Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Day 81
I challenged myself to find a picture without leaving my yard. It's easy to see the grand landscape or the beautiful sunset but there are pictures everywhere. Granted, not all of them are worth hanging on the wall or showing everyone you know but they are out there. That really is what I wanted from my 365 project. Learning to see the little pictures as well as the big ones.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Day 80
I woke this morning realizing old man winter was trying to get his groove back. It wasn't a heavy snow but there was 4 to 5 inches that needed to be removed from the driveway. Early in the morning I usually tuse the shovel over the snow blower as not to annoy the neighbors too much. It has the added advantage of giving me some needed exercise. All went well and I thought it was going to be a nice day.
When left the house for work it was a clear morning but by the time I arrived 12 miles to the southeast it was practically a white out. We haven't seen snow like this all winter. I continued for the better part of the day. Around 2pm it once again cleared u and I had some great conditions for pictures. The only obstacle in my way was the snow in the driveway again that needed to be removed. I was a little over half done when I decided to grab the camera before all the light was gone.
To be honest the amount of snow wasn't as bad as I make it out to be in this picture. We probably had another 5 to 6 inches of the fluffy stuff. I liked the look of getting the camera low and exaggerating the amount of snow.
The sun was low and I might have had the white balance setting incorrect but by processing this as a B&W the picture actually works for me. I'm including the original and would appreciate any advice on how I could correct it. There was some interesting colors in the sky but I didn't capture them in the original picture.
This is a good learning picture for me. I struggled with it while processing before settling on a B&W process. I learned what can and can not be corrected with Lightroom and/or Elements.
When left the house for work it was a clear morning but by the time I arrived 12 miles to the southeast it was practically a white out. We haven't seen snow like this all winter. I continued for the better part of the day. Around 2pm it once again cleared u and I had some great conditions for pictures. The only obstacle in my way was the snow in the driveway again that needed to be removed. I was a little over half done when I decided to grab the camera before all the light was gone.
To be honest the amount of snow wasn't as bad as I make it out to be in this picture. We probably had another 5 to 6 inches of the fluffy stuff. I liked the look of getting the camera low and exaggerating the amount of snow.
The sun was low and I might have had the white balance setting incorrect but by processing this as a B&W the picture actually works for me. I'm including the original and would appreciate any advice on how I could correct it. There was some interesting colors in the sky but I didn't capture them in the original picture.
This is a good learning picture for me. I struggled with it while processing before settling on a B&W process. I learned what can and can not be corrected with Lightroom and/or Elements.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Day 79
I was fortunate enough to get the Sunday errands done before the sun slipped below the horizon. That good fortune allowed me to venture out into the fields across the road to explore with the camera. I had a nice hour long walk before the snow started to fall. Of course, as soon as I returned to the house and put everything away the sun pushed the snow back and had one last light show before ending the day. It didn't matter, I think I managed to get a few nice pictures and I know I had a good time exploring.
I selected this picture from the few I really liked because of the colors. Currently my world is a mixture of browns and whites, so a little red and green brightened my outlook. Another reason for this picture is the definition in the leaves. I liked the saw-tooth edge and the clearly defined veins visible on each leaf. And then there is the amount of effort I put into getting this picture. I was moving a few branches out of my way and practically held the camera above my head to get this view. I had to work for it and I think it turned out how I saw it in my head.
This is another picture from my walk today that I liked. I know I over exposed the sky but I was intrigued by the condition of the apples. The few that remained in the upper reaches of the tree were full of texture and stood out with their faint red color. I could see evidence that the local deer had finished off any f the apples within reach or those that had made it to the ground.
I still have pictures to look through and process. It might be worth the effort to process my favorites and write up another entry unrelated to my 365 project. We'll see if I can make the time later in the week...
I selected this picture from the few I really liked because of the colors. Currently my world is a mixture of browns and whites, so a little red and green brightened my outlook. Another reason for this picture is the definition in the leaves. I liked the saw-tooth edge and the clearly defined veins visible on each leaf. And then there is the amount of effort I put into getting this picture. I was moving a few branches out of my way and practically held the camera above my head to get this view. I had to work for it and I think it turned out how I saw it in my head.
This is another picture from my walk today that I liked. I know I over exposed the sky but I was intrigued by the condition of the apples. The few that remained in the upper reaches of the tree were full of texture and stood out with their faint red color. I could see evidence that the local deer had finished off any f the apples within reach or those that had made it to the ground.
I still have pictures to look through and process. It might be worth the effort to process my favorites and write up another entry unrelated to my 365 project. We'll see if I can make the time later in the week...
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Day 78
I looked up the word 'fickle' in the dictionary. I think it best describes my feelings toward my photography lately... fickle: given to erratic changeableness. Yesterday and part of this week I had the blahs, but today with the sun actually making a showing I am feeling better about it. It also could be due to finding a nice picture on my walk this morning.
We had quite a mixture of rain and snow over the past few days which has the little creek down the road flowing pretty good. I walked down to see if there was any good pictures involving the water and ice but stumbled upon this little guy. The sun broke through the clouds almost on cue to provide enough light and make the colors more vibrant.
I need to talk to my neighbor and ask if he would mind me walking up the creek through the woods behind his house. He owns most of the woods and I think there is just the right mixture of snow and open ground to provide me with some photographic opportunities. I'll have to check the weather first to see if the sun will agree to my plan.
