365 171/365 - Epic Fail

2010-06-21T09:30:00.002-04:00

Well, I don't have a picture to post from Sunday. I do have one from Saturday night, which technically is 170, but I didn't bother since I don't have 171. I took not a single picture yesterday. I should have taken my camera to my in-laws for Father's Day, but it just didn't occur to me. And then I went straight to work and didn't have my camera with me. By the time I left work and picked up a few groceries, I didn't even realize until I was getting into bed that I hadn't taken a picture.

I considered fudging it - no one would know. Because I had a couple images from Saturday. I could have used on for 170 and one for 171. And at least kept the project going. And who knows, maybe that's how people get through it. It's not that big of a deal, I suppose. But I can't. I could resume today and call it a "365 -1" project. But that wouldn't negate the truth, which is simply that I failed.

169/365 - Summer Vacation

2010-06-19T10:49:00.002-04:00

167/365 - Peek-a-bo0

2010-06-16T22:33:00.002-04:00

I was out in my tiny meadow (my preferred term for the overgrown hill) and this little guy was poking out of a little white flower - they look like miniature daisies. He looked as snug as a bug in a rug.

166/365 - Impatient ..

2010-06-16T00:05:00.001-04:00

... with this project.

165/365 - Mirror, mirror

2010-06-15T09:24:00.002-04:00

Consider this a place filler. It's a photograph. And it was taken on the 165th day of the year.

164/365 - For Nicky

2010-06-14T08:46:00.001-04:00

163/365 - Music Box

2010-06-13T10:33:00.002-04:00

Uncle Steven's birthday present is every little girl's dream.

162/365 - A Lesson from My Mother

2010-06-11T20:51:00.003-04:00

Julia's best friend came over this morning to play. They came up and asked me if they could make medicine for Lipstick, Julia's doll. This involved mixing up a bead-and-glitter-glue soup in a bowl. My instinct screamed no. But just as I was opening my mouth to form the word, I flashed back to two little girls, circa late 1970s. These two little girls were playing scientist in the bathroom - mixing together shampoo, lotion, cold cream, vaseline. Whatever could be found in the bathroom cabinet and the hall closet. And as if that weren't enough, cups of these experiments were then placed in the freezer for an indeterminate period of time (no, they never froze). At the time, neither little girl thought once, much less twice, about the mess. Or the waste.

But my mother was happy to encourage their imaginations. And so I let Julia and her friend have as much fun as I had with my best friend, Katie, 30-plus years ago.

161/365 - Jump Zone

2010-06-10T22:57:00.002-04:00

Julia had a preschool get-together at the Jump Zone today - big inflatable bouncy things everywhere. For some reason I thought it would be "good practice" to take pictures of preschoolers running around like lunatics with my 50mm manual focus lens. But not, not so much.

160/365 - OMG ...

2010-06-09T23:22:00.002-04:00

... I can't believe I've been doing this for 160 days and that's not even half way done. I didn't feel like taking a single picture today. I did go out into the woods and saw some cool fungus growing on a log. But the shots did nothing for me. And I just don't care. So I screwed around in photoshop - a lot.

159/365 - Wrong Feet

2010-06-08T22:43:00.002-04:00

When Julia first learned to put her own shoes on, she put them on the wrong feet once. I said, "Julia, your shoes are on the wrong feet." And Julia, who hates to be wrong, said, "That is how I like them." And ever since, she wears her shoes on the wrong feet the majority of the time. Snow boots, dress shoes, sandals - it doesn't matter. And if you ask her about it, she says that's how she likes them.

Today I was doing a craft project with her - we were building the sparkliest, mermaidiest, pinkist beach you can imagine. And she wanted to glue the flipflops on the sand. So she did - they are on the wrong feet.

158/365 - Up and Down

2010-06-08T08:25:00.002-04:00

157/365 - Out for a Sunday Drive ...

2010-06-07T09:10:00.001-04:00

... home from work, that is.

