Daily Photos

< May 2007 >

May 1, 2007
I know, it`s a tacky picture. It took me five tries to get this picture right. The wall kept moving. The sculptress had a mirror on her lap. It`s a self-portrait. A traditional Korean tea ceremony should be an experience enjoyed by all five senses. My new weapon in the battle against the birds of the Oregon District. Forget the noisy horn (see May 9, 2006).

May 2, 2007
I got in the car to drive to work this morning and had to pull over after 20 feet when I noticed this solitary iris. If I hadn`t pulled over to capture the solitary iris, I wouldn`t have noticed this ostentatious clematis. And across the street from the ostentatious clematis, there was this unruly tulip. I was just going for a walk around the corner. No reason to bring my camera, right? Backyard marauder.

May 3, 2007
Two women playing wind instruments. Two women playing wind instruments. Look at what everyone is wearing. It wasn`t hard to figure out who the singer was when the band walked in. It`s not easy to hide a twenty-foot statue, but with the proper lighting . . . First date.

May 4, 2007
Graduation is a happy time, but a sad time too. Recent art grad awaits bus to success. My companion today at lunch. Kids who like to read should be given as many free books as they want. The week I got my camera I tried to photograph this flutist but they came out blurry, so I settled for a picture of her flowers (see May 27, 2004). Since then I`ve learned a thing or two, and this picture is clear enough to see that the music is in F-major and 9/8 time.

May 5, 2007
Before the car wash. After the car wash. I think that cap may be too small for her. Any excuse for a backyard party. This party is a gas!

May 6, 2007
You like my photos? You`ll love Brother John Lemker`s photos, on display through June 24 at Gallery St. John. In the lovely month of May, when all the buds were blooming, love blossomed in my heart. HEINRICH HEINE You may choose to believe me or not, but I actually waited for a butterfly to land on this stalk and one kindly did. Which of you good people out there in Internet-land wants to tell me what kind of bird this is? [The National Audubon Society replied on June 14: house finch] Not to brag of course, but a week of photography lessons (technical and aesthetic) could be taught about this shot.

May 7, 2007
Today was a fowl day. My little black-capped chickadee. It`s easy to get under the fence if you duck. Take a gander at this big bird. Sink or swim.

May 8, 2007
Though the honeybees are dying out, there seems to be plenty of ants. If only they could pollenate. Translucent: admitting the passage of light through a substance. I noticed this couple together in the park. Update: chlorophyll still works. Watchcat.

May 9, 2007
Freedom. Suffering. Pride. Yearning. Purity.

May 10, 2007
I like flowers. So does she. Having a TV in the library is like having a smoking section in the cancer ward. I am master of all I survey. `Don`t take a class this summer` I told myself. `Just relax and take the summer off.` I never listen to what I say.

May 11, 2007
A cool Friday morning. A pleasant Friday evening. Somebody plants these. I am indebted to that person. I`ve been pumping iron . . . practicing my curls. Fleur-de-lis, avec fleur.

May 12, 2007
I thought I`d give you a buzz. Let`s do the twist. Purple rain. Today was the first time I took both my cameras with me and experimented to see which gave the better results. There`ll be no more sobbin` when he`s done throbbin` his song.

May 13, 2007
It was another good day for photographing flowers, but I thought I`d try to find my daily beauty elsewhere. I knew I wanted to do `something with light` so I waited until dark to even begin taking pictures. I wasn`t sure what interesting examples of light I would find, but fortunately I encountered some nice decorations. This one is a combination of light and darkness. This is just one of 56 shots I took of this scene. It may be the `best` but it`s hard to tell.

May 14, 2007
A female, of course. They do all the work. I get a round. Modernizing Marycrest. Birds of different feathers bathe together. Hey -- what kind of soap does the bird on the left use? Give up? Dove! The gate reads McHose & Lyon Manufacturers. William McHose built his own house not far from this spot in 1873.

May 15, 2007
Got a light? Stop! Notice! A home in the sky. What`s the rush? You`ve heard of `To a Waterfowl`? This is `Three a Waterfowl`.

May 16, 2007
The morning after a heavy thunderstorm. We needed the rain. If you feed a stray, the stray will stay. We clean the windows once a year whether they need it or not. Shouldn`t those numbers be reversed?

