Day 243. August 30.

 

Day 243. August 30. Picture # 243. "Untitled". Another long day. Things in my living room. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 50mm prime lens. f/1.8. ISO 1600. exposure 1/100 second.

Day 242. August 29.

 

Day Two Hundred Forty Two. August 29. Picture # 242. "Out of the Sun". The bright early afternoon sunlight found me looking for shadows. I found a hiding spot from the sun in the storm tunnels that pass under Spicewood Springs road in Austin, Texas. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 53mm. f/22. ISO 200. Five exposures ranging .4 to 13 seconds.

Day 241. August 28.

 

Day Two Hundred Forty One. August 28. Picture # 241. "Untitled". Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 28mm. f/22. ISO 200. Exposure 1/500 second.

Day 240. August 27.

 

Day Two Hundred Forty. August 27. Picture # 240. "Tribute". RIP, Neil Armstrong. The first man on the Moon died on Saturday, August 25, 2012. http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/08/25/astronaut-neil-armstrong-dies-at-82/ . Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Phoenix 650-1300mm lens. Focal length 1300mm. ISO 200. Exposure 1/160 second.

Day 239. August 26.

 

Day Two Hundred Thirty Nine. August 26. Picture # 239. "Untitled". I was guessing that this crazy sky was going to be an amazing "burning sky" type sunset. It never changed color and quickly faded to black. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Bower Fisheye lens. ISO 100. Multiple exposures 1/125, 1/640 second.

Day 238. August 25.

 

Day Two Hundred Thirty Eight. August 25. Picture # 238. "Yellow Flower". The most amazing wildflower season in my eight years of being in Texas continues despite the summer heat. The flowers are not as plentiful and like this one, they are a little shriveled and dry. There is still an amazing variety of shapes and colors to be found if one takes the time to notice them. This bright "yellow" flower was found hiding in the cool shade along Bull Creek in Austin, Texas. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 300mm lens. Focal length 210mm. f/7.1. ISO 800. Exposure 1/800 second.

Day 237. August 24.

 

Day Two Hundred Thirty Seven. August 24. Picture # 237. "Untitled". Just a box of bows. Nikon D50, handheld. Nikkor 28-80mm lens. f/7.1. ISO 400. Exposure 1/100 second with flash.

Day 236. August 23.

 

Day Two Hundred Thirty Six. August 23. Picture # 236. "Ready for the Season". As summer winds down thoughts turn to start of school. Fall nights are just around the corner, with it's wonderful traditions of bleachers packed with people ready enjoy high school football. And no football game is complete without the marching band keeping the teams and fans spirits high with their music and marching. Canon Rebel EXI. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 240mm. f/8. ISO 800. Exposure 1/640 second.

Day 235. August 22.

 

Day Two Hundred Thirty Five. August 22. Picture # 235. "X Marks the Spot". Jill Jackson is in her high school marching marching band. She has been practicing late into the evening with the rest of the band getting ready for marching season. She had noticed that as the sun set each night it would backlight the band directors. Jill thought it might make an interesting picture of the day. She was right. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 210mm. f/20. ISO 400. Exposure 1/320 second.

Day 234. August 21.

Day Two Hundred Thirty Four. August 21. Picture # 234. "Untitled". Along the back edge of the parking lot where I work these flowers somehow have managed to survive the hot Texas summer. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 135mm. f5.6. ISO 400. Exposure 1/800 second.

Day 233. August 20.

Day Two Hundred Thirty Three. August 20. Picture # 233. "Untitled". A snag catching the afternoon light in Bull Creek in Austin, Texas. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 135mm. f/22. ISO 400. Exposure .8 second.

Day 232. August 19.

Day Two Hundred Thirty Two. August 19. Picture # 232. "Untitled". Just playing with the low angle lighting from the setting sun. Did not know that I had captured a flying mosquito until I started editing. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 70mm. f/8. ISO 1600. Exposure 1/1600 second.

Day 231. August 18.

Day 231. August 18. Picture # 231. "Untitled". My friend Gary Cross is both a strong supporter of my pictures and someone who always challenges me to reach outside my comfort zone. He would like to see my camera aimed at some people now and then. I see people that I would love to take pictures of. Their faces speak of hard lives and the forced aging from a lifetime of working & living outdoors. To me these faces speak a thousand words but I am afraid right now, I am not the man to record their tales. So Gary, I tried. I went out today looking for people. I did not find my picture. The hard unblinking stare of this life worn lady will have to do. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 120mm. f/5.6. ISO 1600. Exposure 1/250 second.

