Wow, today is officially my 1 year birthday. I wasn't sure when I started this a year ago that I'd keep it up. I actually managed to post 1 picture every day (some might have been better off not posted!). I actually have more than 365 pictures posted, because early on I posted extra shots for some challenges.
Thanks to all of the people who commented through out the year. Some of you have stuck around consistently for awhile and it's much appreciated. I have to say that I've been very slack lately in getting around and commenting on other people's shots. I could list the reasons why I haven't, but they are the same reasons that all of you have experienced I'm sure. Add laziness to the list and you've got it covered! I'm making it a goal to get around and comment more.
All of your shots have helped me at times when I didn't feel like going on and shooting more. Seeing the wonderful talent out there certainly is a help. Thanks again and let's see what we can come up with in the next year!
You know your hurting for some fresh shots when you photograph your cell phone, wallet, keys and watch. I need to get out or get more creative.
Technically not that great a shot, but her face and the ad just cracked me up.
Silly me
This interesting light was coming into my bathroom and I started messing around.
Another view of this shot.
The subway is a fascinating place to me. You can see so many different types of people. And there can be quite a few different forms of entertainment, from violin players to tap dancers to one man bands. Some people who commute on the subway everyday might not find it as interesting. I guess because where I live we don't have a subway it seems more interesting than it might actually be.
I ran across a pretty mean looking motorcycle gang in my photo hunting adventure.
They turned out to be quite cordial and agreed to let me shoot their hogs.
It was so overcast and cloudy. This does actually make for some great color and contrast as long as you don't look towards the sky too much.
Getting around Chicago is pretty easy. We always stay in a hotel near the subway. Get a one day pass for 5$ and you are off and running. I've jumped on the bus there a couple of times, but I like the subway better I think.
There's just something about Chicago pizza. Everytime we go there one meal must consist of Chicago Pizza. We've tried several and this place was no exception to the excellentness status of Chicago pizza! :)
I had a hard time deciding between the sepia and the color version. To me the color version seems too busy, but I do like the colors at the same time. These squirrels where pretty crazy. I guess they've been feed too much from humans and weren't scared at all at getting close to us. You'll see a couple more in the next week or so.
In flight on the way to Chicago.
I wish I had framed this a little better and got the bottom portion of the head stone in it. What do you think about posting shots of grave stones with people's names on it? I'm not doing it disrespectfully at all, but the thought came to my mind that some might find it offensive.
While wandering around a cemetary that's near my house I noticed alot of flowers and memorials left on and around graves. Then I saw this bird house that was hanging over a grave and thought "what a wierd place for a bird house." But I suppose it's not so wierd, is it? Maybe this guy liked birds, I don't know. Whatever the reason it was pretty clever I think.
My sister reminded me that I was remiss in not showing a picture of her on December 30th since it was her birthday. Although I did remember to call her which was a first in recent years! So although it's a couple of days late here she is. This was from our trip to Chicago this past September. I am returning to Chicago this coming week although I don't think we'll have quite as good weather. I'm pretty sure you'll see a bunch of shots from there over the coming week.
Watching the ducks and geese make noise and play.
I wish I had got the boat he was driving in this shot with him, but this shot really show the wonder and amazement that was on his face. It was quite a treat, for both of us, just for different reasons.
We spend alot of time waiting. What will we ever do when they invent teleportation?
You better live your best and act your best and think your best today, for today is the sure preparation for tomorrow and all the other tomorrows that follow. Harriet Martineau (1802 - 1876)
Mt 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.
Taken back in early summer.
I'm kinda hungry.
This is the first new shot I've taken in weeks. My little point and shoot SD300 was feeling neglected so I took some shots with it.
I guess I've finally moved passed my denial of winter being here.
A different angle of these columns.
I'm just not ready for winter. Please give me back fall. Please?
Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we're stupid. - Jules Feiffer
This is actually a radiator cap with a temperature meter built into it. Instead of having a temperature gauge on the dash board it was on the radiator cap that stuck up above the front of the car. Boyce MotoMeter maintained a virtual monopoly on the radiator thermometer for quite awhile until the electric sensors were developed and ended up replacing the hood mounted meters.
Sometimes it's just good to be alone.
Continuing this weeks animal theme. Not sure what this is. Some sort of mountain cat?
Color or Black and White?
He just seemed determined to get me to take his picture.
I'm not sure how I managed it but I escaped unharmed.
Same angel as yesturday's shot. Interesting how this different angle changes how the face appears as opposed to yesturday's.
Kinda sad looking angel.
It's kinda wierd that I tend to take so many pictures of birds. I really don't like birds that much. They seem like rats with wings to me most of the time. They can be so annoying, pooping on everything and making noise and such. Yet I keep photographing them. I think I'm just fascinated by their ability to fly and they make it look so easy.
I find the edges a bit distracting in this, but I really like the detail in the center area. This was taken a month or so ago as the leaves were beginning to fall. They have pretty much all fallen now which reminds me, I need to rake my front yard.
Christmas lights, ornaments and snowmen. It's that time again. It was close to this time last year when I was researching which camera to buy. It's hard to believe that I've posted 312 pictures already.
