This page is a sub-section of my main project – a 365 Photo Project – that is designed to capture a new image that I take each day of the full year in 2011. As the months go on, I will migrate each month’s images to a dedicated page, such as this one, so that the original page doesn’t get too large. The images are shown in reverse chronological order, just as they are on the main project page.
You welcome to browse the project’s main page, or view them collectively on my Flickr site.
February 23, 2011
Today’s image is a little bit of a cop-out, as the day was closing to an end and I had not yet time to think about the daily photo. While practicing my guitar on the couch, I noticed the great orange light being reflected off the guitar and the nearby window, so I tried to capture an image that showcased these great reflections. The idea was to enhance the color and not worry too much about the subject matter itself.
If there is anything that I find impressive with my new camera it is the ability to capture good information in low light conditions. Combine the camera sensor’s light sensitivity with my 50mm f/1.4 lens and I have a dark room monster. I almost have no worries for capturing usable date in even the most extreme conditions.
February 22, 2011
Waking up to another round of snow (and a plowed-in driveway) is starting to get “old” here in Minnesota. In one way, there is a beautiful blanket of pure white, fluffy snow covering everything. In another way, its welcome has warn out and I am sick of having 5 foot piles of snow at the end of the driveway.
Today’s photo was an attempt to get some lens flare in the image – which I obviously failed. Given that it was around 5 degree F when I took the shot, I wasn’t too eager to go outside and try again. Thus, I am left with a tree branch, a little bit of snow, and the morning sun breaking through.
I need to work on the whole “lens flare” idea and remind myself to get outside and photograph when the sun is hanging low.
February 21, 2011
There are some amazing sites (like The Pioneer Woman) that do some wonderful things when photographing food. Its seems so simple, as you just take a picture of a plate, but there is so much artistry at getting a really good photo that the simplicity of the end result hides the work behind the scene.
It’s definitely a style of photo taking that I would like to explore further. My biggest obstacle is the lack of windows in my house and the the inability to get natural, diffuse light for taking images. Today’s photo was actually taken in my bedroom (my bedspread is the blue cloth beneath the plate) since that is one of the few rooms in my house where in-direct sunlight is available. I also employed a reflector over the top of the strawberries to even out the shadows and help with the “dreamy” look that good food-related photos tend to capture.
February 20, 2011
Minnesota has been dealt a harsh dose of reality Sunday afternoon with a jarring snowstorm descending upon the metro area. I have never had success in trying to photograph snowfalls, so I thought I would wait until the evening and try to catch the snow moving through a flashlight beam. I tried a couple different exposure settings and found that the longer exposure gave the most dramatic image of the snow coming down in my driveway.
It’s not a great photo, but it highlights my ability to work with the camera in a full auto mode and still achieve my intended outcome. For that aspect, I am proud and it becomes evidence that this project is really teaching me how to take full advantage of the camera.
February 19, 2011
The more I look at today’s image, the more I realize that it doesn’t actually look like a photo. It looks like something digitally rendered. But, you will need to trust me that it is actually a photograph. It was taken in the Hennepin County Library and features a suspended book that is cut in creative ways. The art was hanging in front of a large window, which allowed me to get the partly cloudy sky as the background to the image. The yellowish color of the book works well with the blue in the sky.
I will admit one manipulation – which was the removal of the connecting string that was used to hold the artwork in-place. But, outside of a few color manipulations, it’s pretty much as captured right by the camera.
February 18, 2011
I’ve mentioned several times before how much I dislike the painting of my bike. It’s gaudy in all the wrong ways and looks cheap because of its style. Its blue, but not really blue ENOUGH to make it count.
Now … the color of my drums is AWESOME. I do not share the same feelings as I have with my bike. I bought my drums back in 1990 largely based on their finish and color. Of course, they also happen to be great-sounding, professional quality drums, but they look bitchin’ too.
The photo came about after some attempts with trying to setup “Rembrandt Lighting” for me sitting behind the drums. It just didn’t work, but I noticed how well the blue colors of the drums contrasted with the wooden wainscoting in my basement. Thus, I had a change of plans and focused on the drums instead.
February 17, 2011
The approach for today’s photo was to capture an abstract image. I was hoping mostly for color with some level of distortion. I tried a few different ideas, but ended up with an image taken from inside my car while going through the car wash. It provided a nice mix of the organically-shaped soap bubbles against the various background colors. It’s not a great image, but at least provides a deviation from all the recent images with me as the subject.
I do think my current photography talents and interests align better with the “real” world, so this is probably the end of anything not immediately recognizable for a while. Your patience with me on this photographic journey is greatly appreciated.
February 16, 2011
Today’s photo is less about creative photography and more about the event itself. As it would appear obvious from the contents of my blog, I am an avid cyclist living in Minnesota. This means that I am denied the opportunity to practice my “art” for around four months of the year. Winters are harsh here on the frozen plains.