156/365 - Two

2010-06-07T09:00:00.003-04:00

I took pictures for a friend's daughter's two-year-old birthday party on Saturday. I love this shot - it's like the world as a two-year-old sees it. Or at least in my own imagination. And the pigtails kill me :)

155/365 - Pincushion

2010-06-04T22:08:00.002-04:00

154/365 - I Love Presents

2010-06-03T23:13:00.002-04:00

153/365 - Courage

2010-06-02T23:15:00.001-04:00

He ran towards me right after the flash fired - I swear to God I screamed and ran like a girl.

152/365 - Kaleidescope

2010-06-01T23:38:00.001-04:00

151/365 - I Don't Feel So Bad

2010-06-01T00:23:00.003-04:00

150/365 - Not Much

2010-06-01T00:22:00.003-04:00

149/365 - One Hero of Many

2010-05-29T13:44:00.002-04:00

Col. DeWolf Schatzel served proudly in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was the last commander of the Mounted Detachment from 1937-38 in Peking, China. The detachment was disbanded in 1938 before the Japanese invasion of China. He went on to serve for another 20 years, and was among the 4th wave to land at Iwo Jima during World War II. What he saw I never heard him speak of, but being a child and self-centered teen when he was alive, I never thought to ask.

Oh, yes, he was also my grandfather.

148/365 - My #1 Baseball Player

2010-05-28T22:37:00.001-04:00

It was a beautiful evening for baseball. Thomas made me proud.

147/365 - Petunia

2010-05-27T20:53:00.004-04:00

When all else fails, grab a macro lens, shoot the center of a flower and crop it slightly off-center.

146/365 - Lake Season Opens

2010-05-26T23:46:00.003-04:00

It was hot, hot, hot today so Julia and I picked Thomas up from school and went to the lake. First visit of many this summer.

135/365 - Honey Bee

2010-05-25T21:36:00.002-04:00

I was exhausted after working hard out in the sun in 90-degree heat for three hours this afternoon and felt like taking a picture about as much as I felt like running a marathon. I went out after dinner at dusk and there were honey bees busy at the rhododendrons - the first honey bees I've seen this year.

I chased them around in the semi-dark with my manual focus macro lens - pretty much the most frustrating thing I could undertake. There's nothing like a grainy, out-of-focus picture of the day. This definitely numbers among the worst of the project, but it's all I've got.

144/365 - My Babies

2010-05-24T22:25:00.002-04:00

I gave Thomas and Julia haircuts tonight, after having spent the day shearing the bushes, too. Thomas actually graced me with a nice face - a rarity that will probably never be repeated.

143/365 - I Brake for Silly Bands

2010-05-24T08:27:00.002-04:00

142/365 - Relief

2010-05-22T14:29:00.001-04:00

Thank God for sudafed. And advil. And theraflu. There's nothing like waking up with a head cold that won't quit and a migraine on top of it.

141/365 - Unhappy Birthday

2010-05-22T14:26:00.001-04:00

Julia had cupcakes on Friday for her birthday, which is after school gets out. So the teacher calls it a happy un-birthday (from Alice in Wonderland, I believe). But Julia got is mixed up and insists it is her unhappy birthday. She fails to see the humor in that.

140/365 - Let there be light

2010-05-21T12:46:00.003-04:00

I just liked the shape of the light bulb.

139/365 - Columbine

2010-05-19T22:04:00.003-04:00

I remember where I was, what I was doing and what I was wearing when I first heard about the Columbine shootings. The flower always makes me think about it.

138/365 - Fairy Lights

2010-05-18T22:02:00.002-04:00

I went outside tonight to photograph raindrops. Last time I played around with lighting. Tonight was natural.

137/365 - For 10 Years ...

2010-05-18T09:01:00.003-04:00

... I've stood outside the paper and stared at the clock gears and thought "there's a picture here somewhere." Last night at work, I actually tried it. And I know there's still a picture there somewhere - I just have to find it.

136/365 - Hike with Thomas

2010-05-17T00:24:00.002-04:00

Today was the mother-son hike. It was a beautiful day and we hiked up to Hublein Tower on Talcott Mountain. The company was great, especially Thomas'.

135/365 - Not My Exit ...

2010-05-16T08:57:00.003-04:00

... but close. Yes, on my way home again on a Saturday night after work.