We had quite a mixture of rain and snow over the past few days which has the little creek down the road flowing pretty good. I walked down to see if there was any good pictures involving the water and ice but stumbled upon this little guy. The sun broke through the clouds almost on cue to provide enough light and make the colors more vibrant.
I need to talk to my neighbor and ask if he would mind me walking up the creek through the woods behind his house. He owns most of the woods and I think there is just the right mixture of snow and open ground to provide me with some photographic opportunities. I'll have to check the weather first to see if the sun will agree to my plan.
Day 77
I'm beginning to think there is a downside to returning home after a relaxing, enjoyable vacation. The scenes around me just pale in comparison to the views and pictures I had a couple weeks ago in Florida. I need to put those behind me and start looking for the pictures here back home. They were here before I left and they are still here, I'm just not seeing them.
I tried a few different images for my project picture but I'm not really happy with any of them. I processed one from each attempt and settled on an interesting railroad bridge. I end up going under this bridge whenever I need to stop in town after work. I believe there is a cool picture to be captured, I just didn't quite get it yet.
As you can probably tell from the picture the weather was just starting to make that turn to the nasty. It had been raining most of the day and just before dark it started snowing. I wish the weather would just make up its mind and pick one so we can deal with it and get it over.
I'm going to include the other two options I had for my project picture. The first I thought was interesting because the sign for the handicapped parking space was knocked down. It had me wondering what the story is behind this scene.
This last picture is the corner of my office. I was waiting for an installation to complete and was pointing my camera around the room. I think it would take me numerous trips to clean out my office if I was asked to leave... I've collected way too much junk over the years.
I tried a few different images for my project picture but I'm not really happy with any of them. I processed one from each attempt and settled on an interesting railroad bridge. I end up going under this bridge whenever I need to stop in town after work. I believe there is a cool picture to be captured, I just didn't quite get it yet.
As you can probably tell from the picture the weather was just starting to make that turn to the nasty. It had been raining most of the day and just before dark it started snowing. I wish the weather would just make up its mind and pick one so we can deal with it and get it over.
I'm going to include the other two options I had for my project picture. The first I thought was interesting because the sign for the handicapped parking space was knocked down. It had me wondering what the story is behind this scene.
This last picture is the corner of my office. I was waiting for an installation to complete and was pointing my camera around the room. I think it would take me numerous trips to clean out my office if I was asked to leave... I've collected way too much junk over the years.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Day 76
The day started out the same as it has been for most of the week, an overcast, gray sky with little opportunity for exploring outside. My office is in the basement without a window or view so I venture up to ground level to recharge with some natural light every few hours. I was encouraged by the conditions thinking by the time work is over I would be able to get some pictures I could process as B&W and they might turn out halfway usable. That all changed around 3pm.
The weather turned to rain/freezing rain and my chances for any sort of picture outside vanished. My usual lookout location is in our HR office since we share an interest in Disney. As we were discussing a particular requirement from NY State for wage information I noticed her Christmas Cacti were starting to bloom. We always joke that the darn plants never understand the time of year but it did give me chance to get a non-winter picture on a washout day.
Fluorescent lighting is never fun but I think I managed to catch the blossom's good side. Just some simple processing in Lightroom was all that was required for this picture. I cropped in close on the bloom due to its small size and the ugly walls in the office. A little increase in contrast and vibrance produced the picture I wanted to create. I thought about masking out the plant and replacing the background with a solid black color but I'm thinking that might be too much contrast.
I'll have to keep an eye on its progress and get an updated picture once the plants are in full bloom...
The weather turned to rain/freezing rain and my chances for any sort of picture outside vanished. My usual lookout location is in our HR office since we share an interest in Disney. As we were discussing a particular requirement from NY State for wage information I noticed her Christmas Cacti were starting to bloom. We always joke that the darn plants never understand the time of year but it did give me chance to get a non-winter picture on a washout day.
Fluorescent lighting is never fun but I think I managed to catch the blossom's good side. Just some simple processing in Lightroom was all that was required for this picture. I cropped in close on the bloom due to its small size and the ugly walls in the office. A little increase in contrast and vibrance produced the picture I wanted to create. I thought about masking out the plant and replacing the background with a solid black color but I'm thinking that might be too much contrast.
I'll have to keep an eye on its progress and get an updated picture once the plants are in full bloom...
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Day 75
The weather the last few days has not been very conducive to my photographic efforts. The sky has been one color... grey. I'm beginning to think the sun has changed its mind about visiting us again. It was a good run and we enjoyed it while it lasted but now I have to find a way to stay motivated when the views out the window are blah!
I stopped along a corn field on my way how from work to see if I could make something out of the rows of corn stalks left after the harvest. My plan was to use whatever picture I create for another entry in the Hobby Photographer's Photo Theme of lines in landscape pictures. I'm not positive it works but will see what everyone thinks of it.
The original image did not have a lot of color which lead me down the B&W processing path. I started by combining a three exposure bracket of pictures because I thought it would help maintain the definition in the dark tree line as opposed to the white snow covered field. I also thought it would help me keep the features in the snow. I then converted the combined picture to B&W and experimented a little with some diffusion in an effort emulate the overcast, hazy feel to the day.
I stopped along a corn field on my way how from work to see if I could make something out of the rows of corn stalks left after the harvest. My plan was to use whatever picture I create for another entry in the Hobby Photographer's Photo Theme of lines in landscape pictures. I'm not positive it works but will see what everyone thinks of it.
