My Golden Grail

I had a goal to be rich before I was sixteen years old and famous soon after.  Another of my goals was to be a great photographer.  If all else failed I set a goal to win the lottery.  Crap, I wasn't setting goals!  I wasn't planning!  I was wishing!

In the mean time I have been living.  My life has been revealed to me as a poem; each stanza a surprise.  It has been an adventure.  You might call me Odysseus or Percival or Skywalker but I don't think I would answer you, if you did.

Odysseus

Percival

Skywalker about to start his adventure

As things turned out, I wasn't rich when I turned sixteen.  Nor was I famous soon after.  I stopped playing the lottery.  I still have a goal of becoming a great photographer.  I'm not sure how that will fit into my life before the last line is written.  

Nikon

As for now, I am off to London for 10 days to visit my eldest princess and her new prince.  A grand adventure.  I've planned to bring my camera.  I wish I could stay longer to look for the golden grail.   My goal is to slay my dragon "Thou-shalt" with the spirit of my lion "I will."


I wonder if I am more the Don Quixote type?

Don Quijote de la Mancha Joaquin Garcia Donaire  in Philadelphia

©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved

Circe Invidiosa VII

In case you don't remember the last post, let me set the scene for you.  I was in the middle of a photography session with a young beautiful female model at an outdoor location.  I had slipped on wet rocks at the bottom of a waterfall that was supplied water from a murky, life filled pond.  I was wet and spotted with pond muck.  My right elbow was in pain.  I feared that my elbow was bleeding from lacerations I suffered in the fall but wasn't able to see my elbow.  My camera had visible dry spots of pond water on its body and skylight filter.  Mana, the model who voluntarily sat in the stream, was wet with the same pond water but was not injured.  There was a pond smell that emanated from me and probably Mana.

We finished photographing at the second scene and were on our way to the rose garden.  The rose garden had a fountain.  In the center of the fountain was a sculpture of a child holding an umbrella overhead.  Around the pond was a red brick border level with the grass.  One section of bricks was covered with moss.  Earlier in the day, before Mana arrived, I watched two large frogs jump into the fountain and disappear under the lilly pads.  

The sun found its way out from behind the clouds.  Gone was the soft, low contrast light.  Even with my reflector the sun cast dark shadows in Mana's eye sockets.  Most of the images in the bright sunlight were not good exposures.  It wasn't until I placed Mana with the sun at her back in the shade of tall bushes and using a silver reflector down and to her left that I was able to get acceptable exposures.

By this time my elbow was dripping blood.  A drop or two landed on Mana's back.  I was apprehensive about her reaction.  Some people freak out about blood.  I gingerly wiped off the drops of blood with my bandana as I explained to her what I was doing.  She wasn't at all apprehensive about my blood.

I am never alarmed at the sight of blood.  Even my own.  I am able to remain calm in health emergencies.  Maybe I should have gone to medical school.  Or worked in a slaughter house.

  

Knowing the teaming life that exists in the pond, I was beginning to worry my elbow would get infected.  I am the only bread winner in the family.  I can't afford to be in the hospital.  Four years ago, I spent two days in the hospital with blood poisoning.  I had waited four days after a puncture wound to get medical attention.  Once the pain and swelling reached alarming amounts I went to a hospital emergency room for treatment.  There were bags hanging and IVs in my arm within an hour.  (Did I say I was reckless with my safety?)  

  

As we worked near the fountain, Mana entered the water.  I think she likes being in water.  She was leaning against the brick border when she felt something between her leg and the wall of the fountain.  It was one of the large frogs trying to squeeze through.  She wasn't alarmed, just initially startled at its touch.  

I wish I had made an exposure of that incident.  At the time, I wasn't thinking about entries in a blog.  I need to change my thinking now that I am blogging.  At one point during our time at the fountain, I slipped on the mossy bricks and my left foot went to the bottom of the fountain.  I swear it seemed as though my shoe was full of tadpoles.  It wasn't, just full of water.  That was another photo op missed.