Fortunately, we have had an unseasonable warm few days and I couldn’t help but take advantage of them with an outdoor ride. If you browse the blog, you will see that I combine my love of the bike with my love of photography – bringing them together is various posts. Thus, today’s image marks the first bike-related photo of 2011.
Don’t be surprised if you find many more cycling-related photos throughout the rest of the year.
February 15, 2011
Well, it was bound to happen eventually. I was just hoping that it would not be this soon into the year. I should adjust my title to “364 Project” as I have missed a photo for yesterday. Although I had a couple of chances to grab one, my heart wasn’t in it. Thus, I held back and chose to miss a photo versus submit something half-thought.
But, I have rebounded with today’s photo. In continuing my exploration into portraits and lighting, I chose a single, broad, soft light source that was placed in-line with the camera. You can see its reflection in my eyes. I wanted the background to be part of the image, but fall off dramatically. After a couple of simple touch-ups, this is the uncropped image from the camera.
This image shows that when I have some time to actually compose an image during the captures, I don’t need to spend a whole lit of time fixing in later post-processing steps. I am beginning to learn about proper steps to limit the number of corrections in the final image (outside of the exotic color treatments I apply to some of the images).
It’s a clear indication that I am starting to get the hang of some of this photography stuff.
February 13, 2011
Even though the photo isn’t really of anything of note – I snapped it in the middle of the road while still in the car and waiting for a red light – it bears significance for one reason.
The weather.
Minnesota earns its reputation as a harsh place to live during the winter months and this particular winter has lived up to the legend. We have had endless days of freezing weather since early November with no breaks. It was either snowing or extremely cold. Thus, there were no signs of melting all winter long.
That is – until today. The puddles in the middle of the road were clear signs that it can soon be over. With temperatures in the mid-40s, it felt like a warm summer’s day. The forecast is calling for a continuation of these above-freezing conditions. This will only lull us into a false sense of hope, since our snowiest weeks on average are yet to come.
February 12, 2011
During a quick stop through Lunds to pick up some sushi for lunch, I noticed that strawberries were both in-season and on-sale. I picked out a package that contained ones with great shape and texture and knew that I would be shooting them later in the week.
The idea was simple – shallow focus on the strawberry but still incorporate me in the image. I decided to put on a matching red shirt to keep the color palette neutral for the whole image. As simple as the image may appear, the execution was a little complicated. I ended up controlling the camera remotely with my computer. I first had to establish the focus point for the image and then take the image using a long stick to click the mouse button on the laptop. A couple quick color and cropping selections with Aperture and I was ready to release the image.
If nothing else, this image demonstrates that I am learning how to setup a shot the first time without a lot of unnecessary re-takes. This 365 project has done a tremendous job at forcing me to learn the ins-n-outs of my camera equipment and be efficient in capturing photos in the way I imagine them.
February 11, 2011
Simple image today, as I wasn’t “out and about” enough to capture something exciting. I sure do look forward to some warmer weather in the forecast for the weekend, as it should provide a chance to take a photo that might include the natural world. I’m running out of ideas within the house and I can only take so many portraits of myself before it starts to feel a little too vain.
For this photo, I had some nice, late-afternoon sun coming through my living room windows. The sun wasn’t shining directly on these decorative boxes, so I incorporated a reflector to even the illumination across the full set. A couple of quick photo edits and the photo was done.
I definitely won’t be winning any awards with these types of shots, so I need to work a little harder for future images.
February 10, 2011
I’m not sure how many actual weeks I’ve been working on the acoustic guitar, but I am finally starting to get enough strength and toughness in my lefthand fingers to work past 30 minutes of practice time. With the lack of manual labor in my life, my hands are soft and fragile. The early stages of learning guitar involve the suffering of pressing your fingertips against the thin wire strings and pressing as hard as possible to prevent any buzzing. This has been especially hard for me, as the skin at the ends of my fingers provided little resistance to the sharpness of the strings and produced pain that would force me to quit after a few brief moments.
But, with a few additional weeks playing behind me, I have finally started to notice the first evidence of callous at the ends of my fingers and can make it a good 40 minutes before putting down the instrument. It’s an achievement that I am particularly proud, because it shows evidence of sticking with a task. Similar to my cycling hobby, I am only as good as I, myself, put time into it. I can’t rely on someone else’s performance to drag me along. My callous show off the work I’ve put into it and set me up to be ready for more in teh months to come.
February 9, 2011
Cop-out image for today, as I had little extra time to work on the photo project. Simple goal of having an above head light from behind me and dark shadows across my face. I only took a couple of photos and abandoned one that had all of the elements I intended because it was a little too melodramatic. Instead, I stuck to one of the setup images and did a few, simple modifications.
It’s basic and at least accomplishes the goal of getting an image out for the day.
