The Third Act

Friday

It's been a good day to stay indoors.  I finally got some cleaning done (in a room I've been avoiding...mainly my work area).  Hopefully having tidy surroundings will motivate me to be more creative.  

So far, these remnants of hurricane Ian haven't been overwhelming.  The winds are really picking up now, so the intense gusts do get disconcerting.  The rain, though, has been steady but relatively light.  It might get heavier as the evening progresses.  

For now, I'm just enjoying the coziness of indoors...it feels like fall.

 

 

 

 

ready for the rain

I spent today procuring supplies for the garden (compost and manure) and working with said supplies.  There were a number of plants I wanted to give a boost before the cold sets in, as well as finish topping off the emptied beds and sowing them with buckwheat.  A flat of pansies also went in on the edges of the front garden.  I doubted I was going to complete cutting back the perennials, but I did (go me?).  

I didn't get around to any photography until just this evening, as I was going out to retrieve the mail (nothing interesting...just junk).  The sky looked amazing, even though I could only see it through the trees.  It was kind of cool how the color of the sunset mirrored the orange light on the porch.

We'll see what the remnants of hurricane Ian bring us tomorrow.  It could end up being an inside sort of day.

 

 

 

 

autumn

It's a nice time of year to do more cooking.  Tonight...black bean and veggie chili.

 

 

 

 

 

autumn light

Is there a more lovely thing than autumn light?  The tone, the angle, the soft glow?  It's a bit melancholy, but not in a bad way...it holds a nostalgia and warmth of pleasant memories.  

It has finally been feeling like fall here in central Virginia.  The nights are getting cooler, the insect sounds quieter and sweeter.  Pumpkins are collecting on my front porch (I wonder how that happens?!).  Apples and pears now fill the fruit bowl, the peaches and plums having exited the building.  I'm inspired to cook more...soups, stews, baked things.  I'm simultaneously looking forward to and apprehensive about the coming darker months.  They'll pass by in a flash, though, as they always do.  In the mean time, this is a wonderful season right here, right now.

 

 

 

 

 

Virginia State Fair

I went with a friend to the state fair yesterday.  While I had a good time, it was tempered by the fact I developed a migraine right before we left.  My vision had returned to normal, but an annoying headache did develop and just sort of slowed me down.  Consequently the intention I had set out with, to take lots of photos, didn't quite pan out.  I finished up a roll of color film in the Zero and used nearly an entire roll of monochrome film in the Holga, so that's something.  I was grateful to find this one pack of Instax mini film in a bag, because I wasn't going to lug around the camera I use for the Instax wide.  

Normally I would have come home to scan and post these right away, but I was just kind of laid low the rest of the day yesterday.  So here I am, Monday morning, still lingering with not feeling quite right, but at least moving forward.  I'm feeling...melancholy.  I won't go into the details, but it'll most likely pass as the day progresses.  It's a beautiful September morning and that's something to appreciate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Cyanotype day

So, I never knew exactly when World Cyanotype day fell. I was aware it occurred, but for some inexplicable reason (given how long I’ve been making these prints) I never bothered to find out the details. This year I was informed by a friend so I wanted to at least make an effort. 

Apparently there is a yearly theme for this event. This is unlike Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day which is wonderfully all over the map (pun sorta intended). This year “Enlightened” is the theme…expressed in my own quirky way. I’m not sure if this/these are finished…there may be embellishments. And sure, it would’ve helped to have a normal light bulb to use in the image, but normal never seems to be my jam.  

I’ll be making some better pictures of these once they flatten and cure.

 

 

first full day of autumn

A cold front blew through last evening.  While it was unfortunate the rain missed us (again), the temperatures are now quite delightful!  The sun is shining brightly and the air foretelling a crisp night ahead.

The garden needed a good water and while I was out moving the hose around, I thought I'd document the goings on out there.

 

 

The cardinal climber, also known as cypress vine and a member of the morning glory family, is finally blooming.  I planted these from seed many months ago and I'm happy to see they finally got to bloom!

 

While I removed a large portion of the Jerusalem artichokes from my garden (they were just a tad too enthusiastic spreaders) there are a few rogue plants around.  They're blooming now and a pollinator was quite happy to take advantage.

 

Camellia sinensis (tea) is blooming now and loaded with buds.  They're just delicate, sweet flowers and very fragrant.

 

 

Skeley, happy to breathe the fresh outdoor air again.

 

Ms. Witch (she's not Baba Yaga...perhaps an impish cousin?) is also out front for the autumn season.

Autumnal equinox

It's here.  It didn't exactly creep up...time has been going by very fast this year.  I look forward to the darker, cooler months.  I know they can be difficult at times, but also very comforting.  And I do love the colors and flavors of the season!  It's still currently warm, but hopefully should be cooling off soon.  I'd like to put in my order for a couple of decent snows in a few months too, if I may.

 

 

 

 

milkweed

The milkweed grew well this year.  It has ever since it was planted, actually.  It is, after all, a weed.  The blossoms are super interesting and fragrant...and the pollinators love them.  The pods are really curious...the fluff so soft, the seeds so plentiful, encased in that sweet boat like pod.  Not only does this plant come up from the roots...everywhere (oy...planting weeds in the garden)...but the seeds take to the air quite readily.  I know it's supposed to be particularly appealing to Monarchs, but I saw far less of those than other butterflies.  It's all good as far as I'm concerned.

As the summer ebbs, the garden looks rather bedraggled and balding.  Today and tomorrow are still very warm, but the weekend should offer good yard work weather.  I do leave many plants in place, even though they don't look spectacular.  They're still making their offerings to birds and insects.  Part of me wants a super tidy garden, but another part of me knows there are benefits to leave it as is.  There's a lesson in there somewhere.

On a cranky pants note...  I have a lot of trouble with parallax when using the Lomo'Instant wide with close up filter (see the photo with my hand in it...and know there were a few others that were worse than that!).  I also have exposure issues.  It drives me nuts because I waste far more film than I ever did with any of the Polaroids I used so often.  There's a temptation to get a Mint camera.  But they're so pricey.  I told myself about a year ago that when I came up with a particular instant film project, then I might pop for this tool.  No ideas have come yet.  At the same time, it's hard to get excited or inspired for a project when the camera I'm using often makes me cranky.  I need to sell some work to fund this purchase! (easier said than done for me)

 

 

 

a little experiment

I was inspired to start thinking about cyanotype ideas, after a photo book meet up last night.  One of the books shared was a series of cyanotypes on silk made daily through the pandemic.  These were interesting and quirky self portraits.  

Usually when I think about cyanotype photo prints (as opposed to the botanical prints I make), I think about pinhole or Holga images.  These are shot on film, scanned and then enlarged to print a negative on a transparency sheet.  This is a rather lengthy process, although nothing wrong with that.  But when considering self portraiture (my own personal theme would be old lady getting older...or something like that), to shoot initially with digital eliminates a couple steps.  The aesthetic of the final cyanotype print for a project like this wouldn't be as affected as other types of images I make.

So, I fiddled a bit editing a digital image to see what it might look like as a cyanotype.  It was a fun exercise, although I'm not 100% committed to this idea as yet (or perhaps I just haven't given it enough thought).