The original image did not have a lot of color which lead me down the B&W processing path. I started by combining a three exposure bracket of pictures because I thought it would help maintain the definition in the dark tree line as opposed to the white snow covered field. I also thought it would help me keep the features in the snow. I then converted the combined picture to B&W and experimented a little with some diffusion in an effort emulate the overcast, hazy feel to the day.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Day 74
Yikes! What was I thinking!
I ended up working from home today so I could ferry my daughter to school for her English regents at noon. I assumed that would provide me with some extra time after work to explore with the camera. My sad attempt was an epic fail due to a slight mist in the air. I even spent 10 minutes trying to follow a little bird around the inside of our pine tree but he never stopped long enough for the camera to properly focus.
What to do for my project picture. Do this, no, did it before. How about this, no, seems too familiar. How about a self portrait? No way! Just isn't me. I barely post pictures with me in them as it is but to do it on purpose... no, I don't think so.
Well, maybe if I try this pose where I'm staring down at the computer as if I'm struggling with a program. OK, that happens every day so I know what it should look like. How do I do it? Point and shoot camera, small table top tripod and the simple timer... OK, let's do this before I chicken out...
The glare on the glasses is intentional. I was hoping it would capture a little more of the screen but it is what it is. Baby steps! The next one will be better... hopefully!
I ended up working from home today so I could ferry my daughter to school for her English regents at noon. I assumed that would provide me with some extra time after work to explore with the camera. My sad attempt was an epic fail due to a slight mist in the air. I even spent 10 minutes trying to follow a little bird around the inside of our pine tree but he never stopped long enough for the camera to properly focus.
What to do for my project picture. Do this, no, did it before. How about this, no, seems too familiar. How about a self portrait? No way! Just isn't me. I barely post pictures with me in them as it is but to do it on purpose... no, I don't think so.
Well, maybe if I try this pose where I'm staring down at the computer as if I'm struggling with a program. OK, that happens every day so I know what it should look like. How do I do it? Point and shoot camera, small table top tripod and the simple timer... OK, let's do this before I chicken out...
The glare on the glasses is intentional. I was hoping it would capture a little more of the screen but it is what it is. Baby steps! The next one will be better... hopefully!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Day 73
It turned out to be a fairly warm day here in Upstate NY although overcast and very grey. I ended up running a few errands after work but forgot to bring the camera along just in case. This left me with no light to go exploring with my camera. I did like the light from the city of Rome that was illuminating the clouds. I ventured outside with the camera and tripod to try my hand at some longer exposure pictures.
Trying to capture the view from the end of the driveway was not as easy as I thought. I'm sure it was a combination of the camera's abilities and my own (probably more my own). With a little tweaking in Lightroom this picture didn't turn out too bad. I'm posting it as my project picture for the day as a reminder of the learning I still need and the attempt of trying something different.
Trying to capture the view from the end of the driveway was not as easy as I thought. I'm sure it was a combination of the camera's abilities and my own (probably more my own). With a little tweaking in Lightroom this picture didn't turn out too bad. I'm posting it as my project picture for the day as a reminder of the learning I still need and the attempt of trying something different.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Day 72
I decided to get off my butt and outside early today. Not the greatest decision considering how cold it was, but it did allow me to get a few nice pictures during the sunrise. You never know what a Sunday is going to bring and what you will be doing so I thought it best to explore with the camera before the rest of the family crawled out of their beds. I do know that one agenda for me today is to find a pair of gloves I can use with the camera. Challenge accepted!
I walked down the road this morning in the direction of the rising sun. I endured the cold wind in my face because I knew the walk back would definitely feel warmer. There are snowmobile trails throughout our county and luckily for me there is one that crosses the road close by. Being able to walk the fields on the hard packed trail was better than trudging through the snow that would have surely been over my boots.
There is always a moment as the sun rises where the sky is a multitude of colors. The effect is helped here by the presence of some low cloud cover but it does make for vibrant pictures. Very little processing for this picture. I added some contrast, a little clarity and toned down the vibrance some in Lightroom. I also needed to remove some of the noise I always seem to have when there is an abundance of sky in my pictures. I'm sure it is due to my camera only saving JPEG files. Looking forward to upgrading to a little better camera soon.
I was fortunate that a couple rebel snowmobilers decided to venture off the marked trail and cut across the field in the direction of my house. It allowed for some additional exploring without having to retrace my steps along the road. The higher the sun reached in the sky the colors dramatically changed which gave me this picture about 15 minutes after the one above.
By the time I finally reached the road on the other side of my house I noticed the this view across the valley. It is taken about 90 degrees from the sunrise pictures and again presents a totally different look to the morning.
I walked down the road this morning in the direction of the rising sun. I endured the cold wind in my face because I knew the walk back would definitely feel warmer. There are snowmobile trails throughout our county and luckily for me there is one that crosses the road close by. Being able to walk the fields on the hard packed trail was better than trudging through the snow that would have surely been over my boots.
There is always a moment as the sun rises where the sky is a multitude of colors. The effect is helped here by the presence of some low cloud cover but it does make for vibrant pictures. Very little processing for this picture. I added some contrast, a little clarity and toned down the vibrance some in Lightroom. I also needed to remove some of the noise I always seem to have when there is an abundance of sky in my pictures. I'm sure it is due to my camera only saving JPEG files. Looking forward to upgrading to a little better camera soon.