Day 230. August 17.



Day Two Hundred Thirty. August 17. Picture # 230. "Untitled". A simple picture today. Under the soft evening light this wire mesh wall hanging looked like it had been painted on the wall. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 28mm, f/4. ISO 800. exposure 1/160 second.

Day 229. August 16.

Day Two Hundred Twenty Nine. August 16. Picture # 229. "Legacy ?". This old book called the "The Good of Early Obedience" has been in my family for generations. Relatives now forgotten wrote different things within it's cover and page margins. The year date on the the introduction is 1684 but the earliest handwritten note is 1713. I know this is not an exciting picture but I took the shot for reasons other than aesthetics. Some long ago relative may have been on page thirty six on the six day of January, 1778 when their new child was born. This notation was their "Facebook" entry for that day.The event was carefully written down without any way of understanding or even conceiving of the technology that would exist 234 years later, With the click of a camera shutter, and a few computer commands these words written so long ago can now be shared by people all over the world. Words from another lifetime have become my picture for Day 229. Canon Rebel XTI, hand held. Bower Fisheye lens. Promaster off camera strobe. ISO 400. Exposure 1/200 second.

Day 228, August 15.

Day Two Hundred Twenty Eight. August 15. Picture # 228. Untitled". Every summer I reach a point where I am "just done with the heat". Today was the day. I came home sweaty and tired, which is no different from every other work day during the summer. But this day I could not talk myself into walking back outside. I had to find inspiration within the walls of my apartment. This is part of my antique bottle collection sitting on my work table. I was experimenting with off camera flash trying to get the bottles to glow. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Bower Fish Eye lens. Promaster 2500EDF strobe and cable. ISO 400, Exposure 1/200.

Day 227. August 14.

Day Two Hundred Twenty Seven. August 14. Picture # 227. "Untitled". This elaborate iron work is just one section of a entrance to a gated community that died before it ever got started. It now sits fading and rusting in the Texas sun. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 18-55mm lens. Focal length 21mm. f/5.6. ISO 400. Exposure 1/40 second.

Day 226. August 13.

Day Two Hundred Twenty Six. August 13. Picture # 226. "Untitled". Caught without my camera. So had to settle for an iPhone capture.

Day 225. August 12.

Day Two Hundred Twenty Five. August 12. Picture # 225. "Sunrise & Fog". Early morning at Davis Mountains State Park. http://www.stateparks.com/davis_mountains.html .There is a mountain in the park that is just over five thousand feet. It made a perfect place to shoot sunrises & sunsets. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 33mm. f/7.1. ISO 400. Exposure 1/5 second.

Day 224. August 11.

Day Two Hundred Twenty Four. August 11. Picture # 224A. "Milky Way". The McDonald Observatory is located in the Davis Mountains of Texas, because the skies are so dark. http://www.as.utexas.edu/mcdonald/mcdonald.html . This picture was taken at Davis Mountain State Park. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/davis-mountains . My friend Dennis Rust had suggested going camping at the park on this weekend because of the Perseid meteor shower. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids We saw a few meteors with one spectacular fireball, but all in all it was pretty slow. Meteors or not the skies were beautiful. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Bower Fisheye lens. ISO 1600. Exposure 91 seconds.







Day 224. August 11. Picture # 224B. "CCC Structure". Bonus today. Both a night & day picture. This wonderful building was built during the depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps . Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Bower Fisheye lens. ISO 400. Exposure 1/200 second.

Camping at Fort Davis State Park until Monday night August 13. Will post Day 224,225,226 when I return.

Day 223. August 10.

Day Two Hundred Twenty Three. August 10. Picture # 223. "Untitled". Dragon fly at Saint Edwards Park. Canon Rebel XTI, on monopod. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 300mm. f/8. ISO 400. Exposure 1/400.



Day 222. August 9.

Day Two Hundred Twenty Two. August 9. Picture # 222. "Keeping it under Wraps". This larger than life prop is left over from Scare for a Cure's 2011 haunted event "Carnival of Lost Souls". The 2012 event promises to be bigger and better than ever at their new home in Manor, Texas. http://www.scareforacure.org/ . They are a great organization and they are really good at what they do. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 125mm. f/4.5. ISO 400. Exposure 1/4000 second.

Day 221. August 8.

