Janet Brien's photos

2 pictures above in notes! (One of them is a close up of the fungus I photographed yesterday and completely forgot to upload the inset!) Although it was supposed to rain today, it was still dry when I bounced out of the house, eager to step through "Alice's looking glass" and explore the tiny world. I didn't have to go far. Just over to an Oak tree about 50 feet from the house, in fact. First I found the acorn cap in the second picture I'm sharing today, and when I was done getting various angles, I looked up to find the cap above, balanced between two twigs! (No, I didn't place it there!) It was one of those things where I thought, "Oh, that's neat!" but then I realized how special it was, and knew it would end up being my Picture of the Day! :) David Royston Bailey, CBE (born 2 January 1938) is an English photographer, regarded as one of the nation's best. He became a photographic assistant at the John French studio, then photographer for John Cole's Studio Five before being contracted as a fashion photographer for British Vogue magazine in 1960. Along with Terence Donovan and Brian Duffy, he captured and helped create the 'Swinging London' of the 1960s. In 2012, the BBC made a film of the story of his 1962 New York photoshoot with Jean Shrimpton. Wikipedia: David Bailey

I walked about 50 feet from the house to an Oak tree that has moss growing all over its lower branches. I've seen some beautiful things here before, and I was delighted to find this lovely acorn cap nestled in the moss. I originally planned to make this my Picture of the Day, until I looked up and saw the acorn cap balanced between two twigs! :)

2 pictures above in notes! :) I was so busy today that the day flew by, and I suddenly looked up in shock to see that the sun was nearly down! Eeek!! I dashed outside and knew I needed to get my Picture of the Day right away if I intended on an outside image, as darkness was quickly closing in and the thick clouds above were heavy with impending rain. For me, finding a nice subject usually requires me to "become one" with my surroundings. I need to slow down to feel the world around me, and I need to relax in order to see the natural beauty that reveals itself as I slip into the moment. When this happens, my senses become keener and I notice things I wouldn't normally. This "zone" is very special and makes me feel like I'm part of the natural world, as opposed to being just an observer. However, being in a hurry doesn't work, and the problem today was that I was really racing against time, so it was a challenge to keep myself from rushing. My solution was to race down to an area in the lower forest where I thought I might find something special, and then I stopped and just looked around, moving forward slowly and keeping my eyes open as I began to sense the forest. I made my way towards the little footpath that the dogs and I walk on and then I saw a stump ahead, which made me smile because I remembered there was something special on it. Walking up to it, I found several polypore bracket fungi adhered to the old Oak stump, and I was again fascinated by them. If you look at these from any distance, or from above, all you see is a beige, boring lump. But if you crouch down and get really, really close, you will see that there are coral-like pores all over the underside! (see the inset image for a close-up) This particular fungus is especially interesting because the right side that looks like wood is actually old, dead fungus! I don't know if it died from something or if it's the previous fungus and this fungus is growing on top of it. Really cool to find and a neat Picture of the Day! I took several pictures and as I stood up, it began to rain. I made my way back to the house as it got dark and stepped inside just as it began to pour! What timing! Gustave Flaubert (French: [ɡystav flobɛʁ]; December 12, 1821 – May 8, 1880) was an influential French writer widely considered one of the greatest novelists in Western literature. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary (1857), for his Correspondence, and for his scrupulous devotion to his style and aesthetics. The celebrated short story writer Maupassant was a protégé of Flaubert. Wikipedia: Gustave Flaubert

These icicles were right next to the front stairs of our porch, and even though I've taken lots of icicle pictures, these are so perfect that I just had to share them! :)