I was fortunate that a couple rebel snowmobilers decided to venture off the marked trail and cut across the field in the direction of my house. It allowed for some additional exploring without having to retrace my steps along the road. The higher the sun reached in the sky the colors dramatically changed which gave me this picture about 15 minutes after the one above.
By the time I finally reached the road on the other side of my house I noticed the this view across the valley. It is taken about 90 degrees from the sunrise pictures and again presents a totally different look to the morning.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Day 71
Sitting at the computer this morning I was not confident that I would have a good day with the camera. It was overcast and snowing with the potential to keep inside all day. Of course, if I had just checked the weather forecast I would have known it was going to clear up by this afternoon. I wasn't that smart this morning. I'll use the excuse that the coffee hadn't kicked in yet.
We had plans to drive out to the NY State Fair Grounds in Syracuse for the Salt City Antique show which I thought might provide some photography potential. I brought the smaller Sony with me as it fits in the inside pocket of my coat on the off chance I would be able to use. Antique dealers do not like people taking photographs. Everywhere I looked there were signs up stating 'No Pictures!'. All was not lost, there was still light when we left the show...
A friend at work suggested we try Quaker Steak & Lube for lunch if we do venture out to the show. It is just up the road from the fair grounds and I can tell you now it was worth the trip. The food was better than I anticipated and I enjoyed all the cool props throughout the building. I did manage to sneak a few pictures and almost considered using one for my project picture.
We eventually made it home with about an hour to spare before sunset. The temperature did not get above the mid teens but there was no wind which allowed me to wander around outside for a longer time before my finger tips begged for warmth. The sun was not obscured by the few clouds in the sky and produced a brilliant orange hue on everything. I particularly liked the look of the fence at the property line (a favorite subject when stuck at home).
I liked the color and texture of the post in the foreground. I tried a few different angles but felt this one with the remaining fence posts blurred in the background made for the best composition. I kept the processing simple on this picture. It was fairly close to what I wanted straight out of the camera. I added a little contrast, a little clarity and a small temperature change after cropping to a 2x3 ratio. I realized when I was all done and happy with this picture that I have used this before at the start of my project. I like the picture above better than the earlier one.
Here are a few of the pictures from the interior of the Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant. The first is a little busy looking and I had more than an amble amount of lights in the picture!
The second one is of the neon sign hanging on the wall in the top left corner of the first picture. I let the camera automatically adjust for the brightness and then adjusted the exposure a little more to get the background to disappear.
We had plans to drive out to the NY State Fair Grounds in Syracuse for the Salt City Antique show which I thought might provide some photography potential. I brought the smaller Sony with me as it fits in the inside pocket of my coat on the off chance I would be able to use. Antique dealers do not like people taking photographs. Everywhere I looked there were signs up stating 'No Pictures!'. All was not lost, there was still light when we left the show...
A friend at work suggested we try Quaker Steak & Lube for lunch if we do venture out to the show. It is just up the road from the fair grounds and I can tell you now it was worth the trip. The food was better than I anticipated and I enjoyed all the cool props throughout the building. I did manage to sneak a few pictures and almost considered using one for my project picture.
We eventually made it home with about an hour to spare before sunset. The temperature did not get above the mid teens but there was no wind which allowed me to wander around outside for a longer time before my finger tips begged for warmth. The sun was not obscured by the few clouds in the sky and produced a brilliant orange hue on everything. I particularly liked the look of the fence at the property line (a favorite subject when stuck at home).
I liked the color and texture of the post in the foreground. I tried a few different angles but felt this one with the remaining fence posts blurred in the background made for the best composition. I kept the processing simple on this picture. It was fairly close to what I wanted straight out of the camera. I added a little contrast, a little clarity and a small temperature change after cropping to a 2x3 ratio. I realized when I was all done and happy with this picture that I have used this before at the start of my project. I like the picture above better than the earlier one.
Here are a few of the pictures from the interior of the Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant. The first is a little busy looking and I had more than an amble amount of lights in the picture!
The second one is of the neon sign hanging on the wall in the top left corner of the first picture. I let the camera automatically adjust for the brightness and then adjusted the exposure a little more to get the background to disappear.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Day 70
I guess the bone head play yesterday was for the best. Today turned out to be a nicer day to take pictures outside. It wasn't any warmer but at least the sun was out and there was better light. I returned to the scene of yesterday's picture, the cannon in front of the fire house and managed to get better views then before.
I don't actually recall when the cannon was erected but it is a fitting symbol for the town's namesake, General William Floyd. I live in the Town of Floyd in Oneida County, New York. William Floyd was born in Long Island and served in the Suffolk County Militia during the Revolutionary War. He was an original signer of the Declaration of Independence and served as a member of the House of Representatives for New York. He eventually moved to our area of the state settling in the hamlet of Westernville.
There was a wide range between the light and dark areas of this scene. I did not want to lose any detail from the darker cannon so I set the camera to take a 3 bracket set (-1/0/+1). I combined the pictures using Photoshop Elements but the resulting image was still a little dull to me. I used Topaz Labs Adjust filter to brighten the image and intensify the colors.
I have quite a few more views of this cannon. I think I'll see what else I can create. I know there is a history theme on G+. I'll do some more research and see what I can create. Looking up the info about William Floyd has peaked my interest. I've lived in this area for over twenty years and I'm still discovering new info. Time to do more than just take up space...
