Groundhog Day - a photo on Flickriver

Groundhog Day

            Back in February, Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter for the United States. For my part of the world, it felt more like only six days. Unseasonably warm weather began to infiltrate throughout March and continuing on thus far into April. The result has been the early emergence of tree buds that has progressed into full blown leafing. My beloved bare tree limbs have vanished nearly a month ahead of schedule. I count on early to mid spring to wring out the last of the dreary photos before summer foliage fills in, creating a more cheerful look to the landscape. Not going to happen this year. I've nothing against summer. I love the warmth, long sunny days, and all that goes with that such as gardening. I just have difficulty moving from one season to the next. I reveled in the dreariness of winter (once it arrived) even though I hated seeing last summer die. Honestly I know as complaints go, this one sounds petty. I would be apoplectic if winter arrived a month early; now that would be the basis for a solid complaint. So I'll just leave this as more of an observation about uncanny weather.

Along the way I thought there no better way to illustrate the effective use of bare limbs than a photo such as this. Nothing drives home the visual metaphor of abandonment than the neglected landscaping that comes with it. I'm always looking for visual reinforcements such as this to create photos that tell a story. This is the house I've been documenting lately, the local abandonment that is being razed. The is like some off-world Fisher-Price product: "My First Abandonment" due to its accessibility and prominent location. No sneaking around or furtive attempts at hiding your car. Just walk right up and start snapping away, all from the safety of a public sidewalk. For me it was a way to hone my skill at this sort of photography and I came to understand how to capture the essence of old houses. And the close proximity, just like the cemetery, allowed me to jump right over there the moment conducive sky or weather conditions appeared. Unlike a toddler with a toy, I never really outgrew this one. In a way I feel like a mean parent is simply taking it away from me. I suppose some new toy will soon come to replace the old one. Until then I'm waiting it out.

Taken on: December 20, 2020

Tags:

abandones

forlorn

noir

shadowy

overgrown

neglected

cold

dark

drab

bleak

dreary

lost

frozen

desolate

boundary

witness

fleeting

seasons

cycles

time

history

metaphor

life

death

passage « less

Sets appears in: • Zuver House

Groups appears in: • Abandoned Places and Things • Abandoned, Neglected, Weathered, or Rusty more » • ..:: I LOVE DARK PHOTOS ::.. « less

Camera: Nikon D7000, f/3.5, 1/125 sec, 18mm (=27mm), ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D7000
Lens:	18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6
Aperture:	f/3.5
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	18mm (35mm equivalent: 27mm)
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop 21.2 (Macintosh)
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