Day 101: Filter Building

Day 100: Foundation

Well, Day 100 is here.  I guess I've laid the foundation for myself to finish the 365 day challenge.  I figured that I might run out of ideas or places to photograph, but I find that I can photograph the same thing many different ways.  I have also had wonderful ideas and inspirations come from the whole of this group.  Thank you to everyone for your kind words & constructive comments, they help me more than you know.

Day 99: Seriously?!?

I hope the purchaser has good insurance.

Day 98: Looking up...

Its amazing the strange things that catch your eye.  I was asked to write the romance text for this newly constructed house.  I was walking to the front door and looked up and I know the Real Estate Agent must have thought I'd gone insane, because I laid on the floor to take this picture.  If you've got a spare $4 million or so hanging around it can be yours.

Day97

I ran outside and took a couple of shots, and then was playing in light room.  Don't ask how I got here, but to me it's like Zeus opened the clouds and is looking down upon us.  For some reason its all about Mythology today.  It also kind of fits my mood, dark, but with a light at the end of the tunnel.

Day 96: Ouch

Ouch is an appropriate word for today.  I AM OVERWHELMED with school work, reading mostly.  I am reading a chapter in my web design book about XHTML - talk about dry....Anyway I really like this photo and I desaturated it it and changed with the orange  100% and got the rust to stand out.  So I guess this is dangerous too.  Rusty wires and all.  I know that I said that I would be catching up on my manual etc., but I won't be able to do that until I workout my daily schedule.  The addition of 12 college hours + labs in all 4 classes to my regular schedule have well caused chaos.  I have been seeing tons of images in my digital media class so I'm not behind there, I just can't attribute it to anyone in particular.

Day 95: Smoke Stack(s)

Day 94 Clouds Series #3

Cloud series will only be through today.  This has been a crazy weekend and guess what - clouds don't always do what you want so this would be a great series if it was over a group of work but not when you have to take a photo a day.  So.....  I start my second week of school tomorrow - I'm a bit overwhelmed, more with life than school, but somehow I'm get myself re-organized with my new schedule.

Will do Manual Monday tomorrow.

Day 93: Cloud Series Day #2

Apparently I'm doing a series on clouds. I loved yesterday's shot and tonight's sunset was amazingly colorful.  I ran out front with my camera while waiting for the a truckload of boys coming over for a birthday sleep over - and shot a few cloud shots.  It was truly a beautiful sunset.

Day 92: Up in the air, its a bird, its a plane, its a cloud

Amazing what you can do with a polorizing filter. Other than a light crop cutting out a roof there has been nothing done to this photo.

Day 91: Growth

I'm sure you are looking at this picture and wondering what in the heck it has to do with growth and how it fits into that Theme Thursday.  I'll tell you.  I am a shy, shy girl inside.  I know that I have worth, but I'm still struggling with my fear of rejection so much that I avoid gatherings - especially gatherings I where I don't know anyone.  Growth doesn't just mean getting bigger, its developing into something different.  I am growing as a person, by stepping out of my comfort zone and expanding my horizons.

Blogher had a little DFW get together at Village Tea Company.  It was a lot of fun, I mean some really fun people.  Talked a while took a few pictures.  Enjoyed myself, drank way too much tea and ate some fabulous food.  I met @screweduptexan  who I've communicated with on Twitter and through her blog.  I met @aleshanicole - who posses not only a beautiful smile, but a beautiful soul.

I skipped my manual & images today, I promise I'll catch up tomorrow.

Day 90: Crosswalk

I started school today.  I can't believe at 41, I'm going back to school.  The problem is that traditional jobs aren't available anymore.  I think the trend will be contract/stay at home type jobs.  Of course there will always be a bank job or grocery clerk, but that is not for me.  So I'm getting a degree in Multi-Media Web Design.  Woo Hoo!  I'm going to eventually make me a cool website.  Yes, I'm a dork - but now I can be a tech geek.  I'm moving up in the world.  I took this this afternoon while waiting to pick up the kids from school - the professor in my second class didn't show.  Hmmm, I wonder if this is an omen.

