"Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film." - 365 Project, Day 92

A few things about today.

1) I have a headache.
2) It was about 1200 degrees humidity.
3) I received way too many emails.  (Not really pertinent to this blog, but it's still something that happened.)

So, this will be a very short post.

Frank

His note: My motorcycle is still in the hospital, so a friend offered one of his bikes to ride tonight. Silly me I agreed!  I was in heaven!

Shannon

Her note: Another sunset that I found to be really nice.

Pat

Like I said, I had a slight headache, so I wasn't looking around too much for something to shoot.  Luckily, this happened, and turned out nicely.

Tomorrow should be more of the same.  We'll see how it turns out, though.

"Photography to the amateur is recreation, to the professional it is work, and hard work too, no matter how pleasurable it my be." - 365 Project, Day 91

I finally have a black and white picture I am completely content with.  It took me a few days but I got one.  How many times can someone take a picture of something before they're happy with what they took?  I've seen tutorials and photoshoots and have seen how many shots of one subject can be taken.  (Indeed, I've been guilty of sameness-shooting myself.)  If on a tripod, why take more than one or two exposures, if the settings are correct?  I can understand shooting a lot at sports events and similar things, but why shoot the same subject in the same pose at the same angle over and over again?

Varying backgrounds and subjects and angles is acceptable.  I can see the use in that; that kind of repetition is one thing, but needless repetition is, well, needless.  I found myself shooting the same thing over and over again, trying to get the perfect framing, even though 99.3% of previous shots were exactly the same.  Is it really worth shifting your gaze a few second arcs of a degree to get the minimal change in composition?  Absolutely, it is!

Frank

His note: Two happy shoppers.

Shannon

Her note: Went rollerblading along the Aviation Parkway today.

Mine

I finally found a black and white picture I'm happy with.  Maybe it's the subject matter, or the tones, or something else, but I like the way the repetition and the composition.  It's not really meant to mean anything to me.  I just wanted to go walk a nearby cemetery today.

Tomorrow will more than likely be a grind, so hopefully my picture will reflect that.

"Life is like a good black and white photograph, there’s black, there’s white, and lots of shades in between." - 365 Project, Day 90

It's been 90 days, about 3 months in, and still many things have not been photographed.  I don't know if my quest to be a better picture-taker is happening.  My photographic talents may or may not be blossoming, but, far more important than anything else, everybody involved is enjoying themselves.  They may stress slightly in trying to photograph the perfect daily object, and their creativity and artistic eye is strained, trying to compose the perfect image, but they are having fun.

I think today more than any other day, everyday life is present in the set of pictures.  I like this idea because, unless shooting commercially, every shot is an everyday shot.  This is our reality and it's here for you to see, and hopefully it is, if not fascinating, then at least interesting.  I hope you keep enjoying our pictures and find our lives, if not fascinating, then at least picturesque.

Frank

His note: Which way do I go?

Shannon

Her note: Loved the colours in the sunset tonight.

Me

The picture is crooked, I know, but I didn't really have a lot of time to capture this.  It's very simple, but, as I stated yesterday, the tones and highlights are more important than the content at times.  The only thing that would make this picture better is someone walking down the sidewalk, but, alas, nobody was walking down this particular street.

I think I'll continue with the black and whiteness of life tomorrow, again.

"One very important difference between color and monochromatic photography is this: in black and white you suggest; in color you state. Much can be implied by suggestion, but statement demands certainty… absolute certainty." - 365 Project, Day 89

Shooting in black and white is somewhat different than shooting in colour.  Colours, pretty obviously, are not so important.  What matters more are tonal relationships and contrast.  My picture today isn't the best example of black and white, but I love the feel, and the grittiness of it.  I'll inevitably have a better example later.

I tried shooting outside at night and nothing really interesting showed itself.  I'd need a much better camera to get a better result.  Everything that is too black or too bright will not look interesting, as there will be no detail.  When there are a lot of tones, there will be depth, as well.  A combination of the two will create a nice technical picture.  Black and white pictures are somewhat nostalgic, and are a lot more about the feeling than colour photographs.  Personally, I really enjoy black and white pictures that are somewhat grainy.  The have a nice atmosphere and just enhance that old-time feeling.

