365+: July 1-14 ~ Alaska again, Fairbanks and beyond

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*

Thursday, July 1, 2010

July 1-14 ~ Alaska again, Fairbanks and beyond

July 1 ~ soft greenery

A thick trail near Bobb's cabin is densely populated with greenery. And bugs.

July 2 ~ Birch Hill

A view from near hole one of the disc golf course.
Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AFD 50mm f/1.4, Yashica-D, Manfrotto legs/head

a palette cleanser

a shot at HDR.
Gear: Nikon D90, Tokina 12-24mm f/4

A few nice low sunbursts lit the trees late in the evening.

July 4 ~ Out and About

Musk Oxen posed at the Large Animal Research Station. These two were not friends, or, they were friends who butted heads a lot.
Gear: Nikon D90, Tamron 18-250mm

We headed out on an exploration north a bit

Gear: Nikon D90, Tamron 18-250mm

The countryside shifted throughout the drive; when we stopped at the 84 mile marker it resembled Scotland or Ireland, as we were above the tree line.

Gear: Nikon D90, Tokina 12-24mm f/4

July 5 ~ Cat whiskers

I adjusted white balance to tweak the color of these soft focus macro shots of Bobb's cat's whiskers.

Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AF 60mm micro f/2.8

July 6 ~ Botanical Gardens

Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AFD 60mm f/2.8 micro

July 9 ~ Faux Fisheye

A different attempt at fish eye had me playing around with different views from Bobb's front porch. Using an ordinary door peephole was mostly unsuccessful at translating the images I wanted, but it was an interesting experiment.

Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AF 60mm f/2.8 micro, door peephole purchased from Home Depot

July 11 ~ Fairbanks to Chicken to Chistochina

The clouds rolled over the landscape on the road to Chicken. Or, maybe we were heading into the clouds.

July 12 ~ Valdez

A slightly distorted panorama represents the view greeting visitors headed to Valdez. Mountains waterfalls and glaciers abound in this area. When we left town we learned how lucky we were for such a clear sky greeting, as the view was obscured by thick fog six hours later.

*remember, you can enlarge an image by clicking on it
Gear: Nikon D90, Tokina 12-24mm f/4, four images blended in CS5