I don't actually recall when the cannon was erected but it is a fitting symbol for the town's namesake, General William Floyd. I live in the Town of Floyd in Oneida County, New York. William Floyd was born in Long Island and served in the Suffolk County Militia during the Revolutionary War. He was an original signer of the Declaration of Independence and served as a member of the House of Representatives for New York. He eventually moved to our area of the state settling in the hamlet of Westernville.
There was a wide range between the light and dark areas of this scene. I did not want to lose any detail from the darker cannon so I set the camera to take a 3 bracket set (-1/0/+1). I combined the pictures using Photoshop Elements but the resulting image was still a little dull to me. I used Topaz Labs Adjust filter to brighten the image and intensify the colors.
I have quite a few more views of this cannon. I think I'll see what else I can create. I know there is a history theme on G+. I'll do some more research and see what I can create. Looking up the info about William Floyd has peaked my interest. I've lived in this area for over twenty years and I'm still discovering new info. Time to do more than just take up space...
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Day 69
Alright, I'll admit it, it was a stupid thing to do. I could make excuses but in the long run I wasn't focused on the task at hand. I stopped on my way home from work to take pictures of a cannon on display in front of the town fire hall. It was overcast and snow on the ground but the dark cannon would stand out nicely against all of that.
I grabbed 10 - 15 pictures from various angles and felt good that I would be able to create a picture for my 365 project from the images I captured. When I got home I plugged the camera into the computer and started the process of transferring the pictures. I don't even remember what I did to distract myself and interrupt the process but I saw the pictures on the screen, unplugged the camera and proceeded to delete the memory card. As soon as I returned my attention to the computer I realized I never clicked the 'Import' button. Aaahhhh! What a bone head mistake!
I lowered my head, grabbed the camera and started wandering the house for a new subject. My son just went back to college yesterday so his room was fairly empty. I noticed this game on the floor and thought it would work as my new subject. I liked how it seemed to jump off the blue carpet. I stepped away about eight feet so the flash would not be as strong and clicked away.
After yesterday's success at creating a landscape picture for my project and the Hobby Photographer's Photo Theme I was looking forward to processing the cannon pictures. I have wanted to stop and photograph the cannon for quite a while now but always seem to drive by. Hopefully there will be an even better day soon to return and get the pictures I lost today.
Lesson learned! No more immediate deletion of the camera's memory card until I am absolutely positive I have the images on the computer...
I grabbed 10 - 15 pictures from various angles and felt good that I would be able to create a picture for my 365 project from the images I captured. When I got home I plugged the camera into the computer and started the process of transferring the pictures. I don't even remember what I did to distract myself and interrupt the process but I saw the pictures on the screen, unplugged the camera and proceeded to delete the memory card. As soon as I returned my attention to the computer I realized I never clicked the 'Import' button. Aaahhhh! What a bone head mistake!
I lowered my head, grabbed the camera and started wandering the house for a new subject. My son just went back to college yesterday so his room was fairly empty. I noticed this game on the floor and thought it would work as my new subject. I liked how it seemed to jump off the blue carpet. I stepped away about eight feet so the flash would not be as strong and clicked away.
After yesterday's success at creating a landscape picture for my project and the Hobby Photographer's Photo Theme I was looking forward to processing the cannon pictures. I have wanted to stop and photograph the cannon for quite a while now but always seem to drive by. Hopefully there will be an even better day soon to return and get the pictures I lost today.
Lesson learned! No more immediate deletion of the camera's memory card until I am absolutely positive I have the images on the computer...
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Day 68
Today was the day to get out and use the camera during daylight! I had to take the day off from work to drive my son back to college in Potsdam, NY. It is a three hour drive each way with plenty of scenery. The drive up to college would be the scouting phase and then on the solitary return trip I would be able to stop for pictures.
I was not disappointed. The weather in the early morning was overcast and snowy but by the time we left the house the sun was out and the clouds were disappearing. There was not much traffic on the roads which allowed me to stop at the various locations to take my pictures. This picture is from an abandoned set of tracks just north of Lowville, NY on Route 812. I actually stopped to get a picture of the bridge looking the other direction down the tracks but liked this view better. It's true. Always look behind you after taking the picture.
I also chose this picture because I wanted to contribute it to the Hobby Photographer's Photo Theme of 'Lines'. The theme is about using lines in landscape or city photography to enhance the mood or lead the viewer's eye through the picture.
This picture works for me on multiple levels. There are the obvious lines of the tracks and then the telephone poles but the over growth on the right creates another line all leading in the same direction. I'm going to have to stop here again once spring returns to get this view when everything is not as drab looking.
I was not disappointed. The weather in the early morning was overcast and snowy but by the time we left the house the sun was out and the clouds were disappearing. There was not much traffic on the roads which allowed me to stop at the various locations to take my pictures. This picture is from an abandoned set of tracks just north of Lowville, NY on Route 812. I actually stopped to get a picture of the bridge looking the other direction down the tracks but liked this view better. It's true. Always look behind you after taking the picture.
I also chose this picture because I wanted to contribute it to the Hobby Photographer's Photo Theme of 'Lines'. The theme is about using lines in landscape or city photography to enhance the mood or lead the viewer's eye through the picture.
