January Blues

Wintertime here in Central New York State is usually very cold, snowy, and extremely long. We had a bit of a "heat wave" today as the temperature climbed above 40 degrees F. It is supposed to be even warmer tomorrow. So, we are having a little January thaw.

I noticed just how dirty and gray the remaining snow on the ground is right now. There seemed to be absolutely no hint of color anywhere. And the Christmas decorations have all been taken down now. I asked myself if anything in nature seems colorful during this time of the year. And the I happened to look at the western sky just before sunset. I was reminded of the beautiful shades of blues and purples which only nature can paint across a dreary sky. My photo above is entitled "January Blues" and I think that it perfectly captures this time of the year.

Proud As A Peacock

It has been a extremely cold and blustery day here in Central New York State. The wind chill temperatures were around -25 degrees F. The snow started to fall, courtesy of Lake Ontario. So, now we have blowing and drifting snow.

I didn't have to work today because the schools were closed due to the weather. So, I stayed in and worked on photography projects. One of these projects involved photographing a peacock feather. (I actually purchased the feathers at the local grocery store.) I used my Canon 60mm lens and a tripod, of course. The photo was made using natural window light.

I am drawn to objects that are rich in colors. (This may be because the only color I see outside my window now are painted in shades of gray.) As the photographer William Albert Allard said, "In my photography, color and composition are inseparable. I see in color."

The Master painter certainly has certainly given us an incredible palette from which to choose from in nature: robin's egg blue, rose bud pink, delicate lavender, and buttery yellow-just to name a few. I find myself turning to this palette again and again, especially on bleak winter days that are dressed in shades of gray.

Focusing On Color

I recently received a quilting supply catalog in the mail. (Yes, the catalog was sent through the regular post!) The quilt store owner always writes a brief article in the front of her catalogs. In this catalog, she asked this very thought provoking question, "If you were a color, what color would you be?"

This is a good question to ask photographers, too. I have to say that my first response to this question was the color purple. There are so many different shades of this color: lilacs that bloom in June, delicious grapes, a Tanzanite ring, purple mums, and the purplish hues painted across the sky.

So, I am not surprised when this royal color appears in my photos. Here is one of the first photos that I took with my Canon point-and-shoot camera. The title is "Purple Rain".

Wouldn't it be fun to take a series of photos that focus on specific colors? I would like to try to do such a project. And nature offers us such a rich color palette to work with. Ralph Waldo Emerson described it best when he wrote, "Nature always wears the colors of the spirit."

And now I would like to ask you the same question, If you were a color, what color would you be?