Here are today's pictures.  Nothing much to say about them.

Frank

His note: Went to a storage facility with my son and his girlfriend today.  While they were searching through their locker I took a walk to take photos. This one ended up being the most unique.  It kinda looks like fish bones.

Shannon

Her note: Didn't know what to take today so when I got home from work the look on my stressball made me laugh.

Me

Walking home and I saw this.  It turned out better than I thought.  I would have preferred slightly more contrast on the left side, but I love the amount of noise/grain that ended up in the shot.

I will attempt to have a better black and white picture tomorrow.

"I like photographs which leave something to the imagination." - 365 Project, Day 88

Abstractness in photography (or, for that, matter, in any sort of media) always somewhat annoyed me.  Maybe it's the left-brain-ness in me but I never understood art that didn't have a clear subject.  If it was strange, it was strange, and I didn't really understood what it meant.  Oh, it may be pretty to look at, but it didn't make much sense otherwise.  I suppose more room for interpretation leaves more room for discussions/arguments, which is good for the creator of the photo/art piece/what-have-you, but, if you're cynical, you can also say it leaves more room for elitism, with people calling themselves experts saying they're right, even though, coming back to the first part of this sentence, there is room for interpretation.

This is probably why I'm attracted to street photography more than some other types.  When you're taking a picture of someone on a street corner, it's pretty obvious what it is.  My photography is not generally abstract (except for today's example, ironically enough, which is literally street photography).  I tend to do landscapes a fair bit, and street.  To each their own, and if you understand the abstract, then all the power to you.

Today's pictures are pretty literal, which should please left-brainers.

Frank

His note: An exercise in brownish tones.

Shannon

Her note: Here's what you bought.

(I was thirsty.)

Me

Another day without much opportunity to shoot anything.  This is literally street photography, as I'm shooting rocks on a road being worked on.  Interesting look, I think.

Tomorrow, my goal is to have a black and white photo.  Let me qualify that: my goal is to have a half-decent black and white photo.

"If you are out there shooting, things will happen for you. If you’re not out there, you’ll only hear about it." - 365 Project, Day 87

I love this quote up there.  It's true of photography, and true of everything else, as well.  If you see people doing some of the things (within reason) you wish you were doing, nothing is stopping you from doing them.  If you really want them, then you'll figure out a way to do them.  It's not just that, it's also the stories you'll get to tell and the experiences you'll have in the quest to getting those things.

I'm not one to relate my personal hobby (in this case, obviously, photography) and use grandiose, generic terms to relate it to life.  I find that, for the most part, silly.  So, I will not do that.  One of the reasons (the main reason, as I see it) for doing a 365 project, is to go out and shoot, and hopefully get good shots.  The only way people will notice you (if that's what you wish) is if you take pictures.  On the other hand, it can be something as simple as wanting to take nice pictures.  The only way you'll take a nice picture is if you go out and take pictures.  It's as simple as that.

As expected, there are a few new shots today.

Frank

His note: What could represent summer more than a cool Sea Doo?

Shannon

Her note: One of the many things I'm allergic to.

Pat

I saw this tree with and though its defect looked interesting, especially with the little leafy growth under it.  I just like the texture in the picture.

"For all we know we might not get tomorrow/Let's do it tonight!"

"Amateurs worry about equipment, professionals worry about money, masters worry about light... I just take pictures." - 365 Project, Day 86

So Annual Planking Day is over, and as far as I can tell, there haven't been any big incident, apart from people taking pictures of themselves acting as planks.

Now that I know the world is safe from some Plankpocolypse, I can sleep easy tonight.

Frank

His note: Dandelion wine, salad with dandelions, dandelion tea and just plain dandelion: the weed!  But it's beautiful yellow colour is undeniable!

Shannon

Her note: Pretty please don't fall on top of me.