This picture works for me on multiple levels. There are the obvious lines of the tracks and then the telephone poles but the over growth on the right creates another line all leading in the same direction. I'm going to have to stop here again once spring returns to get this view when everything is not as drab looking.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Day 67
This will probably come off as whining but I just didn't have the time today to explore with the camera. I ended up searching the house again for a subject to photograph. What I ended up using was our Olszewski Disney Gallery of Light shadow box of Snow White Kissing Dopey. I chose not to try to photograph the entire piece but focus on the inside scene.
Due to the lighting conditions inside the box I once again used a 3 exposure bracket and combined them using Photoshop Elements photo merge exposure option. It isn't the same as a dedicated HDR program like Photomatrix but it gets the picture most of the way there and then I just need to tweak it.
The manual tweaking just wasn't working for me. I turned to Topaz Labs Adjust 5 filter to apply a 'Photo Pop' HDR effect to increase the detail and bring out the colors more. The light inside the box produced a hot spot in the center of the picture which I adjusted out slightly by decreasing the brightness locally.
Tomorrow I need to return to a more typical picture. I'll have more opportunities as I am taking my son back to college and it will be a 3 hour return trip by myself. Looks like I'll be bringing the camera and spotting places to stop on the drive out.
Due to the lighting conditions inside the box I once again used a 3 exposure bracket and combined them using Photoshop Elements photo merge exposure option. It isn't the same as a dedicated HDR program like Photomatrix but it gets the picture most of the way there and then I just need to tweak it.
The manual tweaking just wasn't working for me. I turned to Topaz Labs Adjust 5 filter to apply a 'Photo Pop' HDR effect to increase the detail and bring out the colors more. The light inside the box produced a hot spot in the center of the picture which I adjusted out slightly by decreasing the brightness locally.
Tomorrow I need to return to a more typical picture. I'll have more opportunities as I am taking my son back to college and it will be a 3 hour return trip by myself. Looks like I'll be bringing the camera and spotting places to stop on the drive out.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Day 66
There is only two hours left before this day slips into tomorrow. I have never had such a hard time capturing my project picture. I had an idea that I just could not execute on. My wife had received a bottle of Grey Goose vodka for Christmas and I thought it was a very interesting bottle for a picture. I was also thinking I could use the opportunity to learn more about Topaz Labs ReMask 3 filter. Needless to say, I have more work to do in learning the program as well as how best to photograph a translucent object.
Overall it was a interesting learning experience for me. Trying to setup a place in the kitchen with barely adequate lighting and a make shift background cloth was almost beyond my patience level. The picture is not one of my favorites but I'm going to use it for today's post as a reminder of the process I went through and what I still need to learn.
I found some black cloth to use as a background which I thought would provide enough contrast with the bottle to allow me to use the ReMask 3 filter. I eventually gave up with the filter because I could not get a sharp enough mask in quite a few areas around the bottle. Some of my problem might have been the lighting, I'll have to experiment more when I have more time.
I went with a three image photo merge exposure process in Photoshop Elements to create my final picture. I ended up adding some clarity to bring more detail to the image and words on the bottle. I guess looking at it again as I write this it isn't too bad, just not the image that was in my head when I started to create this picture.
I'll try revisiting this bottle when I learn more about both the software and lighting.
Overall it was a interesting learning experience for me. Trying to setup a place in the kitchen with barely adequate lighting and a make shift background cloth was almost beyond my patience level. The picture is not one of my favorites but I'm going to use it for today's post as a reminder of the process I went through and what I still need to learn.
I found some black cloth to use as a background which I thought would provide enough contrast with the bottle to allow me to use the ReMask 3 filter. I eventually gave up with the filter because I could not get a sharp enough mask in quite a few areas around the bottle. Some of my problem might have been the lighting, I'll have to experiment more when I have more time.
I went with a three image photo merge exposure process in Photoshop Elements to create my final picture. I ended up adding some clarity to bring more detail to the image and words on the bottle. I guess looking at it again as I write this it isn't too bad, just not the image that was in my head when I started to create this picture.
I'll try revisiting this bottle when I learn more about both the software and lighting.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Day 65
Driving over to town to get bagels for breakfast I couldn't help but stop to take this picture. Lucky for me there was no traffic on the road because the shoulder was very narrow and I could't pull over to get the car completely off the road. This is a picture from the end of the runway looking toward the hangers of the old Griffiss Air Force base in Rome, NY. The steam/smoke trail from the power plant was hanging low to the ground probably due to the extreme cold (-15F).
All the processing was done in Lightroom with noise reduction done in Topaz Labs DeNoise 5. I cropped the outer fence out of the picture and changed the aspect ratio to 16x9. I increased blacks and added some fill light to bring out the detail in the snow. My exposure was a little dark so I added some brightness but also added contrast to bring out the color in the sky. To get a little better definition of the steam/smoke trail I increased clarity. Here is the original for comparison...
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| Smoke Trail - Day 65 |
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Days 55 to 64
Time once again to play catch up! Spent a week on vacation thoroughly enjoying the time away from work and the cold northeast. Was very spoiled by the weather in Orlando with most days near 80 the whole time we were there. Traveling is generally a big hassle and the return trip was no exception. I'm just going to spend the weekend getting back into a normal routine and try not to daydream too much about my home-away-from-home, the Beach Club resort in Walt Disney World.
I was able to keep my 365 project going while on vacation, which should be no big surprise as there is a plethora of photo opportunities in Disney World. I was helped out by the fact that I'm usually an early riser even when I don't need to be, so I was able to go out for walks in the morning as everyone else was getting ready. Well, enough rambling, let's get to the pictures...