134/365 - La Fee Verte

2010-05-14T22:49:00.002-04:00

133/365 -Mother Nature's Quite a Lady

2010-05-13T23:20:00.003-04:00

I thought dewdrops in the morning were appropriate after rain drops at night.

132/365 - Night Drops

2010-05-12T22:28:00.001-04:00

It was a beautiful wet spring night out tonight. I little chilly, but very still and plenty of crickets.

131/365 - Moving On

2010-05-11T23:21:00.002-04:00

I gave soap bubbles one more try and am satisfied that I can produce them on demand. So, this is the last soap bubble planet, I promise.

130/365 - Prom

2010-05-11T00:51:00.001-04:00

I couldn't bear to take another shot in the car, so on my way home I drove by a bridal shop that I've always wanted to photograph. The light insid were out, so it didn't turn into what I expected.

129/365 - Paradise by the Dashboard Light

2010-05-10T08:09:00.003-04:00

Except that I was having trouble with my camera on m drive home from work - I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't fire. I finally figured out it was because I had it set on shutter priority which won't work with my manual-focus lens. By that time, I didn't care what the picture looked like.

I should not be allowed to play with technology.

128/365 - Ablaze

2010-05-09T01:02:00.002-04:00

Went to work today figuring I'd shoot something on my drive home. But at about 9 p.m., a vacant building around the block from the paper caught on fire. I grabbed my camera and ran upstairs and shot what I could - not the best vantage point. The building was engulfed and smoke was billowing across the windy sky. Firefighters had it under control quickly.

127/365 - Giving In

2010-05-08T10:08:00.004-04:00

I swore I wasn't going to photograph a dandelion outside. Only because everywhere you turn, dandelion pictures abound. And that makes me dig in my heels and say, "I'm not going to do what everyone else is doing." But, I went outside yesterday and they were everywhere. And they were friendly and fuzzy and puffy looking.

I thought about how photography, at least nature photography, is dependent on the seasons. It's like eating locally - everyone eats strawberries in June because that's strawberry season. And that's okay. Now, if you're going to manufacture your nature, then I suppose you could shoot it any time you wanted. But that holds no appeal for me. So instead I will shoot a dandelion, even though everyone else is, too.

(And just a little side note - I didn't skip a day, I simply adjusted the number so it is accurate. Somewhere along the way I misnumbered something. And this is in fact Friday's photo. I just felt too sick last night to write anything.)

125/365 - Relics

2010-05-07T07:52:00.001-04:00

Found at the newspaper, piled high and forgotten. And I think my number count on the days may be off, but I'm not sure.

124/365 -Keeping the Dream Alive

2010-05-05T23:55:00.003-04:00

Barely.

123/365 - Unprocessed

2010-05-05T00:31:00.002-04:00

Really. The only thing I did to this was sharpen it.

122/365 - Shimmer

2010-05-03T16:47:00.002-04:00

I went out several times today to photograph water drops. It would rain and then the sun would come out and I was chasing good light but wasn't really thrilled with anything I shot. I like the drops in this on, but I didn't like them on the green leaf. So I inverted the image in photoshop and came up with this.

121/365 - Iko Iko

2010-05-03T00:25:00.002-04:00

This one was fun. I knew what I wanted to do, but how to get the king red? I don't have any gels for my flash so I rubber-banded saran wrap to the flash and smeared the saran wrap with vaseline I had colored with red food dye. I couldn't get the light as red as I wanted, plus the chess piece was natural-wood colored, not white. I tried holding my red filter over the flash, too and that helped a little.

I probably could have achieved that same if not better effect if I had simply used photoshop. But I wanted to shot out of the camera to be as close to what I envisioned as possible.

120/365 - At Work

2010-05-02T02:11:00.003-04:00

I had a crappy night at work and had no time during the day or night to take a picture. So I grabbed my camera while I was sitting at my desk.

119/365 - Running to Stand Still

2010-04-30T15:07:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately you can't walk into a store and buy hypodermic needles. So I had to make do with what I had. And I got off my purist soapbox long enough to substitute glycerin for liquid heroin. Acceptable in this instance, I think.

