Well, specifically, it’s the end of the month, and the end of the year, but really, these are just arbitrary lines drawn in the sand. Still, they’re lines I’ve chosen to recognize with things like the end of the month abstract, and here’s the dealio: when I opted to alter my schedule slightly to have two ‘On This Date’ posts for this week, I found a couple of abstract images taken on the 31st, so the pics here are doing double duty, while there is still an ‘On This Date’ post coming today. Confused? I know I am…
Anyway, this is what we have, both from this date fifteen years ago.
I don’t actually remember it being this way, but EXIF info doesn’t lie – unless I had the camera date set wrong and corrected it between two sets of images from different days. But these two images come from two different locations that day (maybe,) and I do remember that both of these trips were taken with Jim Kramer. The one above was to a spot nearby called Fearrington Village, which we’ll hear more about later on, but it’s a picturesque housing development/farm/touristy shop place, the kind intended to be described as “quaint” though personally I’m not sure it quite personifies this. Within, however, is a park and meadow area with a pond and stream, and that’s where I found this unidentified tree completely laden with berries. I was using the Canon Pro 90 IS, which greatly limited my options and approaches, and even at the minimum aperture of f8 the depth wasn’t quite what I was aiming for, but the overall effect is still acceptable.
The other was taken some 55 kilometers away, less than two hours previous; I remember this excursion as well, to a curious island on the Haw River. Winter conditions weren’t ideal of course, but I found a little tableau that I liked in the rocks on the river itself, and did a few minor variations of it.
I liked the split between what you can see through the water and the reflection you can see in it (or technically not in it I guess, bouncing off without entering,) the leaf having escaped the trees’ grasping branches or somesuch – read into it what you will. And I’m not sure if clearer skies would have improved or reduced the effect, to be honest, though at least it would have made the colors richer.
Despite reasons to celebrate, desires to forget, welcoming the new year, flipping off the old, or anything else, don’t party too hard tonight (or try it without alcohol, at least.) If you choose this line in the sand to make changes, fine, cool, run with it, but if you’re expecting such things to happen automatically because there’s something different about tomorrow versus today, seriously, don’t make me lecture you.
Cheers!