Shadows: Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays to the shadow hunters at Shadow Shot Sunday 2!

52 Photos Gallery 33: Polka Dots

Gatsby Cat ponders the sudden appearance of dots on his napping spot. (They're shadows cast by a vegetable steamer held up between him and the table lamp above.)

Posted for The 52 Photos Project and for Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

Little Chair on the Prairie

There's a garden center not too far from us that uses lots of old furniture outdoors as props for the plants. I loved this old chair, and I longed to rescue it from the elements.

(*P.S. - Here's the color version:)



Posted for The Weekend in Black and White and for Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

52 Photos Gallery 29: Round

This Greenman medallion is a detail on a Victorian fern stand I inherited from my aunt. It's about four inches across and is one of two (one on each side) that decorate a round, wooden, ball element about a foot in diameter. It is a strange piece, to say the least, very "Captain Nemo" in feel.


Oddly, the Greenman changes personality with the light and time of day. Here he is looking rather jolly:




Here, not so much:




Posted for The 52 Photos Project
Linking to Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Shadow Shots: Whirly

When I was a kid, we called maple seeds "whirlybirds" or "helicopters" for the way they spiraled through the air as they fell. These landed on my doormat, which has a sort of whirly pattern of its own. Perhaps a case like calling to like?



  These two reminded of twins, waiting to be born:


Posted for Shadow Shot Sunday 2

The Shadow Knows

Happy Halloween!

It's the season for shadows and shades, and you'll find plenty of them at my house - and even more at Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

Shadow Shots: Sweet Willow

This massive old willow casts shifting shadows as its branches dance in the wind. It's located at TreeMendous Fruit farm in Michigan, and it provided a welcome spot to rest a bit after apple picking last weekend.


Posted for Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Bigger on the Inside

An abandoned brewery, circa 1858, was just too much to resist, even though the midday light was awful. I couldn't resist playing with the Halloween toys at Picmonkey, either. (I added the mouse and moon to the interior view.)




Posted for Shadow Shot Sunday 2 and for The Weekend in Black and White.

After Dark

From a recent family event. Once the guests had gone, the tent took on a life of its own, glowing mysteriously in the darkened field. Which version do you like better?

Posted for The Weekend in Black and White and for Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Shady Ladies

There was standing room only under the branches of a lone tree in an Ohio pasture. It was growing conveniently close to a fence, so I was able to snap a few shots of these curious cows.









Posted for Shadow Shot Sunday 2 and for The Weekend in Black and White.

Shadow Shots: Sneak Peek

On our way out of a ball game a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I passed by a little storage building with a mysteriously dark window way down at sidewalk level. Being the curious kind, and too old to care what other people think, we just had to bend down to sneak a peek inside.

We encountered a huge, sinister, green face peering back at us from within the deep, black shadows.




Every episode of The Twilight Zone I ever saw came flooding into my head.

Recovering from the shock, we laughed nervously at the mask, or mascot, or whatever it was, snapped a few photos, and went on our way.

Lightened and processed a bit, our bogyman doesn't look so scary after all. He does seem to be appreciating the ladies as they pass by, though, doesn't he. Which actually is kinda creepy.




For more fun in the shadows, visit Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Black and White: Covaleski Fountain

Taken earlier tonight after a game in South Bend's baseball stadium. I loved the light and the laughter. (It's one of those innocent-looking ones embedded in a plaza, starting up suddenly and soaking the unwary.)


Posted for Shadow Shot Sunday 2 and for The Weekend in Black and White.

Shadow Shots: For the Birds

The shadow of a watering can and the stream of water splashing into a birdbath. It's jazzed up a bit with the Daguerreotype filter on Picmonkey.

Posted for Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Shadow Shots: Boy in Red

Posted for Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Black and White: Moth

Happy weekend, everyone! I couldn't decide which of these I liked better, so I posted both. Which do you prefer?








Posted for The Weekend in Black and White and for Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Last Call

These were waiting on my kitchen island to be put away after a recent get-together. The star-like shadows and reflections caught my eye. The bleary quality comes from the Orton effect in picmonkey.

Posted for Shadow Shot Sunday 2 and for The Weekend in Black and White.

Shadow Shot Sunday 2: It's Magic

This shadow of a feather on stone took on a whole new dimension with just a tweak or two.

I am having SO much fun with Picmonkey, salvaging and spectacularizing shots that would otherwise be discarded. I may even spring for the "Royal" version.

See More Shadowy Goodnesss at Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

Shadow Shots: Something New

It's my first day as a retiree!  I celebrated by hunting shadows and frittered away the rest of the morning at Picmonkey.

I've been green with envy at the cool, awesome, and generally amazing images other photographers are producing with special effects and layers, and now's my chance to get in on the fun.

Below is the image straight out of the camera, which I kinda liked too. Above is the heavily messed-with version. Which do you like better?

(P.S. The secret to the the frosty-looking bottle is on Havenwood.

See More Shadowy Goodnesss at Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

Shadow Shots: Sugaring Season

My husband's family makes maple syrup every year, and these are some of the shadowier shots from our visit two weeks ago.

They collect sap from about 300 taps and the boiler runs night and day. Family and friends gather in the sugar shack to visit, to enjoy the sweet scented steam, and to down the occasional "maple shot" - a blend of Crown Royal and thin, hot syrup fresh from the pan.

See More Shadowy Goodnesss at Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

Shadow Shot Sunday 2: Rest Stop

Shadows of travelers, just passing through.

See More Shadowy Goodness at Shadow Shot Sunday 2.