The Little Details

Many times we are guilty of passing by the little details, in order to see the large scale beauty. I am trying hard not to do that, but don’t always succeed. 

On this day, I did slow down and took note of the little details, and I'm sure glad I did.

The most delicate of weed stems, when coated in frost is a beautiful thing.

Each tiny finger of frost is so detailed and so pretty.

Yes, the trees in the background had some frost on them, but this time the lowly weeds stole the show.

This is much the same picture as the previous one, but zoomed in a little more.

Back at home, on the corner of my deck, the heated birdbath creates it's own atmosphere.A pine bough overhanging the water, is tinged with frost.

 What can I learn from these pictures? 

I believe the lesson may well be to slow down and take note of the details

Seeing Beauty In Snow

I realize that we are slowly creeping towards spring, but I still have some snowy scenes to share.As you enjoy these, I promise you won't need a coat, hat or mitts, cause you can enjoy them from the comfort of your home.

As I drive along the country roads, I am often amazed at the beauty created by the snow. 

We humans try hard to design lovely flowing patterns, but  we cannot compete with the Master artist, as He directs the snowflakes into just the right positions.

Amazing sculptures and all created with nothing more than snow.

When I stop to think of just how many tiny snowflakes it takes to make a drift like this, I am overwhelmed.

Last years reeds stop the snow and together they form yet another fascinating display.

Sunshine and fresh air are blessings much too grand to take for granted.

I would add snow is much to grand to take for granted.

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!

Well, friends,most of the beauty I am seeing these days is frost covered trees, so join me as we drive along and enjoy the beauty.

I've got the music going and today the song that is played is an old hymn, Great Is Thy Faithfulness. If you know the song you are welcome to sing along and if not, please enjoy the words.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS! GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!

MORNING BY MORNING NEW MERCIES I SEE;         

ALL I HAVE NEEDED THY HAND HATH PROVIDED  

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, LORD UNTO ME. 

 

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, O GOD MY FATHER  

THERE IS NO SHADOW OF TURNING WITH THEE. 

THOU CHANGEST NOT, THY COMPASSIONS, THEY FAIL NOT

AS THOU HAST BEEN THOU FOREVER WILT BE. 

   

SUMMER AND WINTER AND SPRING-TIME AND HARVEST, 

SUN, MOON AND STARS IN THEIR COURSES ABOVE 

JOIN WITH ALL NATURE IN MANIFOLD WITNESS 

TO THY GREAT FAITHFULNESS, MERCY AND LOVE.

 

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS! GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!    

MORNING BY MORNING NEW MERCIES I SEE; 

ALL I HAVE NEEDED THY HAND HATH PROVIDED

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, LORD UNTO ME 

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS! GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!    

MORNING BY MORNING NEW MERCIES I SEE; 

ALL I HAVE NEEDED THY HAND HAS PROVIDED 

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS! GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS! 

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!  LORD UNTO ME

Diamonds All Around

It's winter in southern Manitoba and therefore the scenes are snowy and frosty.

Don't get me wrong, snow and frost can be very beautiful. I have been able to get out and capture a few of these scenes, so that is what I will share.

On this particular day, the frost was not all that heavy, but the weeds in the ditches were sparling like the brightest diamonds. A photo just does not capture that special beauty.

As the sun hit these frosty trees, they glowed and sparkled.

I am always amazed at how a simple tree, one I would likely not even notice in summer, looks like a work of art.

Sometimes, it may be a full tree, but often it is a few small twigs that showcase the frosty beauty.

If I were an artist, I might try to paint this scene, but now I will allow the camera to capture the beauty.

Just one last look at the frost covered weeds. I was in awe at the simple beauty I had the privilege to capture.

 Think About This:

We can still be thankful for the life we have, even if it looks different than we want it to.

Delicate Beauty

So, I am back to posting the photos I have captured. 

During this time of pandemic, I will occasionally grab my camera and head out of town, just to see what I can see.

The photo below is just west of Morden. I was up there one morning , before we had snow on the ground. The sun was just above the eastern horizon and the warm rich light was wonderful .

