White Leaves; infrared photographs

Don't forget me; I'll be back!!

2010-10-31T20:21:00.001-04:00

I miss infrared photography, but do not have my equipment on this trip. Later, later . . .

Last year at the Waldron Fen

2010-07-16T12:01:00.000-04:00

I haven't been taking infrareds, I don't know why. This is from last year and not white balanced. I just worked on it this morning.

Grove of Maples near Alanson

2009-09-21T23:04:00.001-04:00

Grove of Maples near Alanson, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

This is a classic white-leaves shot. If these sugar maples are grown in the open like this, each tree develops a full, rounded shape, and a small grove also forms a beautiful shape. There are several groves like this near here, sometimes the understory is kept open by annual mowing, sometimes by grazing.
In a tornado about 15 years ago, many trees in Orval Coors's maple grove were uprooted by the force of the storm. Over many weeks, he sawed them up, even the stumps, for firewood. He was well over seventy at the time.
Another maple grove can be found at Greensky Hill Indian Mission Church. It was planted to replicate the council grove that grew in a circular form and was sacred to Native Americans who lived here.

Looming cloud

2009-09-10T15:57:00.001-04:00

Looming cloud, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

I find this pretty irresistible! Kiss me, my hamburger!

Ceremony

2009-08-05T15:39:00.001-04:00

Ceremony, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

While we were in the park, Monte Nagler asked this fellow to sit in the chairs. Monte regarded the chairs as a photo opportunity, and I could see that they were, but the shots I took failed to be good ones. I needed to think about it more, bend down, look around, pick a bale of cotton . . .

The Nina and the Pinta fly the flag in Petoskey

2009-07-23T21:02:00.001-04:00

The Nina and the Pinta fly the flag in Petoskey, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

I love ethe way the tourists came out in white. I didn't go aboard, because I didn't realize they were only going to be here two days. I thought I'd go later--now I'm sorry!

Bright window

2009-03-03T23:13:00.001-05:00

DSCF1912xx, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Chum-Chum: Her Soulful Gaze

2009-02-26T00:07:00.002-05:00

Chum-Chum: Her Soulful Gaze, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Try taking infrared portraits of your pets! If you have a plain brown dachshund that shows up poorly in color photos, you might be happily surprised.

February: Gulls on Almaden Lake

2009-02-24T02:54:00.001-05:00

I was hoping they would be there for my granddaughters to see. And they were. I was there with my modified camera!

Palo Alto Church in Gathering Cloud

2009-02-20T03:01:00.001-05:00

DSCF1875luk, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Another of the beautiful infrared streets of Palo Alto.

Flickr

2009-02-08T04:16:00.003-05:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

January Street Scene

2009-01-31T02:39:00.001-05:00

DSCF1765xx, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Buildings often look better in infrared, than they would in color. This is one of the beautiful edifices near downtown Palo Alto.

Oh, those recurrent sheep

2009-01-24T02:39:00.001-05:00

DSCF1349panocrp, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

More from that farm in Plumas County. I think sheep will be easier to draw than horses, if I ever start my sketchbook.

Painted salmon and cream

2009-01-23T01:29:00.001-05:00

DSCF1575, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Is this what they call Carpenter's Gothic? I have to look up these styles again. The beloved History Park, source of great subjects for infrared.

On the Porch

2009-01-22T02:58:00.001-05:00

On the Porch, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

I like the ones like this that only have a little clue (white leaves in foreground) that they even belong in this blog. The lady in the hat was an extra benefit--I had to shoot fast!

Waiting for customers in January sun

2009-01-18T01:53:00.001-05:00

Waiting for customers in January sun, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

I Wish I had more time to work with these empty white chairs and these reflections on a Palo Alto sidewalk. Reflections are often clearer than you expected in infrared images.

CloudPanorama1

2009-01-17T04:35:00.001-05:00

CloudPanorama1, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

This is a Photomerge of five photos, uncropped. Naturally, when something turns out OK, you scream to yourself: Why didn't I take MORE! MORE! MORE!

This made me feel like one of those street photographers!

