Photography

My mother would have seen owls ~

/ Marilyn Davis / 1 Comment
Cylinder Head Detail

Cylinder Head Detail

Human are hardwired to perceive faces readily, even in patterns that bear only a scant resemblance to faces. Every viewer of this photograph who’s spoken to me about it notes the resemblance to faces. Usually they say the faces look like aliens. But my mom would have said owls. She preferred Great Horned Owls, but she would have liked this photo a lot nonetheless. It’s one of the few things I feel sure of. This ranks among my favorite photographs and I wish she had lived long enough to see it. Taken with a 4-megapixel Pentax Optio at Gator Automotive in Carbondale, 2006. It’s a tiny, sleek little camera with a display the size of a postage stamp, but with a viewfinder.

Brake lathe ~

/ Marilyn Davis / 1 Comment

Brake Lathe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I recently put together a small book of photographs I took some years ago at Gator Automotive’s old facility in Carbondale. The book was for co-owner Karen G., one of my best friends. This photo of a brake lathe couldn’t be sharpened enough, so I applied a watercolor filter and liked the effect. Every once in a while I can save a photo that way (usually it doesn’t work). The next few posts will be Gator photographs.

Orchid encore ~

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Orchid 3

Dendrobium

A couple of final images from the orchid show. I may have used fill flash on both of these. The orchids are often in shadow, and no tripods are allowed at the show (nor could I have juggled one with my other stuff anyway). The pink flowers are a type of dendrobium. I have no guess about the maroon and white orchids. Since this is the last orchid post of the year, I’m taking this opportunity to recommend The Orchid Thief, the book on which the movie “Adaptation” was loosely based. Susan Orlean is a splendid journalist and it’s a most engaging read, whether you have any particular interest in orchids or not.

Cheer ~

/ Marilyn Davis / 2 Comments

New Harmony Building

In sorting through files I’m finding some older photos I like but never did anything with. This is the facade of a building in New Harmony, Indiana. It’s yet another image that I think of as a semi-abstract. Photo taken in 2006.

Fallen camellias ~

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Camellias and Coins

This was taken at the small pool in the Linnean House at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The Linnean House used to be an almost magical place. There’s a slightly winding, brick-lined walkway down the middle, and both sides used to be lined with tall camellia trees. When these were all in bloom, the effect was stunning. In “renovating” the Linnean House, MoBOT removed all of the camellia trees from the south side of the greenhouse, replacing them with potted cactuses and fruit trees. The camellia trees on the other side have been lopped off and many, it seems, removed. No longer is the Linnean House enchanting.