Getting ready to leave the next morning for our vacation I was scrambling to find a subject for my project picture. The historic church at the end of my road is always decorated for the holidays so I drove down and grabbed a few pictures. I decided to focus on the red door with the decorations since the there was too much noise in the rest of the image.
We spent the night at my mother-in-law's house since we would be flying out early the Saturday morning. With everything else going on I almost forgot to get my picture so I roamed around her house pointing the camera at anything interesting. I typically see this saying portrayed by monkeys so the ducks caught my eye. I quick pose on the table and I stayed on track.
Once we arrived at the Beach Club resort we dropped off our stuff in the room and headed over to Hollywood Studios for the last night of the Osborne Family Lights and Fantasmic before it closes for a refurbishment. Walking out to the Yacht Club's lighthouse to catch the ferry I spied this perched on one of the posts. He was not intimidated by people at all. I was about 3 feet away when I took this picture.
Soarin'! I love this ride and our first full day in a park was spent in Epcot. Grabbed a fast pass and headed out for other adventures. When we returned there was a small delay in the fast pass line and I just couldn't stand there under these lights without taking a quick picture.
Sat down near the restrooms next to Pirates of the Caribbean and the first thing I notice is the wall. The color and texture had me at 'Hello'. Then I noticed how ornate the sign was and the wonderful detail in the tiles. That was all she wrote folks, photo taken!
We were waiting in line to see Mickey over in Camp Minnie-Mickey at the Animal Kingdom which allowed me to play with the camera. Actually I was just getting ready to take pictures, really! I really liked how this one turned out with the dark background. I think it enhances the colors of the foreground subject.
This lamp post was visible from the balcony off the living room of our villa. I really liked the black post against the colors of the fallen leaves. My plan was to get a picture at night with the light on but my attempts all failed. I blame the camera... lol.
On one of my morning walks I stopped taking pictures across the lake and focused on some of the flowers I could find along the walkway. This one was just too vibrant to pass up although I still couldn't resist a little Boardwalk bokeh in the background.
Back in the northeast on Thursday night and this is what I wake to Friday morning! It wasn't as bad as I want to make it out but after a week in Florida I wasn't ready to deal with the snow. This was just a quick picture out the back door at my mother-in-laws before packing up the car to finally get back home.
I was able to keep my 365 project going while on vacation, which should be no big surprise as there is a plethora of photo opportunities in Disney World. I was helped out by the fact that I'm usually an early riser even when I don't need to be, so I was able to go out for walks in the morning as everyone else was getting ready. Well, enough rambling, let's get to the pictures...
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| Day 55 - Holiday Door |
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| Day 56 - Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil |
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| Day 57 - Standing Watch |
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| Day 58 - Blue Waves |
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| Day 59 - Ornate Sign |
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| Day 60 - Fading Beauty |
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| Day 61 - Light and Leaves |
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| Day 62 - Flower Bokeh |
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| Day 63 - Snow Post |
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| Day 64 - Slant |
I was still a little off my game today. Most of it was spent working on all the pictures I brought back with me from vacation. I also had to spend a couple of hours replacing the back brakes on my car. I'm too cheap to let someone else do it since I am more than capable. It was close though considering how cold the garage was going to be. I survived and then about an hour before sunset I tried going outside with the camera. I think I lasted all of ten minutes before running back inside. I did manage to get this picture before my finger tips turned numb.
I should be back on a regular schedule tomorrow so hopefully I can keep this blog up to date with my progress along my 365 Project journey. No promises though... ;)
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Day 54
I made a decision today! Yes, your applause is appreciated... thank you. For the last 53 days I have been taking pot shots with my camera hoping to get a picture for this project. There were a few days where I actually thought about a picture and planned how to shoot it, but for the most part it has been pot luck. I don't think this is the actual intent of the project. Have I been learning about my camera, yes. Have I been learning about composition, yes. Have I been learning about exposure, yes. It just feels like I needed something else...
Now for my decision... The Hobby Photographer's Photo-Theme Page runs a bi-weekly theme where each photographer can submit three pictures for review. At the end of the two week period everyone votes for their favorite picture. The winner has bragging rights until the next theme's winner is chosen. I decided to submit photos for each theme which will focus my on creating at least three pictures with a goal in mind. I think this will help me with composition and the peer review/exposure will help me improve my overall skills. This week's theme is Abstract...
Now for my decision... The Hobby Photographer's Photo-Theme Page runs a bi-weekly theme where each photographer can submit three pictures for review. At the end of the two week period everyone votes for their favorite picture. The winner has bragging rights until the next theme's winner is chosen. I decided to submit photos for each theme which will focus my on creating at least three pictures with a goal in mind. I think this will help me with composition and the peer review/exposure will help me improve my overall skills. This week's theme is Abstract...
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| Abstract Words |
I ended up taking this picture during lunch at work today. I stacked up a few small books and placed this article I printed off the web so it was sloping up toward the light source. I set the camera to the largest aperture, turned on macro mode and adjusted the focusing to be 7 meters. I set the camera on the desk at the bottom of the page, focused on the top words and clicked away. A little processing in Lightroom, a pass through the B&W Effects filter and I have my project picture. Now all I need is two more abstracts by the 14th.