Pat

I walked around with my dad today and took some nice pictures of flowers (which will inevitably end up in an album on Facebook somewhere), but I couldn't resist posting this one instead.  It's the street photographer in me, what can I say.

Onto tomorrow and its plankless happenings.

"You know what a camera is? A mirror with memory." - 365 Project, Day 85

Tomorrow, for those who give even slightly more than a certain part of a rat's anatomy, is Annual Planking Day!  Planking is a strange photography movement - I'll be nice and refer to it as a movement instead of a fad, which is probably more accurate - that started in the land where, I suppose, looking at kangaroos and wallabies loses its appeal pretty quickly.  I only heard about this about two weeks ago, and it seemed a bit strange.  The more I've read about it, the less impressed I am with it.  It's a movement where people act like a plank (i.e. place themselves face down with their arms next to their bodies) and take pictures of themselves in the various places, the more outrageous, the better.  A few people have been arrested because of it (who would have thought, placing themselves on top of a police cruiser?), and someone has actually died (who would have thought, planking on a seven-story balcony at 4:30am?).

It may seem to some that I am a little on the flippant side when it comes to talking about this.  That is because I am.  I would give it more respect if the main contributors of this movement didn't seem inebriated when participating in this activity.  (I would also take it more seriously if, when doing something stupid, people wouldn't overreact when something stupid results from that initial stupid act.)  It seems to be an activity that would be a good idea when rightly smashed, and only when rightly smashed.  I'm sure that some planking photos could be interesting, given the possibilites, but unfortunately nobody - neither the participants nor the viewers - seem to be exploiting this to its full artistic potential (if, that is, there is any).

(EDIT, 25/5/11: DigitalRev has used planking as the subject in one of their videos.  Whether you believe that brings it more credibility depends on how you view DigitalRev in the photography world.  I will say that whether you like planking or not, the video will not sway you the other way.  I will say that some of the pictures are pretty good.)

Having said that, no planking photos today here.  Only a few rather mundane, non-controversial pictures.  (Although those fruits may poke an eye out, so I'd be careful if I were you, Shannon.)

Frank

His note: Went for a drive to Westboro via the Queensway and Island Park Drive this morning.  I couldn't resist taking this shot. Nothing special about it, just a beautiful sunny day!

Shannon

Her note: Went out today and found these weird chinese fruit.

(Durians!  I've always wanted to try those.  They stink up a storm but are apparently pretty good.)

Myself

I was out near the parliament building helping a friend with reshoots for her video resume and decided to take this shot.  It was mostly for the clouds and sky, but at least I have the excuse that the Peace Tower is included.

Tomorrow should see the same kind of pictures, though I may be wrong.  Who knows.  We'll have to wait until tomorrow.

"A photographer without a magazine behind him is like a farmer without fields." - 365 Project, Day 84

I would not say I completely concur with the title of today's post.  (Why did I choose it, then?  Why, I ask, not?)  I will be generous and, this being 2011, widen 'magazine' to include all manner of professional media.  The gentleman credited with penning this thought was, at one point in his career, a portrait and fashion photographer, and this may point the direction to the context of the sentence.

He is correct in the implication that all professional photographers do need some sort of outlet to have their work viewed.  If I hire a photographer for an event, I would like to see their prior work.  This is reasonable.  What he, in one fell swoop, exclude are every single amateur photographer in existence, and photography hobbyists.  The idea that there is a need for your work to be admired my countless people is utter balderdash, as long as you're content with your own work.  Having professional backing for your work, and others drooling over it does not invalidate the work of non-professionals and hobbyists.

Having said that, here are today's pictures that you can gawk at and admire.

Frank

His note: Holiday Monday.  Everything was closed.  It was noon and I was out of food so went to my friendly neighbourhood Subway.

Shannon

Her note: Rent a bike downtown.

(Apparently, the seat was wet.)

Me

Mandy, her boyfriend and I went for a walk today.  They fed some ducks and geese and other manner of winged creatures.  This is the best picture I took, but I wasn't able to have one of this particular duck just as he grabbed the piece of bread.  Other than that, I like the picture, which, by the way, was achieved with manual focus.  The ISO is 3200, but that's only because I wanted to freeze the action and it was pretty dark thanks to the thick clouds overhead.

