Photography by John Michael

First Flower Photos of 2008

I have been exploring and got some rather striking photos of roses which I’ll post on here soon

In Washington DC – It’s snowing….

Well it did for about two hours before turning to sleet and now the rain is soaking it. We would have had a blizzard (bad word to most) if the temperatures kept where they were last night. I was about to head to Arlington National Cemetery, but I’ve been tasking myself with organizing 2007 photos — perhaps tomorrow morning before the rain washes it all away I’ll head out and see how the landscape looks.

I was going to build another snowman for my girl, but I got home too late.

Watch this space!

"Preserving the memories so others will remember…"(tm)

With all the technology, blasting of information and such, it’s become apparent that a lot of “good” things are being lost or ignored or forgotten. … FOREVER!

With my photography, I’ve worked to capture those moments or things that most people never consider. But in the end, they seem to want these “FREE” – hardly having an appreciation for the work that goes into making a good photograph, for anyone could take a picture.

The eye, the composition the timing the results are all something that either comes naturally or from many many MANY years of practice, trial, experimentation and more. It’s learned or earned – but most take it for granted. I remember a certain girl wanted to learn Pachebel’s Canon, just like her sister. She sat down expecting to play like the sister was, but after only a few minutes got frustrated and gave up — seems the sister had practiced for weeks to learn and play it the way she did.

Yet despite all these “wannabes” who have their hands out for the “freebies” (there are no free rides in life), I continue my ongoing mission, since it’s something that needs to be done and I know that there are those out there who will appreciate the “value” I add to what they see. To the rest of you, you have a lot of lessons to learn in this life — and perhaps you will.

Merry Christmas Cactus

Lack of responsibility — the beginning of an epidemic?!

Lately, I’ve been encountering a lot of “empty words” with little action behind them. People talk a good game, but when it comes to taking action or producing the “CORRECT” results, it’s just not happening. It seems few people take responsibility for their actions or in these cases NON action…

First Peeve — I recently acquired a new HP printer on eBAY, and the experience I had with the seller was abominal. I’ll refrain from mentioning where or who the person is to avoid embarrassing the person (or avoiding any physical harm that may come to me because of it) but it was claimed that the item was shipped 4 days after the auction was over AFTER I inquired via email — no courtesy informing that it was shipped, I had to ask. It took a few more emails to find out how it was shipped and more.

A week went by and NOTHING, (it was only coming from the Mid-West to Washington, DC area so it should have come in 2-3 days.) I contacted the seller again and was told that they’d look into it. A few days later, the postman appeared with the package and the date of shipping was the 18th! When I gave the seller negative rating on eBAY for slow response/shipping, I was also dinged for “poor communication” — the seller blamed the spouse for not shipping it when they were asked, but I was the one who got blamed for poor communication… DUH!? The seller ‘says’ they believe in good customer service, well perhaps the seller should read Stew Leonard’s basic two rule philosophy on customers — located in the Connecticut – NYC Metropolitan area, the chain of stores are known for its customer-service policy, which greets shoppers at each store’s entrance etched into a three-ton rock:

1. The customer is always Right!
2. If the customer is ever wrong, reread rule #1

Second peeve — I met a person who told they could “help” get my notecards into a major gift shop. I gave the person a package of my cards and one of the “flaring gun” photos from the Presidential Salute Battery. Sent a thank you note to the person indicating I’d be following up with them along with another rare photo of the “backup gun” firing. Called the person to follow-up. Left several messages, tried to see the person at their location — no luck — I guess one can’t take people at their word any more.

I could add at least 10 more, but on to more productive things…

Fire Red & Pink Contrails…

I headed out this afternoon for a walk after a day of wrapping up the loose ends of November…

Up in the sky, looking to the West, slightly South, there were bands of contrails from the jets winging their ways to their destinations …

the Contrails were “skyblue pink” and later “fiery red” — and the camera was back at the ranch…

c’est la vie… another photo op missed.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Slideshow

If you haven’t seen them, I’ve got a growing album of the waterlilies and lotus that I’ve captured over the past four years at this gem in the crown of the National Park Service System in the United States.

