After the rain left one evening, I took a walk and photographed little things. Little places I don’t usually give a second glace. They felt newer or more highlighted. I like going through familiar spaces and re-evaluating, because I often am less observant than I could be.
Back from Cape Cod, I’ll be splitting up the photographs into several posts.
It rained a lot while we were there, the sound of it through the windows was lovely. One day I couldn’t stand being inside a moment longer and put on a coat and grabbed my camera with my f/1.4 lens. I know, I KNOW it is so ridiculous to get stoked about taking macro shots all the time, so I don’t, but the details that the rain and the contrast it brings out was gorgeous.
I was able to witness a determined bumblebee pollinate two rose bushes, despite sometimes being pummeled by a fat raindrop. Bees are some of the most gorgeous creatures to me- also, they’re rather genius! The shape of honeycomb is mathematically the most efficient and the strongest shape to support filling it with weight (like honey).
Off to work back in dry, hot Montana.
Summer is officially here. After winning a 3.86 GPA this semester, and beginning work full time next week, summer seems to hardly be staying with me at all, though!
I’ve been reading Nabokov, Heller, and taking lots of photographs downtown. Meghan left for D.C. yesterday, and Wednesday she and Jackson had a barbecue, complete with potato salad, chips, brownies, cookies, burgers and hot dogs. I drove down for the day to pick up parking permits and do nothing at all. We drank mimosas, lounged on chairs outdoors, fended off wasps and played various backyard games. The day was almost as perfect as one could hope for.
Bower, the skittish cat, made a few cameos. Mark performed card tricks that left everybody mind boggled. Shelby and Jake didn’t stay long, just long enough to eat food and lament their early departures. We all discussed nothing and everything, and when the sun started dipping low, I hopped back into the car and departed. The 1.5 hour drive yielded some of the most gorgeous clouds I have ever witnessed.
Lately I’ve been running in the evening with Kristin, which has been beyond magnificent. I missed running, and my body is getting back into the rhythm beautifully. It’s like it was just hibernating. I find running to be a total release from everything stressful or confusing, and it smooths out the wrinkles in my life better than most things.
Anyway, enjoy some photographs from my life recently!
Self explanatory. I am at a loss for words right now, my mind is so full of various thoughts that pulling them out in some semblance of order feels to be a monstrous task at the moment.
So, instead, consume some visual evidence from the events in my life.
My day to day activities are quite mundane, and I would be the first to admit it. However, that does not mean that they aren’t worth capturing.
Harlan and Emily are going to be roommates next year- Harlan always has the most wonderful expressions, and he is not self conscious in front of the camera- I often find myself toting along the camera just to get some more expressions from him. I took Emily out to Cafe Zydeco for an early birthday dinner- we both gorged ourselves, it was very messy! Thank goodness nobody we knew saw us!
I find that photographing everyday things that seem boring make these moments significant. I like lending significance to the dull, the muted- it makes me feel more alive in turn.
Okay, guys. I’m excited.
So the photographs I’m posting aren’t my favorites, but the focus of the 1.4 lens is SO awesome that it makes them automatically more fun! I like how it’s soft and crisp at the same time. Plus, it lets it so much more light, and I hate using artificial flash!
When my parents gave it to me, I took of my 50mm f/1.8 and compared it to the f/1.4, and showed them how much more LIGHT will be let it, and I got super ridiculously loud and happy about it. In a public place. Oops.
I’ve got another roll almost ready, and I’m finally starting to get the hang of focusing with the lens, so perhaps the next roll will be a little more awesome, but here are some photographs from the first roll with this beautiful new addition to my lens collection!
Someday I’ll take pictures of all of the lenses I own and give a visual catalog. Some of them are quite lovely! This is my current favorite though.
The last few days have been busy with mostly unimportant things like reading about World War II, sun bathing, eating food food, and enjoying being 21, which hasn’t been super exciting but is freeing at the same time.
My photographs will be improving soon, though, as a result of the f/1.4 50mm lens my parents got me for my birthday! I opened it this morning at my favorite breakfast place in Bozeman, the Nova, and am SO excited to shoot with it and experience the gorgeous focus and diffusion! WOO!
Anyway, here are some photographs from my 50mm 1.8 lens of yesterday and some of the days before.
The Photographist 