Some fun & Close...

 

I thought I'd have some fun on Sunday with my Lego Castle set.  I wanted to do more than just a few neat shots like the one below.

This is Clarence, he is one of the Castle Guards. 

After this shot, I thought it would be really fun to try a 'stop motion'. I did it the old fashioned way without an app to help. I guess there is an app you can install on your phone to do this and there is also and AI app called NaukNauk which will take a still video of a minifigure and make it into a short animated film.  It is slick as all get out. I feel like it is a cheap cheat, even though I've seen little videos that are pretty fun.

But it isn't true stop motion like I learned as a kid. I learned from the artists at my dad's office as they did animation. It was careful step by step drawing or using a photograph. I learned the old fashioned way.

I enjoyed this so much, it was quite a bit of fun.

In this castle there is a skeleton that has been locked in a cell. Obviously, the guards must have forgotten to feed him!

Looks like he is happy to have escaped!

After the last storm I had to go check for more downed trees. There was one. What a year for falling trees!

I of course had an idea for something fun to shoot while checking.

I used battery powered mini-lights and strung them out on a deer trail then placed my space people in the path and viola!

I didn't even think of a follow up to this shot...but I imagined the minifig in the orange saying to the other astronaut: See! I told you I saw strange lights!

I was just happy to quickly set things up and grab the shot and be on my way back home.

Though I did find these....

They were way passed their prime of course but I think they could have been some sort of Boletes. When they are fresh, they look rather beautiful.

There were more 'False Coral Mushrooms' popping up in one area of the forest that I had to backtrack through as the original ridge trail now has been blocked by fallen trees from the last few storms. No fence damage, but it is a pain to climb through or go around.

My Monday was a success. I called all the places I had to call and did all the boring things I had to do, then took some time to sit on the porch and watch the birds and think about the upcoming heat wave. This part of the summer is not my favorite.

By evening the air was breathless. However, I did still see lightening bugs! They must really love heat and humidity and ... still nights. I think my Grandmother used to describe weather like this as: Close.

Close: a weather condition when the relative humidity and the temperature are both the same. Often with no breeze where the air feels stagnant and heavy making it hard to breathe.

The A/C will get a work out for the next few days. It will be 'close'.

Day Dreamer

I spent my rest up time reading and when I was bored with that, I watched some YouTube stuff. You'd think I'd do something smart like watch how to make delicious meals. Well. I did look up a recipe on how to make beef stew from scratch over the weekend, so does that count?

I watched interesting videos regarding photography. Toy photography and perspective. 

Years ago I created stories with photographs of my dog Morris and his stuffed squeaky toys. I know my husband thought it a bit odd, but once I presented the ideas in a little book form that the grand kids could enjoy, it wasn't so weird after all. 

Years before that I wrote short stories about a mule named Billy Bob who pined after a beautiful sorrel mare who lived on our property. Billy Bob often wrote about the shortcomings of riders and funny things they did and how to properly train a human. Those stories became articles in a small magazine called Mules and More. Billy Bob was a huge hit and at shows I'd have people come up to me and ask if I was Billy Bob's mom. I had a few moments of 'fame'.

Billy Bob passed over the Rainbow Bridge and I couldn't write about him any longer when he wasn't in our pastures.

So I guess I am saying that my mind doesn't generally wander over the subject of cooking. 

I'm that person that can walk by a tree and imagine what story it could tell. 

I was that kid in school who would stare out the window and dream up story in my head. The teacher would notice and my parents would be notified that I was NOT paying attention in school. Those teachers were boring, they droned on and on. My dreams were more interesting.

By 6th grade there was a teacher that actually held my attention and made learning interesting. My grades jumped and my parents must have breathed a sigh of relief. For a while, I stopped daydreaming. After all, Life gets in the Way. 

My father was big on kid imagination. He didn't want us kids to have any toys that had batteries. He'd say let the kids imagination power their toys.

My brother was a genius who would take our little plastic soldiers and make up a war games. I never won against him. I bet to this day I'd still lose in chess to him. Heck, I lose in chess to my young friend Briar.

I've let my imagination come back out to play in full force. Maybe it is a waste of time, but I can say it keeps me from going bat sh-t crazy some days.

So in honor of International Woman Day there is this shot of some of my 'can' do Lego Gals.

Where is this leading to? 

I have no idea.

However I did get to try out some methods for making toys look like they are in the midst of some sort of action. I took two figures from the Predator movies and photographed this:

The concept was simple. I set the two toys in a mud puddle in the driveway and set the camera on a delayed timer [on a mini tripod]. When the camera was shooting, I scooped water with my hand towards and slightly behind the creatures. The water droplets gave off a nice glow and slight sense of motion.

