Random - 4903

Warren County Farm, Kentucky

Random - 4153

Buck Creek State Park

New Richmond, Ohio - on the Ohio River

University of Georgia at Athens (UGA Bulldogs)

Women's High Jump during a high school track meet at Piqua High on May 16, 2006.

Random Shot / Memorial Day

Today's random number between 1 and 9999 inclusive is 9260. Bethany, on November 26, 2006, was the subject of DSC_9260. This is one of the takes that was not chosen for her senior picture.

Mt. Mitchell

Standing atop Mt. Mitchell on a new raised platform. The mountain peak is the highest in the United States of America east of the Mississippi River with 6682' above sea level. It was 42°F and the wind was fairly stiff. I got cold but it was will worth it.

Note: This mountain is about 4,000 feet above the City of Asheville, NC. The city of Denver is is about the same elevation Mt. Mitchell. The Great Divide in the Rocky Mountains is about 4,000 feet above the City of Denver. You see - the mountains' heights from the base are not that much different.

Little Girl

A little girl is captured off guard. After she saw this photo she liked it but she was initially intimidated by the large camera and the big ol' man behind it.

I used a wide angle lens (18mm) and a Nikon SB800 flash extends several inches from the center of the lens. The angle of the light is exagerated because of the close proximity of the subject. She was less than 18" away when I pressed the plunger.

Ordination of a Deacon

It seems that a black and white print fits the purpose best in the case where men and women in leadership positions are acknowledged and awarded for their service. So - staying with that tradition, here are the ordained deacons and elders who were there for the ordination of Mr. Yoder as a deacon on May 23, 2009 near Cambridge, Ohio.

Blue Ridge Parkway

Scenic route is an understatement.

This image was created from 5 images, each adjacent to the previous, balanced, and then stitched together. The image file can be used to produce a print up to 72 inches in length without losing quality. Enlargements any larger than that would be a more commercial or utility grade, not a fine print. Of course, this is a greatly reduced version of that image file - so don't even try it.

© Paul Farrier as are all images on this blog.

Tulip - Yellow Poplar

While visiting the grave site of Alvin C. York near Pall Mall, Tennessee, I noticed a tulip tree in full bloom. Perfect.

Blue Ridge Sunset

This past Tuesday I made an unplanned detour and got on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Asheville, North Carolina - and headed north, looking for a place to pull over and make a few phone calls to friends and family members who lived in the area. Shortly, I was pulling into the visitor center about 10 minutes before closing. After picking up some information which included a pamphlet map just like the one I got for the Natchez Trace Parkway, I talked to a gentleman and he mentioned that they were just at 5,400 feet up on a mountain, less than an hour before.

That was all it took - so headed on up the Parkway. I got more than I bargained for. I ended up atop of Mt. Mitchell, which is the highest peak in the United States east of the Mississippi River. I stayed there a little longer than I should have. It was cold and windy and I got chilled to the bone. I thought would catch the sunset there but I thought there may be a place just as good on the way back. After a quick bite to eat at the restaurant there at the Mt. Mitchell State Park, I ended up where I wanted to be - a clearing and a view point that sets on a ridge.

Sunsets are easy - but if you remember the rule of thirds, they can be a bit more pleasing. Notice that the sun is not centered in the picture. Notice also that the sky only takes up the top third and the near and far mountain ranges take up the lower third. The far mountain range takes the top third, and the near mountain range takes up two thirds. This is not exact, but I've adjusted the cropping to where I like it.

Below is a Google Earth rendering of the same view.

Here's a link to a Google Map...

Pick 4 - 4874

Two image files answered to the search of 4874. (The number was chosen at http://www.random.org/.) One is of a young lady at a picnic in July of 2006 and the other is an historic building in Chillicothe, Ohio. There is a poetic contrast between the two images with the same file name.

Even from my beginnings in photography in the 1960's as a teen, looking for something to photograph was teaching me to see. It was not only teaching me how to see but also how to feel. It was teaching me to question what I saw and to try different perspectives.

In the case of the photo here of an historic building in Chillicothe, the original file was not properly composed, and appeared to be taken in haste. It was not a very good 2 dimensional representation of the subject. I had to change the roll of the image and remove the color. The color rendition looked dynamic and alive. The building is actually abandoned and looks like it has been waiting a long - long time for restoration. Removing the color makes it look more dramatic more closely resembling the reality.

When I take photos of people at functions, I prefer to catch their natural expressions. When folks know someone is taking their photo they often change. Catching someones most attractive features is difficult. What ever expression is naturally in their eyes is lost when the expression of fear or self-consciousness takes over.

Candace did not know I was taking her picture - and I believe I caught the peaceful look she usually wears. It is part of what makes her so beautiful.

It's like winning the lottery!

Today's random pick is... 4491

Here is DSC_4491 taken on June 11, 2006.

Aulwood Road

Upper left - Color
Upper Right - Black & White Vivid
Lower Left - Black & White Infrared
Lower Right - Black & White with Infrared on green and light green, Vivid on darker shades of green.

What do you think?

(This was a random photo of the day.)

DSC_4246

This is another random photo but I had to do a few things to it to make it more interesting. Yes - believe it or not, it was less interesting than this. That is the chance one takes when picking photos randomly.

If you would like to see the original file, have me tell you what I did and how I did it, let me know.

This Sabbath Morning

There is a nest a dove made in a maple tree. When I went to check on her this morning, she was sitting on a limb. She appears unafraid as I point the "large eye" of my telephoto lens at her - or perhaps her fear causes her to be still and silent. Regardless, she is a beauty. And her chick waits for her return.

Happy Mothers' Day

Photos DSC_7217

Chose a random number between 1 and 9999. The RNG chose 7217.

Here's two photos that I kept with that number in the file name.

Random Picture

I've got to pick a photo to post. How do I do it? Let's make it random.
I've got digital images from 2004 to 2009. First I need to pick a year. How do I randomly pick a year?
I wonder if there is a random number generator? Yes - yes there is at http://www.random.org/. Minimum 4 - for 2004 and max 9 for 2009.
Random generator picked 6 for 2006.
Now I need to pick a month... between 1 and 12 inclusive.
The RNG picked 11.
All my photos are numbered by my camera. The first number for 11/2006 is DSC 8777 and the last number is DSC9388. The RNG picked 8931.
DSC8931 was not saved. But I do have DSC8930 and DSC8933. If we were playing The Price is Right, we would use the number below. So - let's do that.
This photo was taken on November 15, 2006. It is of my new-born granddaughter, Olivia.

That was fun. We'll do this again!

"About me" photo

Some may find it interesting to note that the photo of me under "about me" was taken by Billy Laymon while I was wearing his hat. It's a great hat. It was after a show in PA and Billy, David Nelson, and Ron Stoner and I were sitting in my motorhome eating dinner and having some wine.

Here's a photo of Billy that I took during that show a few years back.