I wasn’t sure that I was ready for this type of commitment, but after investing in all my photo equipment I thought I’d do well to apply it to a dedicated project.

Thus, the page below contains my attempt at a 2011 365 project – meant to capture a new image that I photograph for each day of the year. I’ll try to arrange them in descending order, so that the latest image is always closest to the top of the page. I have also started to provided dedicated pages for a month’s worth of images – in order to keep this one single page a reasonable size. As the months go along, use the links below to find images from previous months.

September 25, 2011

At this point, calling this a “365 Project” is far from justified. I have failed at the “picture every day idea” and just don’t make the time or have the energy to do it well. Maybe 2012.

I have taken a few really good pictures that I am particularly proud – so there has been some good with the project. I have challenged myself to go beyond simply capturing a mount and have ventured into the creation of the moment. It’s a good thing and one that I need to continually strive to achieve.

Fall is fast-approaching and I will be making a point to capture the changing seasons with a few photos. I love outdoor photography but lack the practice and skill to do much with it myself. But, that won’t change unless I get out there are start snapping away. I have the equipment – I simply need to put it to use.

September 5, 2011

Fall is clearly the season for photography. The low hanging sun, still warm temperatures, dust in the air, and changing foliage – all contribute to enjoyable results. In my time-strapped days, I still have to choose between cycling and photography as the “hobby of the day”. When all else fails, they are combined such as can be seen with today’s photo.

In full auto mode, my Lumix DMC-TZ5 responds really well and generally gives me photos with good exposure. I have learned the tricks of pre-focusing and exposure settings in the area of interest (in this case, the sky) and then moving the camera into position for the composition. My you, this is all done at 20 mph, so it’s hard to be exact, but I generally get the image that I was looking for. Even if it takes 10 tries.

September 4, 2011

I decided to take a few days off around Labor Day to extend the weekend and get some much-needed chores done around the house. I’ve had my bedroom closet doors sitting in my garage for around a year – so I thought it was time to get the final coats of paint on them and get them back up where they belong.

The photo is more about the story than the actual photography elements. I’ve lost my excitement about photography over the past few weeks (even with a new lens), but I’ll try to keep working through it in hopes of getting a creative spark ignited.

August 26, 2011

Sometimes, due to time availability and practical logistics, I need to combine my hobbies of cycling and photography. If you’ve checked out the other posts on my site, it’s pretty obvious that I take a lot of picture while traveling on the bike. My Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 is a great tool for capturing very high-quality photos on the go (literally).

Today’s photo was quite intentional, as I know I had low sunlight (the scenario every photographer enjoys). While leaning over on the bike with the camera in-hand, I try to ensure that I have the sun hitting the lens directly. Of the four or five images I took in this orientation, I was lucky to capture this one where a second reflection off of my bike’s crankset adds another flare element.

August 23, 2011

The joys of owning a black car mean that it is forever dirty. Any little bit of dirt broadcasts its presence like a lighthouse on a foggy evening. Thus, I find myself regularly with the car parked in my front yard – giving it a weekly bath. Sure, I could pay those few extra dollars while paying at the pump, but there is a sort of joy I find by washing it myself.

When I bought my car, looks weren’t the key factor. I like neat, little cars that handle well and the Mazda 3 produced this in spades. But so did a bunch of other hatchbacks that largely look the same. The one styling aspect that I do like are the lights. They have a fine-jewels quality to them that really stands out.

August 22, 2011

For the past few mornings, I have been greeted by a rather angry little bird. She was a small finch-type with more spunk than size, but it didn’t stop her from letting me know that I did not belong near her little tree. After searching in the tree, I located a nest that I thought must surely be hers.

But, a quick check revealed that it was empty. She was much more clever at hiding her nest than I expected. It still provided an easy subject for the daily photo. It also let me attempt some more close-up photography with the new lens.

August 20, 2011

The morning of the Tour de Prairie Lakes in Glenwood was overcast, as overnight storms were leaving the area. I had to get up at 6:00am and was greeted to a light show in the sky. The morning sun coming up in the east was painting the low-hanging clouds with all the important colors.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to position myself to best frame the shot (I was getting ready to ride 60 miles on my bike). But, as few shots from my dad’s back patio was enough to capture the moment.