118/365 - I Walk the Line

2010-04-29T23:02:00.003-04:00

It is easy, sometimes, to get stuck photographing the same sorts of things. It's spring. There's lots of flowers. They are pretty. Sometimes you can get a different perspective on them, a fresh look at the familiar. But at the same time, it is easy to keep shooting the same thing, different flower. Then the photos get stale. And the inspiration dries up.

But the thing about this project is I can't say: Screw this, in a few days maybe I will feel creative. No, I have to shoot something.

For the first time yesterday, I actually found that inspiration in music. Maybe it's just me, but there are certain songs, certain lyrics that when I hear them, create snapshot in my head. Or at the very least make me think there's an image in there somewhere. One sense helps feed another sense, stimulating an emotional reaction. And if it's done well, it taps into universal archetypes.

I think music videos, good ones, tap into that. Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" comes to mind.

This particular image did not come out as I hoped. But at least there was some inspiration involved - sometimes I simply lack the skill to recreate what is in my head. The important thing is to keep on trying.

118/365 - Closing Time

2010-04-28T22:22:00.002-04:00

I am in Panera's parking lot at 10:23 at night, using their wi-fi connection because the internet's been down at the house all day. But I had to get my picture posted - I figure this dedication makes up for the few nights I've gotten home from work late and haven't posted until the morning.

117/365 - Catch light

2010-04-27T22:15:00.002-04:00

I had an interesting (to me at least) philosophical discussion with myself today. It all started with my quest for glycerin to make better soap bubble planets. I finally found a bottle of the elusive stuff. Once I got home, I was looking at photos that utilized glycerin. And it suddenly hit me - a good deal, if not most, of the really amazing drop pictures I've seen may have been staged. People actually take glycerin and put it on flowers and leaves, etc., in lieu of water drops. It holds up much better, see. And being a little thicker, is easier to photograph. And if there's been no rain lately but you want to take drop shots, presto.

This bothered me. Immensely. Because I go out every single time it is wet out in search of water drops. And most of what I shoot I trash because I think it is crap. And here I could just fake it. But it would not hold the same satisfaction for me.

And although I had bought the glycerin to mix into my soap solution to make the bubbles more colorful, I had thought about trying some drop shots with it. But after having realized how often it's probably done, I wanted nothing to do with it. And in protest I went out and got the shot. The real shot.

116/365 - Smoke art

2010-04-27T07:43:00.003-04:00

I've wanted to give smoke photography another try, especially now that I have a flash. So, I used stick incense and locked myself in the bathroom to minimize drafts as much as I could. The results were pretty cool - and I has happy because I actually figured out the lighting - I think. I'd like to try it again with some color gels on the flash and multiple exposures.

This was my favorite of the shots I took - I love the subtle curves, especially up at the top. Like a bell jar.

115/365 - Fade away

2010-04-26T00:59:00.002-04:00

I was trying something new with my camera today. It was supposed to be a picture of a flower, but the technique is cumbersome, tricky and unfamiliar. So I will revisit the flower. But I liked the effect on the clock tower, looking through the skylight.

I used my 35-105 and shot at 1/4 sec. When the shutter released, I zoomed the lens in while turning the camera at the same time. It will take some practice.

114/365 - Route 202

2010-04-25T01:27:00.003-04:00

What to do on my way home from work tonight? I wanted to get a long exposure, so I set my aperature to f22, my iso to 200 and set the camera on bulb. I put the camera on the dashboard above the steering wheel and used the remote to take long exposures. This was my favorite, driving up Route 202 in Torrington toward New Hartford. It was a 77 second exposure.

113/365 - Hello Meteor

2010-04-24T00:54:00.002-04:00

I photographed this glass door before with my lensbaby, but I wanted to try it with my macro lens.

112/365 - Don't Burst My Bubble

2010-04-22T15:05:00.002-04:00

Got smart today and took my picture before I went to work. I've been trying to get a decent bubble picture for a while. I grudgingly admit that using a flash is necessary. Now I just have to work on blowing better bubbles.