My first images of the photo session were captured at 12:37 and we called it quits at 14:05, almost four hours later.  Tempus fugit.  I packed all the equipment and props into my car.  I had Mana sign a model release and paid her cash in return for the release.  Paying a model for the release frees me to do as I wish with the images.  We discussed working together in early autumn on a project of hers.  The theme will be The Legion of Sleepy Hollow.  I obtained her email address in order to send her a link where she could download copies of the qualified images after post-processing.  We each went our own way.  For me, I needed a drink.  Water, iced tea or root beer would hit the spot.  

www.wawa.com

I headed to Wawa, a local chain of convenience stores, before heading home.  I was wet, soiled, swollen and scabbing over.  My right knee and elbow were throbbing.  I must have looked a sight and I know there was the pond odor.  At my age I don't care what people think of me.  I needed something to drink and I was going amongst people to get one.  Ten days later my car stills smells of pond water.

Circe Invidiosa V

The weather forecast for the day of the photography session was of overcast sky with a chance of rain.  I didn't mind the overcast part of the forecast.  Rain is something we didn't and still don't need here in the Delaware Valley.  This August was the wettest in history with hurricane Irene dumping 5.75" of rain on Aug 27 and 28.  Besides, rain would ruin my day.

Flooding in Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia

Actually, an overcast sky is desirable for this location.  The scene I chose for the Circe Invidiosa images was in direct sunlight.  With no overhanging tree branches or a nearby building to hide under or behind, the bright sunlight would be harsh.  An overcast sky will create a soft light because of the large area of clouds lit by the sun.  Light from a large close light source wraps around an object and fills in deep shadows.  Thereby, producing lower contrast ration between the highlights and shadows(the origin of the term soft light).  A clear sky would produce very hard lighting.  This kind of light source produces high contrast ratio between the highlights and shadows(the origin of the term hard light) and specular highlights.  So an overcast sky would be good but, no rain.

In correspondence with Mana, we agreed to meet at Appleford at 11:00.  I paced my day to meet our schedule.  I stopped at Panera Bread for a ham and swiss souffle, a chocolate pastry and large cup of coffee, which I ate and drank as I drove.  (As I sit here and think back, I took a dangerous risk!  I could have spilled my coffee.)  Upon my arrival at Appleford near 11:00, I immediately brushed the pastry crumbs from my shirt front and began to unload my car and set up the first scene.  The sky was overcast with the humidity rising towards an uncomfortable level.  A level when beads of perspiration spontaneously arise from my pores, congregate in large drops then drip down my forehead, nose, forearms and spine.  Not good when wearing eyeglasses.  Good thing I had my contact lenses in.  I walked the props, light stand and reflector over to the scene.  A few 100 yard round trips and my forearms and forehead glistened with non-specular highlights.  I placed the Lemon-Lime unsweetened Kool-Aid and water mixtures in sealed reused 2L Coke and Sprite bottles on the ground near the IKEA bowl and carafe, shear polyester silky chiton that was fused together with black Stitch Witchery and a Harry Potter magic wand pen(to be used to enchant the lemon-lime liquid).

Stitch Witchery

I have carried a large handkerchief, sometimes called a bandana, for most of my life.  I guess it is my working class origins or my 34 year job in construction.  Whatever the reason, it comes in handy for many purposes including, the then needed, mopping of the brow.  (Though I was wearing contacts, sweat still stings the eyes.)  It can also be used for wiping dirt and blood from your arms.  Even if you are not working at a construction job.

In any event, I now waited for Mana.  I took the time to wander the grounds looking for other scenes to use that day.  I noticed large quantities of frogs, tadpoles, gold fish and minnows in the water.  I heard finches, chickadees, cardinals, titmice, robins, blue jays, cat birds and I even spooked a blue heron from the lower pond.   As I walked about glistening and listening, I noticed not one other person enjoying the beautiful jewel that is Appleford.  Such a shame.  I found several scenes and moved some garden furniture to suit my needs.  The day looked promising.  All seemed to be going well and I hoped nothing would ruin my day.

Circe Invidiosa IV

Sunday before Labor Day came and went but not before yielding some digital images of a beautiful young women and another photography adventure.  I worked with the lovely Mana de Creveaur, as she calls herself in the modeling world, who arrived to the location on the Main Line from a small town in Delaware, not far from the Pennsylvania border.  Her fashionable lateness afforded me time to explore the Montgomery County estate whose grounds are open to the general public from sunup to sundown.

