Just a Quickie

I'll admit to being rather lazy in my outdoor photography the last few weeks.  Just one of those weird slumps that I think all people get into at some point.  Not that I haven't been photographing because I've taken tons of new pictures in the last month, but mostly covering the activities of my kids around the house.    So, with that, I want to make a quick little post with a couple pictures that caught my eye during the last month while going through my library.

For this first photo, I have to thank my Mother-in-law because it's her decor.  We were picking up the kids from her house and I happened to have my camera with me and this little scene jumped out and I loved it.  It reminds me of something out of an old mystery novel.  In fact, it reminds me of a book cover for a mystery novel.  Is someone waiting for a call?  And where did the flower come from and who's it for?  The way the light from the lamp falls on everything is perfect.



This second photo is an example of something very simple making a decent photograph.  According to my wife, this is an abandoned strawberry planter.  Now, my kids find several uses for it, but mostly as a sidewalk chalk holder.  I was sitting on our front porch watching the kids play when I captured this photo.  I think the primary reason I enjoy this photo is because this planter is used by my kids so much, so there's a big personal attachment.  I like seeing the touch of color (blue and pink/purple) from the chalk marks my kids placed on the wood bench.  Had I included more depth-of-field, those chalk marks would be more apparent.  But, limiting the depth-of-field makes one wonder what is that color and how did it get there?