I had a different picture up earlier today, but the more I looked at it the more I didn't like it. So I pulled this one out. From Chicago back in September near the Navy Pier.
Time for something a little different than nature stuff...
Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." Together these made up one day. Let their light shine down upon the earth." And so it was.
For God made two great lights, the sun and the moon, to shine down upon the earth. The greater tne, the sun, presides during the day; the lesser one, the moon, presides through the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the heavens to light the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:3-18
Yet another shot from my nature walk day from a couple of weeks ago. It's time to get out and do some shooting. I did some snapshot kinda stuff of family over the past couple of days. Nothing I'd really post though. This shot struck me because of the sharpness and colors. I didn't do anything apart from resize it for the web. I need to learn to slow down and be more aware af settings and such so I don't have to do much editing. Not that editing is bad, but I tend to shoot away and go to fast. I think it's probably one of the downfalls to digital photography because there is no worry about wasting money on film. This is a good and bad thing in my opinion. Brandon and I attended a meeting of a local camera club and one of the ladies said something that has stuck in my mind. She said to use your tripod as much as possible because it helps your shots be more sharp and it causes you to slow down.
A different view of yesterday's park bench.
Another shot from a couple of weeks ago. I haven't shot much new stuff. Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy early Thanksgiving! I get two big Thanksgiving meals this year! Read my blog post for the full story.
Yesturday was my son's birthday. Oh to be a kid so that recieving a radio controlled flying saucer would be enough to send one into shouts of joy.
I don't believe in aliens, but if I did this is what I think their eggs would look like.
This is another shot from my walk a couple of weeks ago. I think that day was probably the most productive shooting time I've ever had. Many times I'll go out and come back with one or maybe two that I like enough to post. I ended up with 10 to 15 that I really like from that one day. I think the light was about at perfect as it gets for an autumn day. Hopefully you enjoy them as much as I do. As far as processing on this shot, I did a duplicate of the main layer set to overlay then unsharp mask to sharpen it a bit. Then a couple of selective burns.
Felt like breaking out of the nature shots. This is an old abandoned building downtown. I'd like to venture in for some shooting, but it's all locked up and the police probably won't take kindly to my entering uninvited. I stood there thinking about what sounds and sights might have been around this place in the past. What kind of business ran in and out of this? What sort of people were employed there?
As I was walking along this deer and a smaller one stepped out into the creek and were drinking water. I had my shorter lens on and was a good distance from them. I slowly and quietly changed lenses and snapped a few, but they just seemed too far away. So I slowly crept along the edge hiding behind trees. Every so often they would pause and look my way but they didn't take off. So I moved in closer and closer. Then I paused and snapped this one which turned out the best. I had to crop it because I was down in some trees and brush without a totally clear view. I started moving closer when they either heard or smelled me and they left in a hurry. There was another moment when I was sitting on the railroad tracks shooting when a larger deer stepped out onto the tracks not far from me but too far for the 50mm. I went to change my lens and as I lifted it up to shoot he took off.
Ps 46:4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Oh my goodness, the 50mm 1.8 rocks. Brandon and I ventured out today for some shots. Check out his duck shot for today, the colors will knock your socks off! Unfortunately Brandon wimped out early and I ventured on alone to find some great trails. At first glance anyways, I think some great shots too. (At least I think so :)
Update: Since a couple of people said something about Black and White I did it up. I still prefer the color because I just love the browns and yellows in it.
Hopefully you aren't tired of the fall colors yet, I just keep thinking in a month or so it's all going to be gone and I'll regret not shooting more of these awesome colors surrounding me. I finally finished the biography of Ansel Adams and it was definetly interesting reading.
This is my first image posted from shooting in RAW. I have to say that it's extremely cool as far as the controls you have over exposure and white balance and a ton of other options. I've just been using the CS2 raw plugin and I'm really liking it. On another note I got a new lens and should post something from it in the next couple of days. It's a Nikon 50mm 1.8 and I haven't really had time to play just yet.
Continuing shots of people this week. I'm pretty sure this guy was sleeping. He's on a bench just outside the Navy Pier in Chicago. I titled it Napoleon sleeps because he reminded me of the guy from Napoleon Dynamite, which is a very funny movie. The other great thing about it is it's not your typical Hollywood big budget junk. Plus it's a clean movie. I think the worst word in the movie is maybe "Idiot." And to hear Napoleon say it is quite funny.
Brandon walking along the edge of Lake Michigan near the Alder Planetarium. There was a couple of other people in the shot but I found them distracting so I removed them. I love Photoshop.
Reaching back into the archives. I've taken some new shots but haven't even taken them from the camera yet. I've started shooting in exclusively Raw finally and haven't worked on getting me a good workflow, so I've been putting off processing for a couple of days. I've also been reading a biography of Ansel Adams which seems to be taking me forever. The other thing that's been taking up my time is watching past seasons of 24. I'm not a TV person so I generally don't watch TV shows, mostly because I can't stand commercials. That's a discussion for another day. But I've found that watching TV shows on DVD is so cool. So my wife and I have watched all of Season 1 and 2 of 24. We are 3 or 4 episodes into Season 3 right now.
Time for some shots of people. This guy was along the edge of Lake Michigan during my trip to Chicago in September.
Opinion time...with or without grain.