nutcracker of the day

Many people seemingly never tire of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet. I also don't easily tire of watching this other type of nutcracker:

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/nutcracker-of-day.html

www.jilcp.com

Bride with Cake

Bride with cake at Woman's Club of Raleigh. Cake by Cinda's Creative Cakes.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/bride-with-cake.html

www.jilcp.com

Bride with Grand Piano

At the Woman's Club of Raleigh - Bride, Champagne, Grand Piano:

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/bride-with-grand-piano.html

www.jilcp.com

Waning Gibbous Moon

A full moon is a beautiful and impressive sight, but on a clear night a partial moon can reveal more of the shape of the lunar landscape. This is of course a result of the angle of the sunlight. Side-lighting tends to accentuate texture.

Here is the lovely Selene just past midnight tonight.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/waning-gibbous-moon.html

www.jilcp.com

Airborne Youth

Here's a photo that I've wanted to post since the moment I shot it, October 19. I've finally gotten permission, so here it is. The Rainbow Soccer League had some pretty good action going in the fall tournaments.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/airborne-youth.html

www.jilcp.com

Almost frozen fungus

An unusual mushroom appeared in the neighborhood and, perhaps thanks to cold weather, managed to retain its bizarre features for a few days. Thursday I had a chance to explore it with a camera while the light was good. I came up with three interpretations.

The fragment of an oak leaf in the photo above will give you an idea of scale. The closer views below encompass a width of ~35-40cm (about an inch and a half). A Canon 100mm macro lens let me move into life-size range without extra attachments.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/almost-frozen-fungus.html

www.jilcp.com

Convey the message with one image

Here's a photo from the close of a Durham Symphony Orchestra holiday pops concert, Dec. 6, 2013 at the Durham Armory. This is not a typical venue for a symphony concert, but there was lots of flat-floor space, with tables set up so that groups of people could enjoy tasty, festive comestibles and potables while enjoying the music and fun.

Because I was at the same level as the audience, when they rose for a standing ovation, I overcame my usual reserve and engaged my inner chutzpah. That is, I stood on a chair (an unstable plastic one at that) and shot over their heads. It was worth it to catch this moment. That is of course William Henry Curry, Music Director of the Durham Symphony.

I shot a lot of photos that evening, and of course good coverage of any event requires this. A photo essay would almost by definition include multiple images. Still, for me there's a fascination with the elusive goal of creating one image that tells enough of an interesting story that it stands on its own.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/convey-message-with-one-image.html

www.jilcp.com

Battle of the cuties

Hmm…what's a Pomeranian to do after the excitement of a Thanksgiving feast…play with a friendly pink sea creature?

Is that really a septopus? Perhaps one ought to battle a fierce Tyrannosaurus Rex for orts*?

Ah, the victory goes to the safe choice of a nap on a comfy pillow. The pillow may be soft, but not as fluffy-soft as the little dog's fur!

*An examination of dinosaur table scraps by paleontologists with more imagination than sense has led to the postulate that their diet included potato latkes and cranberry apple relish.

By the way, the lovely little dog "belongs" to a cousin once removed of yours truly. In light of how we often refer to our pets as our children (they do feel like that), I suppose I could refer to her as my cousin twice removed. The terminology of cousinhood is tortuous!

Lenses used: 85/1.2 for dog photos, 35/2 for dino.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/battle-of-cuties.html

www.jilcp.com