"Many pictures turn out to be limp translations of the known world instead of vital objects which create an intrinsic world of their own. There is a vast difference between taking a picture and making a photograph Once the amateur's naive approach and humble willingness to learn fades away, the creative spirit of good photography dies with it. Every professional should remain always in his heart an amateur." - 365 Project, Day 83

I find it endlessly fascinating that some people can do simple things.  One of my co-workers writes music, another can draw quite well, and yet another one knows every statistic of every baseball player in MLB.  I suppose we all have talent and we are all creative in our own way.

I've never thought of photography as a particularly creative outlet, as a (non-studio, it has to be specified) photographer only takes pictures of something they're seeing.  I imagine being able to see something interesting and capturing it is somewhat of a creative act in itself.  It does take a certain eye to be able to take a good picture, whether out in a vast, open, impressive area, or just walking along the street, looking at life around you.

Today's pictures definitely show everyday life.  Here they are.

Frank

His note: Went to an multi-media art show today.  What amazing and creative work is being done in Ottawa. This is one example, there were so many others that amazed me.

Shannon

Her note: Loved the look of the clouds. Yet more rain again on its way.

(For those that have absolutely endless amounts of curiosity, it ended up raining, then it stopped.  Then it started again.  Now it's stopped again... kind of.)

Me

I had a couple of pictures today to choose from.  This one had a better angle on the flower, but the bokeh is a bit more busy.  I picked this one because I prefer the subject.  Just a few flowers on a tree.

That is all.

"It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are." - 365 Project, Day 82

When I was in Korea teaching English, I remember a specific time where I was teaching how emphasizing words in a sentence would change its meaning.  Take 'He said that.'  It's a simple sentence by itself, but emphasize 'he', or 'said', or 'that', and its meaning changes.  The same is true for photography.  Not so much the picture itself, but what you call it.

Naming a photograph can dramatically alter people's impression of it, and change its context.  Take my photograph from a few days ago.  I called it 'Road to Self', which in my mind conjures up a picture of always falling short because you're not trying.  It's somewhat pessimistic.  On the other hand, had I called it 'Note to Self', it may give the impression of forcing yourself to slow down and stop before actually doing anything.  These are pretty different meanings, and the picture can change in people's eyes because of its name.

I don't believe naming a photo is essential; if you want the photograph to speak for itself, then you can let it stand on its own terms, and naming it (if only to help people to speak of your work) should be merely functional (i.e. Untitled 1, Untitled 2...) and not very meaningful.  If you want to add to your photo, the artistic thing to do is create a context for the viewer.

Having said that, I couldn't think of a good name for my picture, so I called it something more practical than imaginative.

Frank

His note: I took a long walk in Riverside Park today.  What a glorious day.  Couples walking hand in hand, children running, boys playing basketball, families having picnics, Canada Geese and ducks everywhere. I love summer! I must have taken 50 photos but this one by far reflected my mood the most.

Shannon

Her note: Used my Neti Pot today, hoping it will help with my allergies.

Me

I was actually pretty inspired today.  It took me a fair chunk of time to get home after work because I kept taking pictures of things.  I thought all the old staples and nails on a wooden post would give off a nice texture.  I would have loved a macro lens for this but I only had my S95 and thankfully it has manual exposure and manual focusing, which made this picture possible.

I have no idea what the weather was like very early this morning, but I do know it'll probably be pretty warm tomorrow again.  We'll see what that does for photographs.

"They used to photograph Shirley Temple through gauze. They should photograph me through linoleum." - 365 Project, Day 81

This is, once again, a day with no little preamble.  It's exactly 2:17am, and I'm tired enough to fall asleep now.  So, I shall just be content with saying that I really like the photographs today.  The subject matter and/or composition are well done, creating something quite different, but simple.

Frank

His note: One pair to see the monitor, one pair for the serious moments and one pair just for fun.