2009-01-16T03:02:00.001-05:00

This made me feel like one of those street photographers!, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Bored and waiting outside a store, I saw her, she looked so ripe and healthy. I felt almost like Weegee. I think the infrared gives this kind of grab shot a soft quality.

Feather River Canyon

2009-01-13T02:15:00.001-05:00

DSCF1482xxx, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

I am becoming quite fond of these infrared photos when I give them a warmer tone. I still don't understand how people get all the colors, but I like these, anyway,

Retired

2009-01-06T04:03:00.002-05:00

DSCF1494xx, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

This truck is now a docent at San Jose History Park. See how infrared photography brings out his subtle hard-won patina!

Empire Firehouse at San Jose History Park

2009-01-04T01:17:00.001-05:00

DSCF1512clrtemp, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

White building. dark infrared sky and fluffo clouds. Happiness!

Old Bricks

2009-01-02T19:21:00.001-05:00

DSCF1549xxx, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Another trip to the Heritage Park.

House at the end of the lane

2008-12-11T00:55:00.001-05:00

House at the end of the lane, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

I hope to use this on my Christmas CArd this year, but am having some issues with the black and white printing. We love this woodsy, quiet place!

Oak

2008-11-26T04:05:00.001-05:00

Oak, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

More from the roadside stop in the Feather River Canyon. When the leaves fall, the structure of the trees is revealed.

Safety fence at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

2008-11-21T23:47:00.002-05:00

DSCF1103, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

By rendering some medium-value things as light values, infrared photographs often have the effect of making shadow patterns clearer.

Oak and shadows

2008-11-19T01:37:00.002-05:00

DSCF1447xxx, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

It is not so much the white leaves in this one, but the pattern of shadows. I found this oak at a rest stop in the Feather River Canyon.

JIll

2008-11-13T22:42:00.002-05:00

DSCF0833xxx, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

This is a portrait of my daughter-in-law using a converted Fujifilm camera. Try portraits; you'll like the resuts.

Reflections on the floor

2008-11-13T01:31:00.001-05:00

Reflections on the floor, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Not only for trees, infrared makes people shots with a difference. Better floor reflections, a glow on hair and lessened skin imperfections. Try it!

Clouds and sun

2008-11-06T12:39:00.001-05:00

Clouds and sun, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Highway rest stop in infrared. Don't go anywhere without your camera!

The Cloud

2008-10-31T22:25:00.001-04:00

The Cloud, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

The real beauty of this tree and this cloud is revealed with infrared treatment. In color life, they were overlooked. . .people thought they were ordinary.

Curve of the road

2008-10-30T22:24:00.001-04:00

DSCF0986deepshad, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Follow me along this road. . .

Meet you at the pump

2008-10-29T20:50:00.001-04:00

Meet you at the pump, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Another shot from the San Jose History Park. I love what infrared shooting does for artifacts!

Reminders of a past time

2008-10-27T21:37:00.001-04:00

Reminders of a past time, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

In Edwin Markham's house, in San Jose's History Parkthe docents have collected volumes of books he might have had and the types of chairs he might have sat in while his Mom served up Sunday dinner. It wasn't that long ago, and nearly forever.

A Frosty Morning

2008-10-26T22:47:00.002-04:00

A Frosty Morning, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

This reminds me of a Japanese ink painting; I think it is because of the shape of the tree.

Garden Bounty

2008-10-25T22:51:00.003-04:00

DSCF0904, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Vegetables and leaves RULE in infrared. This is your invitation to visit a farm market as soon as you can. It was very windy and I was with someone else, so I didn't get the pictures I wanted, but I did get this transcendent squash!

October Spirit of the Farm Market

2008-10-24T23:42:00.001-04:00

October Spirit of the Farm Market, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Her arms whip in the strong wind. What is she thinking?

Tiny clouds over our tiny house; my husband in his tiny Bronco

2008-10-24T00:02:00.003-04:00

Tiny clouds over our tiny house; my husband in his tiny Bronco, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

It's all in the title, but you have to look for it. I had him let me out to take pictures as I walked home down the two-track. I only caught this one of him driving away from me.