Manual: Page 69 & 69 Using an Optional Remote Control

Images:  I'm on my way to Digital Imaging I, surely I'm going to look at some shots there.

Day 89: Waiting

The light rail is at the end of my street and the station is 1/4 mile away.  So this is an easy quick shot.  There wasn't a train in site when I was there.

Day 88: Take the Long Way Home

Today has been all about book report insanity.  Other than keeping up with my fellow 365'ers, I'm taking off from Manual & Images today.  I'm overstimulated.

Day 87: A picture on a wall

Manual & Inpirations:  Understanding Exposure

Day 86: Drowning

I loved the color of this leaf, but when I got the photo home the water was so muddy and yellow toned I almost didn't use this photo.  But I desaturated the yellow and maintained the beautiful color of the leaf.  This late in the season, I was so surprised to find this leaf.

Manual: Pages 66 & 67 Self-Timer Mode

Images: The Genius of Photography on Ovation.

Day 85: Train Station

This is really yesterday's post - I didn't make it out yesterday as the weather was awful, and I probably had the worst day in a long time and was not feeling very artistic.  So I took off from my house on foot with my camera bag and this was my first stop about a 1/2 mile from the house.

Manual: Page 65, Continuous Mode

Images: Watching the Series - The Genius of Photography on Ovation.

Day 84: Meh..

Today's photos didn't turn out.  Part of it was weather - it is grey and dingy and then 20 pictures into my session - RAIN.  Not only did I make the mistake of leaving my waterproof camera case in the car, I was several blocks from my car when it hit.  Now before you start praying for my camera, I did have a jacket on that protected the camera nicely, but by the time I got back to my car you needed to pray for my hair.  I took this with my Gorillapod and got some movement with the water that I don't think is as evident in the processing as it is in color, but I just like the feel of this better than the color.  My Gorillapod was the best present I got this Christmas.  Its is FUN FUN FUN!  Thanks Mom & Dad!

This was an surprise in processing and a Lightroom preset that the kids went ape for when I hit the button.  So wha-la....it's done.

Manual: Page 64; Release Modes

Images:  The Genius of Photography - Recorded from Ovation light night.  I will be watching that after the kids go to bed.

Day 83: I never saw him coming....

I was trying to capture the light on the water and I never saw the biker coming.  I liked the image the movement created.  I must be thankful for the surprises in my life, because without them you would see just another picture of this pier.  Again.

Manual:  Page 63 Image Size.

Day 82: Little Toes

I hated the photos I took today, so I snapped a quick shot without looking thru the viewfinder.  While one of my children were sitting on the couch watching American Idol.  My husband and I both loved it.  Talk about total accidents.

Manual:  Page 62, Image Quality

Images:  MY 365 co-conspirators.

Day 81: Layers

Today was the last of the ice. We woke up in the 20's but we finished out in the 50's.  I am pleased that we will see a few days of mild sunny weather.  The freezing stuff I can do without.  I loved the top picture.  It was of the corner of a koi pond in the Dallas Arboretum.  Heavy on the outside and lighter as it got the middle.  Lots of texture - the leaves didn't hurt either.  The bird was perfectly happy for me to shoot him all day long and the plant, the victim of the water sculpture next to it.  I'm sure its a blessing in the summer.

Manual:  Page 61, Image Quality & Size

Images & Inspirations:  Viggo Mortensen

Day 80: Its too cold to swim

While I know that we are not the only ones in America having an unusually cold cold spell, it does make for some different pictures than we are used to.  These were shot along White Rock Lake in Dallas.  And even though the sun is outside, its still colder than you-know-what.  While the ice along the west and north shores were amazing, this shot was my favorite.  I put a few others up for your enjoyment.

Manual:  Page 59 & 60 Manual Focus

Images & Inspirations:  Today it was Mother Nature.