Shannon

Her note: Storm coming in.

Me

Just another random street shot.  If I had more time, I might crop the sky because there's a lot of dead space in the top half of the picture, but when I saw the couple walking down the street, I saw the picture in portrait orientation, and I like the effect of it.

I have the feeling tomorrow morning (well, 3 hours from now, I suppose, when the sun comes up) is going to be kind of misty.  We'll see.

"When you buy a 1/4-inch drill bit, what you really need is a 1/4-inch hole. Clients don't need photographers, they need photograph." - 365 Project, Day 80

Regardless of whether you edit your pictures or not, editing photos ultimately, for better or worse, does not make you a better photographer.  Talent is, after all, talent, and there's no substitute for it.  (I should point out, at this particular juncture, that I feel there is somewhat of an irony, talking to people about talent and (slightly below) style, when I myself seem to lack a little from column A, and a little from column B.)  (I also borrow/steal my jokes, in case you're curious.)

The talented can easily distinguish themselves through their style; whether heavily edited or not, good exposure and composition are semi-non-debatably universal.  Whether the picture has any importance/relevance for people around you (or, for that matter, yourself) does not change the fact that good framing is, after all, good framing.  Having a style distinguishes you from others, and talent brings attention to your work.  Hopefully, after a little while (and personal marketing) (and perseverance) the better photographers should get recognised and, perhaps, praised (though this leads to something perhaps contradictory I've said in the first few days of this project, which I'll leave for now).

Here are today's pictures.

Frank

His note: I've always been fascinated by welded tubes and especially welded corners. This one was exceptionally well sanded/finished. You can hardly tell it was welded.

Shannon

Her note: Loved the colors on this tree. Not much of a pic today after the evening I had.

(Shannon, this evening, had the great honour, and exceptional privilege, of being rear-ended by a total ass, who seemingly couldn't see a car two feet behind him in a parking lot.)

Me

My note: It was rainy again this morning, though the day ended on a slightly sunnier note, and I liked the reflection of the traffic light in the raindrops of the puddle.

We shall see what tomorrow brings, as I am not now, as I have never been, a psychic, and cannot predict my Friday.

"One photo out of focus is a mistake, ten photo out of focus are an experimentation, one hundred photo out of focus are a style." - 365 Project, Day 79

Whereas editing programs greatly open up what the general photographer can do, a keen eye will still notice any sly editing that may have been done.  Boosting one colour affects secondary colours; trying to fix the exposure, or boosting contrast or saturation induces unwanted artifacts in the picture; dodging and burning may create or eliminate funny shadows.  There is always a group of people that prefer photographs without any editing.

Some photography magazines will not even take a picture if it's been touched up in any way, and as such any nature photographer will tell you that the most important part is setting up for the shot - making sure the composition is pleasing, the white balance good enough, and the exposure perfect.  This is only possible with sufficient experience, though.  Equipment helps, but, as expensive as it may be, personal experience always trumps technology.

As great as editing software may be, it may only help you market yourself, and may not make you a better photographer.

Today's pictures are nothing complicated, but will make you hungry.

Frank

His note: What every driver should have in their trunk.

Shannon

Her note: Mmmmm supper at Lonestar.

Myself

Not the most picturesque day today, but I told myself I had to use my 50mm lens.  So here is one of the pictures that came out of it.  Not sure why I chose this one over others.  I guess it's the bokeh in the background.  Maybe.

I suppose tomorrow will offer more possibilities, but come back tomorrow to see for sure.

"Photography deals exquisitely with appearances, but nothing is what it appears to be." - 365 Project, Day 78

The advent of digital photography had turned anybody with a bad camera, but a stunning imagination, into a tremendous force to be reckoned with.  I only say this because, with editing programs, any photograph can  be cheated and manipulated, in more than one way.  HDR shots may spring to mind, though not the best example of what I'm trying to badly explain.

