Will you Take Me As I Am

 

I just finished Michelle Mercer's book “Will You Take Me As I Am, Joni Mitchell's Blue Period.” Mercer is a good writer, though I was a bit disappointed. Probably too much information about Mitchell's long list of lovers. Other than that is was ok.

One of the things I loved about her was her ability to paint a detailed landscape with her poetry.

Today on my walk I was looking for detail in a landscape. This study is more like a Georgia O'Keeffe than a Joni Mitchell.

Made with the Canon G10 and processed with ACR.

The Clouds of Michelanglo

First, I manipulated these three images. I saw these incredible clouds yesterday on my way up island. I pulled over to find a spot where I could photograph them. There were amazing to me, like nothing I've ever seen in my life.

As I was making these photos I knew what I had to do.

The took the title from Refuge of the Roads, by Joni Mitchell's. She sees the clouds as “muscular with gods and sungold.” 
I saw them a bit different.

I guess these incredible clouds are responsible for the high winds and rain we are having today. Feels like the wind is gonna rip the house right off the foundation.

Photographed with the Canon 5d mkII and processed as HDR images in Photomatix Pro and ARC.

Clouds

Driving home from Potsdam on Monday these clouds were in the sky in front of us for almost six of the eight and a half hours. I couldn’t help thinking of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now. A favorite song by a favorite artist.

Years ago I heard a Pete Seeger version of this song with a verse that he penned for Mitchell. If I remember correctly it was a live recording on Folkways Records. Although I haven’t see that record in decades, I often think about that version as well,

This was made with the Canon G10 and processed with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional and Photomatix Tone Mapping programs.