111/365 - Place holder

2010-04-22T08:24:00.002-04:00

Okay, I fired my camera exactly once yesterday. To check my exposure settings. It wasn't composed or planned. I simply held the camera up and shot whatever was straight ahead. Which happened to be the tops of some trees across the street from the paper at night. I planned on taking something else after I finished up with work. But it never happened.

So, consider this filler - it is simply keeping the project going.

110/365 - Any guesses?

2010-04-21T07:49:00.003-04:00

Okay, I'm a little late posting but the picture is from last night - on my honor.

109/365 - Dinner

2010-04-19T19:05:00.000-04:00

Didn't want to take a picture today. Light was sucky, camera setting was off, and the bumble bee wouldn't stay still. But if you big up the picture, he looks pretty cute - you've got to give the critters a face, right?

108/365 - My Pick

2010-04-19T00:42:00.004-04:00

I went out today with my lensbaby and used both the macro focusing lenses stacked on it, which for me is always a roll of the dice.

With the macro lenses, I get a 14x magnification, but it is not easy to focus. The lensbaby itself takes a little bit of getting used to - it is nothing more than a lens on a bellows. You focus by pulling it in or pushing it out. And to change the aperature, you manually replace the focusing rings. Each ring has a different size hole, from f2 to f8. You can shoot wide open, too.

I've gotten pretty good with the basic lensbaby, but adding on the macro lenses is a whole different experience. You can get so close, but your point of focus is minute. Mostly, I just kind of close my eyes and hope for the best. The effects can be quite stunning. Or, I should say, the effect that some people can achieve with it can be quite stunning - I can't clain that kind of control. Yet.

But, I actually liked a few things I shot. And when that happens, it is difficult to self-edit. Part of me thinks, "What to other people want to see? Which will other people like?" But then the other part of me say, "It doesn't matter. What do you want to see?"

And this was my favorite.

107/365 - Coming 'Round the Bend

2010-04-18T01:38:00.002-04:00

Let's see, I'm in the car on my way home from work and I haven't taken my picture for today. It must be Saturday night. These shots are going to get really old, really fast. At least there was a construction zone tonight to add a little interest.

106/365 - Clarice

2010-04-16T14:59:00.002-04:00

I noticed this moth near the top of the screen in one of our dining room windows. I hate moths, but I couldn't help wanting to photograph it. And all I could think of was Silence of the Lambs.

105/365 - Cherry Blossom

2010-04-15T22:34:00.002-04:00

I think I used up all my words in my last post.

104/365 - Executing art

2010-04-15T09:15:00.003-04:00

I grew up in Yonkers, went to college and grad school in the Bronx, and never stepped foot in the Guggeneheim until yesterday. (Yes, I'm a day late posting this.)

There was an exhibit on modern photography and video. Some of it was completely beyond my comprehension. Some of it was interesting. With the exception of two pieces, one of which I was familiar with, I can't say I liked any of it.

One of the works consisted of about a dozen front pages of the Herald Tribune from November of 1977. The masthead and the photos were the only things on the pages - no copy. And it was interesting to look at the images as they had been layed out, just floating on the page, untethered by explanations or even cutlines.

But as I looked at the pages, I struggled with the meaning of "art." I liked it well enough. It was interesting to look at. But, I kept thinking, what had this person done, really, other than reinterpret other people's photographs or page design. (I don't know how accurately "page design" can be applied to newspapers from 1977.)

On the flip side, I argued with myself, isn't that what art is? Not necessarily the "doing" but the "imagining." Sure, anyone can do it, but only this particular woman thought to and did. Maybe it's not even in the imaging as much as it is in the doing. Because really, success on any level is achieved by the people who do, who act on their ideas.

And any exhibit that makes one thing about the meaning of art is time well spent, even if you hate all of it.

103/365 - Lucky Bottle Cap

2010-04-13T22:30:00.002-04:00

I took Thomas and Julia down to Fordham today. We met my father for lunch at Pete's, then walked down Arthur Ave. Thomas found a Heineken bottle cap, and of course Julia wanted one, too. We picked this one up on the corner of Arthur Ave. and 187th St.

Thomas and Julia are now sound asleep with their bottle caps safely on grandfather's book shelf.

