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 6-14 ~ Alaska again

3/6/10
I'll be posting pics sporadically, or perhaps not until I get back.
The view from the home we're house-sitting is lovely.
~
3/14/10
I arrived home late tonight and will post pics from the last two weeks over the next few days. Apologies for the interruption in the blog's flow.
It was a surprise to find that I was not as motivated to shoot pictures while on vacation, especially since Alaska affords such a rich variety of image opportunity, and in the past I've shot thousands of images during a trip of this length. This time, the photo count was likely under two hundred. But, it really was a needed break; I was still sick the whole time and Bobb's energy level was low due to the fluctuations in sunlight, so we spent most of the time relaxing, watching movies and eating our way through town. If you're hoping for vast Alaskan landscapes, I'm sorry to disappoint. If that's your fancy, please view a few images from 2008 and 2009. I'll visit Fairbanks again in June or July, and the plan is to do more active traveling at that time.


March 14 ~ the end of ten days of good company and good food

Sunday the 14th was a long day of traveling, so, since I was often in pursuit of good soup during vacation, this image rounds out the week. We ate out a lot, but made this cream of celery soup on Saturday night. The image in the cookbook looks greener, but we used some dang good sherry. Mmmm.

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


March 13 ~ creatures

Su Su was aloof on the first day, but cuddled up quickly.



Molly is a sweetie but also quite possibly the neediest dog I've ever met.



Bobb's self-portrait. Well done, Bobb.

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


March 12 ~ late night lights

We spent seven hours playing cards and other games on Friday night. On the way home I spotted a soft green aurora tint low in the northeastern sky. It wasn't as spectacular as what he or I have seen before, but a double band was visible and the northern lights are always fascinating to observe. When we got back, Bobb pulled out his new camera and tripod to try a few shots from in front of the house.
It was about 2am and we weren't in a mood to chase it further away from the lights of civilization, but I pulled my camera out to explore even though I didn't have a tripod to steady the camera for long exposures. For this shot of Bobb (who's shooting the aurora behind me), the camera is propped on a bag on top of a car hood.

Gear: Nikon D90, Tokina 12-24mm


March 11 ~ where the people are unusual, and the beer is unusually good

We ate and drank our way through town (although I was really more interested in the food). This image was taken at Silver Gulch brewery, where they serve great onion rings. Wolf Run was my favorite restaurant; eight dollars will buy you a cup of homemade soup and a beautiful salad or sandwich. Bobb was all about the reuben.

Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AFD 50mm f/1.4, close-focus filter


March 10 ~ ice art



These are a few of my favorite sculptures from the annual World Ice Art Championships. I was actually more impressed with last year's pieces, but perhaps I'm just becoming an ice art snob. I was disappointed in the lighting this year... not sure why the lamps weren't lit, especially considering that it was overcast.


Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor 18-200 VR


March 9 ~ around Bobb's cabin

Often, I don't mind when an image is a bit soft. In this case, it works with the color and subject, which was a curious little heart charm tacked over the exterior of his kitchen window.



I believe this is fireweed.


The bathroom. I did use it a few times that week, and it wasn't as bad as one might believe an outhouse to be at 0 degrees, Fahrenheit.


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


March 8 ~ morning at the house in which we sat


Jet lag had me up a few hours earlier than normal, so just after sunrise I took out my camera, along with Molly, the black lab we were watching.

Gear: Nikon D90, Tokina 12-24mm


March 7 ~ cold outside from warm inside

This is the first image I took in Fairbanks, shot through the living room window where we were house sitting. The temps were hovering around zero, which was a bit warmer than the downtown area since we were up in the hills. The trees were particularly dense and curiously bent.


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

1 comment:

  1. BobbMarch 17, 2010 at 12:56 AM

    Yay Alaska! The trees are curiously bent because apparently in 1991 or '92, there was a very early snow storm that hit HARD! They got several feet of snow while the trees were full of leaves and I guess many of them bent over. At least that is the story I was told.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)