November 29

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Another Tree Town sunrise.

Our eyes change, essentially instantly, the amount of light they allow in, as we look from one thing to another.  We don't notice all the work our eyes do, to allow in the amount of light we need to see whatever we're looking at.  We take it for granted.

We don't think about the necessary shift in exposure until we take a pic with great contrast of light and dark areas, and then we notice that the camera can either choose to let in the right amount of light for the light areas, or for the dark areas -- and whichever choice it makes, the other part of the image is often not correctly exposed.

The camera makes serial choices about how much light to let in, just like our eyes do, but the snapshot of time that results is exposed in one way.  One choice.

When we look across a scene in real life, our eyes continually adjust the exposure as we look at lighter and darker things.

An image of that same scene has only one exposure.  Part of the scene is probably correctly lighted, but other parts are either too dark or too light.  This is frustrating to the photographer, but it is not the camera's fault -- it is our unreasonable expectations that result in our frustration.

Some cameras, nowadays, will take multiple shots at different exposures, and blend them, to come up with an image which is closer to our expectations, but this is magic, rather than something to be expected.

I mention all of this because the next two pics were taken immediately after the one above, and the light looks totally different.

For the image above, I was pointing the camera right at the sun, so it had to deal with "too much light!"

For the images below, the light level was much more generally reasonable, so the camera could let in enough light to make more details visible.

Trash day, in snow-dusted suburbia.

We get three separate pick-ups, in the warmer months.  Garbage, recyclables, and compostables.

They didn't empty our compostable bin on the 29th, and that was supposed to be the last day to pick it up for this year.  I called the city.  They're supposed to come back for the contents of our bin.  We'll see................



This next shot was taken about an hour after the previous three.

Later.  On the way to the farmers' market on a sunny and not-too-cold morning.

This is the beautiful garden we often linger over, on our way from my old block (where we park), and the farmers' market.  Still interesting even though most of the plants are asleep for the winter.

I didn't take any pics at the market itself.  Lots of apples and cider.  Lots of wreaths and garlands and table decorations.  (I have seen a remarkable number of things made of cut evergreen branches being carried over people's shoulders.  I have a strong suspicion that those people will regret that choice -- I can't imagine they won't have pine sap on their coats.....)

We skipped eating at the Deli on the 29th, and headed to the library and the grocery where we get milk.

These small bouquets were nice, but not as interestingly different as they were when I first noticed them last winter.  I wonder if the person who made the really unique combinations with unusual vegetation has moved on to a different job.

Still, color is color, and we can appreciate that, even as we are not beguiled by purple-and-green as we might be if there was a touch of orange, say, in the mix.....

Chartreuse goes with everything.  Even reddish (dyed?) pine cones.  This was a larger bouquet, not one of the little ones.  Made by different hands in a different place, I am pretty sure.  We'll give extra points to this one for something unusual in a bouquet of flowers.

Later.  Walking.  A snowy edge, where grass meets sidewalk.

A backlit leaf, very near to the above shot.

An excellent owl banner.

The rusty orange in the banner above picks up the rusty color of this fish (in the same yard).

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