HDR images, for the most part, even the more subtle examples, are quite easily noticeable.  What I mean is more natural-looking manipulations.  My shot today may seem okay right, but I cheated the crap out of that RAW file.  It was not particularly sunny outside today, but 3pm is still 3pm, and a long exposure (say, 1/5th of a second in this case) will still be too bright, even at the lowest ISO and smallest aperture value (f/22, in this case).  In post-processing, I underexposed the picture by two whole stops, boosted the blacks, added as much recovery as I could and increased the contrast a fair ways to get the picture looking relatively natural.  I deliberately overexposed this picture far too much because I knew I could fix it later on.

My question is this: What tricks, then, when viewing a photograph online, has the photographer pulled?

I'm not the only deceitful one here today, as you'll read.

Frank

His note: Pat and I went for a drive today to Almonte and down the old Carp road. A great day.  It was nice being a passenger again.  Thanks for doing the driving, Pat. This photo was taken at the Almonte falls; however the reflection of the trunk is a creation. I masked the top trunk with some transparency and flipped it vertically.  Made a few adjustments and voila..

Shannon

Working with geeks will make you see things of this nature.

Me

This composition is a bit funny, and this is the not the best long-exposure shot ever, but I didn't have a neutral density filter and had to resort to tweaking the picture like I explained above.  I'm happy with the finished product, though I would have preferred if the middle part wasn't beyond recovery.  For the most part, I like this.

Tomorrow is supposed to be very rainy.  If it's not, I have ideas.

"I didn't choose photography. Photography chose me." - 365 Project, Day 77

It has been said multiple times (most often in films that feature exotic cars and/or Michael Bay '80s toy movies) that a car chooses its owner, but can it be said about a camera?  Is there a camera that  melds itself perfectly to a particular person.  Jim Marshall had his Leicas, Annie Leibovitz has her Canons, so would I be better with something else?  My experience is somewhat limited and I haven't shot anything particularly high end, but I wonder what, say, an M9 would feel like in my hands, or a Mamiya RB67 model.  I suppose only practical experience will help with that, though I doubt I could affordably even rent a Mamiya, if I could actually find one in a shop.  I doubt it would go along my style of shooting, but I would enjoy comically lugging around a medium-format camera, trying to do street with it.

Or, I can just repeat what has been said before, and say the best camera is the one I have with me.

Today's pictures.

Frank

His note: I was driving around looking for a shot this morning and stopped in front of a house with thousands of these buds covering the street. I thought the new yellow contrasted very well with the old grey of the pavement

Shannon

Her note: This clock can make you hungry.

Pat

I didn't take too many pictures today, but I had this idea in the morning.  For the past few days, this has basically been my view when I walk around outside.

I should have more than a few pictures to choose from over the next couple of days, so there may, possibly, be variety in the types of pictures I post.

"A lot of people think that when you have grand scenery, such as you have in Yosemite, that photography must be easy." - 365 Project, Day 76

Yesterday, I touched on the importance of projects to do.  This 365 project is simply a year-long excuse to take pictures.  There is a goal of becoming a better photographer, but by and large I can take pictures whenever I want and not put them up.  The main purpose for my participating in this is to keep myself busy, especially in the way of photography.

As with anything, taking pictures may be a bit tiresome after a simple while, though if one has a different direction it may shake things up and encourage a surge of creativity and vitality.  For example, there are a few people I would wish to do a shoot with.  I get inspired by some and that helps me.  I also have plans when it comes to shooting.  Giving myself a rule, or direction (say, only using my 50mm lens one day, forcing myself to focus manually), forces me to think differently and perhaps view the world differently.

Today's pictures follow.  Nothing to say about them, given they're pretty self-explanatory.

Frank

His note: I worked as an office manager for over 20 years. 5 of those years were simply a joy. I wanted to go into work every day because we literally laughed all day.  Everybody was a joker. It was the best group of people ever.  One day I walked into my office and found this sign on my desk. To this day I still have no idea who put it there.  I will never forget those 5 incredible years.

Shannon

Her note: Went to the Tulip Festival today.

My picture

I was literally finalising my post today when I looked outside and saw this.  This is slightly better than the other picture I wanted to post.