Windmill in color

Since returning to North Carolina, I've fallen back into the habit of not taking any photographs. As a result, my last shot of 2007 will have to be the color version of my second-to-last shot of 2007. I prefer the black-and-white, but at the same time, it's always nice to see the color as well so that you have a sense of what it really looked like.

Happy New Year.

Christmas windmill

I took this picture Christmas morning on a gravel road about ten miles west of Havana, Illinois. We were on a Christmas morning drive, and the barn sitting next to the windmill caught my eye. We drove down the road to shoot it, but once I got there, the windmill was the better subject. I like a lot of things about this old structure- most notably the brass blades, the mechanical components, and the dead vine climbing up the wooden base.

The glare off the blades is a little stronger than I'd like, but I didn't have a lot of options with this shot. We were parked in the middle of a country road, and "No Trespassing" signs were plastered on the fence in front of the windmill as well as on the barn beside it.

I'll post the color version of this picture next week. It's a different shot- the colors dominate it, whereas the structure is dominant in black and white.

Water tower

Today, my dad and I took some shots of this water tower in my hometown of Havana, IL. The water tower has some historical significance, although I must admit that I don't know what it is. I think it might be the oldest functioning water tower in the state of Illinois, but I'm not certain.

As for the picture, I actually like it a lot. Most of the decent shots I've taken over the past few years involved pretty easy to shoot landscapes and some dumb luck. This water tower is perhaps a less obvious subject, and I think it turned out pretty well.

Eagles on the Mississippi

Yesterday, we took a trip with most of Steph's family to Belleview, IA, which sits on the Mississippi River. There must have been 60 bald eagles on the river, just below the dam. Unfortunately, I'm a mediocre wildlife photographer at best, and most of the birds were on the far side of the river. I had to max out my zoom, which left me with some fairly grainy images.

Winter in Iowa

After a long layoff, the Christmas break has finally given me the opportunity to get out to shoot. Even better, the great state of Iowa is presently covered with a beautiful icy glaze. I braved the cold temps long enough today to get about 40 shots. None are great, but given that I haven't exactly been prolific lately, I'm going to post them anyway. This shot was taken just outside of Dubuque.

Around the neighborhood III

In North Carolina, the peak season for fall colors sweeps across the state from west to east beginning in mid-October. The higher elevations of the mountains turn first, and then by the very end of October or maybe even early November, the colors make their way to the Triangle.

This year, with a record drought, we didn't have much hope for a great season (by comparison, last year was remarkable in North Carolina), and whatever slim hopes we did have got washed out this week when almost half a foot of rain came down in Durham. Fortunately, before the monsoon began, I managed to catch a photo of one early changer just up from our place.

The tree itself isn't remarkable, but I like the sky and clouds in the background. Besides, even if it's not a great shot, it's about all of got right now.

Around the neighborhood II

This is essentially the same shot that I posted on Sunday, just in color. For a little fun, who can name the plant?

Around the neighborhood I

Since medical school started, I've had less and less time for hobbies, and in the interest of maintaining some semblance of fitness, what time I've had has largely gone to running and biking. That's meant bad things for my photography. Part of the problem is that taking good shots usually requires me getting off my butt and going somewhere worth photographing, and I just haven't made time for it.

Fortunately, fall is just around the corner here in central North Carolina, and fall has a way of making ordinary places look a little more photogenic. As a result, I'm going to try to take my camera with me whenever we take Riley for a short walk. Hopefully, I'll take a few worth posting.

Tonight was the my first try with this experiment. I'll post a similar color image later this week.