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Universe again neglects needs of human photo taker

I am always on the watch for what I call the "proscenium effect" after a rainstorm. You have seen a proscenium effect ("proscenium" means the wall that separates the stage from the audience and makes an arch over it) if you have ever sat in a theater with darkness overhead and darkness below and a wonderful slash of light coming from the stage. Tonight looked like a good bet. The back edge of the storm was moving inland from the ocean just as the sun was dropping into position to light up the eastern horizon. But then the overhead lighting director fell asleep and let the black ceiling break into clouds and sky. Imagine if the sky above the house in this photo was a black ceiling. That would put the house into the proscenium effect I keep watching for.

It didn't happen, but I can't complain too much about the result. Below, I cheated some with a tight shot to take out the blue sky, and it gives an idea what a good proscenium effect might look like. You can only do so much with the timing of these things.

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  • I am a journalist, educator, writing consultant and author, living in La Mesa, CA. I am a native of Texas, which shows in most of my work. I believe that anything is possible. When I was 35, I realized that the ideal life would be to have the imagination of a six-year-old, and the wisdom of a 65-year-old. I can still get to the imagination (as you can, simply by cutting away all the data you’ve learned from first grade on) and I now possess the wisdom of a 65-year-old. Being 65 can be unsettling – too late to plant trees and enjoy the shade – but the wisdom that comes with it is terrific compensation. I learned in 50th grade that, no matter how bad things get, there is always compensation. Now I am in the 60th grade, and I am learning things that I didn’t know in 59th. This September, I’ll start 61st grade, and learn things I don’t know now. To find what grade you’re in, start with the year you started 12th grade, and count up. My newest book is “Warbirds – How They Played the Game.” My new company is The Write Outsource, quality media writing on deadline, at www.writeoutsource.com. I am working on a book about the media, and I am about to revise my cookbook about home cooking on a tight budget, such as so many of us face at this time.
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michaelgrant2 [at] cox.net

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