A Plethora of Potential Pulchritude

Looking over my blog domain this evening I realize that it’s been a fairly long time since I’ve posted anything anywhere. As of late I’ve been more focused on consuming the world than contributing to it. Put another way, blame my bookshelf for the silence.

This is not to say that I didn’t do anything. When Sunday reared its unwelcome head alerting us to the all-too-rapidly-approaching beginning of the workweek, I found myself rather worn. Productivity did not escape me this weekend though this blog and its partners would be a poor demonstration of that truth. Let us start in the realm of the moving and make our way to that of the more static.

For a while I’ve had this niggling desire to go out and do the rather cliche act of time-lapsing the stars. On Saturday night the quality of dark coincided with the clearness of the sky and I was able to do exactly that. I find these examples rather … well, uninteresting, but they are reasonable demonstrations of the art. Best viewed in 1080p full-screen.

Moving on to Sunday I took myself unto the park there to feast my eyes upon the masses. I was verily stunned by the number of people who stop and ask questions of you when you’re sitting next to a camera that clicks every second. Fully half a dozen groups stopped to get the 30-second primer on what in the world I was doing out in the park. I’m very tempted to print up some flyers.

At any rate, those really interested can go check out my YouTube channel.

There were also a few random stills to pull out of the air. Check the whole album here for those more interested in pixels than paragraphs but remember the standard speech. Use, download, share, whatever. Just don’t profit by it. yadda, yadda, yadda.

Eagle Creek park was the destination yesterday and I have to admit that while other people enjoy spring because the flowers come out I enjoy spring because the bugs come out. The first bug of the season is this brown shield bug known in the vernacular as the stink bug because of it’s abhorrent personal grooming habits.

From Misc 03-11-2012

Insects weren’t the only critters out and about. Turtles sunned themselves literally by the dozen.

From Misc 03-11-2012

From Misc 03-11-2012

The Ornithology center also boasts a couple of very fierce birds. This shot looks all artsy and composed until you realize that the bars are so close together that it’s the only unobstructed shot I could get. Rather annoying.

From Misc 03-11-2012

Yeah, flowers, who gives a hoot. More bugs please.

From Misc 03-11-2012

I’ll admit that I have no idea what this sport is called. Paddle surfing maybe? Looks rather…. unbalanced.

From Misc 03-11-2012

There are a few spots in this park that just don’t … really… fit…. together. It’s very much a city park with only a thin skin of nature on top.

From Misc 03-11-2012

Also, for the first time in a REALLY long time I drug along someone who was not Laura to take pictures. You can tell that Scott’s really focused on his work here.

From Misc 03-11-2012

A few black and white shots are sprinkled in here… for some reason they just seemed correct. These two look to be the very archetype of a relaxed Sunday afternoon on the water.

From Misc 03-11-2012

And this bit of road is just delightful. Kept fully three versions of this. One in B&W, one in sepia and one in color. If that doesn’t say “I like this” then I don’t know what will.

From Misc 03-11-2012

Scott had a bit of excess energy to get rid of…

From Misc 03-11-2012

Not really a picture of much of anything but I like it none the less. I’m fairly certain that I took this just as I was giving Scott the lecture that starts with the words, “pictures are free… if you even THINK it’ll be any good take it! You can always delete it later.” All this as I pointed my camera rather randomly into the sky and clicked the shutter. *shrug*

From Misc 03-11-2012

As I traipsed back to the car, this guy was hanging his head out the window. No idea why the owner was just sitting in the car rather than letting this handsome ball of energy go romp around.

From Misc 03-11-2012

Last but not least, on Saturday night we took the kids out to the see the moon rise over the bog. Something about the big ole moon hanging pendulous against the horizon.

From Misc 03-11-2012

From Misc 03-11-2012

And that’s the weekend that was.

Minutes Collapsed to Seconds

Looking back on the last few days I realize that I don’t actually have any stills to share. A couple time-lapse movies of clouds and a stop-action experiment with a Scrabble board. I’ll let the movies speak for themselves for a change.

If so inclined go subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Of Showers and Flowers

Sometimes when I sit down to write in this blog there’s just not enough new stuff to bother with so I have to work hard to stretch it. Today, however, is one of those days when I struggle to keep things brief. Since this is the internet and bits and bytes are ostensibly free, I shall merely vomit forth whatever strikes me and you can stop reading when you’re dern well tired of reading it. (PS: Click on any photo to get a bigger version and access the whole album to which it belongs.)

Friday it stormed terribly through the midwest and while my area of the state was spared any actual damage we still did get a fairly rough bit of storms. I was poised and ready to take advantage of this photographically with a couple of time-lapses from the 7th floor of my office building. Sadly, neither is exactly what I would have hoped for though the second one in which things are clearing out strikes me as more amusing than the actual storm.

