Marian, Madam Librarian

Another character from the statue on campus at Rhodes College. This one strikes me as a librarian, but I don't know why. I like the bokeh in the back, but wish I had remembered to change the ISO from 800 so it weren't quite so grainy. I have a bad habit of leaving the ISO high like that.

.....runs off to reset the ISO after today's site visit.....

© 2007 Mexipickle

The Price

The Memphis National Cemetery has scores of headstones marked this way. I don't know what war they are from, but there are veterans of WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf Wars buried here, maybe even some Civil War veterans. It is a powerful place, overflowing with the testament of the sacrifices these men and women made to support our country and defend freedom around the world.

I was also struck by how many veterans buried here were not war casualties but chose to be buried here after long lives that had included service to our country, usually in their young years. So many patriots, in so many different ways.

Rest in peace.

© 2007 Mexipickle

Countdown

Q: Why was 6 afraid of 7?

A: Because 7 ate 9.....

more from the track at the college. I really need to make an effort to shoot early mornings more...the light is so sweet!

© 2007 Mexipickle

4

Saturday morning at the college track. The sprinklers were on, too, but by the time I shot the track, they were off and I missed it. Oh well.
© 2007 Mexipickle

T B

Everyone needs a shot of color every now and then, even when you might be eating dinner somewhere!

Oh, this is one of the first shots with my 60mm micro lens...I really need to learn how to use it, and find something fun to shoot with it.

A Resting Place

This bench looks like the perfect place to read a book to get away from it all. Maybe one day I'll have time to do that!

© 2007 Mexipickle

Grayscale

One from my trip to Seattle last month. This was shot while I was trying to get something to eat. After waiting for about 25 minutes and getting only a glass of water, I decided to walk out. I'm usually pretty forgiving with waitstaff, but that was a little much for me, especially since I was still on Eastern time and it was about 10 p.m. and I hadn't eaten yet.

Anyway, let me know what you think of this shot. I was on the fence about whether it was post-worthy.

© 2007 Mexipickle

The Rat Race

Another face from the crowd sculpture I've been shooting. I think this is a perfect depiction of the rat race....don't know what the artist intended, but that's what I see. 50mm f/1.8...and I screwed up and had the ISO at 800.

© 2007 Mexipickle

City's Finest

More of the statues at Rhodes College in Memphis. I think I might have to go back and shoot some more of the characters. I ran across this near the end of my walk and my creativity and patience were diminishing in direct correlation to my hunger increasing!

© 2007 Mexipickle

"Howdy Pahdnuh!"

More of the sculpture at Rhodes College. I've seen this sculpture from a distance many times, but finally stopped to look at it the other day. It is really quite interesting and humorous.

%copy; 2007 Mexipickle

Thanks for the Lift!

On one of our jobs, we had to get some equipment on the roof. This is a 40 ton crane lifting a compressor onto the 3rd floor roof. What amazes me is the outriggers of this crane lift the entire crane/truck off the road before lifting, so it's level and stable. I don't know how much the truck/crane weigh, but it's gotta be a lot!

Anyway, I'm sure the crane operator thought I was nuts for taking pictures while they were working....I had a blast!

© 2007 Mexipickle

Self Portrait?

On the campus at Rhodes College, there's a sculpture of a bunch of funny characters. There's this one, of a photographer, that I felt was due a shot. I have a few more of a cop and a bike rider and others. I'll post a couple more....they really are funny characters!

© 2007 Mexipickle

Perspective

I spent about an hour the other evening walking around the campus of Rhodes College in Memphis. The school was founded in 1848; I don't know how long they've been at the current campus location. Looking at the buildings, it could be 150 years....but look again. This building was built in 2002-2004 and is the new campus library. Absolutely gorgeous!

I took this with a 15 mm lens, creating the distortion in the right frame. I adjusted the perspective in PS CS2, resulting in the left frame. I guess you can do the same thing with a tilt/shift lens (I think)...but this sure was easy! The hardest part is knowing when to stop so you don't overcompensate.

© 2007 Mexipickle