102/365 - Night Glow

2010-04-12T21:16:00.002-04:00

Down in New York tonight at my parents'. Spring is slightly ahead of northwest Connecticut's. The azeleas and lilacs are just on the cusp of blooming, and I saw a pink dogwood blossoming.

101/365 - Driving Home, Again

2010-04-12T00:48:00.002-04:00

I left work at 11:15 tonight and hadn't even picked up my camera all day. But I had it in the car, so I did some 1/4 sec. exposures on Route 8 on the way home.

100/365 - Maybe a balrog lurks in the tower

2010-04-11T00:11:00.003-04:00

Although it was not my intention or inspiration when taking this shot, it makes me think of the Mines of Moria and Gandalf's battle with the balrog on the Bridge of Kazad-Dum. Except it doesn't give me vertigo like the scene in Fellowship of the Ring.

99/365 - Youth

2010-04-09T21:39:00.002-04:00

Went to Collinsville to LaSalle's for dinner and the Friday night open mic. There was a great mix of people in the crowd. Lots of families, lots of kids. People brought in bottles of wine - one table had bright green and pink plastic wine glasses.

98/365 - "Digging coal, from the bottom of your grave"

2010-04-08T20:25:00.002-04:00

I've been listening to Patty Loveless - Mountain Soul. There's a song on it called "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive." It makes me think of the miners killed in West Virginia. And the price they paid so I could turn my lights on.

97/365 - Giraffe on the Street

2010-04-07T22:43:00.002-04:00

I have hit brick wall at the moment. My camera is nothing but a source of irritation at best, extreme frustration at worst. I honestly didn't want to shoot anything today. I forced myself to try and wandered around Collinsville a little this morning. Nothing worked, the light was terrible.

Usually I can find something, my eye notices some little detail that inspires me. Not today. As I was getting ready to leave, I noticed a baby/children's gift shop and it had a giant stuffed giraffe sitting out front. After a moment's hesitation and a left turn from the right lane, I pulled over and took a picture, figuring at least if it wasn't something brilliant, it was at least out of the ordinary.

I came home and didn't pick up the camera again all day. Maybe I will make up with it tomorrow.

97/365 - Tired

2010-04-06T21:32:00.001-04:00

I am too tired to write anything. Not that I ever write volumes.

95/365 - I Almost Threw in the Towel

2010-04-05T23:41:00.003-04:00

I just didn't feel like taking any pictures today. I've been working a lot and the house is a mess. The last thing on my mind was creativity. And I thought, what difference does it make? Really, who will care if I stop this project? It's not like I'd stop taking pictures.

But I'd care. Because it's about the discipline. And knowing that forcing yourself to take a picture, even when there's no inspiration there, will make you a better photographer.

94/365 - Harvey the Cat

2010-04-04T23:59:00.003-04:00

We went down to my parents' for Easter dinner. This is their cat, Harvey. I love his nose.

93/365 - Not My Type

2010-04-04T00:49:00.002-04:00

On my way into work today I got the idea off trying to use my flash off-camera to light up one of the old typewriters at work from the inside. It didn't work they way I had hoped because the typewriters don't have much room inside for the flash. So, I couldn't quite get the angle I wanted.

So instead of having an illuminated typewriter, I just focused on the keys.

92/365 - Jammin' in Collinsville

2010-04-02T22:08:00.002-04:00

There's a great place to eat in Collinsville called LaSalle's Market. It looks like a general store inside, and is filled with mix-matched chairs and tables. There are always people in there at all times of the day. And they host an open mic every Friday evening.

It's kind of like going to an outdoor music series in the summer, with people eating, hanging out and listening to music.

91/365 - A Not-So-Willing Subject

2010-04-01T18:50:00.004-04:00

Thomas, Julia and I went to the library after school today because the head librarian is retiring and it was Betsy Day to say goodbye to her. We wanted to wish her well, but I was also taking pictures for the town's online news site.

I was trying to set my exposure and light settings, and asked Thomas to smile for the camera. You can see how he felt about it.

90/365 - A Day Late ...

