Project 365 - Day 26 (Post-Workday Therapy)

Night shooting in the rain...well, a steady mist, anyway...is not something I enjoy.  I was even coming up with a list of excuses as to why I didn't get a shot today...then I rethought this spot.  I'm trying to train myself to think photographically.  That is, I want to try to see pictures in the places that don't seem to be photogenic or even interesting, then capture something of interest anyway.

This was a challenge because, as I've said before, Betty (yeah, I named my camera...don't judge) does not like low light.  I do not like wet weather.  Give me freezing temps in a foot of snow and I'll stand there with a camera for hours to get the right light, but even a little rain and I wanna get out of there.  So shooting under a utilitarian overpass at almost midnight while the misty rain was coming in at an oblique angle isn't what I consider "fun" photography...and yet...a picture can be found everywhere:

I found the shapes, lines, and light flares an interesting combination in a bit of a sketchy spot.  I had originally wanted to capture the color reflecting off the concrete pillar in the right third of the frame...then, I did a de-saturation treatment just playing with levels...and I really thought this shot captured the mood.

For comparison's sake, here's the color version:

I still like it, but thought the B&W better captured the mood I saw there.

Notice, even in the horrid light, the graffiti deep in both pics is clear and relatively noise-free.

Project 365 - Day 25 (Yes, My Theory...Which is Mine)

I was just looking for something, anything to shoot, trying to just find something interesting when it hit me: a good picture can (theoretically) be made anywhere.  So I pulled into a back lot that happens to be next to a prairie grass restoration area and park and:

A Coming Sunset and Jetstream

While the photo isn't technically perfect (the sun is blown out), it still works well for me.  The very edge of the parking area in the lower left flows into the beautifully lit prairie grass as the sun seems to be cupped in the horizon of the treetops. And the starburst effect around the sun?  I dig it.

I liked the rest of the shots, as well.  I hope you do, too.  It's a surprisingly peaceful, out-of-the-way spot.

Along with the way the setting sun lit up the grass, I really like the fine detail captured here, especially the feathery strands and bits in the top-right 1/3 of the frame.

 Yeah, it makes a nice B&W, too, huh?

 When in doubt, get low and get close.

Or...get lower and closer still.

Project 365 - Day 24 ('Tis Nearly the Season)

Putting up the tree before Thanksgiving: gauche.  On Thanksgiving: in questionable taste, depending on the time of day.  The day after: totally acceptable.

A Dog's View

I liked the idea of taking photos of the tree so much I took more...and thought I'd share.  One can't get too much practice when Giving.

Twinkle, Twinkle Not-So-Little

Untitled

On the Nose

I also spent part of the day getting a haircut in an old fashioned barber shop.  Inside, the 1964 Coke machine has been in the same corner since '65.

You Call That a Warning?

This B&W was almost the Shot o' the Day.

 This shot was a bit of a mistake.  I'm not sure how I cut part of the change slot out in the frame...but I did.  Still, I like it.

Of course...Cooper makes an appearance.  Either he's outgrowing his crack-gland or he's given up on avoiding Zee Cam-air-ah.

It's All About the Eye

 I nailed the focus in this shot: in Cooper's eye, you can see the outside reflected.
 

I Hate Waiting

Project 365 - Day 23

Found on a drive into the country: the remnants of a family farm, just one generation removed.  Some redneck ruins and a silo--all that remains.

A color rendition:

And a sense of isolation:

Project 365 - Day 22

Thanksgiving...I have mixed feelings about this holiday, since it's essentially a celebration of the birth of the country, but hides a most ugly truth as to the machinations thereof...but that's for a different blog, really.

Thanksgiving has become a time to gather with family and friends to reminisce and be thankful for all those things that connect us: the people, memories, places, aromas, etc.  Today, my wife and I went to meet other family members at my long-lost grandparents' longtime home, a place my mind associates with the smells of my grandma's cooking, the scruff of my grandpa's 5 o'clock shadow and smell of his cigarettes, and the distinct feel of my grandma's cheek as I kissed her goodbye, though the last time was more than two decades ago.  The objects of the place - simple as ever.  Lighting, for a second day in a row, was horrific.  Still, I captured a few images of objects that have been part of that place since well before I was born.

Details...Memory Details

This is part of the kitchen vent, a room in which my grandmother made coffee, perfect fried chicken, and the kind of homemade gravy that would make your whole family stand up and yell, "YUMMY!"  When installed, I'm sure the brand name was a mash-up of "Home" and "Art," but it has a decidedly different connotation today, one which would make my indelicate grandma cackle.

Ran the Joint

Yeah, it's just a fuse box, but it was and is an integral part of my grandpa's garage.  The old electric grinder which had sharpened more chisels, knives, and the like than could be imagined is long gone, but this relic remains and runs the house.

Untitled

This pencil sharpener is mounted in the same garage.  My grandpa was an inveterate tinkerer, never without a pencil as I recall, so this implement was essential.  I remember the feeling I got the first time I was able to reach this on my own the first time.

I also captured several good shots of family, but won't share those here...at least not yet.  For now, I'm just gonna post the images that bring back that time and place in so visceral a way.  I hope for better light the next time I'm there....

Project 365 - Day 21

As you may have noticed, one of my favorite things to capture is Small Town Decay.  It's not that something is rotten in Mayberry or this is some sort of small town kid gets even: I'm just drawn to the way an American meme (rural and small-town Americana) mixes with the cold hard reality of humanity and impermanence.  All of these places were once bustling microcosms of working class America - now deserted, bereft of economy, but not bereft of value.  The worst thing that happens is when someone gets the bright idea these old buildings no longer serve a purpose as well as a vacant lot does, so these places - once bursting with activity and commerce - get torn down and replaced by a characterless, useless Nothing.