February 8, 2011
Normally, I’m one of Minnesota’s biggest promoters – claiming that this can be a tremendous place to live. But, lately, that has been a fading sentiment. This winter has been hard. Probably one of the more extreme ones that I have experienced in my nearly 40 years living in this state. Between the below-zero cold and continual piles of snow, I’m starting to lose my fascination with this place.
It’s probably just a little bit of cabin fever and I could stand to load up on some Vitamin D. With the weekend forecast calling for temperatures that may actually climb above the freezing point of water, there is a small glimmer of hope that this will soon be over.
Warmer weather cannot arrive too soon this season.
February 7, 2011
I subscribe to a few photography blogs which provide an endless number of ideas from professional photographers’ images. There are many things I just can’t pull off due to lack of environment, experience, or equipment. But, sometimes, there is something so simple that I must at least give it a try.
Thus, today’s image is a play with light and shadow and a little trick of the brain. Although I only took about eight images to get the photo characteristics that I wanted, two of them produced my intended deception in the final composite image. As I’m still working out the use of my photo editing software and am only a novice at best, I wasn’t sure how the blending would turn out. For my first attempt, I think it came out okay.
It’s an interesting technique that I will likely try in future images for this project. It would be more interesting in outside conditions with a rain puddle – but with temperatures at 5°F outside, I’m hard-pressed to find water in liquid form. My shiny bedroom floor has to suffice.
February 6, 2011
Although I am probably committing some type of crime in today’s caffeine-fueled society, I’ve never had a single drop of coffee inside my Starbuck’s coffee mug. I’ve had several posts claiming my love of green tea and – truth is – this is a great tea mug. Just the right size, just the right heat dissipation, just the right delivery.
Today’s image doesn’t offer much in terms of creativity, but the commitments around the house prevented a concentrated effort for the 365 project. About the only creative aspect of the photo was the use of the white shirt I was wearing as the primary reflector for the light entering the window behind the cup.
Tomorrow is another day.
February 5, 2011
While cross country skiing with my daughter at the Elm Creek Park Reserve, I took my camera along for a little bit of photography. The weather was quite dreary – with a light fog and thick, overcast skies. In someone else’s hands, I’m sure this would have been wonderful conditions to shoot images. In my novice hands, I didn’t find anything inspiring and didn’t take time away from the skiing to capture any more than the basic images. The post on this mini-adventure highlights a few of the images I captured.
Of the multiple photos I took, this one does a good job at capturing the fundamentals of the event – with a clear pointer to the tag (date, location, and type of adventure). You can also see the context in the image – with the snow and ski poles visible for the background. It reminds me that a single, stand-alone image needs to tell a complete story so the observer can fully understand the context of the photo.
February 4, 2011
The goal for today’s photo was to produce a nice portrait without any of the extremes that I’ve generated in the past few images. I was able to get some soft natural light from my bedroom window and balanced the softness with a couple of reflectors – while still keeping a distinct (but not harsh) shadow across my face. I set myself back from a solid, painted wall and applied some final color correction that de-saturated the image only slightly.
This photo was a good exercise in the adjustments made to subtle elements to achieve the intended image. Since I’m not using any artificial light (flashes or incandescents), all the control was made via reflection. There is definitely some illusion at work in the image – as I’m actually wearing sweat pants and am remote controlling the camera via my laptop using my right arm.
The image may not be artistically appealing, but it has taught me a few important techniques for any style of photography.
February 3, 2011
A daughter making brownies is as good a photo opportunity as any. Unfortunately, the short days make for poor, manmade light so I didn’t have the best of environments to work with. Chalk this picture up to a “get it out of the way, but still put out an image for the 365 project”.
I promise to work harder on tomorrow’s image.
February 2, 2011
Not a lot of pre-planning or effort into today’s image. The primary goal was an exploration into color and working with an alternative style of whitebox that I saw online. It involves taping a sheet of translucent paper (in my case, parchment paper from my kitchen) against an outside window and letting the natural light diffuse over the entire image. I also have a thick piece of glass from an old end-table that I used on the bottom surface for a slight reflection. Final steps were to dump some black elastic bands on the surface and contrast it with a red rubber band.
As I explore other images on the mostly365.com site (which I regularly submit my images for review), I’m getting some good ideas for trying different techniques with my camera. It’s a little humbling to see all of the great images on the site, but I know that I will get there with some practice.
February 1, 2011
There is no doubt that Minnesota is a harsh place to live – especially with the continual snowfall and cold temperatures this winter has dealt us.
With fresh snow in my driveway, I looked at the thermometer this morning (which said 5°F) and thought, “I had better blow out the snow before it actually gets cold” – knowing that forecasts are for temperatures well-below 0°F. Growing up with the combination of extreme weather conditions and a Scandinavian heritage, I always take a stance that things could get worse.
As I age, I also find less concern for fashion or even “acceptable” appearance. I will choose function over beauty any day – which explains me wearing my daughter’s ski goggles while blowing snow. I may look like a dork, but DAMMIT, at least I’m comfortable.
