February's Picture of the Month is...

"A Pastel Evening", with honourable mentions to "Sunshine and Lines" and "Moon over Fredericton". Thanks to everyone who voted, using the "Comments" button, by email or just by telling me which photo they preferred.

Please do me the favour of casting a vote for March's Picture of the Month, from the choices supplied in my last post. Simply click on "Comments" at the foot of the post, tell me which photo you prefer, add an idea of who you are, then follow the instructions to post your comment. And thanks!

Day 238 - Pigeons and their photos

I don't really remember if I have put any photographs involving pigeons on this blog before but I will admit to you that I don't really like them.

What? Pronoun problem? To which "them" am I referring: pigeons or photos of pigeons?

Both, really, though probably the latter more than the former.

I don't really like photos of pigeons. They just seem to me to be too easy. The bird is ubiquitous and unafraid of people so pictures of pigeons are much too easy to take.

So why this one? Mostly because of the pose and the colours in this shot. I like the way the bird is perched on the grave marker but not posed on it. I also like the way the colours of the pigeon match so nicely with those of the marker upon which it stands and how well the green of the moss on the marker itself matches the green of the trees in the background.

I think this is an interesting, successful photograph and I'm quite proud of it. Maybe it will make me rethink how I feel about pigeons and their photographs.

Day 94 - The Union Jack

Back to the old Loyalist graveyard on a grey, rainy late winter day for this dark image of the Union Jack flying between two memorials.

On days like this, I generally try to find a shot that has enough interest in its subject matter to make up for the lack of drama from the flat, even lighting of the day. It's not easy to find new and interesting shots so often and, if I'm not feeling in a creative mood, it is sometimes almost impossible.

That being said, I do like this photograph. I think of it as a study in shades of grey, with the muted colours of the flag standing out somewhat in the centre. And I'm also learning that, as much as the Olympus tempts me simply to point and shoot, putting a little thought into every picture tends to make even the simplest ones better.

In this case, I took a couple of pictures of this scene with the camera on its automatic settings, then wondered if the low light would cause it to lose depth of focus by opening the aperture up too wide. So I switched to manual, closed the aperture down as far as it goes (f8), then slowed the shutter speed to compensate from a light standpoint.

The result is that the obelisks in front and the flag in behind are in focus. I could also have tried another, more artistic shot, by going the other way to the narrowest possible depth of focus, then getting an obelisk in sharp focus and the flag nicely blurred in behind.

I add this tiny photo of a robin to remind us all that, no matter how dim and dull the sky, it is still spring in New Brunswick.

Day 32 - Pastel Evenings

I was under the weather on two counts today (it was bitterly cold outside and I am not feeling well) so I didn't get a chance to go photograph hunting. Instead of trying to find another indoor still-life, I decided to go back into my Fredericton 365 archives to find a good shot that I haven't already used.

I was very happy with this photograph when I first saw it on the camera but other shots seemed more immediately interesting. My first response to this one was that I felt it looked a little too much like a postcard. The more I look at it, however, the more I like it and see qualities in it that go beyond mere postcard prettiness.

For example, I love the pastel colours in the early evening sky, with the patterns of clouds complementing the gentle blues, purples and golds. I also like the way the darkened shapes of the graveyard and the city beyond still retain enough detail to catch the eye. I am pleased with the composition: the tall, full tree to the left, the spire in the centre and the sparser trees on the right. I think this photograph works in ways I didn't at first realise. And I'm happy to have a chance to share it with you.