Anyway, poke around my Youtube channel if you want to see the rest of my time-lapse rot. The last three have been rather over-exposed and I will admit that in general I’m rather suffering from an inability to make these what I would consider particularly interesting. Time will tell whether I bother to actually continue doing them.

Moving onward… yesterday morning I needed a stock photo for another blog post on the Tattered Thread so at 8:30 in the morning on a Saturday I drug out just about every piece of equipment I owned to shoot some sodden teabags. If you can’t get excited about setting up to shoot some teabags then what CAN you get excited about?

From Misc for 03-03-2012

As long as I was set up, I piddled around at random a bit too. The bananas struck me initially as sort of a ‘lost lover’ thing. It never really came together for me but I reserve the right the revisit this and try to figure out how to make it look like one banana is mourning the death of another.

From Misc for 03-03-2012

Laura was caught in the cross-fire of my morning energy as well. I like this shot because as she sits at my desk, surrounded by two computer screens and a myriad of technology she’s focused on her tiny iPhone screen. Also love the lighting as well.

From Misc for 03-03-2012

I also like this pair…

From Misc for 03-03-2012

From Misc for 03-03-2012

This mask hangs in my hallway and it never ceases to make me smile.

From Misc for 03-03-2012

So, here we are quite a ways in and we are just now about to step outside the apartment for the day. I warned ya it’s going to be one of those kind of posts. First we made our way to the Herron school of Art and Design in downtown Indy. I’ll admit that I don’t quite understand this place. It has no posted hours but the galleries were open until about 1:00 yesterday. When we left the last gallery they shut and locked the doors behind us and several people we met were confused to find they were refused admittance. At any rate, view my full gallery of photos here. I’ll just hit what I consider highlights.

I was fascinated by this sculpture of three girls jumping rope. Perhaps it’s the complexity of the whole thing, a reproduction in ceramic of what is a pretty complicated act.

From Herron School of Art – 3-3-2012

This mask, though fairly simple, worked for me too. Or perhaps it’s just a day for masks?

From Herron School of Art – 3-3-2012

The reason we bothered to go here at all was an exhibit on re-purposing old sofas. All in all it was not exactly all one could want from such an event. Some interesting textures though.

From Herron School of Art – 3-3-2012

From Herron School of Art – 3-3-2012

A display case shows many historical items from the school’s founding.

From Herron School of Art – 3-3-2012

Ultimately though I found the incidental environmental sculptures more amusing like this one spilling out of the library door…

From Herron School of Art – 3-3-2012

…and the insides of this bamboo bench.

From Herron School of Art – 3-3-2012

Moving on from art of the human-generated type, we then took ourselves unto the Garfield Park Conservatory. It’s fairly impossible NOT to take good pictures in a conservatory when they seem to be specializing in Orchids.

From Garfield Park – 3-3-2012

From Garfield Park – 3-3-2012

From Garfield Park – 3-3-2012

From Garfield Park – 3-3-2012

I’m still trying to decide whether this shot suffers from shallow depth of field or benefits from it.

From Garfield Park – 3-3-2012

Leaves, if you really think about them, are rather miraculous. Vast networks of veins all evolved perfectly to support themselves, produce food for the rest of the plant and accept nutrients from the other parts of the system. Ain’t nature amazing?

From Garfield Park – 3-3-2012

And that was the day (or two) that was.

Another Splat of Randomness for March the 1st

It’s become apparent that randomness is more the rule than the exception so I will endeavor to forget to mention it in future.

On the way home it was determined, after next to no internal argument, that I needed to stop somewhere to photograph SOMETHING. After all, it had been an entire day since I’d posted something and that sort of delay just won’t be tolerated. My first stop was the circle downtown where I took a few time-lapse movies that I can only describe as excruciatingly dull.

Anyway, go enjoy the whole channel if you’re really into random time-lapse.

Luckily there were a few random shots to save the day from total tedium.

I was amused by this rather placid reflection. Really ready for spring I don’t mind telling you.

From Misc Photos for 3-2-2012 and Nighttime

One of my stops on the way back was an old rural cemetery. The lighting here makes the place look rather hellish to me.

From Misc Photos for 3-2-2012 and Nighttime

From Misc Photos for 3-2-2012 and Nighttime

The sky overhead though… was heavenly.

From Misc Photos for 3-2-2012 and Nighttime

From Misc Photos for 3-2-2012 and Nighttime

And that’s the day that was.

Randomness from the past couple days

The past couple of days have been rather excessively work-oriented at my day job so this is clearly missing a theme but that doesn’t stop my shutter from flapping.