2 picture above in a note! :) Today it was much warmer than it's been for weeks, about 35°F, oh my! :D It's amazing how long the snow has stuck around, since we got nearly 4" about two weeks ago but none since. It's been cold enough that it hasn't melted in the shady areas, which I like because it's pretty. I went out without the dogs today and headed down to our dark and shady lower forest. I really hoped that I'd be able to find some mushrooms, but quite frankly, I was pretty sure there was no chance because it's been so cold. So instead, I thought I'd just cruise around and check things out. Crossing the tiny, seasonal stream that's dry, I approached a fallen oak tree that I'm very careful around. You see, the top half of the dead tree broke off and fell to the ground, but it was caught in two younger trees on the way down, and this monstrous thing hangs precariously in the air, with much of the weight held up by its dead branches that fork the ground like legs. The two, much smaller, unfortunate trees which have been holding up the rest of the weight are strained and groaning under the mass. It is only a matter of time before gravity wins and the 3-foot thick, 10-foot long trunk come crashing down. So, I am careful to keep my distance. Today I approached warily to look for interesting subjects to photograph. The first thing that caught my attention was an interesting insect egg case which looked similar to a praying mantis but wasn't the same...very fascinating! It was adhered to a pair of poison oak stems clinging to the main tree trunk. (I will show pictures of the case another day. :) After that, I continued peering around, looking at the branches, the trunk and the leaves. When I followed the main tree trunk down to the ground, I saw a patch of snow at the base of the main trunk. Then I did a double-take because I could hardly believe my eyes! Smack-dab in the middle of the snow was a mushroom poking a hole through and looking around! MY WISH WAS GRANTED!! The fact of the matter is that I've been hoping to find exactly this sight since I began this project. I have a tiny, snow-capped mushroom that is actually my very first 365 image, but I have always wanted to find the opposite: a mushroom in a field of snow. And today I found it. It's a dream come true and I'm so happy I can hardly contain myself! :D (I am also including another picture to show the mushroom at a slightly different angle so you can see the hole it's poking through!) When I worked my way around to the opposite side, and got the picture you see here, I saw a flash of beige on green and took a look: NO WAY! ANOTHER ONE!! On one of the branches that was holding up the massive trunk, a wee mushroom was growing in a sea of moss. HAPPY DAY!!! And in fact, there were even more mushrooms on the ground, but I already had pictures of these two and it would have taken a lot of work to clean up the area. More importantly, it would have meant spending a lot of time near this potentially deadly area, and there was no reason to put myself at risk. Literally, this trunk must weigh hundreds of pounds--and I don't want to be around when it falls! James Russell Lowell (/ˈloʊəl/; February 22, 1819 – August 12, 1891) was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets who rivaled the popularity of British poets. These poets usually used conventional forms and meters in their poetry, making them suitable for families entertaining at their fireside. Wikipedia: James Russell Lowell Explored on December 20, 2013. Highest placement, page 5.

This is the mushroom I found growing in a sea of moss on a thick branch which is supporting the massive trunk which will eventually fall to the ground. I'd say this little guy is about 1/2" in size, and isn't it funny how enormous the moss looks?! They look like bushes! :D This picture ended up taking a bit of work to process. I shot it at f/18, which meant the background was quite clear. I tried so many things to mess with the background, but in the end, the best solution turned out to be usine Topaz Lab's Lens Effects: Bokeh SLR Lens suite of filters. There are many lens choices and apertures to experiment with, and I chose the "Canon 85mm f1.8". In order to use it though, I had to use my method of removing some of the mushroom in that layer. Otherwise, the filter effect creates a large blurry halo around the mushroom. However, I think the result has turned out pretty well with plenty of massaging to work the mushroom into the image. I hope you like it! :)

1 picture above in a note! :) I've had my eye on the pine tree next to the house for weeks now. Every day I see frost on the needles and I am dazzled when I look closely. I've taken a few pictures but not too seriously because on each occasion, I already knew what picture I'd be using for my Picture of the Day, and I could tell that these pine needles would need "first billing" when the time was right. With my crazy schedule as of late, I really have to shake my tail when it comes time for my daily photo session. If possible, having an idea of what I'll be photographing is very helpful for speeding up the process when I'm too busy to just drift around, so today I got my camera and went right to the pine tree. Oh my. So much to see, so many interesting angles! There was frost on the pine needles and frozen droplets too, and I managed to get quite an assortment of neat images. I don't have time to share more than two of them tonight, but this one is my favorite! The second picture is a perfect pairing, showing one of these frozen droplets close up and from the side, where you can even see the trapped air bubbles inside! SO COOL and amazing to me that it's possible to show such tiny, beautiful scenes in a full-sized image to share with all of you! :) Ernst Haas (March 2, 1921 – September 12, 1986) was a photojournalist and a pioneering color photographer. During his 40-year career, the Austrian-born artist bridged the gap between photojournalism and the use of photography as a medium for expression and creativity. In addition to his prolific coverage of events around the globe after World War II, Haas was an early innovator in color photography. His images were widely disseminated by magazines like Life and Vogue and, in 1962, were the subject of the first single-artist exhibition of color photography at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. He served as president of the cooperative Magnum Photos, and his book The Creation (1971) was one of the most successful photography books ever, selling 350,000 copies. Wikipedia: Ernst Haas Explored on December 19, 2013. Highest placement, page 4.

