Tyler & the Hibiscus

Tyler & the Hibiscus
Originally uploaded by oliverleveritt

Tyler came to visit this weekend. This afternoon, he was having a difficult time with his behavior, as kids sometimes do.

After being reprimanded, he was wandering around on the patio with his bottle of water. He'd take a sip and then pour some water on the grill. He'd take another sip and then pour some water on the swing.

I was watching thru the window. He took a sip and began to water his Grandma's hibiscus plant -- right into the bloom. As he aggressively watered the bloom, he pushed it back too far and broke it.

I went outside and explained to him that flowers were to look at -- not to mistreat.

I decided that the poor broken flower's purpose in life hadn't quite yet been fully served, so I got my camera. I think my wife appreciates the photo enough that the immortilization of the sole bloom on her hibiscus plant will displace the loss.

Chandelier (needs to be dusted)

Chandelier (needs to be dusted)
Originally uploaded by oliverleveritt

This was an experiment in inclusion & exclusion. I wanted to include the details of the chandelier, but I wanted to exclude the background. I wanted to include the detail of the bulbs, but exclude the overpowering glow of the light. So here, suspended in black space, is my dusty chandelier, and its pristine white light. Should I simply clean it, or buy another one to photograph??

Mercury & the Moon

Mercury & the Moon
Originally uploaded by oliverleveritt

I was out shooting photos at night -- again. I set up my tripod to take a photo of the moon. There were lots of fast-moving clouds, but I figured they would be invisible across the moon itself during a long exposure. I took this shot and almost discarded it until I looked more closely.

There was something else in the photo. After adjusting brightness and contrast, I saw another planet. A quick Google check led me to info indicating that I had just captured Mercury.

This kind of thing becomes addicting. Now I want to do research to find out when I can possibly get photos of other planets. The problem is that even if I had known that Mercury was lurking up there within range of my camera, I might not have been able to find it. I only captured it through long exposure and light adjustment -- a fortuitous accident of sorts.