Friday, September 17, 2021

A Lack of Memory

Sometimes, it doesn't pay to get up early in the morning. Of course, I can't help it because that's when I wake up -- early, I mean. Today, as I write this, which is yesterday as you read it, is a case in point.

I decided that I might as well get up and have coffee at 4:30 because sleep had been iffy for an hour already. I'd had 5 or even 6 hours by then, and that is about it for me. I was able to take my time before going out with the camera because the sun wouldn't be up until after 6:30, so there wouldn't be much to photograph before 6.

I headed out with the thought of returning to the site of my recent photo of the farm and barn at sunrise with some different compositions in mind. I soon realized that there wouldn't be a good sunrise. The sky was turning nice blue, however, and I thought of another barn on a different road. It's an event barn used for wedding receptions and so on. Well I guess that was the idea, but I think it mostly sits idle these days. Still it is fairly picturesque and is nicely lit.

That's the thing about blue hour photography in urban areas. You want the lights still on but the sky brightening from black to blue.

But the lights must have been on a timer, and they happened to go out as I was setting up the tripod.

Says I to self: Self You're here, so you might as well take the shots anyway.

If that's not enough, when I got home, I discovered that I hadn't put my memory card back in the camera after the previous shoot.

Speaking of memory cards, I think the one in my head needs to be reformatted because something or other in the file structure appears to have gotten corrupted.

So, I am presenting a few photos from last Sunday when I decided to check out the highway on the edge of town. If traffic were to be light on any morning, it would be Sunday. It was, and I got an empty highway photo with a gas station as the anchor point.


As blue hour gets later and later, the traffic will increase, even on Sundays. Actually, it is getting late for blue hour photos anyway because there are more people stirring and getting in the way. However, I may go back specifically for light trails. We shall see.

I turned around, looked east, and saw the beginning of sunrise.


I took one more photo of a motel sign with a no vacancy light, which I wouldn't have bothered with, except for the reflection.


The No Vacancy photo is actually two photos combined because the reflection was small and somewhat unclear in the main photo. So I took a second, closer photo and blended the two.

Now, back to the barn. I once took a pretty decent photo, so I will see if I can find it. It took some looking, but I found the photo that I took three years ago. I had just been passing by when I saw the clouds and had to stop. 


Today's/Yesterday's photos, had I had a memory card inserted, would have been from a different angle, more straight on. But the sky would have been cloudless and not as interesting,

And another thing . . .

When I got home, Sue noticed that my shirt was on inside out. Now, I could use the excuse that I got dressed in the dark, which would be true, but the greater truth is that I need more sleep. And a new internal memory card, as it were.




18 comments:

Patio Postcards said...

I think your blue hour photos are amazing & in the first one I like how the streetlights are starred.

Sorry but I did chuckled out loud at your expensive about the memory card & shirt on inside out ... but I must not laugh too loud or too long as we have all been there & far worse for some of us, I'll say no more.

Marie Smith said...

Lol. We are in need of two of those memory cards here too, AC. When you find out how to acquire them, do a post about it?

Marcia said...

You do need more sleep. Do you nap during the day? Enjoying your photos. Any going up on wall to sell this fall?

DJan said...

I need a minimum of seven hours but get by much better with more than eight. I wouldn't do well with your five or six. I like the blue hour sky, too, but the last shot is really dramatic.

William Kendall said...

That last one is a stunner.

Just as long as you didn't spend all day wearing your shirt inside out.

Barbara Rogers said...

You still have Sue to keep your shirt on right side out. I'm not happy about the reflection being bigger than the "No Vacancy" sign...a bit of illogical science there. Of course if you hadn't told me you merged two shots, I probably wouldn't have noticed! I don't use memory cards, rather have iCloud...or something like that for my phone.

Margaret said...

This is a set of spectacular photos. They are all beautiful. The brain memory card is a tricky one to deal with.

gigi-hawaii said...

That last photo with all that blue is really beautiful. Yes, insufficient sleep can wreak havoc on your brain.

troutbirder said...

Fascinating what photographic knowledge and skills can do for making interesting pictures!

Blondi Blathers said...

The light rays in that top photo are pretty cool. Also, what a nice barn!
I haven't put a shirt on backwards yet, but the day is coming, I'm sure. Oh wait, yes I have. My sister Joan gave me a Lululemon top that has the company logo badge on the back, but I wore it facing front for months, till she straightened me out after having a good laugh.
-Kate

Red said...

You're not the only one who needs a new memory card.

The Furry Gnome said...

My internal memory card could do with reformatting too!

Joanne Noragon said...

Fun photos nevertheless.

Jenn Jilks said...

That is cool. Now, do you leave a note for Sue to tell her you've left the house?!

MARY G said...

Tee shirts are coming out of the dryer inside out. I am, for the moment, blaming the washer for inverting them. Until I check out JG, that is. Love the starred streetlights, BTW, perfection.
Somehow my brain's memory card got reformatted a long time ago. Wiped a lot of stuff. New wetware does not do a lot of the things the old version did.
And do not get me started on the structural hangups.
Never let a good joke die a natural death, hmmm?
I like the Starbucks shots on the earlier post.
.

Vicki Lane said...

Nice photos, whenever they were taken. I too would like a new memory card.

Rita said...

Funny your shirt inside out.
I love the barn the best of all. :)

Kay said...

These are awesome photos. I love how you get those light bursts. That is so cool! I got up this morning at 3:30 and couldn't get back to sleep, too. It's so annoying when that happens.