Rule of Thirds
Scott Thomas, fellow Upstate NY photographer, has a great blog, Views Infinitum where you can read about his journey into photography, view great pictures from around New York State and learn about photography concepts. I just discovered he uses his blog to run photographic assignments to help newbies like me improve their skills.
This weeks assignment is about the rule of thirds. You can read about it on Scott's site by following this link: assignment 17 rule of thirds. As an added bonus attached to this assignment Scott will be picking a random winner from the submissions to participate in an online photography e-class. I'm feeling lucky, are you?
This was a picture I took early in my 365 projects. As Scott mentions in his blog I purposefully composed the picture following the rule-of-thirds but as you can see from the original below I needed to crop the picture to achieve the image I wanted. There was also a little tweaking in Lightroom to improve the mood and tone of the picture.
This weeks assignment is about the rule of thirds. You can read about it on Scott's site by following this link: assignment 17 rule of thirds. As an added bonus attached to this assignment Scott will be picking a random winner from the submissions to participate in an online photography e-class. I'm feeling lucky, are you?
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| Rule-of-Thirds |
This was a picture I took early in my 365 projects. As Scott mentions in his blog I purposefully composed the picture following the rule-of-thirds but as you can see from the original below I needed to crop the picture to achieve the image I wanted. There was also a little tweaking in Lightroom to improve the mood and tone of the picture.
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| Original straight out of camera |
Day 53
Single digit temperatures and a losing battle with the sun left me with inside objects for my project picture. I've discovered when shooting inside in low light I need to always use the tripod to ensure a sharp image. I'm just not very steady at slow shutter speeds. I also wanted to try more bracketed shots with the thought of combining them using Photoshop Elements - Photmerge Exposure option.
I found this fragrance diffuser on one of the end tables and it looked like it would catch the light nicely while providing a nice contrast to the wood grained top. The automatic bracketing does work on my camera if you need longer exposure but I was able to get around this issue by setting the exposures manually. Luckily for me I didn't move the camera in between shots.
Once I had the three exposures merges in Elements I did a small adjustment to the levels and adjusted the contrast. The picture didn't turn out that bad and discovered another nice background to photograph objects against. After reviewing the in camera pictures of this object I tried another bracketed shot of a candle topper with the candle lit to provide some contrasting light.
Looking at this image today I might have done a different crop to better highlight the detail in the top but overall this image works for me too. This opens up more possibilities for exploration and with winter starting to set in here in Upstate NY, I'm going to need a lot more indoor subjects!
I found this fragrance diffuser on one of the end tables and it looked like it would catch the light nicely while providing a nice contrast to the wood grained top. The automatic bracketing does work on my camera if you need longer exposure but I was able to get around this issue by setting the exposures manually. Luckily for me I didn't move the camera in between shots.
Once I had the three exposures merges in Elements I did a small adjustment to the levels and adjusted the contrast. The picture didn't turn out that bad and discovered another nice background to photograph objects against. After reviewing the in camera pictures of this object I tried another bracketed shot of a candle topper with the candle lit to provide some contrasting light.
Looking at this image today I might have done a different crop to better highlight the detail in the top but overall this image works for me too. This opens up more possibilities for exploration and with winter starting to set in here in Upstate NY, I'm going to need a lot more indoor subjects!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Day 52
I took the tripod out of the car when we had to travel over the holidays and today I am regretting that it hasn't made it back into the car. I stopped at the cemetery in the village to get a picture of the stone house and wall at the front. I have been passing this building for months since my interest in photography thinking it would be a great subject for a picture. I was not disappointed after stopping.
I attempted to take a 3 exposure bracket without the tripod and the resulting picture had too many ghosts. The Photoshop Elements program did a great job aligning the building but the background trees had ghosts. I adjusted my strategy to the processing. I started with the normal exposure image and processed it through Topaz Labs Adjust utilizing the Heavy Smooth HDR filter. A few small tweaks to the levels and contrast once back in Elements to produce the final image.
The next time I pass through the village with some cooperating light I will be stopping to explore this building and surrounding stone wall more closely. There are some iron fences in the stone wall that look promising. It is snowing out now, maybe tomorrow will be my next chance.
I attempted to take a 3 exposure bracket without the tripod and the resulting picture had too many ghosts. The Photoshop Elements program did a great job aligning the building but the background trees had ghosts. I adjusted my strategy to the processing. I started with the normal exposure image and processed it through Topaz Labs Adjust utilizing the Heavy Smooth HDR filter. A few small tweaks to the levels and contrast once back in Elements to produce the final image.
The next time I pass through the village with some cooperating light I will be stopping to explore this building and surrounding stone wall more closely. There are some iron fences in the stone wall that look promising. It is snowing out now, maybe tomorrow will be my next chance.
Top 10 of 2011
A couple of weeks ago Levi Moore posted about selecting your top 10 pictures of 2011 into a separate album which he would list on his blog (Your Top 10 Photos of 2011) in a collection of photographic goodness. Although I had only started taking photography seriously this summer I decided it would be good to see what I had created over the past six months. The thought just crossed my mind that I should also include those pictures here as another record of my growth(?). I'll let the images speak for themselves...
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| #10 - Writer's block |
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| #9 - Simple and delicate |
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| #8 - Unbelievable colors |
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| #7 - Refusing to give up |
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| #6 - Silhouette |
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| #5 - 4 image panoramic over Mohawk River |
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| #4 - Alone |
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| #3 - The path less traveled |
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| #2 - Cold morning |
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| #1 - Apple field |
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