Figure 1 – Abandoned store Sudbury, MA, (c) DE Wolf 2014.

There is what I assume to be an old store at the intersection of Haynes Road and Pantry Lane in Sudbury, Massachusetts.  It’s on my alternate road to work; so I pass it often and keep cataloging it as a building to be photographed.  I’ve gone there camera-ready several times, but the light was never quite right.  Recently, I’ve noticed that the early morning light is good this time of year, but stopping on the way to work has been impossible with the traffic.  By this time of year most of the snow has solidified into walls of ice on the sides of the road side.  You feel like you are driving in some kind of tunnel.  So there is never a way to safely pull over during rush hour.

In any event. on Sunday I took advantage of the shift in time (spring ahead) to stop and take a picture of this building.  The result is shown in Figure1.  I moved progressively into the scene and in the end I settled upon this door and window shot.  I love the peeling paint and the little flag that is always there.  I surprised myself by deciding that I favored color for the photograph.  It was not my original intent.  However, I realized that the colors of the building are part of what really appeals to me about the little structure, particularly the red, white, and blue of the tiny flag against the warm brown wood.  I am pretty happy with the end result.

Figure 1 – What a hoot! (c) DE Wolf, 2014.

There is a popular television commercial here in the States for GEICO insurance.  The commercial starts with a husband and wife in a car.  The husband is being a bit of a know-it-all until his wife ask him whether he knows that not all owls are wise, and then the scene shifts to the forest, where the lady owl says to her husband owl: “Don’t forget that I’m having lunch with Megan tomorrow.”  The husband owl responds “Whoo.” And as the conversation continues, it becomes clear that he is not paying a feather’s worth of attention and keeps responding: “Whoo.”

I had this poor fellow in mind this past Sunday when I was visiting our local farm-stand and came across the fine fellow of Figure 1.  What a hoot!

Figure 1 – Long Shadows with Simple Gifts, (c) DE Wolf 2014.

I have spoken about the long shadows of a New England winter.  It is now March and near the equinox.  The sun is higher and in its own way casts long shadows bathed in a warming light.  It is a special time of year.  It is important to remember that all times of year are a simple gift to us.  One unique feature of a March light in northern climates is that when the sun is low it is unimpeded by trees, which have yet to put on summers leaves.

I was struck on Saturday morning by the bright rays of light entering my kitchen and the long shadows cast.  So I experimented with a few photographs that my mind created.  First is Figure 1, which I call “Long shadows with simple gifts” in honor of the Shaker like forms of the table legs on hardwood floors.  It seemed to call for a slight warm tone to emphasize the warmth of the light and to recall the original color of the wood. Figure 2, I entitle “Long shadows with tomatoes.”  I was really struck with the curious shadow cast by the handle of the kitchen faucet. I left it strictly in black and white.

I would rate these as almost successful.  With Figure 1, I did not quite achieve the effect that I wanted.  But every photograph is a learning experience.  And I guess that it is important to recognize that tomatoes can be glorious even in black and white.

Figure 2 – Long Shadows with Tomatoes, (c) DE Wolf 2014.