encomium \en-KOH-mee-uhm\,

noun:
An often formal expression of warm or high praise.

Overall, this was a pretty easy word of the day to photograph, as I was already planning to hang out at the Morning Times this morning. But giving my roommate a $4 tip was a bit much, so I will probably steal the money back from his room when he's not paying attention.

I tried to also get a bit of that latte art in the frame, but it was too much to ask for in that situation.

On another note, shooting with Ronny's camera the other day has really got me on a kick for a new one. It's tough, though, as my mantra is usually along the lines of, "The cheaper, the better." I'm still trying to justify the whole thing, so I'll let you all know what I come up with.

And while I mull that whole situation over, get out and take some encomium photos and send them to me in an email!

sough \SAU; SUHF\,

intransitive verb:
1. To make a soft, low sighing or rustling sound, as the wind.

It took a lot longer than I had expected to find a dandelion for today's word of the day. But I picked one up a couple blocks from the house and brought it down to Jamie's work before lunch, and she helped me get a good shot.

I didn't necessarily get the focal point in the photo that I had intended, but, as we were downtown and not surrounded by spare dandelions, we only really had one chance to get it close. I hope you get the idea.

For those of you who may have missed yesterday's post (because it was so late that the time stamp on it showed that it was posted today), be sure to check out the audio slideshow on Hardwire, a Real Life Super Hero from Greensboro. I went on patrol with him yesterday for a News 14 story.

And as always, if you've got a photo for sough, send it along to me in an email!

daedal \DEE-duhl\,

adjective:
1. Complex or ingenious in form or function; intricate.
2. Skillful; artistic; ingenious.

I'm not sure if today's photo really fits with the word of the day, but I spent all day trailing Hardwire, a Real Life Super Hero from Greensboro. The end product was an audio slideshow on news14.com that I think turned out pretty well.

It was a fairly extensive project, but following Hardwire around while he handed out water and snack bars to the homeless was actually a lot of fun. If you get a chance, check out the final product.

Also, Ronny let me borrow his 40D for a change, and that was really awesome. It takes pretty fantastic photos, but due to a lack of funds, I'll be sticking with my 10D.

And in the meantime, if you've got any real photos for daedal, send them to me in an email!

Update: Thanks again to Jessi for sending this photo!

"This is the daedal inside of Saint Chapelle in Paris. Everything in this church was intricately wrought, and it was beautiful!"

pule \PYOOL\,

intransitive verb:
To whimper; to whine.

Jeff posed as a dunce for me in today's word of the day. I appreciate the effort all my models have put into making this blog work out -- otherwise there would be way more self portraits in this project.

As has become custom, I immediately thought of a baby or puppy for the word. But I have to tell myself every time that happens to expand my horizons a little bit. It's tough not to be too literal, but also to keep things simple enough.

Lighting-wise, this was just a flash shot through the homemade softbox camera left. I also could have used one camera right and behind to get rid of Jeff's shadow had I been less lazy. But I also like the way one light and the sunlight through the window gives a natural vignette. (Careful, though. Those can get a little trite.)

If you've got any photos for pule, send them along to me in an email!

copse \KOPS\,

noun:
A thicket or grove of small trees.

Today's word of the day brought me out to find the very nicest 90-year-old Christmas tree farmer I've ever met.

Frank's farm is about five or 10 miles outside of Raleigh. He was really nice when I drove up onto his tree farm to find a group of small trees. He drove his golf cart up and down the rows to find trees that weren't growing straight up and tie them to posts.

The Back Achers Christmas Tree Farm, on which the first tree was planted in 1979, is one where you can go to pick out your tree, cut it down and bring it home. Customers can also reserve their tree in October, Frank said.

If you're hunting for a place to get a Christmas tree, or even a photo of one, that's the place to go. In the meantime, send your copse photos to me in an email!


Update: Thanks again to Jessi for sending this awesome photo of the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. Very cool, and very pretty.