Last night I was at work late so as consolation I left the camera set up and clicking away in a conference room overlooking a major interstate

Coming home tonight I had that irresistible urge to photograph…. something. Thus, a collection of random shots from around the house.

From 2012-02-28

From 2012-02-28

From 2012-02-28

From 2012-02-28

From 2012-02-28

And that’s the day that was (or two)

New Day, New Digs

As my assiduous readers will no doubt remember, a couple weeks ago I took a photographic stroll around my company’s current offices with the knowledge that they would soon become the old office. Today was a day of introduction to the new office in all its glory.

Let me begin by noting that it is absolutely mind-boggling how much work and preparation goes into moving an entire office across town. I cannot begin to fathom the number of hours involved in this effort and those involved should be most heartily applauded. Now that the whole process is completed I feel rather sad that I didn’t have the opportunity to assist in some way. It’s rather like having someone else do your home work for you. No matter, on to the tour!

From the outside, there’s a lot of building here. We really are ‘moving on up’ as the old song goes.  Let’s smack some beans on that grill!  They won’t burn!

From New Office – 2/26/2012

Those who visited our offices previously will be significantly more impressed with the new entry…

From New Office – 2/26/2012

And the view is vastly improved from the inside.

From New Office – 2/26/2012

And the kitchen… holy shit what an improvement.

From New Office – 2/26/2012

And the most important thing, really, the primary reason we moved at all was so that Grant could have an office.

From New Office – 2/26/2012

Off in the dim and misty distance we can even see downtown.

From New Office – 2/26/2012

One item of particular note here. We’re a software development group and probably the only developers in the universe who opted for an open office concept rather than the private little coffins… er, cubicals, that seem so popular.

From New Office – 2/26/2012

Wow whatttalottastuffinboxes.

From New Office – 2/26/2012

I think everybody must raise their pinky to take iPhone pictures. It’s like drinking a dainty cup of photographic tea.

From New Office – 2/26/2012

The boardroom is now officially too big for the table I think. Love the painting by the wall though.

From New Office – 2/26/2012

This is my boss so watch what you say about him. This is his “I’m embarrassed for you my picture to take” face. He’ll probably fire me tomorrow. He’s a funny sort of boss because he’s the only one I’ve ever had who steadfastly refused to read my blog and then say the next day that I’m inscrutable. Funny that.

From New Office – 2/26/2012

Yup. This about sums up the software industry. Beer taps and bags and bags of McDonalds. That’s how Google got its start. Except they probably had In and Out Burger or something fancy like that.

From New Office – 2/26/2012

And yes, they work. What kind of beer is it you ask? Who gives a shit? It’s beer. At work.

From New Office – 2/26/2012

I love a bit of reflection self-portraiture but this seems a smidge grim.

From New Office – 2/26/2012

And the cylindrical buildings around us are going to make for awesome photo fodder.

From New Office – 2/26/2012

And that’s the day that was.

A Random Trip Around Purdue – 2/20/2012

Firstly I must apologize that tonight’s post will actually be a double because I’ve been remiss in unloading my camera. I find that if I don’t put down words with the photos soon after I upload them then “later” very quickly becomes “never”. So here you have post the first.  (Whole album here)

Eric and Laura and I started out on a random stroll on last Monday and as usual just set out for “wherever the wind took us.” The first locale that struck my eye was an act of absolute retail genius. Where better to sell your cookies at 3am than a college campus? I’m betting that around finals week they they’re absolutely swamped.

From Random Trip around Purdue – 02-20-2012

I couldn’t help but giggle in an unmanly manner at this sign. It’s almost as if the door has a pesky fungal infection. In reality the door is of simpler construction than normal so that the athletes can successfully figure out how to open it. (yeah, yeah, I know, cheap shot)

From Random Trip around Purdue – 02-20-2012

Moving on from my witless banter about athletes and their mental acuity, I found these metal drainage grates around the trees near Mackey Arena very striking.

From Random Trip around Purdue – 02-20-2012

This fairly new sculpture of a Boilermaker is pretty striking. Get it? Striking? Yes, it’s one of those posts. I apologize. Did I mention you can just click one of the photos and flip through without my commentary?

From Random Trip around Purdue – 02-20-2012

From Random Trip around Purdue – 02-20-2012

After we leave the Burly Bronze Boilermaker behind, the Stonehenge Surfboards of Slayter Hill beckoned to us.

From Random Trip around Purdue – 02-20-2012

Not far from there, the Purdue water tower looms. Lucky for you I can’t think of a pun for that one.

From Random Trip around Purdue – 02-20-2012

And we close with one of my favorite campus features. The variegated slate tile roof of Cary Quad always strikes me especially. For an engineering campus, there’s still a fair amount of attention to artistic detail.

From Random Trip around Purdue – 02-20-2012

And that’s the day that was.