August 17, 2011

Those mornings where the temperatures are right at the dew point and the sun is still low are a photographer’s dream. Too bad I’m not much of a real photographer, because I can never capture the correct amount of haze and lens flare to produce a dramatic photo.

But, that’s what this project is all about. I can only hope that I have enough chances to get it right.

August 15, 2011

Whereas last night I was prevented from a sunset photo due to extreme cloud cover, Monday night provided a great set of circumstances for a late-day photograph. I jumped in the car just as the sun was setting and headed west to Baker Park – just along the shores of Lake Independence. Great horizon clouds, a still night on the water, and minimal lake debris (boats and the like) gave me the perfect environment for using the new lens.

Unfortunately, I don’t know what I’m doing and didn’t really capture what I wanted. I got to the park pretty late, so I only had a few minutes to capture some photos. I tried to get some moss-covered rocks in the foreground, bit couldn’t balance the exposure against the darkening sky.

I guess all experiences are learning experiences – even the bad ones, so I will take it in stride. At the end, I have a photo of a sunset. To make it a great photo, I need to start working on my composition.

August 14, 2011

I had plans to drive out to the eastern shores of Lake Minnetonka and try for a sunset photo using my new lens. The Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens is targeted to vast landscapes – which is a part of photography I have not really explored. This is largely due to the fact that Minnesota has few scenic areas that offer expansive views. We’re more of a close-up sort of place.

So, that’s the picture I decided to take. Although not a true macro lens, the 10-22mm also provides some interesting results when used in close-up photography. The world really gets distorted in the len’s design to capture a wide angle.

August 13, 2011

Definitely a HUGE hiatus for the project, as I haven’t posted anything to this page in a long time. It’s not that I haven’t been taking photos – as other posts have highlighted. I just haven’t found the time and energy to be proud of specific photos for the project.

But, I hope that can change for the remainder of the year. I just invested in a new lens – a Canon EF-S 10-22mm – that will provide some interesting wide-angle perspective with my camera. It was the one missing part of my camera hardware and I know that I can use it for some creative photos.

I won’t promise daily updates, but I hope to get a few photos added as I explore the capabilities of the len.

May 30, 2011

Although flower-based images aren’t terribly creative, they dud fit within the whole theme of the day. Between the various storm clouds rolling through the area, I brought some flowers for the front yard and did my best to fill in a little of the solid green foliage with a small splash of color. The actual photo comes from my unkept backyard, where I seem to have chives (and their flowering, purple tops) popping up everywhere.

The only photo-related event involved my shooting in RAW mode. Up until this point, I have captured all of my images in JPG mode. This is convenient but does give up a large amount of control. I want to switch over to RAW in order to learn more about image manipulation and get away from the presets in Aperture.

For every goal, there is a start. Today is my first day’s journey into RAW photography.

May 27, 2011

I had a very specific goal for today’s post – to capture a portrait with a strong background gradient. This was accomplished with a light positioned low and behind me. I even exaggerated the affect by balancing a reflector against my back so the maximum contrast would be achieved.

The front-facing light was designed to be soft with a single source point. This was accomplished with a standing halogen lamp and a piece of parchment paper held in front of it for difusion. You can also notice that it produces a nice, single reflection in my eye.

I was hoping for a decent color image, but defaulted to black and white when I couldn’t achieve an acceptable color balance off the reflections on my skin. My face is always a little “blotchy” so my expectations are pretty low for achieving smooth skin. Another model (with a little make-up) would be needed to yield a good result.

May 26, 2011

Days that include a full work schedule, an afterwork ride (which is usually 1 1/2 hours minimum), a shower, supper, and a daily photo generally leave me little room for creative. If you’ve explored the other elements of this site, you probably realize that I takes lots of photo while I’m cycling. It makes for better blog posts and also provides at least a few photos for the 365 project.

Nothing special with the photo – outside of the fact that I am in motion (and typically pedaling) while snapping the image. My camera strap has saved it from complete destruction multiple times.

May 25, 2011

I am doing my best to keep my guitar both in good condition and within arm’s reach so that I actually play it on a regular basis. As with photography, I took a little break from practicing and now find myself suffering as my fingers need to regain any of the callous that they once possessed. During the winter months, I kept the guitar in its case with a humidifier – as the dry Minnesota conditions wreck havoc on the guitar’s construction materials.

