right. Still, I’m pleased with these photos as the first batch from the camera. I’m really enjoying getting to know my way around it.
I bought the camera from B&H. They had a great offer. The camera came with two lenses: 18-55mm and 55-200mm (with hood). The package also included a 16GB Ultra SanDisk, a UV filter and a polarizer filter and a generously sized carry case. I added on Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5. This all came to $636.00. I think that’s a good deal.
I love my D40. But it’s pretty beat-up after much outdoor use. I’ve been lugging everywhere for a long time. I’m going to send it out for a thorough overhaul and cleaning. I’ll still use it but it will probably be my backup camera.
Note: The flower photos in this post were taken with my 55-300mm lens on the new camera. Also, the photos have not been enhanced at all.
sublime days 