January 31: Central Oregon Flowers

POD_jl_20090131, originally uploaded by wasabi_peas.

Productive photo day today. One alley had three *fantastic* textures on three different buildings. The first was a gentrified brick building (now our favorite little cafe, used to be a neighborhood grocery store). Second is a weathered barn wood building (see below) and the third was this whitewashed building with beautiful red frames.

I think the weathered fake flowers and the hard sunlight made this one even better.

The US flag, as siding:

POD_jl_20090131b, originally uploaded by wasabi_peas.

January 30 - My Turn, Sunshine

POD_jl_20090130, originally uploaded by wasabi_peas.

I told a buddy at work that he should buy a DSLR, and he got this instead. Can I blame him? No. Do I want a ride? Yes.

Tried to get a couple interesting angles on the car, and there was something about the headlight that was fun to shoot. Neat lines. It wasn't my favorite photo until I raised the sharpness and color saturation in post-processing.

I love the interactions of the lines and textures.

Shot just as the sun was taking a break for the day.



Bonus photo today. The 4s is too sexy a car for just one shot. I'd complain about the dirt on the wheel, but it's freaking WINTER here. You should see what my poor daddymobile looks like right now.

POD_jl_20090130b, originally uploaded by wasabi_peas.

January 29 - That's Cheatin'

POD_jl_20090129, originally uploaded by wasabi_peas.

Empty handed.

I meant to get out for a break during the day today, but paperwork and conversations and meetings ate up that idea. Took the dog for a walk (sorry 'bout the flash the other night!) and found a couple interesting ideas. Just couldn't pull them off (needed a taller tripod, a different lens, etc.) For the record, I tried, but those shots were terrible (too slow a shutter speed for handheld, and I couldn't get the composition I wanted on my tripod.

Do they make 6-ft tripods?

Anyway, decided to setup a semi-elaborate setup to play with stop-motion photography. It involved a nearly-expired carton of whole milk. That's all I need to say about that one.

(A minor victory: our dog does not freak out with the flash if she's in the other room, and I've got the dishwasher running.)

Then my ebay wireless triggers conked out, and I looked at my watch.

And it's tomorrow already. So while I'm cheating, I figure I'd get proof and also get a photo posted.

January 28 - Nature Returns

pod_JL_20090128, originally uploaded by wasabi_peas.

This feels kind of like my first photo of the day -- true to spirit. With my new daily project, I've got my photo eyes on a lot more, and every once in a while, I spot an idea.

This one happened on the way back to work from lunch. I first saw some other shadows, but wandered around and found this treasure of two shadows meeting on a flaky wall.

Proud because I got the shot early in the day (instead of 11pm), I found beauty in the ordinary. Also, I shot with the 17-40 this time, and was pleased with the sharpness and contrast.

Originally WB'ed on outdoor, but then sampled WB off the (off-white) wall in post-processing. Kinda liked the look. Upped the contrast and squished the histogram so that the shadow would be heavier and the brick detail and flaws more pronounced.

I got caught doing my daily assignment by a stranger, so I explained my goal. I told her I wanted to find interesting art in ordinary things. '

She laughed. "Good luck with that!"

pod_jl_20090128_II, originally uploaded by wasabi_peas.

January 27 - Ridez and Barkz

IMG_0975, originally uploaded by wasabi_peas.

I think the story for this one is better than the photo.

My goal with this shot was to shoot the Wheely Bug ride-on toy as it it were a car, with a black background and a big light tent close to the "car"

So about 10pm, I setup the seamless background paper in our office, though there is barely enough room. I figure I can shoot from the hallway. Now, I need a frame for the "tent". I steal our old laundry sorter which is the weakest form of PVC plastic known to man. I disassemble and then reassemble in an a-frame form. 10:30 I am clipping a piece of sheer fabric to the frame.

I setup two Vivitar 285s, one pointing to each section. Zoom to wide, with the diffuser in each.