Day 79: Drainage

This was a surprise find and sneaky little me went down and photographed this when I probably shouldn't have because the railing along this was missing.  But I snuck down and photographed what is the water overflow drainage between water bodies on either side of a street.  Between a park & a golf course.  Shhh, don't tell anyone I was bad.

Manual:  I FOUND IT!!!  Pages 57 & 58 Focus Lock

Images & Inspirations: Light Stalking

Day 78: Frozen Fountain

What part of Texas does Mother Nature not understand.  We don't have below freezing temperatures for days on end here.  Its suppose to be hot.  Well at least not like this - Snow more than once already, a white Christmas and now this - the dripping faucets in the house are driving me insane.  INSANE.  There's no way I'm going to make it until Sunday when we are suppose to reach a balmy 36.  HELP ME - Send me a ticket to Hawaii or something.

Day 77: Theme Thursday, WATER

Thursday's are Theme Thursday and today's theme was water.  This was not exactly what I wanted to do considering its 20 something degrees outside with a windchill in the single digits.  I'm shivering just thinking out it, but I was so surprised to find ice all over the edge of the lake.  It hasn't been that cold over the past week, in fact the freezing temps didn't hit until after midnight last night, but the banks were covered in ice, the reeds coming out of the water were glistening with ice crystals and this branch jutting out just barely above the water caught my eye.  Although a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky, this picture showed more of the actually feel of the day in B&W - it really is starkly cold outside.  Something we don't get in Texas - but this year has been COLD.

Manual:  Understanding Exposure

Images & Inspirations:  Today its about my 365 companions.  You guys inspire me more than you know.

Day 76: Staircase

I apparently have a new obsession - Staircases.  Today was horrible overcast and cold and dreary (but nothing like it will be over the next few days.  So, I spent the morning walking through the Park Cities parks, when I downloaded the shots, there were tons and tons of staircases.  The top photo is a combo of Lightroom presets - I accidentally dragged the mouse and hit one preset then the next and added a little black and I liked it, so there.

Manual: I still can't find it - so I'm still working through Understanding Exposure - it is giving me insight.

Images & Inspirations:  Robert Doisneau

Day 75: Love Kills Slowly

I know this is not my best shot - however we can't get it right everyday.  My sister got me these Ed Hardy wine glasses.  I love them.

Manual/Reading: Understanding Exposure

Images & Inspirations:  Jeff Kane, who is DPE's Tuesday Tallented Twitter Find.

Day 74: Fly away..

I was surprised to find this out this late in the year and after so many freezes.  Who knew?  I guess where there is a will there's a way.

Manual: Is still missing so I'm still reading Understanding Exposure

Day 74: Left or Right?

There are two sides to every story.  The left & right side of the same bridge.  I couldn't make up my mind  which angle I liked better or color or black and white so I did both.  You choose a favorite.

Day 73: Feed the Birds

After the putting the title on this photo, I can't get the song from Mary Poppins out of my head.  I guess it will probably be in there until something worse stuck in there.

When you can't stop and the smell the flowers (because maybe they are hibernating in winter) you can at least stop and feed the birds.  Take a day for yourself once in a while.  It's pretty much a necessity.

Manual;  Still working on Understanding Exposure

Images & Inspirations:  A whole bunch of new 365'ers have popped up since January 1st.  I'm checking the newbies out.

Day 72: The unseen path

At the beginning of the year we make resolutions, to lose weight, take better care of us, give more to charity.....the list is endless.  Well, I refuse to make resolutions, I prefer to make lifestyle adjustments.   Over 2009 I made some great adjustments - I exercise regularly now in fact I crave it.  I feel a million times better.  In 2010 I want to look for the unseen path the road not meant for anyone but me and follow my own destiny, for only my path can lead me in the right direction.

I may never find it, but it will be an interesting ride.  Incidentally, my husband chose the photo today so this might be his path.

Manual: has been misplaced - oops! So I'm reading Understanding Exposure, by Bryan Peterson.  Excellent read.

Images & Inspirations:  Pete Carr - OMG he's fantastic.