Here is a side view of one of the lovely frozen droplets at the ends of the pine needles in the previous image. You can see the trapped air bubbles in the icy droplet, and you can also make out the interesting, "filament frost" on top. (I'll be sharing some crazy pictures of this filament frost in the future, I got some beauties!)

I went out today feeling rushed and frustrated, not in the mood to look for pictures, but knowing there was something special going on outside. Things were frosty...but...everything was extra white, and that spelled something different. I was right. The frost was particularly long and extremely fine, which you can just see on the droplet and leaves. I spent more time than I could afford taking pictures because this was a rare frost and I wanted to capture it in as many images as I could to process later. I'm really glad I did because I found some very cool and amazing sights! This frost-covered droplet is dangling from the curled, dried leaves of a teasel plant. Amazingly, I was able to get the frosty droplet and leaves in perfect focus with a teasel dropping away into bokeh behind! For me, that's insanely lucky, because something usually always messes up that kind of an attempt. But today, everything lined up just right! :) Ayn Rand (born Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum; February 2,1905 – March 6, 1982) was an American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism. Born and educated in Russia, Rand moved to the United States in 1926. She had a play produced on Broadway in 1935–1936. After two early novels that were initially unsuccessful in America, she achieved fame with her 1943 novel, The Fountainhead. Wikipedia: Ayn Rand Explored on December 18, 2013. Highest placement, page 3.

2 more pictures above in notes! :) It was just below freezing today so the frost stayed around, which was very pretty to see. I initially planned on finding something like frosted grass for my Picture of the Day. However, when I stepped out the front door, I noticed the mesh "cage" that I have around our metal feed trough (which I use for a large planter) still had snow and frost on it. I wondered if there would be a nice picture there... I did find a wonderful frosty subject to photograph on the mesh itself, and though I originally planned to make it my Picture of the Day, one look at my Irish Eyes plant instantly shoved that picture to second position! This particular flower was hiding near the ground and I almost missed it. One of the things I try to do when taking pictures of a subject is to walk all the way around it, and that's how I found this flower! :) Every time I see this plant, it makes me smile with happiness. My friend Robin gave me an Irish Eyes seedling back in April, and it grew large enough to flower by July, and continued to flower all the way until the flowers FROZE some weeks ago. What a productive, wonderful plant!! On top of that, the flowers which were in bloom are now dried and stunning, adorned with frost and a wonder to behold. I've taken so many pictures of the countless blossoms since July, and once again I am just amazed at how beautiful the flowers are! :) Richard David Bach (born June 23, 1936) is an American writer. He is widely known as the author of the hugely popular 1970s best-sellers Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, among others. Bach's books espouse his philosophy that our apparent physical limits and mortality are merely appearance. Bach is noted for his love of flying and for his books related to air flight and flying in a metaphorical context. He has pursued flying as a hobby since the age of 17. In late August 2012 Bach was badly injured when on approach to landing at Friday Harbor his aircraft clipped some power lines and crashed upside down in a field. Wikipedia: Richard Bach Explored on December 17, 2013. Highest placement, page 8.

1 image above in a note! :) Today when I went over to investigate the mesh frame on top of my garden tub, I found a very interesting formation that was hanging down under the mesh. It appears that the snow that was sitting on top melted and dribbled through the mesh and re-froze, and then the weight caused part of it to detach, leaving just the top adhered. The result looks quite a lot like a fancy diamond pendant, perhaps in the shape of a cross. I put another picture above as an inset so that you can see it from the side. This way you will have a better understanding of how it melted through the mesh! Totally neato! :)

Here's a close-up of a dried blossom, I think they look so cool! :)

I want to apologize for being completely offline lately--my current projects and other stuff has me totally tied up. I apologize, and look forward to getting back to my regular schedule! :) Because I was buried in work and a million other things today, it was after sundown before I had a moment to take pictures, so I decided it was time to feature a cool pair of carved Angelfish that we display in our livingroom. I love the character of these two and whenever I see them I am reminded of the amazing Queen Angelfish I have visited when scuba diving! John Ruskin (8 February 1819 – 20 January 1900) was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political economy. His writing styles and literary forms were equally varied. Ruskin penned essays and treatises, poetry and lectures, travel guides and manuals, letters and even a fairy tale. The elaborate style that characterised his earliest writing on art was later superseded by a preference for plainer language designed to communicate his ideas more effectively. In all of his writing, he emphasised the connections between nature, art and society. He also made detailed sketches and paintings of rocks, plants, birds, landscapes, and architectural structures and ornamentation. Wikipedia: John Ruskin Explored on December 16, 2013. Highest position, page 6.