The weather was horrifically bad, photographically (while "overcast" is great, "pissing rain" is not), so I was only able to manage a few decent shots.  (Although, I did try to get some skill with the noise reduction capability in LR3.)  But, as Ansel Adams once said, "Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop. "  I'm not sure my keeper rate is that high, yet, but the idea is to see something and capture it.

Pre-Spellcheck

Time to Change the Sign...?

And here's something: this pumpkin was sitting on top of a stack of pallets...at the recycling center.  Considering it was a few weeks after Halloween, I liked the image...and grabbed it.

Project 365 - Day 20 (See, the Problem is....)

The problem is...I was nearly late to work.  I had allowed myself what I thought was plenty of time to get a couple of nice shots before work...and then I started wading through the weeds...and ducking behind them...and playing with DOF....  Basically, I lost myself in shooting for quite a while, though I have to thank the guys who thought I was trespassing...they made me look at a freakin' watch...so I made it.  But still...I wish I'd had even more time to wade through those weeds....

The first shot is of the first floor freight elevator of the former Ms. Elaine's, a fairly sizable local manufacturer until about a decade ago.  Slowly, the west side of the building either collapsed or was torn down (for safety), leaving the elevator doors exposed to the elements.  Two main things I love about the first shot: the blurred weeds in the foreground give a light sense of overgrowth, complimenting the weathering of the door and brick, and; when you enlarge the photo 100%...you can clearly read the "Up/Down" options on the button.

The rest of the post is images I captured that I thought gave a sense of the place...and a little well-lit driveway I liked...and a sunset...hard to go wrong with a sunset.

Enjoy!

Reclamation

Going...?

2 by 2

Somewhere in Germany....

Slowly but Surely

Stackables

Glenn Beck

Can't Go Wrong

Project 365 - Day 19 (A Desolate Panorama)

I've been driving by this scene for several years, now, and the thought keeps rolling through my head: "This was someone's version of the American Dream, once."  Now, it just sits in a corn field, rotting away, slow as time.

Another view, straight on.  I thought the panoramic crop added to the lines of the former home and the drab color to the feel.

What Little Remains

Project 365 - Day 18 (A Great Pic is Where Ya Find It)

If Only He Could Speak....

Yet another recurring theme here @ D&D will be Cooper for one simple reason: Dogs almost always make great subjects.  I like this particular shot because I used my phone's camera to capture a nice profile portrait of him standing just inside the front door.  The day was overcast, but that made the light coming through the door soft and even, which is always flattering.  I used the Retro Camera App (which I highly recommend), which gives it that sort of scratchy, grainy look.

Retro Camera offers several camera options, replicating the way images looked from Polaroid, a lomography-style camera, pinhole, etc.  If you like, you can also make the image B&W.  And it's free...free.

So really...I never have a good excuse to fail to get a good picture to post.

Project 365 - Day 17 (Watch This Space!)

You can always tell when I haven't had made time to shoot during the day because I always try to get a sunset (see below).  But...I found this shot well after sundown. I love the composition, the mood, even the soft focus.  As a piece of "art," it works quite well for me.  From a technical POV, though, the biggest flaw is the noise.  (Click for the hi-res photo and the noise will be apparent.)  My current camera does not like low light conditions in the least, but my new processing software (I use Lightroom and am testing ver. 3) reportedly performs miracles on the noisiest of photos.  However, like almost all tools, the user still has to know how to USE the tool to get the job done right.  As I just downloaded LR 3 a couple of days ago, that is something I have to learn...

So watch this space.  This shot has potential....

 
But here's another nice sunset over the prairie:

At least Two Chances a Day

Project 365 - Day 16

Another recurring theme for D&D will be entrances.  While I love almost anything crumbling, decaying, weathering, and/or aging, my eye is particularly drawn to the entrances of places long since left to waste away.  What happened?  Who used this?  And in this particular example, exactly what the hell is the purpose of a brand new lock?  While the lock, oversized hinges, and other bracing may have kept someone out at sometime, I think an even mildly interested burglar would be able to punch through those slats....

It was a damned good day of shooting though, as seen by these shots, too, I think:

Cooper, Guarding the Entrance

Texture and Context

Silhouettes, Never Boring

Project 365 - Day 15 (Just Pull Over!)

Pretty Dreary

Sometimes, you look out the window as you're driving along, mindlessly viewing a passing scene you've seen pass your window a thousand times or more...and inspiration strikes.

This is the kind of shooting I like: see it; stop; take; leave; post.  I only took a few frames, just to make sure I got the DOF I liked.  Then, I did a B&W treatment (Pick o' the Day) for one, then played around with desaturation for another, the result of which you see below.

As always, critique welcome, suggestions considered.

Project 365 - Day 14: A Random Stroll

Waiting for Next Year

Day 14 was a VERY good one, I thought.  I didn't have a plan of any kind, no subject matter, theme, or intent, so I just got in the car and drove.  I saw an empty lot and thought, "There's a photo everywhere, so why not here?"  I got out, tromped around, and captured several shot I thought were very good.

Even though it's not "perfect," I chose to make this my "Post o' the Day" because of the unexpected pop of color in this dingy, forgotten spot.  I also liked how the camera nailed the flecks of texture on the...well, I don't know what those things are on then end of the stems.  Seed pods, perhaps?

Click the pics for the higher res version and, as always...enjoy!

Other candidates: