Needles

needles from cypress
lit by November grey
clouds
pushed by wind
one brought inside on a shoe

Another Visit to Konza Prairie.

Yesterday I had to go to Kansas State for a meeting on science core outcomes related to transferability **insert arcane educational jargon here** and since the meeting finished at noon, decided that I needed a Konza Prairie break. The grasses and forbs are just starting to turn to their fall reds and browns; the tree foliage is still pretty green.



So here are some pictures, some taken with my DSLR telephoto but some with my new phone (LG G2) and its pretty amazing camera (OK for a phone). The animated gif is made by G+ from photos taken with 'burst mode".  This is cool.

First, from the phone:

What I really like with my phone is the ability to touch the screen to select focus points that are also used for metering. For instance this picture originally had a bright blue sky but the tree trunk was badly underexposed. But focusing and metering on the trunk gave this picture. The sky is blown but I got the trunk detail I was looking for. And with a bit more fiddling I probably could have done a better job of this. OK I can do something like this with my DSLR but it is a bit more awkward.






















From my DSLR (Canon 2i with 250mm telephoto).

I love the red ground color the grass seed heads are turning.

A Fritillary-not sure what species.  250mm telephoto lens.

Old Hickory

Kansas isn't known for forests but Eastern and Southeast Kansas has some nice stands of Eastern deciduous forest mixed in with the prairie, and being from the East I can feel right at home. Yesterday I went Kill Creek Park about 15 miles from my home. This area has a few stands of nice hardwoods including lots of shagbark hickory. I am a sucker for interesting tree bark-probably stemming from fourth grade when I got into serious trouble when I was painting part of the dread class mural. My job was to paint the tree trunks. What was my transgression? Simple I did not use the generic brown tempera paint but used a mixture of colors reflecting what I saw when I looked at trees. Fortunately there were some lichen encrusted trunks right outside the classroom so I was able to win my case.

White Lady

White Lady, a photo by pdecell on Flickr.

Kill Creek Park. Sycamores. The sky was really intense but I boosted the saturation to bring out the contrast between the trees and the sky.

Reverse superposition

Reverse superposition, a photo by pdecell on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
The principle of superposition is the common sense notion that in geological strata the oldest rocks are generally the lowest strata. Of course the way trees grow from the cambium out, in the bark the oldest layers are on the top.

Man in the tree

Man in the tree, a photo by pdecell on Flickr.

Fall Woods

Fall Woods, a photo by pdecell on Flickr.

Another Droid Bionic shot. This one using HDR Camera with B + W color setting. I really like the delicate effects I can get with this program. It does require patience and I haven't yet figured out the best settings to use in different conndtions.

At the base of Saunder's Mount

At the base of Saunder's Mount
Originally uploaded by pdecell

The sky was so blue it was holding hands with the trees.

Hedge Apple

Hedge Apple

And darkness falls as happens each year when the planets
Turn their eyes from the sun and clouds lid the earth
Wind whip drives the rains raw, what leaves are left
Excoriated by its sharp tongue

And darkness falls even when the sun bleeds
Through the dawn’s fog and slowly melts the frost
Geese honk fading in the air as if no one is around
To hear them in the orange light

And darkness falls even in mid-day through the branches
Now stilled and fires banked smolder in your buds
I feel in vain amongst the thorns on your rough trunk
Until I feel the littlest promise of light
For me to cling