Ephemera; rain drops

[John Chardine]

I have had a long-standing photographic project to capture ephemera- events that have never happened, will never happen again, and are fleeting. I am fascinated by the idea that over the whole 4.6 billion year history of the Earth, something I might witness could be unique.

So, perhaps not a novel example, but on this rainy, windy and incredibly warm day (13°C) I offer raindrops on a window.

I "stacked" three filters in NIK Color Efex Pro to produce this- Detail extractor, then Brilliance/warmth, then Tonal contrast. I ended with a run of NR using Topaz.

BTW, beaches are great sources of ephemera where every wave wipes the slate clean.

For this image I used my newly acquired Nikkor 55mm f1.2 lens (circa 1960s) adapted for use on my Canon 5DII.

Date: 31 January, 2013, Time: 1319h
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Nikkor 55mm f1.2
Program: Aperture Priority
ISO 200, 1/2500s, f/1.2
Exp. comp.: +1.0

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi John, great concept and sounds like a theme coming up! I like the capture with the warm, amorphous colors in the background and the detailed raindrops on the glass. Very unique and interesting!

[Dennis Bishop]

I like the composition, the color, and the notion of your project. When we look at images, we often tend to measure their success in terms of visual parameters. Another important factor is the extent to which they engage our minds and curiosity. With no knowledge of what's behind the drops on the glass, this one certainly succeeds in that respect. Thanks for sharing what you did and why.

[Paul Lagasi]

I agree good idea, when I first looked at your image, I thought it was a dripping, frosted beer mug. Which would fit into your "ephemera" catagory. Very sharp raindrops...well done.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Hi, John, I think this is a very pleasing and interesting image to look at. I especially like the different directions that the image pulls my eye - veritically, with the drops and diagonally, with the undulating dark background. Very lovely

[Indranil Sircar]

Strong composition, John. I really like your idea... oof bg with warm colors combined with rain drop captures the essence of it! Wonderful processing!