The Glittering Frost

2008-10-23T00:11:00.001-04:00

The Glittering Frost, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Frost turns out to be a good subject for infrared. This morning was the first fairyland one. Of course, people get tired of it later.

Row of seedling trees

2008-10-21T22:07:00.001-04:00

Row of seedling trees, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

At the eastern edge of our place, the fence line. I love the varying structures of leafless trees!

Leaves Falling Fast

2008-10-19T11:57:00.002-04:00

Leaves Falling Fast, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

In just a few days the leaves will all be gone. Welcome to winter. Although the weather is still quite warm. Sometimes, you might bring a sweater. . . I love the lacy remnant leaves at the right of the photo, and wish I had captured more of them.

Flare

2008-10-17T21:26:00.001-04:00

DSCF0949upunmod, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Cool, no? This delights me, although it is not what I was trying for.

Beach grasses: morning

2008-10-15T22:41:00.001-04:00

Beach grasses: morning, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

A problem with this digital camera is that it has no viewfinder and the light often makes it difficult to keep the horizon even. I would have like this to have a little less foreground, a straight horizon and a little less plain sand in the foreground. That said, I like the infrared effect on the grasses. I will be looking for more clumps of grass to work on.

Calm under cloud

2008-10-14T23:43:00.001-04:00

Calm under cloud, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

More from Sturgeon Bay. I've got to get back there!

The hidden dark of the forest

2008-10-13T21:56:00.001-04:00

The hidden dark of the forest, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Just more of my lovely aspens. In the last week since I took this, many leaves have fallen, but the trees are not yet bare.

Trees

2008-10-12T20:58:00.001-04:00

DSCF0844, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Another young maple in the woods behind the house. Early morning sun.

Slant Light of Morning

2008-10-11T22:14:00.003-04:00

Slant Light of Morning, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

You can't see it at this size, but the overnight moisture has beaded up on the decking that we put Thompson's Waterseal on the day before. We felt very virtuous. Thompson's is one of the fine old products that I remember from my childhood. Unlike my favorite brand of shampoo (Silkience) you can still get it.
Infrared gives this domestic shot a little glamour, I think. It is more interesting to me than in straight black and white.

Where Edwin Markham wrote The Man with the Hoe

2008-10-10T23:25:00.003-04:00

Where Edwin Markham wrote The Man with the Hoe, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

I took this with my first infrared camera; I broke the switch when I took it to Greece, I suppose I should try to get it repaired. I liked using it. And it had a viewfinder, which my current one does not. This house is what Edwin Markham's mother didn't have to have as an empty nest, since he lived with her. The foliage at the top is part of the huge oak tree that stands in front of the house at its current location in San Jose History Park.

In the Heritage Park

2008-10-09T22:23:00.001-04:00

In the Heritage Park, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

I need to try for some more flowers, but flower season is about over, and I don't think plastic ones would give off the same infrared rays.

Where Tanner mowed the bracken

2008-10-08T23:56:00.001-04:00

Where Tanner mowed the bracken, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

When we bought the land the bracken grew back by the wood. Each year it grows closer and threatens to engulf the house. I love the ferny greeness of it. But by autumn it grows tall enough to completely hide browsing whitetail deer. They leap when they run and show their white flags, and disappear again. It's tough to walk through, too. My grandson mowed this pretty curve at the edge of the meadow.

Heavenly light

2008-10-07T20:05:00.001-04:00

DSCF0762luk x, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Clouds and trees can be pretty much inexhaustible! Here, a view of our east meadow.

Morning light

2008-10-07T00:12:00.001-04:00

Morning light, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

White leaves worn like a frilly garment as autumn begins.

The heart-shaped leaf

2008-10-05T14:11:00.002-04:00

The heart-shaped leaf, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

And yesterday, this sunflower fell over in the rain. No more portraits until the seed-children sprout next year.

Clouds at sunrise

2008-10-04T23:38:00.001-04:00

Clouds at sunrise, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Autumn is the season of spectacular Michigan cloud. Be there with your infrared camera! Taken off my front porch this morning. Unmodified.

