“Our New Look” and Best Holiday Wishes

Along Washington Street, Delavan, Wisconsin

December 20, 2023

With the pronounced absence of snow (nary a flake is on the ground) so far this winter in southeastern Wisconsin, I decided to dip into my archives to produce this snowy scene, which is on the north side of Washington Street in Delavan, Wisconsin.

Just behind the trees to the west is Swan Creek. Both are at the base of a hill, whose crest is along Terrace Street to the east. When covered with snow, the Rudy Lange Sledding Hill is populated with people young and old speeding down it on sleds and other modes of brief but rapid transport.

When I thought to share this photograph, I was hoping its date was sometime in the winter – possibly around Christmas for an extra dimension of relevance to the current time of the year.

But no! I did the photo on March 17, 2005. You will recognize the date as St. Patrick’s Day. Not only that, spring arrived just three days later! Long-time residents of Walworth County (which is where Delavan is located) will see no need for me to use an exclamation point on the last sentence, since the unpredictability of the weather can result in snow falling anytime between mid-October and mid-May. Although, every year that scenario is being challenged as the climate changes.

I resided in Delavan from April 1991 until late September 2014. I came to really enjoy the community (and the surrounding area), and I look forward to going back there periodically, most frequently to attend the assorted fine concerts presented at the Phoenix Park Bandshell, which is just a block south of downtown. They are staged 2-3 times a week from late May until mid-September by an all-volunteer Friends group, and its members have done a superb job of booking a variety of musical performers annually beginning in 2008.

I do not have too much to say about this photo. Naturally, winter is one of the best times for black-and-white photography, since the scale of tones from white to gray to black stands out.

Photographing trees always is an attraction for me. When their branches are leafless and accentuated with snow, so much the better.

The day was overcast, so no shadows are present, thus enhancing the simplicity of the landscape. The lack of contrast also allows for more detail in the dark areas such as the bark on the trees.

Photographing a scene with snow is a bit tricky because a light reading by the camera will be for the snowy highlights, thus leaving darker areas underexposed and lacking detail. Digital photography compensates for that to a certain extent with automatic exposures, but using a manual override with self-set exposure levels can prove worthwhile. And, adjustments can be made to a photo using a computer program to re-create a scene as naturally as possible – if that is the intent.

I did this photo on film and originally made prints in my darkroom, so each part of the overall process was manual. A different approach is possible by scanning the negative and making an electronic photo file in my so-called digital darkroom.

Best Wishes for the Holidays

I hope you have the happiest of holidays and you celebrate them with wonder and enthusiasm for all that they mean to you. May 2024 be a fantastic year for you and everyone in your circle – family members, friends, acquaintances, and those in businesses, organizations, and institutions that make your life easy and pleasurable.

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Seven years ago, I came across this piece by Bob Sacks in the Publishing Executive newsletter. He is well known in the printing and publishing industries, having been involved in various roles since 1970.

“As my long-time readers know, I found the following message from Fra Giovanni more than 20 years ago. It was first sent from one friend to another in 1513 A.D. It has become part of my traditional year-end expression of hope and reflection. In it I find a certain central peace and great depth. Every time I read it, I come away with a little more understanding.

“Like the author, I hope that your paths are clear of shadows and that you have the time and sensibility to take a few moments to really stop and look around you.

“Most of us work too hard and forget the reasons for our energetic professional pursuits. I decided years ago that I was ‘working to live, not living to work.’ I think sometimes we forget that. Work is a means to keep a safe roof over our heads, food on the table, and to help facilitate the comfort and joy of our family and friends.

“In the end, the truth is that it is our ability to love and share that love that has any real or long-lasting meaning. My friends, I salute you all.”

I Salute You! By Fra Giovanni

There is nothing I can give you which you have not;
but there is much that, while I cannot give, you can take.
No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today.
Take heaven.
No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present instant.
Take peace.
The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet within our reach, is joy.
Take joy.
And so, at this holiday time, I greet you, with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks and the shadows flee away.

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If you wish to comment or ask a question about this post, contact me at frednoer@att.net.