What it looked like when I was shooting it:

I tried this again in the machine shed with some cast off toys. I used dirt instead.

The late afternoon light was so fun with the blast of dirt and hay chaff I threw. I just had to try it from another angle.

...and again. Until I realized that I better wrap things up and get back in the house to get supper on the table.

Half of the fun is getting things set up and imagining just how to present it.
The process is the fun part.

Thinking it through, and the presentation.

Well, soon enough spring will be here and I'll have more exploring to do as the wild flowers, skunk cabbages, and marsh marigolds begin to appear.

And tomorrow?

We have a Winter Storm Warning!

Whew!

At least our furnace is back up and running.

I think I'll spend the storm cleaning, organizing, and thinking up new scenarios for my enjoyment.

Toy Photography experiments

I thought I'd try something different by converting a computer screen  into a green screen. I took a fractal and replaced the green with it.

It was fun so I thought I'd try making a backround to put on the laptop screen and then use that as a backdrop. Yes, that is an Alien figurine. 

I wanted to make it look like it was in a spaced out environment. 

Here is what the next shot looked like. The Alien is facing the window so I can get highlights on his front. His foot is on a stand so he can hold that position on my keyboard.

And then the final edit. I had to crop out part of his foot and the bottom of the computer screen. I'm learning as I go, so I could do better.

This was a fun exercise. I wanted it to be dark and scary. I'll have to do some work to figure out another way to either include his feet or just shoot his upper body.

I got these ideas from a 'how to' site from Toy Shooter: How to use your monitor for backround lighting. It certainly limits the size of what you use and photograph, but with some more work, I could have some fun.

This opens up a new method for me! Now I just need to figure out what I'd like to do.

Toy photography isn't exactly mainstream, but there is a certain niche for it. Lego toy photography is extremely popular!

No monitor backround here, an LED flashlight and black cloth in a very dim room. A bit of light painting.

I had to try this one. These are my mini garden gnomes that go in my Fairy Garden outside in the summer... I'm guessing the one playing the flute attracted a dragon instead of a Unicorn! I used a flashlight here too. 

The monitor backround has opened up a new way for me to experiment. I'm looking forward to that. Now my cast off Legos will have something to look forward too. 
A good activity too for one of those horrible weather days!

Welcome April!

I've been a bit out of sorts lately. Let's go ahead and blame it on hours and hours of cutting down brush/Elderberry trees and piling brush. I even participated in a weak attack of a burdock patch. 

I don't know my limits sometimes. I think, just a bit more...just a bit more! Then there was the old tree that blew over on the line fence. Hand sawing and more fixing in the cold winds is hard on these gnarly old hands.

So I decided to NOT do any brush work for two days [it was too windy any way]. I read two books and did some hiking in the creek with Charlie. 

Our state just opened up vaccinations for all ages. That means I can sign up on Monday! There is an option for J&J locally here in town, I'm hoping to get it and be One and Done. 

I am all for still being socially distanced and using precautions. But with both of us vaccinated, I will feel a bit safer going to an open air gym this summer, hiking with more friends, and even visiting.  People who are not immediate family and don't get vaccinated or use any precautions will not stay with us in our house. 
I think I lost a friendship over that ruling. 

My thoughts on that? Well, they were the only folks that came and stayed anyway except for the occasional visit from my son. So not much will change.

I cannot impose my will on others. Oh wait, OF course I try to! That is human nature.

Found things yesterday.

Elfin cups:

Tree reflections at the fence line between my west neighbor and I.

Sleeping Dragon:

The dragon is in a spot I recently cleared. There is a small rock outcropping that I cleaned up last fall and pulled all the noxious weeds and buckthorn sprouts. I've seeded it to grass and plan on putting ferns and perhaps some wild ephemerals in the area. I'm going to try and make it my little 'get away' spot close to the house.

Cell phone shots of on top of the rocks and below the rocks. I used hay chaff to cover the grass seed.

The mules won't be able to get in here, I'm putting up a single hotwire to keep them out. 
This is very close to the house too. I'm going to get a few chunks of wood as stools so I can come out here and read in the summer. Well, that is the thought.

My deep shaded woodland experiment. 

Well there it is. Happy April 1st. 
I'm taking some long time friends who used to be neighbors on the Ma & Pa's hike today.

I am looking forward to it. I used to babysit her children. Now the oldest is taking driver's ED! 

Time flies.