waiting for rain
iPod 365x205 [1:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (336) AppleTV 640x360 [1:18m]: Download (301)Just a momentshowing – hanging out on my mom’s porch, waiting to see if it will rain, watching the ants confused by the sudden humidity. I sound intelligible because I’m holding my glasses in my mouth so I can see the camera better (guess it’s time for bifocals). I like the sound of the quiet and us speaking quietly. It’s fun to me to hear the silly things we talk about sometimes, rather than let there be silence.
July 17th, 2007 at 7:56 am
it is cool to hear the conversation your having while this Lumiere is happening.
you’ve extended the game!
July 17th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
I really really love this. You’ve caught a particular feeling; offhand threads of converasation; the rain which must seem massive and terrible to the ants; the way the droplets disappear. Everything apart from the ants is kind of slow and ponderous and the ants are really busy. Did I say, I really really love this?
July 17th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
That would be conversation, not converasation.
July 17th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Thanks, Jay, and Beth.
Beth, I love that you noticed that the raindrops disappear after they fall. All day we had been watching the clouds, looking like they were pouring rain, but it was so hot at ground level that the rain would evaporate again before it could touch down. I was mesmerized watching the rain hit the hot concrete and evaporate back off. So I’m thrilled you noticed that.
And I also love that you noticed the contrast of the ants moving fast. We can always tell when it’s really going to rain by watching the ants. When there is finally enough humidity for rain to fall rather than evaporate, the ants get confused for a few moments. They stop marching in sedate lines and run all over the place like mad until they re-sense their chemical trail. It’s like they get a temporary short-circuit. And they were doing that while I was shooting. I think you can even see a black ant wander in to the red ants’ path.
About two minutes after this video was shot the rain really started coming down.
July 18th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
Wow! I LOVED watching the raindrops evaporating as soon as they’ve fallen – seeing their whole splash, spread and fade. Too cool. And the image itself is beautiful – looks like you’re using a long lens with a really tight depth of field – so the edges are soft and the middle is sharp – and the colours are lovely. Great choice not to cut the audio on this one. I commented to Brittany the other day that I thought we’d end up using the extra levels that sound can provide for some videos eventually. Perfect example here. These single shot films are an amazing exercise, aren’t they?
July 18th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
They sure are, Rupert. Really fun, and it certainly added an extra dimension to an afternoon with my mom. It’s fun to see how she sees things, and fun for her to see how I see things. We think we know each other so well, and we do, but when we’re both making photos or videos it opens up a whole new layer.
July 19th, 2007 at 8:33 am
I love the way the raindrops hit, with that hint of promise, then are snatched away, Cheryl. Emblematic of our situation. One of my favorite phenomena is “virga” – the rain that falls from summer clouds, but evaporates before it hits the ground – such a tease!
The ants are wonderful, always busy, purposeful, almost frantic. It all seems too much like real life!
July 19th, 2007 at 10:08 am
Wow! Doug! You are my nature sounds hero! I don’t know if you remember but I asked to use recordings from your web site in an exhibit at the AZ Historical Society Museum a few years ago. Can’t believe you made a comment on my site! I’m starstruck. Thank you.
[posted and mailed]
July 5th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
[...] [1:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Last year around this time, I made a video showing rain evaporating off the sidewalk. Ru liked it and reminded me of it recently. So when I found myself on the same porch stoop with [...]