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*

Saturday, March 6, 2010

March 5 ~ traveling and acute bronchitis

From about 1am onward I was up every hour coughing and rolling over, but finally drifted off. At 9am I got up and felt a little woozy again, so I checked temperature out of curiosity. I didn't feel warm but my mouth seemed hot.
102.2. Well, crap.
A plane was scheduled to leave, with me on it, at 2:40pm. Under 6 hours. I'd purchased flight protection and started initiating a claim.

At 10am I called the clinic again and a nurse scheduled an 11am appointment. Driving to the clinic I already felt better outside in the sun... it was my first time outside in several days. The nurse, Carmen, was friendly and efficient, and the Dr (Lundgren), was sweet. Since the fever came later, he deduced that it was a bacterial infection. With an antibiotic prescription in hand, I was ok to fly as long as I felt up to it. Great!

It was noon. I dashed to the pharmacy and was told it would take 20 minutes.
Down to the wire.
I'd not planned to go to the doctor in the morning or be exhausted all week, so all the packing time had drifted away while I slept and coughed, but I zipped home, packed and stopped back at the pharmacy on the way to the airport.
I could not find my tripod... an essential for aurora shooting. Oh well.
It looked like I was an hour early when we pulled up to curbside check-in, but by the time I made it to the security line a lot of time had passed and it was somehow magically 2pm... 40 minutes to take off and I still needed get through that line. Oy.
I was not the last person on the plane, but it was close. They were calling final boarding.

Thus began 10 hours of travel... with bronchitis.

Three or so hours later I was in Seattle, with a three hour layover ahead. The flight was fairly comfortable, though my ears didn't pop on the way down. Miraculously, they quietly diffused after landing. It wasn't painful, just mildly uncomfortable.

Here's a view from within the Seattle-Tacoma airport, where I spent 3 hours:




The final leg of the trip was tough. Three and a half hours felt long. A lot of people were sniffling, so I didn't feel so bad about being one of them. The fellow next to me had been flying all day--came from Boston--and had four beers. I might've joined him but all my energy was focused on my current condition and the anticipated arrival.

We landed at local time 9:35pm, ten minutes ahead of schedule... 12:35am my time. Tired and not feeling well, but, happy to be in Alaska with Bobb. My left ear didn't cooperate with the second landing, though, and was still at 30,000 feet until Saturday morning.


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