Tracery

2008-10-03T23:03:00.001-04:00

Tracery, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

I am growing to love this blog, but want to get out quick and shoot some more, as I keep learning more secrets of the infrared trade.

A sprinkle of cloud over the bog

2008-10-02T21:52:00.002-04:00

A sprinkle of cloud over the bog, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

I am sending you this peaceful image of the natural world during the vice presidential candidate debate. Palin is looking at the camera and Biden is looking at Gwen Ifill. Strike one for Joe. It really makes quite a difference. I wonder if I would remember to look at the camera instead of the moderator under that kind of pressure.

A country road in autumn

2008-10-01T21:14:00.001-04:00

A country road in autumn, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Ordinarily, tilted photos like this one make me nervous. But this one so captures yesterday's rainy evening. And I quite like the effect of the triangle of asphalt. What do you think??

Autumn beginning: the cloud

2008-09-30T21:19:00.002-04:00

Autumn beginning: the cloud, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

More through-the-windshield infrared. I wanted to scream: stop the car! It was raining and there was no roadside big enough to get off the road. This cloud could almost make me believe in heaven.

Corn is Beautiful

2008-09-28T23:59:00.001-04:00

Corn is Beautiful, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Standing corn next to the Waldron Fen Nature Preserve. More infrared. All the time we were walking past, a flock of Yellow-rump warblers seasoned with a few palm warblers were flitting into the few rows nearest the edge. Of course, they might just have been avoiding the birders, but maybe they found insects in the corn, too. Someone said he thought there were bugs in the tassels, but the birds I saw were flying about a foot lower than that. Another mystery.

The Pond's Dark Waters

2008-09-27T22:00:00.001-04:00

The Pond's Dark Waters, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

I am just learning how to do this, but I love the results. You can make any weedpatch or clump of trees look world-class, I think. I took these pictures with my infrared camera, a Fujifilm Finepix F30. I got it on eBay; there are quite a few companies that convert them to be able to see infrared light, which is outside the visible spectrum. With any converted camera that enables you to set a custom white balance, you can avoid most of the the color cast. Otherwise they are sort of pink, or blue if you choose a tungsten white balance. After conversion, the camera is only good for these pictures. They are still RGB files, but look monotone.
There are two problems with the unprocessed files besides the possible color cast. One is a slight softness of the image, which hasn't bothered me with landscapes (or you can sharpen); the other is that the range of values nearly ALWAYS needs to be increased. It is very easy to do in Picasa, if you feel lazy. That's the way I did this, which I took on this morning's birdwalk. There are probably better ways to do it in Photoshop. I will work on a few things later and more intensely--when I find which images I like best. I am so excited about these ghostly white trees. And the Lake Michigan pictures I took at Sturgeon Bay earlier this month.

Autumn Deepens: This morning's meadow in infrared

2008-09-26T00:06:00.001-04:00

DSCF0452 tuned, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

The last of the leaves is almost here. Now is the time to be outdoors, for sure.

Curve of the sand

2008-09-22T21:14:00.002-04:00

DSCF0383 luk, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

Wallace Stevens Talks to Clouds

"Addressing Clouds is an actual address to the clouds. The gloomy grammarians and funest philosophers are the clouds themselves. What could be simpler? Of course, it all depends on the point of view. People scent symbolism as if something of their own realism and reason must, like the blood of an Englishman, be somewhere concealed. You can imagine people accustomed to potatoes studying apples with the idea that unless the apples somehow contain potatoes they are unreasonable. Such people have poignant difficulties with zinnias and pies."

from a letter to Alice Corbin Henderson, March 27, 1922.
Wallace Stevens; Collected Poetry and Prose, p. 938.

I want to go back to Sturgeon Bay! And talk to clouds . . .

Sky Over Lake Michigan

2008-09-16T17:42:00.002-04:00

Sky Over Lake Michigan, originally uploaded by jhhymas.

I wanted a blog for just black and white photos. (The colors of my main blog don't suit them.)This is it.