Week 16 - Keep Playing

I continue to discover new and interesting things to take pictures of or at least interesting ways to take pictures of ordinary things. This willow tree was photographed by the light from the nearby streetlamp and while I was expecting streaks of stars in the sky I instead got the interesting bokah lights which I think is probably ice on the lens or maybe even the sensor.  It was 20 below and I might not have acclimatized the camera as much as I should have but it did create an interesting effect that I can probably never reproduce.

Canon 20D, Canon 17-85mm lens
ISO 400, f/16, 568s

For this picture, I am below this stop ahead sign by about 30 feet at the bottom of the retaining wall with the sun just behind the wall.  From down here "ahead" feels more straight up rather than a little bit up the road.

Canon 20D, Canon 17-85mm lens
ISO 400, f/8, 1/8000s

Ice on Kootenay Lake.  It's been rather cold in Nelson the last week or so. 

Canon 20D, Canon 17-85mm lens
ISO 400, f/16, 1/250s

So, 16 weeks into blogging and almost 2 full months of Project 365 I continue to play and I continue to create pictures that I enjoy.  Rather than getting stale or into a rut, like I was worried I might by this point, it seems the more I push myself to get out there with my camera, the more opportunities to get good pictures I find.

Week 15 - Try Anyways

Photographer Darwin Wiggett says "There is no such thing as bad light" and I understand what he is getting at but for any given subject there is bad light.  One thing that I haven't heard from any of the photography blogs and magazines I have been reading is "go out anyway even if the light is crappy and you can't find a way to take advantage of it.  You never know... at worst you might find a new angle for an old subject that can inspire you to go back when the light is better and try again."

Here is a picture I took last Thursday.  It was dark and cloudy and snowing and just plain miserable.  I took this picture and I think it has some real promise when the light is better and I can see those mountains in the background hidden behind the clouds.

Canon 20D, Canon 17-85mm lens,
ISO 400, f/16, 1/250s

I'm not sure I like the one taken the next day in sunshine any better.

Canon 20D, Canon 17-85mm lens,
ISO 400, f/16, 1/100s

I guess I'm going to need to go back during the Golden Hour and try again.

Week 14 - Nelson Homes Continued

There are so many beautiful old homes in Nelson that my self assignment has continued.  I must admit I've been stepping out and haven't been exclusive to my assignment but given that the weather has been terrible and I work full time I think I've been doing okay.  Here are a couple of additions I have made to my collection in the last few weeks.

Canon 20D, Canon 17-85mm Lens,
ISO 400, f/8, 1/400s

Canon 20D, Canon 17-85mm Lens,
ISO 400, f.8, 1/250s

It might be time, however, to put this assignment to rest until the snow is gone and I will resurrect it in the spring when the flowers start to bloom.

Week 13 - Best of Project 365 - January

"Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop"
     - Ansel Adams

If that's good enough for Ansel Adams it ought to be good enough for anyone.  With that in mind I have decided to create a best 12 for 2011.  I will pick one from each calender month rather than the best 12 out of the whole pile and I am limiting myself to my Project 365 pictures (http://www.flickr.com/photos/glinnphoto).  I'm hopeful that all the work I am putting into my photography through my Blog and Project 365 and my self assignments will make my January photos look a little sad next to my December ones but only time will tell.

Canon 20D, Sigma 150mm lens,
ISO 400, f/16. 1/160s

One of my favourite things about this picture is the cracked glass on the 6.  You would never know there was glass on the keys except one of them is broken.

Week 12 - The Project

As I said last week I'm attempting to give a little direction to the photographs I'm taking by giving myself assignments.  So this week I took on the project of photographing some of the old houses in Nelson.  Of course taking pictures of old houses in Nelson is about as challenging as taking pictures of animals at the zoo but you've got to learn to walk before you can run right?

To emphasize the character in the homes I have been editing the photos in Lightroom.  In doing so I have altered reality and brightened or muted or even removed the colours as suited the architecture and lighting at the time.  It makes me wonder if there is, or should be, a distinction between a photographer and an artist who just happens to use a camera as their medium.

Canon 20D, Canon 17-85mm Lens,
ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/100s

Canon 20D, Canon 17-85mm Lens,
ISO 400, f/8.0, 1/100s

A few more examples can be found in my Project 365 set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/glinnphoto/)

Week 11 - Inspiration

I've been creating a list of photo ideas for those days when I'm just not inspired to take pictures and so far, I haven't used it.  I've been finding inspiration in all sorts of things.  For example, the other morning, I looked out the window and saw that although the sun was shining it was also raining.  I grabbed my camera and tripod, convinced my wife to come out and hold the umbrella ("no... over the camera, you'll dry"), and took pictures of drops of water with the sun shining through them.

Canon 20D, Sigma 150mm lens,
ISO 400, f/16, 1/200s

Last week, I found a photo contest to enter with the theme being "The Colour Green".  The cover came off the pool table, the strobes came out and I started taking pictures.  This wasn't the one submitted (not green enough) but it's one of my favourites from the set.

Canon 20D, Sigma 150mm lens,
ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/200s

It turns out, there is inspiration everywhere and I have a list of photo ideas that aren't getting used.  I know that a professional photographer can't get distracted and just run around taking pictures of the next bright shiny thing he sees because that wouldn't add up to a cohesive body of work.  So clearly I need to learn how to embrace a plan.  This shouldn't be hard should it?  Ooh!  Look... bright shiny thing!

Week 10 - Project 52

After reading other Blogs of peoples' New Years resolutions, it turns out that this weekly Blog I started 10 weeks ago should probably have been titled Project 52.  The challenge of doing something every week for a whole year.  I wasn't really thinking that when I started, and posting on Saturdays just seemed like a good idea.  I also didn't consider an end date, the idea was to keep some pressure on myself to get out there with my camera and to start making the effort to do something with my pictures other than filling my hard drives.  So far, it's working like a charm, I was even inspired enough to expand the challenge to also do a Project 365 (http://www.flickr.com/glinnphoto).

I thought that writing the Blog would be hard part.  Turns out it's a close second... choosing photographs to post is the hard part.  

Canon 20D, Sigma 150mm lens,

ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/80s



Canon 20D, Canon 17-85 lens,
ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/100s



Canon 20D, Sigma 150mm lens,
ISO 400, f/8, 1/200s



Canon 20D, Sigma 150mm lens,
ISO 400, f/16, 1/4s