There is nothing terribly unique with the photo – other than the long exposure. It was exposed for nearly 2 seconds due to the low light conditions in my bedroom. This illustrates the power of a “modern” DSLR camera and its ability to respond to harsh conditions while still producing a decent image.

May 24, 2011

With Minnesota springtime weather in full-swing, it’s hard NOT to take pictures of the new life that is busting out all over. Everything is bright green and bursting with color – trying its hardest to flourish in what little time is available.

In terms of photography, there’s not much to say. I bought both my Canon T2i and a EF 50mm f/1.4 prime lens specifically to take shallow focal depth images. Today’s image is probably a little TOO shallow, and I could stand to learn how to use this technique in moderation. Still, there is something I enjoy with this forced perspective. It brings you right into the image and forces you to concentrate right at the most specific point in-focus. It provides me a lot of control and I typically enjoy the outcome.

May 23, 2011

Minnesotans are known as a hardy bunch – a reputation that has plenty of merit. We suffer through extreme cold and dark conditions in the winter months and only experience a short “real” summer before it all returns.

But, from within these ugly conditions, there are certain, simple experiences that only Minnesotans REALLY appreciate. One of my favorite is the first day of going barefoot in the tall, uncut grass. It is a feeling that is so foreign and long-lost from the memory in the soles of my feet.

Since I am a Minnesota – I can truly appreciate it and know how precious it is.

May 22, 2011

Rain, rain, rain. That has been the story around Plymouth for the entire weekend. This included confirmed tornadoes on both Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, all of my planned outdoor activities for the weekend were a bust – and it also made for a difficult time getting out for photographs.

Fortunately, a few breaks in-between downpours brought out some sunshine and the “classic” photo opportunity of water droplets on the various foliage throughout my yard. It’s a little bit of a cop-out photo but one that every budding photographer needs to take in their lifetime.

May 21, 2011

My yard contains two, mature flowering crab trees that explode in color each spring. One is pure white, while the other produces bright pink blossoms. They are a sight to be seen and something I look forward to each May.

The only unfortunate thing is that the blooming is short-lived and only in abundance for about one week. Once the week is up – the trees drop all of their blossoms within two days and produce a blanket of color. Thus, I had an easy photo opportunity to capture the piles of blossoms collecting in my driveway. Flowers are definitely “easy”, but still worth making a focal point of a photo.

May 16, 2011

Aahh, yes … I am still here. Life has simply gotten in the way to provide good attention to the 365 project and still allow me to be satisfied with the work. I’m as passionate as ever for photography, so I will be back with daily updates. It may take a few weeks to gain the momentum that I had at the beginning of the year.

This photo is nothing tool special – just an attempt to capture the early morning sunshine passing through my blooming crab tree. The goal was to capture lens flare – which was readily accomplished. If I would have had time to play a little more with it, I would have tried to move it around the image. But I needed to get to work – so I simply kept all that I could get.

May 14, 2011

Although I own a copy of Adobe Photoshop – the standard in photo editing – I haven’t take the time (yet) to learn how to use it well. Thus, I keep using my copy of Apple’s Aperture program for editing and managing all my photos. But, it is a resource hog and has steadily been behaving poorly, especially with my growing library of images.

Thus, a simple upgrade of my laptop memory from my standard 4GB to 8GB brought a much needed boost. Growing up with computer systems where memory was always an expensive premium – it’s amazing how much memory can be bought for so little money. My costs were only around $80 and I was even able to move the old 4GB to my Mac Mini. It was a twofer!

May 11, 2011

Any chance to head downtown and enjoy the revitalized area around the stone arch bridge is one that I like to take. In this case, it was showing a customer who was visiting my company a small tour of the Twin Cities. After eating at the Sea Salt near the Minnehaha Falls, we headed into downtown and walked along the waterfront.

This also included a quick stop on the “endless bridge” – a feature site of the new Guthrie Theater. I’ve been there close to ten times, but still enjoy the view and will continue to go back over and over. The combination of the setting sun and the Minneapolis skyline is a clear photo op.