Simon

I have seen this statue of Saint Francis many times, since it’s right near my son’s daycare, but I never quite knew what to make of it from a photographic perspective (har!). The day I took this picture it finally hit me: lighting! (duh) It was cloudy and a bit rainy when I dropped my son off on this particular day, and because I had my camera with me I went over to the garden where this statue is placed and fired off a couple shots. I’m very happy with how it turned out, and I hope I can run out and take some more pics the next time it’s cloudy and overcast. We don’t get too many days like that in Oklahoma, so when they happen you gotta use ’em!

Side note: I apologize for the chime noise that pops up near the end of the audio commentary. That was my phone with a new text message, which I forgot to silence. Oops.

This photo is a classic example of the old adage the best camera is the one you have with you. And a good example of why it’s not a bad idea to take a nicer camera if you’ve got one. When my coworkers and I went across campus to run an errand, I left my D200 in my office because I figured it would be kind of a hassle to carry. And besides, what photo could I possibly take on a brief jaunt to the Student Union? But I went back and grabbed it before we left the building, and it’s a good thing too. I saw this dude outfitted with enough NERF weaponry to wreak havok on an office full of cubicles, but he was actually a participant in the annual campus-wide game called Humans vs. Zombies. Let’s just say if I were a zombie, I don’t think either my camera or I would have survived the encounter :)

Judging by the forecast when I left for work, I thought it would be a good day to bring the ol’ D200 with me and see if I could get a shot of something rainy. The weather sealing on this beast has long since bit the dust, so I had to be careful to not get it too wet, but I figured if I stood in a bus stop and watched for passers-by, I might end up with a photo-op. My goal was to catch someone who was unprepared for the rain, and while I can’t say for sure if this lady intended to be out biking in weather like this, I do know I would have wished for a warmer overcoat if I were her.

As I was shooting this photo in particular, I was a bit frustrated that a car decided to come between me and the subject (how rude of them! Didn’t they know I was trying to get a picture for my weekly photo blog?) but as I was looking through my shots I decided I rather liked the foreground element the vehicle added. It lends a sense of depth and motion to the picture, and even though I would not have planned it like this I am quite pleased with how it turned out.

Even though I have seen this tree in our front yard go through its annual transformation from a lifeless bunch of sticks to a beautiful green display of nature, I have rarely paused to consider the amazing resurrection-like process each Spring when its leaves spring forth. My wife pointed this out to me the other day when she was playing in the yard with our son, and I thought the emerging leaves were so cool to look at. Several bunches looked like hands held high in prayer, and I hope this photo captures that image as it looked to me. I also like thinking of the yearly rebirth of life around this time of year as a visual metaphor for the resurrection of Christ, which we celebrate in just a few short days. May we always be reminded of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for our sinful world, and keep the message of hope and life found in the Gospels close to our hearts.

I don’t often (if ever) use black and white in my photos, but this time I figured I would give it a shot and see what happened. I found that in this particular shot, turning everything black and white served to emphasize the Fallout Shelter sign and draw the viewer’s eye to what I wanted them to see, not to the rest of the photo. I don’t know if this will start some sort of creative black and white period in my photography, but it might be fun to experiment with a bit more in the future. I also think this might be the kind of photo I would show to my kids, who will hopefully never have to live through the fear of nuclear war.