Hot Shadows

The scotch bonnet pepper packs serious heat, 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville units. By comparison a jalapeno is only 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville units. Even it's shadow is spicy!


Stay warm out there.

Shadow Shot Sunday

Walking through my room I saw a strong beam of sunlight and immediately thought of this cool candle holder a coworker gave me for Christmas. I ran downstairs to fetch it and set it up so the sun would back light it.

Shadow Shot Sunday (Saturday in North America)

Flash flood warnings abound so the only shadows to be had are inside. I played with my homemade light box today.

I learned some subtlety with shadows today. Instead of the shadow being the subject of the picture, here I used shadow to compliment the subject.

I have seen several do your own light boxes but not one like mine. Others are cheaper but I like mine. I used 4 2' x 2' pieces of light diffusers like your standard fluorescent lights in an office. You can buy them at Lowes Home Improvement store (called Metalux troffer replacement lens). I drilled 1/8" holes in them as follows.

Then I just used zip ties to loosely connect them together at the red holes. I can fold it up flat into one 2' x 2' piece for storage. When I'm ready to use it, I just zip tie the yellow holes and it holds a cube shape.

Throw in a few pieces of colored poster board and a daylight CFL lamp or two and you're in business.

Shadow Shot Sunday Self Portrait

The first hints of the end of summer reveal themselves in the long afternoon shadows. Sunset comes minutes earlier each evening. Flowers are just a slightly less brilliant shade of color than the day before. The butterflies are gone and the other insects seem a step slower. Summer may be slipping away, but I still have this day to enjoy.

See other shadow shots at
On edit: Margaret inquired whether this was a self timed shot. Nope. I set this up in the hallway outside of my son's bathroom where the octagonal window is. Here is the uncropped shot. I just aimed the camera at the mirror in the bathroom and lined the shot up.

Vacation Shadow Shot Sunday

Title shot