bodacious adj. (Southern) Outright; unmistakable
banter v.t. To address with light, playful, good-natured remarks
Welcome to my blog! I pray the images and ideas will be pleasing to God, and a blessing to you.
In joy,
king
Bluff-ing? Yes, please!
Snaking its way through the Georgia piedmont, the Flint River forms the southwest border for Upson County, and provides delightful views and experiences. Though a nice feast for the camera in itself, my interest in recent years has been to incorporate other photo pursuits in that setting.
The overlook at Sprewell Bluff Park is available to the public at any time, (a happy thing for one who enjoys night sky picture-taking). However, the area at the bluff itself is generally off limits after dark, (a not-so-happy thing for...etc.).
In the last two months, some kind folks arranged for me to have a couple of nights in the park after dark. I picked nights off from work that were closest to the new moon, but somehow did a poor job of picking the weather.
We had decent conditions for light painting on both nights...
So utilizing the shallow water of the riverbank was basically successful.
But as the nights progressed, so did the clouds.
Aside from the magnificent environment, my reason for wanting to shoot at the bluff during the night was a belief it would be dark enough to give a nice view of our galactic neighborhood.
There were moments i could catch some of the celestial sights.
But there was never a really clear sky. So...one gives thanks for what has been, and hopes for what will be : )
My thanks to Laura, Neal, Bobbie and the others who are stewards of this sweet spot. (Some selected shots of Sprewell Bluff at this spot.)
Montana
We met at a dance recital, and in the unlikely event there's any doubt, i had nothing to do with the dancing part. But Montana's ability to levitate high above the stage--and look beautiful doing it, gave me plenty of motivation for us to shoot, which we eventually found time to do.
Dancing of course means being able to twirl around and stuff, but Montana is also part of a special group of folks who are known as the Winter Guard.
Given the limited, lame winters we've had the last many years, i can only hope they're successful in guarding what little we have left of those seasons.
(more Montana here : )
In addition to having a state named for her, she recently picked up the title of "Miss Upson-Lee" for the current year.
But regardless of the accolades or what hat she wears, she is hard-working and kind...and to my delight, she's cool with light painting!
So here's to those who live at a high level, and brighten up our day while doing it : )
Alisha & Co
Though i've been 'on' facebook a couple of years or so, i think it safe to say i still know very little about it--including many of my 'friends.' This past Friday a facebook friend became real, as i met Alisha and most of her family--heretofore merely names and images on a computer screen.
By my standards, Alisha lives a long way from me. All i knew of her was from some excellent images and posts she had on facebook. Recently, she responded to a post i'd made about light painting, saying she'd like to try that, and we made plans to get together.
Alisha had access to a lake, which would provide a nice setting for our experiments. The day came for our project, and like most days in the Georgia summertime, there was the proverbial 'chance of afternoon/evening thunderstorms.'
Rain, along with a delightful cool wind, and less delightful lightning, showed up. With those sort of moments, one wonders if one's time and effort would be for naught. But in our case, Alisha's daughter, Grace, took the lead and demonstrated the attitude that endeared Gene Kelly to an entire generation.
Grace lived up to her name, and in no time had her mom involved in a spontaneous, soaking shoot : )
Alisha's husband, Tracy, showed up and cut in on the dance:
while son TJ and Alisha's friend, Janet, provided an audience.
Eventually God's reign put an end to His rain, and we proceeded with the proceedings...
Though staying predominately cloudy, God blessed us with a bit of an evening glow, which made my easy task...all the more so.
And as the twilight crept in, we pulled out the toys and played with the physics of light and time:
(More pretty pictures at this place : )
Alisha wrapped up the evening by wrapping TJ in a bit of color:
So for all my disdain of facebook, i am none-the-less thankful for providing me a new-found friend and collaborator, and look forward to our next adventure : )
Moon River meets Mars
Saturday five happy-stances came together to fulfill a desire of several years: being able to photograph the Shoals Spider Lilies on the Flint River by moonlight. Precious time off from work, a full moon, lilies in bloom, a clear sky following days of clouds and rain, and dear friends Pam and Fred, who allowed me to hang out unsupervised in their yard during the night, all worked together to bless my socks off.
Mars was one night away from opposition, when it would be the brightest this year. So bright, even a nearby full moon couldn’t muscle it out of view. In the first image, Mars is the dot to the right of the moon; in the image above, it's the tiny dot in the bottom right of the picture (looking like a period after my name : ) Here it is by itself:
Further along in the sky was big brother, Jupiter. In the shot below one can see the four Galilean moons, (L to R): Callisto, Io, Europa, and Gamynede
In the image below, good eyes (and monitor) will see two dots way below the glare of the moon. The one on the left is Saturn, and on the right is the red giant, Antares--the 'heart' in the constellation Scorpio. (Again, Mars is the bright object to the right of the moon.)
But let us consider the lilies of the Flint. Whether by day or night, they can be a source of delight : )
Luke 12:27
Tia & Taylor time
Having never encountered Tia or her friend, Taylor, i wasn’t sure what to expect on our photoshoot. A day or two before, we had talked briefly on the phone and Tia said she was “up for most anything.” (That turned out to be a good clue : )
Our day was cool and rainy, but that in no way discouraged Tia from living her role as a ‘forest maiden.’ With the help of her mom Melissa, little brother Ronny, and best friend Taylor, we foraged my friends’ forest, finding fun features for fulfilling foto-op fantasies…while getting frickin’ wet.
After rocking the rocky hillside and shoals, Tia and Taylor rocked The Rock Ranch in all its wetness.
Once feeling sufficiently rained out, Tia and Taylor let it be known they were ready to move inside and get wet with paint.
As if we hadn't already had an exciting shoot, these mischievous fun-loving gals decided to bless me with my first paint session. If you've never been able to grasp the concept of the second law of thermodynamics, (the natural tendency of increasing disorder), my new friends seemed happy to provide a visual demonstration:
For the coup de grace, the ladies gave proof that 'all that glitters is not gold.' (Sometimes, it's glitter : ) This, probably in response to my saying something about my not being able to imagine this getting any better.
To say this was a mess is an understatement, and to say this was fun would be even more of one. Thanks to my friends Michele and Mark, and my friends at The Rock Ranch...to Melissa, Ronny and my new uber models Tia and Taylor! (You are a mess...and i love it! : )
(Tons of Tia and Taylor at this link)
water-blogged
As typical in my life, i was up the creek and without a paddle. Thankfully, i didn’t need one...
The rain came down and the bodies of water went up. This happens from time to time. As with earth, wind and fire (etc.), we often prefer a Goldilocks balance: not too much, and not too little. But the last few days have given us much water…so here’s to a thirsty Earth!
Thanks to friends Michele and Mark, i was able to get up close and personal with part of Potato Creek.
(Peruse a plethora of Potato Creek pics parked at this place)
in joy,
king
Gabrielle
The most affirming thing in my life is making images that please God and man. I go into shoots, and come away hoping that is accomplished. Gabby gave me good reason to believe the goal was achieved.
We met recently, and spent the day playing...
Knowing i wouldn't be much fun, Gabby brought her mom along for company.
There were some serious moments, such as when we had to do the modeling thing, or read from the Bible--some of which she's already memorized : )
But whether serious or otherwise, it was a day full of joy. I'm thankful God used Gabby and her mom to provide that!
(Gobs of Gabby can be gotten here : )
