A Digital Autumn

Those of us who have fun with cameras find catching all the color and light difficult in the autumn since it only lasts a few weeks and we are busy with various holidays. Below is the view from my deck to our neighbor's weekend house across the way. The first has just some clarity and lighting. The second photo was dodging and burning and a filter or two. The third is an abstract filter, heavier saturation, even more dodging, and a vignette and the last is a sketch filter and some contrast to make it look more sketchy.

There is not a lot of difference in each although multiple layers were involved.

In the MIddle of November

November, which oddly means nine because the Roman calendar had only ten months, is also the blood month, the time of slaughter of the animals to prepare for food for winter.  The days are shorter and colder and we feel the need to store away grain and meat. Even the sunsets seem colder and shorter.

We are in the middle of November and the blood-red colors are just leaving us.  They can be so intense that they make us gasp as if indeed we had just slaughtered some mammal.  

My persimmon puts on its show of gold and peach and wine to compete with the taller red maples that are dancing deeper in the forest.  It even hides its fruit as a challenge.

It is the time of year when man and dog get to put on their show of talent and discipline.  The hunting season is already upon us.

If you are lucky enough to live on the water you can see the sunlight with its low autumnal angle as it bounces off the river and lights up the trees with a bit of pretend warmth.  Well, indeed, now, it is time for me to collect the broken wood scattered across the yard to be used in a fire this evening.

Time To Slow Down

Seems that autumn reminds us of the rhythm of life and seems to suggest that we slow down. Yet, she rushes by in a matter of weeks and is not a good example of what she preaches. But are we not all guilty of that in some ways? Below are some pausing (passing?) photos from my recent trip to Pennsylvania and Michigan. All below were taken in the small community of Troy as I tried to stop time for this season.

Troy Michigan