If I can get this posted before midnight then I am not too late.  Well, maybe just a day late but no more!  I was out exploring in the yard seeing what jumped out at me for my day 22 picture when I noticed the horse (Sonata) next door staring at me.  I swear she knew I had a camera and didn’t move until I took her picture.  It didn’t turn out that bad so I decided to make it my project picture for the day.  Trying to expand beyond my normal pictures.

I also managed to spend enough time outside to make way way into the golden hour.  The only downside is the clouds just were not going to cooperate.  I ventured across the road to the field my neighbor allowed the state to turn into a migratory sanctuary.  They built three small ponds which are frequently used by the geese and ducks as they travel.  I haven’t process those pictures yet as I feel I have done that scene before but I did keep them for future use.

The picture below was taken back in my yard using one of the fence posts to help focus the camera.  I didn’t want the sky in sharp focus because there was a picture picture with the color rather than the texture of the clouds.

I couldn’t resist this picture.  Something about trying to grab a small focused area on the clothesline while still keeping enough of the remaining picture with enough focus not to be lost in the background.  Next spring I’m going to have to tray this one again with some clothes hanging to see how that looks.

I was also out in the morning getting pictures with the light snow that fell the night before.  They both involve the fence since it was the only thing in the yard with any of the snow remaining.  One is some ice hanging under the top rail which had great detail within it and a cool view of the yard.  The second was the melting snow which was crystallizing on the rail and had great texture.

I’m actually looking forward to this winter.  I can see lots of play time for me outside with the camera.  Just hoping there isn’t too much snow or I’ll be spending my time with the shovel instead!

I know, I have been very negligent in posting my project pictures.  My everyday activities keep getting in the way.  You’re right, that is not a good excuse but it is the best I can come up with at the moment.  This will act as a catch-me-up post and then I will work at being more diligent in writing up my experience.  I let it slip and I rode a long way down the hill before I stopped.  Where did I leave off…

Day 16 – Take my son back to college day

We didn’t get started on the 2.5 hour trip back to college as early as I had hoped but it worked out for the best.  We returned to Potsdam, NY in time for lunch and he ended up taking me to a little Mexican restaurant in town.  It was a great burrito, actually more than I could eat and we now have another place to return whenever we are in town.

The trip home was overcast with a slight rain coming and going but I did manage to get in a few stops at places I have been trying to visit.  As I got close to home my route takes me along the Black River Canal, a northern expansion to the New York State Canal system, running between Rome and Carthage, NY.  This picture is one of the old locks along that canal.

Day 17 – Bad weather, what picture can I get day

The weather did not allow for any excursion during lunch today and by the time I got home my outside options were disappearing quickly.  My daughter had ‘borrowed’ this night light from her Grandma and I decided to sit down in the hall with it to see what could be done.  The static picture of the shade was cool with the included scene and colors it created on the wall but I wanted to be able to show the movement.  The top down picture worked but then the profile really sold it for me.  My only trouble was deciding which to use for my project picture.  Creating the picture below allowed me to learn some more about my software as well as hopefully tell a story.

Day 18 – Keep looking inside day

Mother Nature just didn’t want me to be outside again.  Or maybe I just didn’t want to take on the adventure, either way I turned inside again once I was home from work.  I’m a big Disney fan (if you couldn’t already tell) and I wanted to try to use these Jim Shore figures for my project picture.  At first I tried to create a panorama of all of them on the shelf but it just wasn’t working out.  The vivid colors were going to work for me no matter what I did so I decided to go for the chorus line picture with a shallow depth of focus.  It works for me and it keeps the rest of the room out of the picture, which my wife appreciates.

Day 19 – Inspiration from another 365 project

Today I had a thought for a picture which was inspired by Simon Kitcher.  He recently re-started his own 365 project and has been photographing glass sculptures.  His wonderful pictures pushed me in a different direction which turned out fairly well.  I played with a light and mosaic candle topper to produce the picture below.  The smaller squares which are more in focus are on the backside of the topper as seen through the front.  I really liked the colors and glimpses of light that the mosaic tiles provided.

Day 20 – Not done with mosaic candle topper day

I didn’t even try to go outside today.  The candle topper was calling me back.  This time I lit a small tea candle and placed it inside the topper.  The candle’s light provided a different look to the patterns and colors from the previous days picture.  Of the numerous pictures I took with the candle this one with all the crackling within the glass was my favorite.  The diffusion of the flame within the different squares was what I was looking for when I thought of creating this picture.

