Grass

The best thing about photography from my perspective is that it forces me to pay more attention. There's so much beauty in the things of which we never take notice. My favorite completely-over-looked-until-I-picked-up-a-camera-and-started-taking-notice subject is by far grass. Here are a bunch of pictures of grass that I like:

Worst. Blogger. EVER.

So, apparently consistency in blogging is NOT my thing.

With that... here are some completely random pictures!

A Ghetto Guide to Smoke Photography

So, yesterday I set out to photograph smoke. I had no idea how to do it, so, I just went for broke and gave it a whirl in the most ghetto fashion I could.

Firstly, it should be known that I was using dollar store incense and thus had to shoot outside, for fear the smell would be to disgusting inside. Luckily, it was not a breezy night.

I shot these pictures with my Nikon D90, my 18-55 kit lens and the built-in pop up flash. I set the incense holder on the rail of the back deck after the sun had fully set. I focused on the tip of the burning incense, locked the focus, and fired away.

Here is the straight off of camera shot. You can see the incense stick over in the bottom right corner. My settings were as follows:

Shutter Speed: 1/40
Focal Length: 55mm
ISO: 200
Aperture: f/5.6
Flash: Yes


So, in my opinion, this really only needed a simple crop:

But... if you want to get fancy, you can have all the fun you can stand in post. I did this with the free Picnik suite through my Picasa Web Album:

This is the cropped version of the original. I simply inverted the color and tinted it a kind of greenish color. But the possibilities are endless. I'll probably breakdown and get some kind of a black backdrop, but for now this works well. :D


here are a few more shots from last night's adventures:

Our Buddy

It is early November, which means many faith traditions have recently or are commemorating and celebrating the lives of those who have died. Between August and November, festivals take place all over the world: Samhain, All Souls' Day, Pitru Paksha, Ghost Festival, Obon, Día de los Muertos... all of these are rooted in the most ancient of customs: acknowledging death. Sometimes it is by paying homage to the deceased, other times it is by making light of the whole thing (the secular Halloween holiday, for instance).

If nothing else, religion helps humanity deal with death. And really, what aspect of life is more unpredictable, more frightening, and more permanent than death? Even if one believes in a life after death or reincarnation, you are never again the you you were. And death is one of life's few guarantees. It is the great equalizer. The common denominator. It really is no wonder death is such a huge part of our search for the sacred.

With all of these ideas, and the recent passing of one of my favorite Catholic holy days on November 2nd, I was moved to go and walk around the very old graveyard near my home yesterday evening. This photograph is from that walk. I was struck by how the leaves had fallen, like flowers placed on the old grave of this young child. I was touched by the simple epitaph: "Our Buddy." The dates of his birth and death had faded away, but I took a moment to try to pay homage to the memory of this child, so that he may live a little longer.

Our Buddy

Close Encounters: Alien Space Odyssey From Outer Space

After a rocky start, I decided to pay an homage to Sci-Fi thrillers and Alien Movies with this, my nerdiest set ever. What all of these things actually are can be found in the parentheses.

All photos taken at the Udvar-Hazy Center (National Air and Space Museum)

 The Ship: Exterior  (Boeing Stratoliner c. 1938)

 Mind Control Speaker  (inside of the space shuttle's main engine)

 Lockdown Chamber (F-1 Engine used to launch Saturn V rockets)

They're plans were laid out using models. Total control would be theirs and we humans would be their slaves. (Vintage toys from the 1960s)

 Through these vents, they release a powerful neurotoxin that counteracts the human will all together. We will be rendered helpless. (Air duct on the wall of the museum)

 Their technology was far superior, and from the look of it, they had it for a long time... (Wright Cyclone GR-3350 Radial Engine c. 1941)

 (Napier Nomad Model E. 145 Horizontally-opposed Diesel Engine c. 1954)

Probes. And they don't look very sterile... ("Little Boy" Atomic Bomb Safety and Arming Plugs)

 (Radial 9, Lycoming R-680-BA c. 1932)

 (Liberty 12 Model A (Ford) V-12 Engine c. 1919)

(Benz BZ 4S In-line Engine 1914)

Cass, WV

I hate going so long without posting, especially since I have been actively photographing. I guess I get a little sidetracked from time to time. And Google+ is a blackhole of fun constantly sucking me in (you can find me there by following this link if you're interested: Jennifer Eden's Profile on Google+)

Anyway, here are some pictures!

Water Tower Detail

Detail from inside train car

Old Train Car Window

Fire Hydrant

Old Saw Mill

Broken Windows

Old Saw Mill

#11 Shay Locomotive

Tracks