Photo 101: Let there be Light; Warmth would be nice, too

/ March 12, 2015

Do I understand the guiding words from Cheri in lesson nine of Photo 101, explaining the governing principles of Warmth and lighting in her world?

I do.

But there is no Quickway to spring here in Syracuse.

But there is no Quickway to spring here in Syracuse.

And with the sun shining brightly this March 12 day in my Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood, I carried hope of finding something outdoors bathed in direct and indirect light that properly displayed the warmth of spring days to come.

With other projects stacked high as the sunlight and 35 degree F temperatures reduced the snowpack, I stopped at the nearby strip mall and snapped a few the quick way with my iPhone 6.

Gas prices are still a dirty mess, I think.

Gas prices are still a dirty mess, I think.

The direct light on the gas station sign offset by the grime of the surrounding snow and corner-block setting caught me eye’s interest. So-so on the digital interpretation.

Hanging out, at the corner bar.

Hanging out, at the local bar.

The dodgy shadows of the neighborhood bar across the street held possibilities, too, especially with two guys standing on the steps during the lunch hour.

I tried. Back home to the iPad Air to post this and get on with those other projects.

FYI, the convenience store is cool for most down and dirty purchases, but I do not buy my gas there because it’s at least a nickel higher than other stations. My dear wife Karen and I went to that bar once, and the beer was too warm and the urinal was broken in the dirty men’s room.

Have you been bathed in direct sun lately, and how have you taken advantage? Do you have a convenience store, gas station and corner bar down the block from where you live, and do you frequent them? What do you think of the photos?

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64 thoughts on “Photo 101: Let there be Light; Warmth would be nice, too”

  2. The photos rock! I do not have a convenience store or gas station down the road from me, but I do have an ice cream stand, two banks and an Italian restaurant and a Cuban restaurant that are both so-so. Oh, I also have a beverage castle which is where you stay in your car and literally drive through the store while someone shops for you. Here, I was complaining about the temperature today because the thermometer said it was only 91, but I swear it felt more like 105!

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  5. Well, shucks, I thought that beer looked kind of homey. But I don’t cotton to warm beer. Not even cool beer. I want it just this side of frozen, so that the last sip is still cold 15 min later when I’m done. I agree about saving that nickel on the gas. Sure is good to see the sun. Your pic made me even wince, hoping I wouldn’t go blind. We had a very overcast, cool morning as I went and jogged for 45 min in the blustery wind, but late in the day, the sun came out, and I’ll be doggoned if I didn’t open the windows and let the warm air blow the curtains around!

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    • I only have to drive two miles to the BJs to get the lowest gas price in town, so that’s worth it for me, Kerbey. I don’t put much mileage on the Chevy Cruz, so I only gas ‘er up about every other week.

      Yes, that sun over the QuikWay was blinding. I liked that shot. It blocked out all else.

      Way to go on the jogging! And the wind blowing the curtains around later, too. Warm air coming inside the house naturally is a great thing. Spring for Austin!

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  6. It was sunny here today and went for a walk! Woohoo! We actually broke temperatures too for this day in history as being a warm one. About 17 degrees Celcius, my mom says (weather pro). I am wishing you a great evening! 🙂

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  7. Love your photos Mark and that clear blue sky – I’m so happy you had a sunny day!

    Calgary has the most sunny days in Canada (330 days/year) and my apartment has a southern exposure. So almost every day, even in the winter, I am bathed in sunlight.

    Stay warm and filled with light. ❤
    Diana xo

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  8. I am not sure if being out East is the cause for the higher gas prices, or if this is true always. Ours is $2.31 up to $2.39 around here. Not bragging but just mentioning this, since you posted the gas prices there, Mark. I hope yours will go down…
    I liked the sunny picture of the Quickway store and your witty comment about it, too. My favorite one was the sports bar, since the photo made it seem cheerful and warm. I walked outdoors with my youngest daughter for about a half hour, probably only 2 miles round trip. We try to walk about 15 minutes a mile, just to get a little exercise. I sat on a bench before coming into the library yesterday, to ‘bask’ in the sunshine. It was a little rainy this morning but sunny as we left work. I hurried in yesterday, so I could get back to watch some more of American Idol. I am hoping to see Clark (he sang, “It’s a Man’s World” and ‘nailed it.’) Who do you and Karen like on A.I.? And do you have a favorite on The Voice? I don’t know his name but the young country singer who ‘won’ in the duet battle, is good as well as another woman… I need to pay attention to the names. If I don’t talk to you tomorrow, have a wonderful weekend, Mark!