Day 21 – Finally a worthy sunrise day

Some days you just walk into it…  As I was getting ready to leave for work I noticed the sunrise and the colors it was producing in the sky.  Combine that with a light frost and my camera was calling.  I had about 10 minutes before I had to leave which had me racing around my yard to capture all the images that kept shouting at me.  For this one a put the camera on the walk and shot up through the frosted grass.  The out of focus trees with only the sky colors to provide a background is what prompted me to pick this picture for today.

Whew!  I’m all caught up.  Not as painful as I thought it would be.  My memory isn’t the greatest but returning to these pictures to write this post brought me back to each day without a problem.  I guess my wife is right, I only remember those things that interest me.

Time to go find day 22’s picture.  It’s out there, I’m really curious as to when it will jump out at me…

The start of my third week!  It might not seem like much of an accomplishment but this is very good for me.  Sometimes work or life have a habit of consuming my day and my projects end up going out the window.  I think this photography project will be different because of how much fun I am having.  I guess once the mind’s eye is unlocked it is hard to but it away.  I see pictures everywhere I look!

It was another trip to the garage for my car to attempt a fix on the faulty sensor.  They really have been trying and I have to give them a lot of credit for sticking with it and doing everything they can to make this right.  It was also a beautiful morning and I took the time to go exploring on a trail behind most of the shopping plazas that run along the Mohawk River.  It was definitely worth the walk.  This picture is from the beginning of the trail ad I really liked the lone pine tree in the distance framed by the brush on either side.

I did see evidence of other people walking and a few tire tracks which I assume are from bikes.  I know the path is used in the winter for snowmobile riding.  My wife also informed me that it is the same path used by someone who robbed the bank and then drove off on a four wheeler.  Luckily for me no one else was awake that early on a Saturday.

I’m not exactly sure why these leaves jumped out at me.  It could just be the color against the browns all around.  I think the texture and the detail in each leaf also brought the camera up for a picture.  Not exactly an exciting image but I like it.

I found these two guys sitting on a fallen tree about half way along the trail.  The sun was making its way through some clouds and the trees to highlight their perch.  I’ve discovered over the past few months that I really like getting pictures of mushrooms/fungus.  There is some incredibly detailed varieties to be found and they always make for an interesting picture.

Toward the end of the trail the land on one side was almost as low as the river itself and there was a large swampy area to provide some pictures.  I couldn’t pass up this picture with the reflections in the water.  It looks quite busy reviewing it now but at the time the sun was lighting the tops of the trees and offsetting the darker reflection which just had to be photographed.

This last one was just to prove that even late in November there was green to be found in Upstate NY.  Actually I really liked the detail on the edge of the leaves.  I took two pictures of these leaves, one with the sky as the background and then this one.  I liked the green against the darker background which showed off the detail much clearer than the lighter background.

It was a great trail to walk and one I will do again as the seasons change.  I’ll be able to find plenty to keep my camera busy.  Maybe next time I’ll explore the other end of the trail (I stopped about halfway so I would have time to make it back to the garage).

I decided it would be better to get caught up with this blog by combining all my missed days into one post.  There is no need to stand on ceremony.  My daughter and I traveled out to my parents houses for the Thanksgiving holiday and neither of them have internet access.  I seriously think I went through a little internet withdrawal but I’m sure it was good for me.

My day 11 picture is the result of me playing with the camera flash in the house.  The weather outside was not cooperating which forced me to get a little creative.  This is a camel bone jewelry box my wife brought back from Baghdad.  It is sitting on a camel wool blanket she picked up while in Afghanistan.  My first attempt at using the flash totally washed out parts of the box.  I learned I needed to back the camera away about 3-4 feet so the flash would not be so intense.

On day 12 we were at my Dad’s house for dinner before heading to my Mom’s to spend the night.  While waiting for everything to be ready I just had to run outside as the sun was setting.  The place sure has changed over the years from the memories I have of growing up but the apples in the orchard still remain.  With the sun on the fallen apples I thought a low perspective would be interesting for this picture.  I added some selective focus in Photoshop to enhance the effect.

Waking up on day 13 at my Mom’s house the weather was again being difficult.  It was an overcast morning but I wanted to walk around the farm reminiscing about the days spent playing outside.  Not all the pictures turned out as well as I had hoped but I really liked this look down the pasture.  Most of the property is over grown now and I wanted to try to capture that with this picture.

We ended up getting back home late on day 14.  I missed a chance to photograph a nice sunrise but the time spent talking with my Mom was more important than having to ‘grab a picture’ on a schedule.  After unpacking I did manage to run out as the sun was setting to get the beautiful colors within the clouds.  It feels a little like a cheat since I have taken this picture numerous times.  I don’t want to be strict with the picture a day idea if I have to force a picture out of the camera but if it turns out OK I’ll post it!