I test fire to make sure the flashes and triggers are working, and our dog decides to freak out. I know she does this, it's just that the last time I had flashes in the next room, she did fine. And she was fine while the flashes charged. (My running theory *was* that it was the high-pitched whine that drives her crazy.

Keep in mind my plan to shoot from the hallway.

So I hang out with the puppy for a while, get her calmed down, and then go back to the office, close the door, and figure I can get a couple shots.

I wad myself against the door, take a test shot to check exposure, and blammo: freaky dog.

I give up.

So here's my one-shot Strobist setup. I should have flagged the backside of the tent (out of frame) to keep the tent from bouncing light onto the background. Also, as you can see from the wheely bug eyes, the scrim I used was not opaque enough, so huge hot spots. And the front wheels (kinda the key here?) need more light.

Lots to try and change next time. Not real happy with this one. But glad to get the chance to setup the gear on a weeknight.

January 26 - No Danger Here

pod_jl_20090126, originally uploaded by wasabi_peas.

Took the camera to work today(well, took everything but the tripod, cause you never know when you might need 3 flashes..... ) You can take the boy out of Boy Scouts, but you can't take Boy Scouts out of the boy.

I needed a "wellness" break around 4:45, so I walked around the business park a bit. This is the back of a building that used to house a fuel cell manufacturer.

I really, truly, honestly intented to use a different lens today. But when I say I brought everything, I had left the 17-40 in my small camera bag. So I was forced, against my will, to use the 50. Plenty of light with the snow on the ground.

Thought the door, with the centered light and NFPA logo, was a bit plain. So I used an action from the Pioneer Woman Photography set to vignette the edges a bit. I like how it turned out, but feel like I'm cheating a bit to give such heavy post-processing.

I'm gaining a whole lotta respect for those folks who have been able to keep up a yearlong photo-of-the-day blog. Gotta admit that it's a blast, though.

January 25 - Just Add Color

POD_JL_20090125, originally uploaded by wasabi_peas.

My first photo was B&W, my second photo looked B&W, so thought we'd spruce the place up with some color.

Used the delightful 50mm again, and used a pawn-shop Sunpak flash on the Cactus wireless trigger. Single flash, bounced off the ceiling. More than any new technique I've learned in the last year, this ceiling-bounced flash is such an easy an useful tool! Wireless is a nice plus as it lets me shoot anywhere in the room, portrait or landscape, without worrying about if the flash is pointed the right way.

Oh, and this is our favorite use for seamless background paper when it gets dirty or wrinkled.

January 24 - Jewels in the Road

pod_jl_20090124, originally uploaded by wasabi_peas.

So yesterday didn't cure me of keeping-camera-in-bag-itis. Actually, I did take some good family photos during free museum day. But I'm trying to stretch here.

So I went outside tonight and took some shots by streetlight. Used the 50 'cause I love it and the composition allowed. Used a tripod and 2-sec delay timer so my clumsy mitts wouldn't shake the camera. Also used Live View focus on the 40D (love that feature).

Since I'm colorblind, I'm not sure how I did about the white balance on this. It's a streetlight, which is way green and isn't one of the preset WBs on the 40d. I sampled the frost/snow for white. Looking back, I should have used a white/grey card.

January 23 - These Shoes

Let the journey begin:



Photo notes: Used the Sigma 20 'cause I wanted to get some of the carpet texture, and needed some speed. Shot in Av mode, -1 stop compensation because this was lit by a single table lamp, so the darker look was more realistic.

Trying to get this photo today has shown me something. I have a really hard time getting the camera out unless I think I'm going to get an incredible shot. I go for the easy stuff -- something really impressive. But in doing so, my camera sits idle. I'm a photo snob.

And so when the impressive stuff happens, I'm out of practice. So here, I'll try to make something special out of the ordinary. Seek photos where I might not have looked. Today, other possible shots included: a red popcorn bowl with two spoons, a bicycle horn hanging by a chain from the ceiling at work. Frost on the lampost down the street. Etc. I'm starting to see. Now I just gotta learn to pull the camera out of the bag and press the shutter button a bit.

This is getting long, but I want to thank Seth for challenging me to start this.