Beginnings (the start of a visual journey in 2010)

Many widely recognized yearly photographic efforts are made by the likes of Jim Brandenburg, among others, but I decided to undertake this series for many reasons. The first spark occurred when I came across a collaborative daily blog turned written documentation, A Year of Mornings, which appealed in a human way. It was a part of the photographers' daily lives, a document of the passage of time, as well as an aesthetic effort.

This project is designed to amass a series of related and unrelated images as they flow and feed off of each other, creating a vision of a whole year of experience.

A larger reason to shoot so much was to force myself to continue to push images. Some days I have projects in mind, other days I'm inspired with a flash of insight, and some days I think, "damn, what am I going to create tonight?" Either way, I've kept going.

When this series began I thought of it as a 365+ project because the goal was to have the equivalent of a year's worth of daily images that would follow and reveal twelve months. But, because I'm also working and a full-time graduate student as well as a human being with other interests, I gave myself the leeway of not photographing every day, so long as the final number of images surpasses 365. When I began posting on a social network site, I started by sharing an average of two photographs a day; by the end of January it looked as though the quantitative goal would be reached halfway through the year. I tend to work in series and like to show context, so a challenge has been paring down daily posts to just one or two images. With this blog I will try to be more particular and share no more than two photos per day.

Thus far, we're 1/12th of the way through and not a day has been missed. More importantly, though, I feel the tendrils of inspiration not previously imagined, and for that reason, this already feels like a success.

Please enjoy, contemplate, comment and share with your friends.

Quarterlings

March is drawing to a close, which marks the completion of 1/4 of the year and this project.

Reviewing the images I'm pleased by some and bored by others. Many photographs would not make the cut were it not a daily regimen. But, though I missed one day due to illness and, technically supplanted one day's picture amongst its vacation brethren during the week and a half of Alaska photos, the gears are still rolling.

The images I've been more pleased with have been the light/color compositions, although projects such as the water droplets, reverse lens macro, smoke and TTV photography were also highlights. Where I seem to grow stagnant are with images relating more directly to documenting me or my life, especially the mundane, but perhaps that's personal perception. April will be kicked off with a weekend in Chicago.

Keep on checking in as I keep on keepin' on. Recent layout goodies includes the ability for you, oh honored viewer, to rate posts and vote on imagery types.

Middlings

As June winds down, 365+ nears its crest. Counting back, however, just over one hundred images remain to be posted.

These past few months I've embraced the loose design of the project and shifted into a relaxed schedule of posts. In favor of sharing greater context and more consistently solid imagery while maintaining an eye on the year as a whole, I may not shoot or post every day, but continue to translate the spirit of the time. Early July marks the beginning of the descent and holds the promise of visual adventure as I head back to Alaska.

Please be aware of new links on the right column noting Artists, inspiration and intriguing ideas or commentary.
*Clicking on most photos will enlarge the image*

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

January 25 ~ trees at night


After work I attended a gathering of art tour guides, and I came home wondering what kind of photograph I wanted to make with what time was left in the day. I felt the restrictions of self-confinement to small (image) spaces and decided to branch out a bit, but I didn't want to leave the house again.

So, I looked to my own backyard. It was outside the style I'd been working within, a change of scene different enough to stretch my photographs in a new way, and I didn't have to drive anywhere.

First, I played more with way a porch light illuminated a stand of birch trees. I wanted to expand up on the panning painterly look from the fern image (January 11th posting). The colors and soft tendrils of deeper shades were a pleasing result.


Then, I decided to push the photographs even further and combine a few images. Ever since I began shooting the images with the TLR/DSLR combination, I've wanted to put together several landscapes into a single image document, but I haven't made time to do that yet. The idea of overlapping and working on an image with the physical marks of my own hand, however, was not something I had been pondering much. I was thinking about drawings and paintings when I worked with this, and it evolved not from a master plan, but fluidly, of its own volition.

There is no right way to make a photo. Who's to say what should or should not be in focus, or that anything needs to be? I'm not pleased with every aspect of this image, but I like the concept enough that I will probably work on it some more.

Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AFD 50mm f/1.4
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