I should be better at posting each day now that one holiday is over and the next one hasn’t been cranked up to full yet.  As long as I can get out and scratch that itch to take some pictures each day I’m not going to kill myself trying to get them posted but will work them in as I can.

Today’s lesson is about what we see and what we remember.  I was out at sunset grabbing some pictures in the great fall light when I passed by our pool deck.  The steps had some great shadows from the railings and I immediately thought it would make a great project picture.

After looking at the picture on the computer I wasn’t so sure if it was what I saw outside.  Should I have processed it differently?  How do I capture what I saw?  Something caught my eye, whether it was colors, shadows, texture, or something else.  There is a symmetry and an abstract pattern that I like but it just doesn’t jump out at me.

Even though I wasn’t entirely thrilled with the picture I posted it as my 365 project picture for the day.  It was the one I thought I would use when I was taking pictures and I stuck with it.  The picture did get a few +’s and encouraging comments which has me feeling a little better about it.  Still, it was a good lesson for me about the picture you take and the memory of taking it.  They don’t always align later.

The sunrise was just too nice to pass up this morning.  I hesitated for all of 2 seconds once I saw the color of the sky and the clouds.  I threw the cinnamon rolls I was making into the oven and ran outside with my camera.  I had about 15 minutes to grab some pictures.  I didn’t really have a defined plan like I did yesterday but I was able to get quite few nice pictures.

I really like this old lamp post in the back yard at my mother-in-law’s house.  I have tried taking pictures of it before but I never had a sunrise like this before.  I liked the idea of getting the sun directly behind the post while silhouetting the ornate top against the sky.  I actually have another picture from this same perspective but the background is in focus and the post is not.  Of the two I think this one is a better picture.  Maybe I’ll process the other one and post it as well.

There was just something about the clouds and sun that made everything look so much better.  The silhouettes just had great definition and the color of the sky played well with the darker subjects.  It was a brief slice of time but well worth it.

I know, I’m really late with this post.  I have a good excuse though, really!  OK, so it isn’t that great but we did go out of town to a place with no internet connection so I at least have that.

I did go out on Saturday morning and get some nice pictures with the snow still on the ground.  I had an idea and I think it turned out OK.  Ever since I started this 365 project I have had this thought in the back of my mind and it finally made it out to a place I could find it.  It was a part of a quote that I eventually had to look up on the internet, but I feel it sums up my philosophy for my project.

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” – Greg Anderson

My idea for the picture to accompany this quote was to photograph my foot steps in the snow.  Luckily for me the snow we received on Thursday/Friday had not melted yet.  It took quite a few tries to get the picture I wanted.

The difficulty for me in taking this picture was keeping my own shadow out of the frame. Now that I think about it I should have brought out the tripod and placed it farther away while using a little zoom.  Next time I’ll know better.

I also made it around to all the ice and icicles still fighting for survival in the rising temperatures.  Some turned out pretty nice but I really liked this one I found on the fence post.  There is just a lot of interior texture to catch the morning sun.

I did try to go out in the evening once we were settled in at the family’s farm but the sunset was uninteresting and   my attempts just didn’t cut it.

One week down and 51 more to go.

So far I am happy with how this is going.  It is causing me to think a little more about what I want to photograph and actually plan ahead of time.  It hasn’t always worked out but I think I am starting to get the hang of it.  We haven’t moved into the busy holiday season yet, so I am anticipating a few bumpy days ahead.  I guess the point is not to fret a missed day here or there.  It is about improving my skills, not a contest for the number of consecutive days with a picture

The snow we received overnight provided some great opportunities for pictures.  I waited until just before sunset and it really paid off for me.  Not only was the light the best it could be but, the temperature had moved above freezing which changes the look of the snow and ice.  I chose this picture because of the amount of detail on and within the ice.  I also liked how it wasn’t a typical icicle…

I also liked the bokeh effect and the contrast it provided with the clear, light ice.  I remember the first time I was able to achieve this effect.  I was pretty excited but not entirely confident I remembered how it happened.  Now I just have to be aware of how often I use it and try not to abuse the technique.

The next picture is a composition inspired by Mike Shaw’s The Leaf Series.  I’m hoping my imitation of his pictures is seen as a compliment.  I don’t believe I achieved the look with the same success as his but it was cool that I recognized the setup when I found the leaf in the driveway while shoveling.

The last image is another macro of melting ice.  This one I was trying to capture not only the look of the ice but the affect of the sunlight.  There is also a droplet forming at the tip and is about half way to falling off.  I find myself looking at the reflections/refractions within the ice and droplet.

We have to take a short trip to drop off my sister-in-laws new puppy and I’ll be without an internet connection for a part of the weekend.  I’ll get caught up on Sunday evening.