Please enjoy —

I have created greeting cards – Notecards and Print enlargements are available for purchase. Please contact me for further details if you’d like to purchase any of what you see.

Thank you.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens – The VICTORIA Waterlily

I returned to the gardens and because of the warm weather, the tropicals were still much in bloom and growing. Despite the other ponds being stripped of their vegetation (the Lotus ponds were BARE … what had been waving “elephant ear” leaves and seed pods was now short “stumps” poking out of the mud, since these ponds were drained)

Alas, my quest that I had been in pursuit of the last time I had visited, was going through it’s changes. The exterior of the bud, the size of a football (or a coconut still in its husk) had peeled away to reveal the snow white bud still tight. Now the flower was open and the center lines of the petals were pink. Another flower had totally turned nearly red in color signifying it’s end of cycle of the two day blooming.

Victorias are “night bloomers” so one must get to them before the midday sun forces the bloom to close its petals.

Enjoy the photos…

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in October

A day off – I have been following the prescription of my girlfriend, and decided it was time for some R&R – After a week of editing, cropping and posting photos, I decided it was time for a bit of a change. I needed to recharge the batteries and my eyes were strained. The weather here in the Washington, DC area has been just wonderful. Last week seemed more like summer than October with temperatures in the high 80s and into the 90s. So finally with a sunny day and cool temperatures, it was off to see one of my favorite places — that gem of the National Park Service – Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens located in Southeast Washington DC. There are 14 acres of ponds that one can stroll among and take in the natural beauty of the park as tended to by the friendly staff of the park.

This day is also a milestone in that it was 4 years ago this weekend that I first visited the park — as a result of a somewhat of a bittersweet situation.

Autumn has reached the gardens with the ponds mostly bare of the colors that summer brings. The ponds that were teaming with color during the summer are now getting ready for their winter rest. The lily ponds were nearly just smatterings of lily pads with only a few “last lilies of summer” poking their colors out into the bright sun. The ponds where the lotus have grown have been “sheared” of the vegetation and looked as if they had been drained. A few flatbottom boats were in the mud — I wondered where the vegetation went, since only a month ago the same pond had been stuffed full with 3 – 4 foot high plants with the seed pods hanging bearing the hard shelled lotus seeds.

In the pond nearest the park buildings, a flock of Canada geese had taken up temporary residence and were feeding — often disappearing down into the water — they appeared “headless”. They eyed me warily as I stood and watched them disappear beneath the surface only to snap a few photos of these now headless fowl.

As I meandered to the back ponds on a quest to get photos of the Victoria waterlilies — the ones that have lily pads that are HUGE — 3 to 4 feet in diameter, I came across a rather novel scene of lily buds poking their way through the a lily pad (shown to the right) Seems that this sight bears another trip back to the gardens in a day or so to catch this rare sight in photo form as the buds open finally into color.

I encountered a husband and wife couple who were visiting from Michigan and we spoke a while. It seems that she had been in the US Army in the 1960s and was stationed at Fort Myer – South Post in what she referred to as the “WAC Shacks” — At that time, Fort Myer had a section called “South Post” before Arlington National Cemetery absorbed that land to lay to rest the United States’s military heroes. I shared with them some of the work I’ve done at ANC photographing the final honors of the military. I’ve been blessed to have the privilege of doing this work – “The Old Guard” executes their missions within those hallowed grounds in such a spectacular way.

The pond with the Victoria had two blooms. I learned from one of the rangers that the flower lasts only two days, and that the colors change during those days. Sadly I had missed the peak bloom of these two. Beneath the surface and poking their tips up above the water were several more buds that looked as if they would burst into bloom within the next two days. So a second reason to return.

My Photography Style – Georgia O’Keefe – Flowers & Friends