December 12, 2013

Spotting Natural Designs and Perspectives!

The natural beauty in the three images below speak for themselves. Enjoy!

Christmas wreath against wooden planks

A Christmas Wreath on Our Weathered Picnic Table (1-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

designs in growth rings of cut logs

The Designs in My Wood Pile Continue to Intrigue (1-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

the bright and dark of a sunset with clouds

Setting Sun and Clouds--a Play in Monochromatic Color (1-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

I thank God for the beauty in the world around us!

November 21, 2013

Having Fun Watching a CAT and the Moon!

Growing up around quarries, I learned early about dump trucks and construction equipment. The summer after my second or third grade, the road past our house was completely redone with a new concrete bridge replacing a wooden covered bridge not far from our home. And then our family lived on a quarry property while I was in fourth through eighth grade. In fact my first composition (it was in fifth grade) was about quarry equipment.

Anyway, this morning, a "cute' little back-hoe was moved on to a neighbor's property across the street. So while photos of that are not landscapes, they do fit the "other venues" category. Here is my photo of the CAT 304C CR mini-excavator.

CAT 304C CR mini-excavator at work

CAT 304C CR Mini-Excavator at Work (21-Nov-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

Just to tease the interest of those of us with construction in our blood, I made a one-minute video that is now on YouTube.

CAT 304C CR Mini-Excavator Operating

Believe it or not there is a used 2010 CAT 304C CR for sale on eBay! It is listed at US$35,000 or best offer. I don't believe it is a toy I will buy.

And just in case you are considering buying and operating this mini-excavator, here are some appropriate safety excepts form the operation manual!

Now for something more like a landscape below is the setting moon just one day past its Full Moon phase on November 18 here in Harrisonburg.

morning moon one day past Full Moon

Setting Moon One Day Past Full (18-Nov-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

Come back from time to time to see what else I post that is not truly a landscape. :)

November 4, 2013

Sunlight and Radio Waves

As a physicist I know that visible light from the Sun and radio waves between cell phones and the associated towers are each a form of electromagnetic radiation. That is, they are all light. So I'm putting some related photos together here. How is that for a defense of my choices? You'll have to look to see.

First come three photos of sunlight breaking through the trees yesterday at our house. I was trying to capture the partial solar eclipse, but that did not happen,. However, I liked these photos for their own beauty.

sunrise through a tree (I)

Sunrise through a Tree (I) (3-Nov-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

sunrise through a tree (II)

The third one in this series is a bit later in the morning when the Sun was higher in the sky. Since the Sun was very bright at that time, one can see various artifacts from my camera lens. How many can you observe?

early morning Sun with camera optical effects

I see at least four optical artifacts.

The star effect radiating from the Sun.
A pink halo around the Sun.
Two blue false images above and below the Sun disk.
Two green images above to the left and right of the Sun.

My guess is that the extra images come from some internal reflections in the camera's body while the separation come from some refractions effects which I understand less well. Does anyone have a more complete explanation?

Now for the radio waves: below are two photos of a cell phone tower near the Norfolk Southern rail yard in Harriosnburg.

close to a cell phone tower and looking up

the antennae at the tops of the cell phone tower

There is always something a bit strange/interesting to catch my eye--even when I do not plan for it.

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