1 picture in a note above ! :) Steve and I went to Medford today to do our weekly shopping, but we had so much to do that I decided not to bring my camera, and instead waited until I got home to go out and find my Picture of the Day. It's been such a dry autumn that our seasonal pond has only a tiny bit of water in it, but there was plenty for a pretty image, so I took Zoe and Moosie with me (not a chance, Molly the Muck Monster!) and since it was almost dark, I made a beeline for our miniscule pond. It's been warming up and most of the snow has melted. The frozen pond is largely thawed out, but still has a rind of ice a layer of snow and a coating of frost. Just what I was hoping for! On the surface were lots of leaves, and with the combination of melting snow and sparkly frost, it was lots of fun getting a nice selection of images. However, when I got back to the house and looked them over, my very favorite one is this one, which was the very first image I captured! :) Pierre Bonnard (3 October 1867 – 23 January 1947) was a French painter and printmaker, as well as a founding member of Les Nabis. Wikipedia: Pierre Bonnard

These leaves are laying in the remnants of snow on the icy pond, and the spots you see are melting droplets from a tree's branches above the pond! :)

1 picture and a note above ! :) Holy cow, it was over 30 degrees outside today! Finally, the snow is melting and the icicles are dripping away. The sound of snow and ice falling from the roof sometimes has us all horrified by the violent crashing! This afternoon I went out with my camera, totally unimpressed by the messy landscape. Slushy snow, sloppy mud, dead grass...what ever could I find for a picture? So I told myself, "You know, there are a million amazing pictures right here in front of you. All you have to do is take the time to see them." Sighing deeply and very uninspired by the dismal scene, I had to admit that this advice was solid. After all, so many of you pros would find an amazing picture instantly! I stopped and looked around me, trying to find something interesting. Ah ha! Some cool lichen encrusting a rock! And then more! But I didn't know if those pictures would be good enough to please a wide audience. But now that I'd found some success, the world opened up once again and the air twinkled with magic. I saw a flash of color and looked down as I passed a leaf laying in a puddle of melted snow, one edge lit up by the sun's rays. I nearly kept walking, but then I remembered that there was a huge potential for a lovely bokeh image if I could find it. I studied the leaf and loved the texture of the veins, glowing warmly like panes of stained glass, and took a couple of pictures. Reviewing the images, I changed my angle and got lower, and lower still. THERE...the light hitting the water and snow, with the green moss in bokeh behind... that was exactly what I knew was there, and I just needed to look for it! :) Idaho artist Scott Christensen is one of the most well-respected landscape painters in the country, and his understanding of light, ability to achieve pure color, and reverence for nature also make him a highly sought-after instructor. www.artistdaily.com/blogs/pleinair/archive/2009/04/09/en-plein-air-a-conversation-with-scott-christensen.aspx

"Chagrin‎: A keen feeling of mental unease, as of annoyance or embarrassment, caused by failure, disappointment, or a disconcerting event." So, I went out to take pictures today and brought the dogs with me. As you know, when we are "in the moment" of photography, we are lost to the world, and so, when I looked up from what I was doing, many moments had passed. Plenty of time for dogs to get into all kinds of mischief. Molly came running over, and she very proudly showed me her Grand Adornment.... "Oh nooooooooooooo, MOLLY!!!!!" Wrinkling my nose and moaning, I looked in mortified disgust at the sight before me. Molly had evidently found something dead, gooey, and stinking to high heaven. And proceeded to roll luxuriously in it, caking her thick coat like war paint. I'm surprised I didn't see clouds of fumes billowing up around her, but let me tell you, that was one very proud dog! Moosey and Zoe smelled her appreciatively and offered a lick or two, at which point I yelled, "NO!!!"Groaning under my breath, I told the crew it was time to get back to the house, since I now had a very foul and stinking dog to wash. Did I mention the part that I've never washed Molly before? It's only been a few months now that Molly and I are on a close trust basis, and I would never consider trying to bathe her before, but these days she trusts me completely and I know she isn't a danger. (For a long time our relationship was very neutral and though she respected me, she would not bow to my wishes without a lot of stress on both our parts. I didn't think she'd have ever bitten me, but I wasn't going to force the issue either.) I thought about my options. First I tried wiping off some of the goo. That was a bad, bad idea!! So gross!! Then I called Steve for his advice... no answer. Ok...well, she needs a bath right now. Bath tub or shower stall? Considering, I decided I couldn't risk trying to get her in the tub because the sliding glass doors could possibly slip and fall off if banged too hard. But, would she FIT in the shower with me? I had no choice but to find out. So I called her up to the master bedroom and tried to get her to go into the bathroom. No way. She wasn't having it. I had to force her in and close the door. Which Zoe promptly pushed open (no latch on the door) and out went Molly! "Molly! You get back here!" She stops in her tracks, looking over her shoulder in horror. "EEK! Pack Mom YELLED at me!!" "Molly, get back in that bathroom right now!" Around she turned, balking at the door. I jabbed her with a finger and in she went, tail between her legs. Closed the door. Zoe opened it again and I YELLED at Zoe, "ZOE, BAD GIRL! YOU GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!" Like a brown bullet, she flew out of the bedroom and down the stairs, totally mortified that I screamed at her (something I never do!). Back in the bathroom, door closed, off with my clothes and I gestured for Molly to get into the shower. She looks up at me with an expression, "Seriously? You must be kidding! I'll die in there!" "IN!" I tell her very sternly and point again. In she goes, and I follow in after and pull the door closed. Remarkably, WE BOTH FIT! Amazing! Ok. Turn on the water...wait for it to heat up and block the door in case Molly wants to bolt. Nope...with my encouraging coos of, "Good girl, Molly! I'm sorry we have to wash off your Trophy Stink, but you can't keep it if you want to be in the house." She's resigned to her fate and waits for the Grim Reaper, who is surely on his way. Warm water is the trick to relaxing Molly and she sat down and actually enjoyed the sensation of being covered with thick suds and a long scrubbing massage from Pack Mom. It took me about 15 minutes to get her totally shampooed, scrubbed, and rinsed. I even sang a song to her called "Rolling in the Carcass", but I'll spare you the lyrics. Molly enjoyed the excellent melody and fine choice of words, though I will say that Pumpkin hated every word, yelling (squawking) from her cage in the next room! :D (Truthfully, one of Pumpkin's favorite things in the world is watching a dog being bathed...when I wash Zoe, she sits on her perch in the shower for a front row seat! She thinks it's totally hilarious and laughs her head off the whole time, throwing bread on her head and having a grand time! :D) When I finally got her rinsed completely, I washed myself off, and then stepped out, closing her in and telling her to, "STAY." I dried myself off, layed out some towels, and opened the door to the shower. She stepped out and was immediately enveloped in warm, dry towels, cooed at and loved as I spent the next 10 minutes drying her off. She got happier and happier the dryer she got, and finally I opened the door into the bedroom and out she pranced, tail high over her back, the Queen of All She Surveys once again! :D I took this picture about 10 minutes after I dried her off. We all went downstairs and she lay on the livingroom floor, totally exhausted by the whole experience and obviously very relieved that I didn't hate her at all...Pack Mom loves her very much indeed. But please...no more Trophy Stink!! :D

2 more pictures in notes above ! :) Looking outside this morning, I saw our meadow Oak tree cloaked in frosty mist, and I just had to get out there and take a picture! And since I was out there, I took my time and looked around for some other pretty frost pictures. This leaf is a tree that was planted next to the house, though I'm not sure what kind it is. The leaves are very pretty though, and I had a nice time trying to get a nice image of the frost covering them like a coating of sugar! Today I have two other pictures, our meadow Oak tree in the mist with snow on the branches, and some wild grass with fancy, frosty hair! :D ENJOY! (Sorry for the short posts and lack of comments, I'm buried in a project!) Marie Skłodowska-Curie (7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist, famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the only woman to win in two fields, and the only person to win in multiple sciences. She was also the first female professor at the University of Paris, and in 1995 became the first woman to be entombed on her own merits in the Panthéon in Paris. Wikipedia: Marie Curie