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Petrichor

 On Sunday evening a few sprinkles moved through the area. Shortly after raindrops were spotted on the window, a distinctive odor gently wafted through the open windows. How very pleasant. Petrichor. Petrichor?  Yes, that’s what that lovely smell when it rains is called. In a paper called “Nature of Agrillaceous Odour” published in Nature in March, 1964 (Nature 201 (4923): 993–995), I. J. Bear and R. G. Thomas had described isolating and analyzing many of the chemical substances responsible for the smell, which are readily released when moistened. In case you’re wondering, the distillate they isolated is yellow. They suggested the name petrichor from “petra” for rock and “ichor,” the blood of the gods. The smell may…

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Revelation at a Synod Assembly

 This weekend was assembly weekend for the Northwestern Synod of Wisconsin (ELCA). The usual business was handled, and several resolutions were acted on. But I won’t bore my readers with details of such matters. (Is that a collective sigh of relief I hear?) The keynote speaker, Craig Koester (from Luther Seminary in St. Paul), centered his presentations on passages from the Gospel of John.  He also did a couple or workshop presentations on Revelation, a topic he is very good with and provides a reading worth much more than the roadmap-for-the-end-of-the-world variety. That later reading, which has so captured how a great many if not most people think of the…

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High Dynamic Range Imaging

 I’m starting to play around with HDR or High Dynamic Range images. Ordinary camera images, computer displays, and prints have a limited ratio between the brightest and darkest parts of an image.  This can result in having no detail in either highlights, shadows, or both.  While there are a few devises around that can capture a much wider dynamic range, HDR techniques usually stitch together a series of exposures to expand the levels of brightness in an image.  These HDR images are then mapped to standard range image in ways that allow us to see the greater detail at both ends of that range.  They do this by controlling contrast in local areas of…

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Dangerous Precedent

 California’s Supreme Court ruled today on the matter of Prop 8. However one may feel about equality before marriage law for gay and lesbian couples, this ruling sets a very bad and very dangerous precedent.

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This Apple Is a Little Crabby

 But the blossoms were sure pretty.  Spring has finally arrived in central Wisconsin and ornamental trees have been blossoming for the last couple of weeks.  A pink crab apple tree near the garage had some quite beautiful blossoms this last week.  I took these photos with a 60 mm macro lens in late evening light. Gallery: Crab Apple Blossoms

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Welcome

 Everyone has to have a first post, and this is mine.  What I hope this blog will be is a place to post when updates to my photography galleries have been uploaded, a place to make comments about my photography, and a place for me to comment about other miscellaneous things.  Stay tuned as things develop.

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