Sometimes, all I need to do is to step outside and I find beauty. A few leaves had fallen into the heated birdbath and overnight, God edged them with delicate frosty lace.

It is amazing the things that catch my eye. Sunlight was hitting these few blades of dried grass and turning them into another delicate piece of beauty.

There are other times, and they are many, when the open sky and the surrounding scenery give such a pleasing view.

While out on the country roads one day, looking for hoarfrost covered trees, I saw this beauty. The weeds in the roadside ditch had a delicate layer of frost and as the sun shone and a gentle wind was moving these weeds, they shimmered and shone with diamonds. This is a case where the photo just does not convey the beauty of the scene I witnessed .

Be contagious with your joy.

The Evolution Of a Photograph - Guest post

 Hi everyone, this is Steve here again, Ruth's son.  I'm honored to be asked to write another post here.  This time I will be going through some of the processes involved in creating a photo, no astrophotography this time.  I will be walking you through the creation of a sandwich photo that I did for a local restaurant recently.  I think often many people see an image and think wow that's a nice snap, I could've done that with my camera.  I hope this article will be informative and allow you to see the process and thinking that goes into creating an image.  

So let's get started....

This is the very initial image, we had decided this would be the spot to shoot, so I did a basic test shot to check lighting and overall appearance.  At this point I don't think this image would sell a lot of sandwiches 😊

Now we positioned the sandwich a little better... that at least allows you to see what is inside the sandwich, however I had determined at this point already that the basket and the black and white paper would have to go... too distracting but we'll leave it in this as it's easier to move around for now.  Also looking at this image I really didn't like that blank background, I needed something more ... it was too blah.

There we go!  It is a deli, they sell sandwiches so why not have some fill in the background a little, this is starting to come together a little better.

That's better, we got rid of he basket and paper, we can now see the sandwich a lot better... BUT the whole point is to show what's inside the sandwich and as the sandwich is sitting there the meat inside is in shadow, I see the bread but the meat is very secondary and lost.  I need to reposition the sandwich for a better shot.

There we go, I rotated the sandwich, MUCH better now.  I also changed the secondary light to give a little stronger an accent light, but this now gave a very distracting highlight on the second piece of wood in the background.  I like how it's accents the crust on the bread and the sandwiches in the background but that bright highlight is too much.  Gonna have to change the angle of that back board slightly.

There we go, a slight change in angle and the highlight is lessened drastically, I've also added a tomato to the right side and some lettuce on the left... not bad but I felt like there was a little something missing on the shot...

Ah, that's better... a few cherry tomatos on the left side to fill in the blank space, also to tie in the red of the tomato on the right side, this balances the picture and completes the shot.  There is a lot of "extras" besides the actual sandwich in this shot, but the main focus is still very clearly the sandwich.  This thought process goes not only into a commercial shot like this but every shot that is taken.  What is needed, what should be removed... it's the little things will make the difference in the final image.

Here are a couple of other shots from this shoot.  Food photography is very interesting, and as a rule you wouldn't want to eat the food.  The sandwich below was made prior to my arrival and as the meat cooled it started to look dry, so to keep a nice juicy tasty look we sprayed the sandwich with oil so it looked like you'd want to eat it ... unless you really like oil you wouldn't have wanted this one.   

Now that you are hungry for some of that food, here is a little

 footnote, we will be back to my nature scenes next time.

A Country Drive

A ride in the country can be uneventful, or filled with beauty. On this day the beauty won out.

All the trees had a light coating of frost, giving them a delicate look. the fact that there was some blue sky, also helped.

A row of evergreens look like they are dressed for Christmas , even though it is after Christmas.

Zooming in you can see the frost. I think this is beautiful .

This time the frost was so very delicate, every needle dusted with a light layer of frost.

Like I mentioned, a drive can be filled with surprises. Even the cows have some frost on their backs. They don’t look to be suffering, as they are used to being outside.

Always remember :

YOU ARE CAPABLE OF AMAZING THINGS.