May 17, 2007
`Where did I PARK?!` One of them isn`t Marilyn Monroe. Neither is the other one. Come downtown and see the CityLife sculptures, now through August 17. Or visit the downtown library and help construct another type of sculpture. That`s not my handwriting.

May 18, 2007
Cinderella dressed in yella went upstairs to kiss a `fella, made a mistake and kissed a snake, how many doctors did it take? Friday night jazz. Friday night hula dancing. Typical scene in an Oregon District vacant lot. Friday night sing-along.

May 19, 2007
1957 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud. 1951 MG TD Roadster. 1962 Triumph TR4. 1954 Jaguar XK140. 1960 Austin-Cooper Mini.

May 20, 2007
Goin` to the chapel and we`re gonna get married. High above the same chapel. They keep going, and going, and going . . . Urban beautification. A hand-painted camera with the letter A. I`m not sure what it means, but I`m taking this sign as a sign.

May 21, 2007
High gas prices result in behavior change. Nature`s camouflage. There was no worm dangling from its mouth, but still it`s a nice picture. Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, and squirrel. After raiding the bird feeder, it`s only right that it raids the birdbath too.

May 22, 2007
`Waiting to Cross,` a sculpture by J. Seward Johnson. `Crossing Paths,` a sculpture by J. Seward Johnson. Ready for planting. Teardrops in the rain. The painful warrior famoused for fight after a thousand victories once foiled, is from the book of honour razed quite, and all the rest forgot for which he toiled. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Sonnet No. 25

May 23, 2007
In the dewdrops, you can see other blades of grass and THEIR drops. That`s sunRISE, by the way, not sunSET. This red-winged blackbird and its mate had something to hide . . . . . . they kept diving on me whenever I got too close. Being unfamiliar with the world before 7:00am, it`s good I was smart enough to wear boots. Morning is soaking wet. So say we all.

May 24, 2007
Imagine some strange person kneeling on the sidewalk in front of your house, taking pictures of your plants. Looks a lot like the carnivorous pitcher plant -- but in a public square? Gelato is ice cream with an Italian accent. To paraphrase Dylan Thomas, books can tell me everything about the dragonfly, except why. Sorry, the pool`s closed.

May 25, 2007
I spent the day with hundreds of devotees listening to one Famous Photoshop Guy (I was in the front row, of course). Outside the convention center there were video cameras watching my every move -- for my own protection, I`m sure. Speaking of cameras, this is the 3rd anniversary of when I `became a photographer` and started the 5-a-day routine. So for three years now I haven`t had to walk past a scene like this and say, `I wish I had a camera.` Hey -- that`s not Dayton.

May 26, 2007
He tells his family he`s a gerontologist. `I dunno, Natalie, it just seems like we`ve drifted apart.` This couple stays focused on their relationship. Everybody limbo! He tells his family he`s a humor therapist.

May 27, 2007
Nice save, but this was AFTER she let the ball go through her legs a few seconds earlier. `Here, let me help you with that.` A scoring machine with flowers in her hair. 1966 Ford Mustang convertible. 1935 Auburn Speedster.

May 28, 2007
Memorial Day 2007. I have the day off, so why am I up at 7:11am? Because that`s dewdrop time. Normally I have to stoop to photograph flowers, but this one was taller than me. Chubby little things, aren`t they? I agree with this guy: holidays are dull.

May 29, 2007
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. ECCLESIASTES 3:1 Would you have taken a picture of this? I couldn`t help taking a picture of this. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. CONFUCIUS I don`t actually speak to my neighbors, but am acquainted with their flowers. [Sounds a bit like Emily Dickinson.] Chapel of the moon.

May 30, 2007
I got up a half hour early to take pictures -- of THIS? Morning mist. Built in 1884 -- ah, one of the new ones. The world`s friendliest cat patrols the corner of Van Buren and Clay. Perhaps in a previous life, he sold cars. Sparks fly as the first interplanetary pine cone re-enters Earth`s atmosphere.

May 31, 2007
As before, taking a photography class leaves me little time to shoot photos. This is a `study` for an assignment. This shows what I`m planning to do with the picture of the lockers. Disposable art. Everything that is ugly in this picture is based on our desire -- our demand -- to move from place to place. I`ve had my second camera since January 23. I guess it`s time to read the manual.

×