Day Two Hundred Twenty One. August 8. Picture # 221. "Untitled". Just after leaving for work I saw smoke rising from behind a shopping center. I pulled into the parking lot just as the emergency vehicles went past on their way to the fire. I shot a few pictures from the parking lot but really wanted to get closer. The street was blocked in front of the burning structure but I remembered there was an alley behind the building. There was no one in the alley so I took a few quick shots. The shot below is of the truck as the breeze shifted. The inside of the truck still reeks of smoke. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Bower Fisheye lens. ISO 400. Exposure 1/640 second.



Day 220. August 7.

Day Two Hundred Twenty. August 7. Picture # 220. "Bad Three and Half Hours". 

  I hope this is the worst picture of all the 366 pictures I will take for this project.This is a bad iPhone picture of my main camera bag laying on a table at my work. For a little over three and half hours I could not find my camera and gear. A series of little coincidences had convinced me that all of my gear had been stolen. I always carry my camera to work and when I arrive I carry the bag inside with me. This morning a stranger walked up in the parking lot and asked a question just as I got out of my truck. I was also a few minutes earlier than normal arriving at work so I was already walking in when a friend called to say good morning. These were all minor details in the morning but they caused panic later when I prepared to leave work. I could not find my camera bag in the shop. I walked out thinking I had left it in the truck, only to find out I had forgotten to lock the truck. The tripod was there but not the camera. We have had some stuff stolen out of cars before so the first hint of concern took hold. After looking some more I went home hoping I had forgotten the gear and left it home. No luck at home. I drove back to the shop and looked some more. I called co-workers hoping maybe someone had moved or had seen the bag. Again no luck. Finally dejected I went home trying to figure out if I could keep going with the 366 Project using my point and shoot. Finally I realized the morning phone call was the key. It was noisy in the shop as I took the call so I went into the back work rooms so I could hear. This picture was what I texted to my concerned friends as I found the camera. Sorry about the bad picture. Happy to still have the gear to try and redeem myself.

Will post Day 220 & 221 tomorrow. Have pictures but have been busy.Three pictures tomorrow. I promise.

Day 219. August 6.

Day Two Hundred Nineteen. August 6. Picture # 219. "Shadows on a Wall". Busy day. The sun faded from my day before I had a chance to take my camera out of it's bag. These shadows decorate the  front wall of the apartment I live in. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 44mm. f/4. ISO 400. Exposure 1 second.

Day 218. August 5.

Day Two Hundred Eighteen. August 5. Picture # 218. "Racing the Sun". These hardworking men were taken advantage of the cooler evening temperature (90 degrees) to handstack this trailerload of hay bales. This somewhat old fashioned scene was southwest of Bartlett, Texas. Canon Rebel XTI. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 80mm. f/10. ISO 400. Exposure 1/400 second.

Day 217. August 14.

Day Two Hundred Seventeen. August 4. Picture # 217. "Retail Vision". 9:30 PM found me in the plumbing section of Lowes. A friends dishwasher had decided to pick today for a meltdown. A short project had grown into a bigger project like they always do. So my situation was; it was dark. I was stuck at Lowes. I did not have the day's picture yet and my camera was five miles away. A quote from an unknown photographer came into my head, "your best camera is the one you have with you". The camera I had with me was my iPhone. The place I was at was Lowes. The picture for Day 217 was going to have to come from within the store. Above & below is a sampling of shots from my retail shooting adventure. Photos all taken with iPhone using HDR Pro. Edited in phone with Photo Toaster. Touch up editing in ACDSee Pro 5.



Day 216. August 3.

Day Two Hundred Sixteen. August 3. Picture # 216. "Untitled". Canon Rebel XTI, on monopod. Canon75-300mm lens. Focal length 300mm. f/9. ISO 400. Exposure 1/800 second.

Day 215. August 2.

Day Two Hundred Fifteen. August 2. Picture # 215. "Splash of Color". In an attempt to escape from the triple digit heat and the harsh light of a typical Texas summer, I once again found myself slipping into the deep shadows beside Bull Creek. I have really been enjoying the juxtaposition of deep shadows with bright rays of sunlight piercing the canopy above. This lone flower seemed to glow with it's own light as it rested on the dried mud of the trail. Canon Rebel XTI, on monopod. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 200mm. f/5. ISO 800. Exposure 1/400 second.

Day 214. August 1.

Day Two Hundred Fourteen. August 1. Picture # 214. "Dust". Today's picture is somewhat unusual.  As I drove down a dirt road today, I turned around to see this scene. The fine white dust from the limestone gravel that had been stirred up by my truck, just hung in the air. The bright afternoon sunlight caused the dust to glow and acted as a filter given everything a soft focus. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 75mm. f/5.6. ISO 800. Exposure 1/400 second.