2010-04-01T08:43:00.002-04:00

... for posting the blog, but I promise I shot the picture yesterday. So I think it still counts.

I am fascinated by film. I always have been, And now that it's almost a relic of the past, it holds an even stronger appeal. And to find old images, 15 years old, lying around and forgotten, no longer needed - well, that just begs for a photograph. Or a short story.

89/365 - Driving Home

2010-03-31T00:55:00.002-04:00

This was literally all I had time for today. I was driving home from work at midnight and had no picture for today. So, sideview mirror it was.

At least the rain was good for something.

88/365 - Spring

2010-03-29T18:52:00.002-04:00

This shot was really interesting to me. I used my lensbaby with both macro lenses stacked on it - so it was 14x magnification. And I was shooting an Easter lily, which is white.

I am not really sure where the green came from. One of those cases, perhaps, where the camera picks up things the eye does not.

Like flies. They look black until you get on top of them with a macro lens.

87/365 - Night Lights

2010-03-29T00:37:00.002-04:00

It's the glass on an old office-door window. There was enough street light coming through to get some nice color and reflection. But since I am trying to make friends with my flash, I used it too - set on 1/32 power with a bounce card. Which the lensbaby picked up as a cool zooming effect on the beaded glass.

It reminds me of a macro shot of a purple echinacea flower.

86/365 - Tea Party

2010-03-28T00:19:00.002-04:00

Julia went to a birthday party for one of her friends today. It was a very fancy tea party, and all the guests made very fancy hats to wear.

Julia happily models hers for the camera.

85/365 - Sapping

2010-03-26T21:20:00.002-04:00

This shot today was SOOC - straight out of the camera. I did no processing on it whatsover. And that makes me feel good. Why? Because digital photography makes it easy to see what you are going to get, and it makes it easy (and free) to correct immediately. And what you can't correct immediately with the camera, there's always photoshop. And sometimes that may make for sloppy camera work.

With film, you get what you get. And that perfect photograph is more elusive. But, had I shot this on film, I would have been happy with it exactly the way it looks.

74/365 - A Sweet Shoot

2010-03-25T22:31:00.002-04:00

I spent the afternoon working on more photos for Buttercup Confections here in New Hartford. I think I may prefer natural lighting instead of flash, but since flash was all I shot today, I have to use one.

I think the lighting looks very artificial here, but at the same time there is something about the shadows I like - it's like candy enjoying a late summer's evening. Or something.

73/365 - Lace

2010-03-24T22:43:00.006-04:00

I have been inspired by a photographer named Michael, who lives in Korea and has been doing a lensbaby workshop. His macro work is incredible. So, I went out today with my lensbaby and both macro lenses on it.

Now, the thing about using the lensbaby with no aperature ring and two macro lenses on it is this: Getting something in focus is a bit of a crap shoot.

But when it works, it's worth it.

72/365 - Dropping In

2010-03-23T21:18:00.002-04:00

Well, it was wet out today. It rained on and off yesterday and today, so the world outside is very saturated. There are water drops everywhere, begging to be photographed. So, I complied.

These particular drops were tricky. They are sitting on very small columbine leaves, about an inch off the ground. They are low enough that I couldn't get a good angle on isolating them, which was a little frustrating because that is my natural tendency. But, not being able to do what comes as instinct forced me to think a little differently about the shot. What I like about it is the veins in the leaf you can see through the drops.

Plus, there is something a little ambiguous about the drops. They could almost be fish eggs or insect eggs on a leaf.

2010-03-22T18:29:00.002-04:00

I was outside today looking for evidence of spring, and found it in a single white primrose plant growing in the backyard.

Each flower was covered in drops of rain, but primroses are small and I had a lot of trouble isolating something to my satisfaction.

I like the straight shot well enough, but thought the infrared processing was kind of neat - it reminds me of a string of lights you'd hang in a gazebo in the middle of a garden.

70/365 - Peekaboo

2010-03-22T00:30:00.003-04:00

Today I photographed three beautiful little girls. The baby was playing peekaboo with a pink Easter hat.

Maybe I will get myself an Easter hat this year.