Large pond - First scene for Circe Invidiosa

Appleford is a beautiful 24 acres estate donated to the township as an arboretum and bird sanctuary.  There is a stream that is dammed in many spots creating ponds and pools full of frogs, tadpoles, coarse fish, minnows and a few hardy gold fish.  I bring this up because the water looks slimy, green, fouled with vegetation and having an odor of thriving organisms that eat food and excrete waste.  Not really an unpleasant ordor, unless you wear wet clothing all the way home.

On my first visit to Appleford I attended a large party, which is the major method of raising funds to maintain the estate.  I was there at night and didn't really get a good look, but I stuck a splinter in my brain that reminded me to return for my photography projects.

It was about two years ago that I stopped by to get a good look at the place.  As I exited my car in the visitor parking lot, my eyes landed on the above pond.  I was enchanted.  As I walked about, I saw a painter brushing oil colors on her easeled canvas and thoughts raced in my head that this pond would be a scene in my photography.  I also found several gardens between the house and my pond.  Beautiful rose, boxwood, perennial and brick gardens within 100 feet of the house and my pond. 

Waterfall scene

For me, Appleford's foremost appeal is the water.  The water starts near the road traveling under the cover of tall old trees that filter the light falling on the moving water.  The dappled liquid then spills over the first dam into a long pool which is broken by the driveway that spans the pool.  The water is now thick with frogs that chirp as they jump into the pool once startled by my approach.  This pool narrows on the other side of the bridge and enters the larger pond.  The water languishes in the large pond before entering a stone walled pool that creates a 6'-8' tall waterfall.  Mana liked the falls and we worked at the large pond, the tall falls and in the rose garden and its pond.

Circe pouring the enchanted potion into the water

Perigee Full Moon Adventure

19 March 2011- I drove into Philadelphia, a 37 mile trip from my NW suburban home.  I found a parking space near University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field walked to Penn Tower Hotel, my preselected perch.  I entered at street level and did not see a registration desk only a guard/info podium.  I walked past two guards, without them even greeting me, straight back to where I thought the elevators would be.  I ended in a tight hall with rest rooms on the left and locked doors ahead and on the right.  I used the facilities, not wanting to interrupt  my photo session and walked back towards the entrance.  As I closed in on the remaining guard, I saw elevators ahead and to the left.  I read the instructions and climbed the stairs to another level where different elevators traveled to the hotel desk on the 17th floor.  Once in the elevators I saw there were buttons to the 21st floor where there were Drs' offices.  I figured all the floors would be locked out only allowing passengers to exit at the hotel levels but hit the 21st flr button and hoped for the best.  On approaching the tower had I noticed a vertical column of glass that suggested stairs or maybe a common lobby on each floor each with viewing access to the center city skyline and I hoped I would get access to one of those areas.  As the elevator passed the 17th then 18th floors on which was housed the hotel, I figured I wasn't locked out of the 21st flr.  When the elevator doors opened before me was my wished for location.

The lobby was about 10' wide by 20' deep.  Windows from wall to wall on the narrow end with locked doors opposite.  Three elevator doors flanking each side of the depth.  The view was good but the windows were spotted. I used my bandana to wipe the inside of the windows.  The spots were made by raindrops that attracted dust and dried on the outside of the windows.   I realized I would have to shoot through the spots.  For some reason Franklin Field, just below the cityscape, was open with people running laps on the track.  The runners may have been practicing for the high school and college track event, Penn Relays.  At that point in time, I thought the top of the stadium might be a better place from which to photograph.  Even though it was much lower and windier that my perch indoors on the 21st floor.  I didn't have time to move and stayed where I was.

There were lights in the lobby and I feared they would create unwanted reflections in the glass but at the time, they didn't bother me as much as the spots on the glass.  So there I was an hour before the moon rise with no place to sit unless I pushed the leaves of a potted plant to the side to use the top of the pot as a seat.  I decided to stand the whole time shifting my weight from one foot to the other adding both feet equally sharing my load.

Click on this images to see water spots on window 19:00

19:06

19:14

I began to photograph the skyline as the sun set with the fairly new Cira office building near 30th St Station being included on the left of the frame with all of the tall center city buildings clear through to the right of the frame in camera.  The lighted moving marquee atop the PECO building silently announced the time and temp every minute as the countdown to moon rise continued.  I took pictures of almost every display of the time on the PECO building, as the minutes seemed to crawl.  I looked for changes of color and reflection in the buildings as the sun set.  Not much materialized.  As it grew darker the lights in Franklin Field became much more dominant.  Something for which I hadn't planned.

All through the hour as the time passed the elevators periodically moved up and down.  Each time I expected to be challenged by a guard as to my presence.  I ran excuses through my head so that I would be prepared with a plausible explanation.  An explanation that a compassionate human being would honor.  Knowing that many people in a guard uniform have no compassion, I needed several options.

The sky was near black about 19:20 when the elevator nearest me at my back opened and out poured 5 or 6 Asian student tourists.  Damn!  They tried to open the office doors,  Locked, as I expected.  Then they came to the windows.  MY windows and began to take snapshots of the skyline, flashes and all.  Intruders fouling my perch.  Getting in the way of my picture taking that I knew was going to me monumental.  They conversed in what to me sounded like Japanese.  Then one of them, a women, asked me in English, what I was doing there.  Was I waiting for sunset?  I told her the sun had already set, thinking that would appease them and they would leave, but no they also waited for the lights to power up.  I thought they would get tired of waiting but, she asked me how long I thought it would be before the city would light.  I told her I didn't have any idea if any more lights would be turned on and that this was probably all the lights that would be turned on.  They waited, still.

Now the time was after 19:30 and the moon rise was imminent.  I figured that the moon would rise just north of CC and that is why I sought a perch just south of Market St. that runs just north of east/west.  I figured that the moon would be just to the left of the skyline in my camera frame.  As I scanned the sky I spied it.  There it was, a small orange/red disk to the right of the skyline.  Damn!  Just about Washington Ave.  This supermoon was much smaller than I expected.

Here is the situation at perigee full moon rise 2011.  The sky was near black and the lights of Franklin Field were lighting the spots on the outside of the windows.  The interior lobby lights were casting reflections on the glass, fogging the image in the lens taking away contrast.  I had to create a tunnel using my left arm and hand over my head to block out as much reflection as possible with the spots out of focus but deteriorating the image.  I captured several images of the small orange/red orb as it rose above the horizon.  I had changed the settings on the camera several times as time wore on and now the ISO setting was 400 and the aperture was wide as the stock lens would allow and the speed was at a slow 1/30 sec with a few at 1/20 sec.  Slow for hand held.  After I had a few exposures on the compact flash card I pointed out the moon to the Japanese student/tourist, which I confirmed they were through some earlier conversation.  They also took some snapshots of the moon, flashes and all.  I then told them I would be off to the park to capture some images from a distance.   She wanted me to pinpoint that on a map she held out for me.  I was heading to Belmont Plateau which was not on her small map of center city Philadelphia.  She expressed disappointment because they hadn't a vehicle in which to travel.  I shouted in my head that I was free of them.  I pointed to the PECO building and told her the intersection of Market and 30th Sts. might be a good spot to see the moon rise over the skyline at the street level.  I wished them a good trip and was off to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to catch the moon from there.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is the iconic location where Rocky, in the movie of the same name, danced around with his hands held high and the Philadelphia skyline was the backdrop.  Once at the top of the art museum steps the moon was too far to the left of the skyline to include in a good image.  I conversed with a few photographer there before I headed to City Hall hoping I would capture some good images there.

I started this whole adventure just after 17:00 arriving downtown near 18:00.  The traffic is never good on a Fri or Sat night drive into CC.  I left Penn Tower near 19:30 arriving at the art museum soon after.  My first image at City Hall was at 20:35.  The moon was just becoming visible over City Hall at 21:10 and my last image was captured at 21:16.  I then left for Fairmount Park's Belmont Plateau in West Philadelphia.  I captured my first image there at 21:35 and my last at 21:37.

As I started home, I feared I didn't have any good images to show for my over four hours spent on my adventure.  Thinking back at my adventure, I decided if I want to capture good images of the city at night, I need to get access to rooftops (no glass between the camera and the moon), bring a tripod(for slow shutter speeds) and buy a lens with a longer focal length.  Hopefully I won't be interrupted by tourists.

19:33

http://jpgmag.com/stories/17742

At City Hall

 ©Damyon T. Verbo all rights reserved