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    • I haven’t picked my favorites yet on either singing show, Robin. I am taking my time. There are some really good ones on ”The Voice.’ More so than on ‘AI,’ I think. I don’t have their names down yet either. No worries.

      Wasn’t it great having it warmer this week? I hope it stays, so you can keep up walking with your daughter, Robin. Have a good weekend. We are going to the SPD Parade on Saturday, but it’s supposed to rain. Darn it.

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  11. Snow is all gone here bro, except for the piles of dirty ice that used to be snow all piled up in parking lots. We are having sunshine in the afternoons, mid 60’s, and I’m getting out of the building without a jacket and feeling GREAT!!!! Most of our yard, parking lot, sidewalks and the entire patio are blocked off for the construction people, but there are still places to sit in the sun and just ease away all the cares of the past winter snow and yukky stuff. Can’t wait to see if we still have flowers planted any place around here. I sure hope we do, but construction people demand a lot of space. My windows are open, breeze blowing in.

    Oh, sorry, this is your blog. I love your photos, especially the neighborhood pub. Nothing like that around me, but I wish. We have a few places to eat, but they seldom last long before changing hands and cuisine. The town grew up around this building after it was built on the outskirts of Owensboro 42 years ago, then kept on growing South, so we are in the middle of town now. The best BBQ place in town is 2 blocks away though, so that’s a plus. They serve beer and wine, and that’s as close as you get to a joint in this area.

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      • I take advantage of Old Hickory during the day brother, but since I don’t have headlights–or taillights either, for that matter, I can’t go at night. they have the best que in town, even though they don’t have the biggest name in town, but the big name joint let it go to their heads, and the quality of the que suffered. Our MS group has gatherings at that one every 6 weeks, with a talk by a doc, or a drug rep to pay for the meal, but I only go on the Thursday ones now. They have catfish fiddlers on Thursday, much better than their que.

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  13. I have to take Vitamin D supplements because I am rarely in the sun. Such is life for us night shifters…

    Gas is always 15-20 cents cheaper in Missouri than it is here in Illinois. A lot of people will drive across the river just to fill up, but I don’t use enough gas to make the extra excursion worth it. Even with the small tank on my Neon, I usually only have to fill up every two weeks or so…

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  14. Winter is hanging on in Central New York, as your photos show. The sun was deceiving, as the temps dropped more than 15 degrees since yesterday, I think … as for “warm,” I wasn’t expecting to see that word in front of “beer.” 🙂

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  15. So I know I’m going off course here, in that I’m not noticing the light but the joint (sports grill) across the street, but can I just say . . . we need more joints in the world! At least near me:). Just sayin’. Glad you have a few close by.

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  17. We are getting sun today here in Ottawa, but it is a cold sun – much as it appears in your pictures Mark. Our gas prices work out to about $3 USD per US gallon. It was nice and warm here yesterday. Hopefully it will warm up next week.

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  18. Warmth is coming your way, my friend. It’s here in Ohio so you should be getting some soon. Today, I grabbed our recycling bin and brought it up to the house and didn’t need a coat and boots and gloves and hats and earmuffs and scarves and a snow suit to do it! 🙂 (Also, gas today was $2.09. Hopefully that price is on it’s way to you, too!)

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    • Just three months or so ago, gas went under two bucks! Now, back up to this … They play with our wallets and our minds, Rachel.

      I swear, it gets up to 50 here, and I’m going to break out my shorts. 🙂

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  19. We do frequent lots of local and locally-owned places: pet groomer,vet, pizza, mexican, chinese, vape shop, dry cleaner, florist, soul food, drug store, dollar general, grocer… We tend to fuel up right around the corner, which is often a penny or two more a gallon, but it’s seldom worth a nickel to drive 30 blocks! We don’t have a local bar. I don’t know why not, since I’d be happy to teeter home now and again 🙂 There used to be one, ten years ago, but now it’s a church. I do not know, lol.
    Yesterday I ran errands most of the day, and it was a beautiful day to drive. It was in the 50’s and sunny. Very nice. Had the windows down and the music on. Good stuff 🙂

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    • You should find out more and do a story about your bar that turned into a church, Joey. That’s so … odd. And perfect blog material, I think! I love your local desires. Good job. We do teeter to our local bar, happily, and warm month Friday happy hours there are really good. 🙂

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  20. Too bad the bar sucked because it looks like it could be so cool! I love little neighborhood places compared to the big chains. I think it’s because I’m from a small town and we always bought ‘local’. I’ve only seen partial sun lately – but I’ll take it over gray, snowy days anytime!

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