79/365 - Double Vision

2010-03-20T23:56:00.003-04:00

Today was a busy day - fun fair, gallery sit, work. I knew I'd be out of the house from about 9 a.m. until close to midnight, so I brought my camera. I had a few minutes to spare at work, so I played around with these windows and the reflections.

I'm not exactly sure why, but the results remind me of a scene from Great Expectations.

78/365 - First of the year

2010-03-19T16:18:00.002-04:00

Well, it was warm enough today that when stopped by Dunkin' Donuts for my daily fix, I went with iced. And as I was standing outside, wondering what my picture was going to be for today, I figured why not? It is a harbinger of spring.

77/365 - Two for Tea

2010-03-18T21:20:00.002-04:00

Julia and I went out for tea this afternoon while Thomas skied with Grandpa. There is a little organic tea shop and herbal apothecary in New Hartford called Passiflora. So we headed there and shared a pot of English breakfast tea. And it was served in a purple tea pot, which made Julia's day.

She took it all very seriously, and insisted on pouring the sugar and milk and stirring by herself. I love her little hands, studiously working at opening the sugar packets.

76/365 - The Pine Cone Pickers

2010-03-17T22:34:00.003-04:00

I told Thomas and Julia that we were going to have a pine cone picking-up contest today. The idea was that they run around in a frantic display of sibling rivalry until nary a pine cone was left on the grass and a winner was declared (thus causing the loser to collapse in a heap of tears). They lost interest after about 5 minutes. Which is probably a good thing, because I didn't know how I was going to console said loser.

It's no Potato Pickers, but I was thinking van Gogh when I took the picture.

75/365 - An Old Friend

2010-03-16T17:19:00.001-04:00

The snow is melted. There is still not much growing besides the daffodils, but it was warm in the sun today and I got outside to start a little spring cleanup. I was excited to haul the wheelbarrow out of the potting area. I am very attached to this particular wheelbarrow.

When my husband and I bought our first house in Wyoming, we bought the wheelbarrow, too. I was so proud - I had a house with purple window boxes and a red wheelbarrow. Surely that made me a grownup.

The wheelbarrow came with us when we moved back to Connecticut and it is one of my prize possessions, an old friend for 12 years.

75/365 - Truffles

2010-03-15T17:21:00.005-04:00

I needed to try taking some pictures of truffles and candy for Iliana, a woman in New Hartford who owns and operates Buttercup Confections. I was not expecting food photography to be easy - it's a pretty complicated thing. And I know I will have to figure out how to use a flash. But for today, I just wanted to get a sense of what it might look like.

I just used natural light from a northern exposure and shot at 5.6 with my 55 macro. I don't even know if I should be using a macro lens for food photography, but I love the backgrounds I can get.

I had read that if you use lights with food, it gets hot and hard to handle. Even without lights, it wasn't too long before the chocolate got melty from me handling it. So I ate it.

74/365 - Sprinkles

2010-03-14T15:47:00.005-04:00

Julia and Thomas decorated a cake for Daddy's birthday today. Thomas was done in about 30 seconds, while Julia continued on diligently, sprinkle by sprinkle.

For so many reasons, I am not thrilled with the photo - Julia's hand is blown out, I wish her eyes popped a little more, I wish there were more sprinkles for a little more color. But, it will have to do for today.

73/365 - It was a rainy night

2010-03-14T00:35:00.003-05:00

Today was one of those days that just doesn't allow much time for taking pictures. I took one shot of my daughter - she is crying, "Mommy, please don't take another picture of me."

I took my camera to work, thinking I might have time to shoot something. But I did not. So, on the way home, I took some shots while driving in the rain. Remarkably difficult to do. I'm a little late but satisfied that I got something.

Better Late Than Never

2010-03-12T22:08:00.003-05:00

If I could express myself eloquently with words, then I probably would have started a blog long before now. I am 72 days into my 365-project. Day 1 would have been the logical starting point for a blog, but that is too far in the past. So, I will simply jump in with Day 72.

I was determined today to get a shot using my lensbaby with the 4X and 10X macro lenses stacked on it. So, I went out to the garden store and found these orange and purple violas. The colors popped out at me on an overcast day. I hope they warm yours.