This will be a blog post that I will continue to update anytime I share a #mysterymonday post in social media. Based on the fun interesting responses to my first Mystery Monday photo I shared, I thought I would give this a try. It will allow viewers to see the history of the photos and what the photo subject is, since some photos are not apparent at initial view.
The more abstract and macro view of the world we live in has always interested me. There can be really fascinating photos pretty much everywhere if you are willing to narrow your focus down to subjects that measure in inches instead of hundreds of feet, or even many miles. Although small isn't always the recipe. At times it can be a different angle, weather, or way of photographing a given subject that causes a viewer to pause trying to understand what it might be.
Scroll to the bottom to see the most recent photo posted. The most recent one won't have any insight into what the photo subject is. When a new photos is posted to this running blog I will provide more insight into what the prior photo is comprised of. This allows the viewer at least a week (sometimes more) to view the photo without any context on what the subject is. Long term I am looking to turn this into an eBook once I have at least a year of photos posted with the goal to showcase the hidden beauty that is all around from wild nature to everyday man made items.
While I was selecting this photo from MM to me it looked like a stack of pencil tips so I named the photo "Pencil Tips" in the metadata. Then I went to my middle school daughter and asked her what she thought it looked like and then said pencil tips. Bright minds. Then she said the right answer which is jackfruit. This is a close up photo of the outside of a large jackfruit. The actual fruit hanging from the tree was 12" to 18" tall at a botanical garden in Hawaii. I had them before yet this was the biggest. Looking at it closely was mesmerizing with the skin patterns, maybe a little trance like if you stare long enough. Although I won't expect to see some secret subject if I look at it long enough, like those art pieces hanging in malls during the late 80's and early 90's.
While lounging on the shore of a lake in the Mount Hood Wilderness during a family camping trip I was entranced by the light and canyon colored rocks. Even though a straight regular view through the clear water would have worked I wanted to do something different. This was a relaxing photo time playing with this subject to see what I could come up with using ICM (In Camera Movement). Using subtle camera movement I was able to create one that I really liked.
Hold Your Step
Monday August 22
Our first black and white for Mystery Monday (MM). Originally I was going to leave it in color after originally trying black and white when it was first taken. Then this is when accidents are great. I accidently pressed something that showed it today as black and white, and this time I changed my mind. Stripping the color away on this I feel creates more of an abstract view of this subject.
What you are looking at is a sidewalk. I walked past this spot a number of years ago when it was first poured and I saw this really interesting designs. I didn't photograph it since my phone at the time wasn't good resolution and I didn't have may main camera. Fast foreword to 2022 and armed with a better phone camera, the iPhone 12 Pro, I was able to create something. I was happy to still see it was there. A little faded yet nothing a little processing can't bring out.
Glacier Diamonds
Diamonds in the glacial rough of Alaska. Starring down at a macro view that is easy to walk right over without noticing. Taken with iPhone.
This was such a fascinating find. I really wanted to spend more time on this one yet I couldn't. This was on a glacier tour in Alaska. My second time visiting the Matanuska Glacier, my first over winter seeing it it all snowed over as a winter wonderland. When you are on these tours there is no lollygagging around. The tour leader is keeping the group moving with only very short stops. The vast majority are there simply to see the sights and snap a few photos, not stare at every detail and photograph it intensely.
This is one of those scenes that you can easily walk over, which I started to. As I did the hints of blue glistened like sparkling diamonds, at least to me. Despite all the glacial silt runoff covering the ice you could see a little bit of the blue coming through. The combination works really well here. While I was only able to quickly finding a pleasing composition with my iPhone, I was thankful to see it came out really well. And as I have learned just because I create a great photo with the phone does not mean I can replicate with my larger main camera. Sometimes it's just not that easy and in this case it's likely better off I didn't have the opportunity.
Crackling
A small scene on the Oregon Coast of bacteria decomposing to creating an oily looking sheen. While at first glance this may look like a petroleum oil sheen it's completely organic and natural. You can tell the difference by either poking at or smelling the sheen. Man-made oil sheen will smell like petroleum, the naturally occurring one won't. If you poke the sheen with a stick the man-made oil will come right back together, unlike a natural sheen which will stay apart like this photo illustrates.
At first glance it might be taken as an oil sheen on water or a unique looking counter top. The first guess is correct. While it has a resemblance of a man-made petroleum oil sheen it's actually completely organic and natural sheen that is produced when bacteria decomposes, typically referred to as cyanobacteria. You can easily tell the difference between a natural sheen and one that is man-made. If you take a stick and poke the sheen it will break up and stay broken apart like this photo. If it's man-made then it will come right back together after you take away the stick. You can read more about this in these links, here and here.
As for this specific photo it was taken along the Oregon Coast. In fact it was right on the beach on sand near vegetation with standing water. These scenes are easy to pass by. This photo was taken with my macro lens with the width measuring no more than 7 or 8 inches.
July 4th
Surface of tennis court bringing out the red, white and blue from both the natural surface and the slow deterioration with mold spores.
“July 4th” - was an unexpected find while vacationing in Montana with my family recently. I have a daughter that is into tennis, to the point that we usually search for courts when we travel. One morning she and I headed out to nearby courts. Once in a while a ball would end up outside the immediate court which would force me to wander to the neighboring open courts. As I did this I started to take notice to some interesting patterns and colors in different areas. My only camera was an iPhone which I proceeded to take out a few times for the brief moments that clouds obscured the sun. This is one of those photos, looking down to a small area of a tennis court.
So what are tennis courts made of? I honestly wasn't completely sure until I looked into it. While the evolution of tennis has seen a variety of court surfaces, including even grass (doesn't seems like the best option but what do I know), the most common today for public courts is a thick layer of paint with sand mixed in that is painted on asphalt. The amount of sand included helps determine how fast the ball will bounce. What you see here is really red paint and grit from sand, along with areas that have started to discolor/darken along with what appears to be mold spores or lichen growing. Seems like these courts could use a good power washing!
Deep Space
An interesting abstract resembling a cosmic look into deep space.
“Deep Space” - I was wandering past the side of my house like I do pretty much everyday. Yet it was this one time that the smallest of details caught my eye. I stopped and walked closer to one of the vent pipes. Around the outside of the plastic pipe is a metal brace holding the pipe in place. There is a small area where the black paint chipped off. In this spot the metal has started to rust and blister. While discovering rusted metal isn't something new for me, this interesting design with different hues of orange lines resembled more of a rock abstract than metal. I used a macro lens only inches away from this metal plate to photograph this find.
Burning
Abstract and macro view found in farm country of Eastern Washington
"Burning" - While leading a workshop in the Palouse region we stopped at an area that had old farm equipment. One subject that myself and a couple participants took interest in was an old farm combine harvester. There was a number of interesting details, many comprised of rusting metal. Yet there was one area that I am pretty sure was thick decaying rubber. It seemed too thick to be vinyl. There was a large cut through it so I could see the thickness. It was painted red. This photo is a macro composition showing the peeling rubber which gave a unique contrast between the black rubber and the red paint slowly decomposing. Needless to say we all had fun with this little spot.
Blue Crackle
Looks like a view of cracked dirt, mud or skin. This abstract view is none of those.
"Blue Crackle" - While this does appear to be a close up of dried mud or dirt, it's not. In fact among the more than dozen answers on social media no one was close. When I saw this I knew it had real potential. It is a close up macro view of a larger subject. The larger subject is actually a decaying tire from old farm equipment. I had never seen anything like this in regards to a tire. I suspect it's decades old allowing the slow unique transition by Mother Nature.
