Day 366. December 31. Countdown 0 Day.

Day Three Hundred Sixty Six. December 31. Countdown 0 Days. Picture # 366. "Tracy's Deer". 366 days ago Tracy stood in front of me and offered the challenge of the 366 Project. Today, Tracy stood behind me as I shot this projects final picture. The circle is now complete. The 366 Project is over. Thank you. Jay Baum, December 31th, 2012.

Day 365. December 30. Countdown 1 Day.

Day Three Hundred Sixty Five. December 30. Countdown 1 Day. Picture # 365. "Untitled". Dennis & Sally Rust, their daughter Tracy with her daughters Jill & Cassie rented a cabin on top of Mount Nebo in western Arkansas. They graciously invited me to join them. They have been involved with the 366 Project all along. It seems fitting that they are sharing these final days. View from the top of Mount Nebo. Canon Rebel T3i, on tripod. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 40mm. f/8. ISO 200. Exposure 3 minutes.

Day 364. December 29. Countdown 2 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Sixty Four. December 29. Countdown 2 Days. Picture # 364. "Friends # 2". These two have been on this blog before. This is CoBo Joe (black) and Pie. They first met in a local park on a cold rainy day and they became good friends. In time their humans, Tracy Jackson and Cindy Thoreson have become good friends. CoBo and Pie have introduced Cindy and Tracy to some other of their friend's humans. As the "dog park" friend circle has grown, the bonds of friendship have also grown and become strong. There is a lot of love in that little park. I am glad I get to play there now and then. It is a place of friendship. Canon Rebel T3i , handheld. Canon 75-300mm. Focal length 80mm. f/5. ISO 400. Exposure 1/1250.

Day 363. December 28. Countdown 3 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Sixty Three. December 28. Countdown 3 Days. Picture # 363. "Untitled". I grabbed my gear this morning and headed out the door. I had walked no further than my parking lot when I saw that the wind and the rain had accumulated this pile of "gumballs". These are the seed pods off of a sweet gum tree. If the previous 362 days had been this easy I would not be looking forward to the end so much. Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 130mm. f/5. ISO 800. Exposure 1/500 second.

Day 362. December 27. Countdown 4 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Sixty Two. December 27. Countdown 4 Days. Picture # 362. "Fog". An unusual afternoon fog came into Austin. Texas today. I was experimenting with different settings seeing what effects I could get with the fog. This painting like picture was over exposed which blew out all the details except for the highest contrast elements. The faintly colored lines in the foreground are ribbons blowing in the breeze. Canon Rebel T3i, on tripod. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 30mm. f/3.5. ISO 100. Exposure 1 second.

Day 361. December 26. Countdown 5 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Sixty One. December 26. Countdown 5 Days. Picture # 361. "Untitled". Sunset at Balcones Country Club's closed golf club. A closed golf course becomes a wonderful place to be by yourself. An island of refuge in the midst of suburbia. Canon Rebel T3i, on tripod. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 28mm. f/10. ISO 400. Exposure 1/320 second.

Day 360. December 25. Countdown 6 Days.

Day Three Hundred Sixty. December 25. Countdown 6 Days. Picture # 360. "Patrick". (Above). His name is Patrick. He is pleasant and polite. He has a firm handshake. He is alone at Christmas. He is homeless. I do not know if my meeting him, helped him much. All I know is he really helped me. Thank you Patrick. (Below) "Brian & Steve". Brian and Steve asked me to take a picture of them that they will never see. I did. Their life can be read in their faces. It does not look easy. Their bond touched me.



Day 359. December 24. Countdown 7 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Fifty Nine. December 24. Countdown 7 Days. Picture # 359. "Shadow of Christmas". After the hustle and bustle of the Christmas shopping season, I wanted to visit the empty parking lots and stores. My interest was in images that somehow juxtaposed Christmas decorations with the forlorn emptiness that settles in after the last store closes it's doors on the season. For me this empty bench with it's shadow of Christmas captured perfectly the mood I was searching for. Canon Rebel T3i, on tripod. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 28mm. f/22. ISO 200. Exposure 15 seconds.

Day 358. December 23. Countdown 8 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Fifty Eight. December 23. Countdown 8 Days. Picture # 358. "Sharing Light". Christmas lights make everyone smile. Entire streets will be themed with decorations and lights in a fun display of cooperation of many families. Today's picture is but a small section of my friend Tracy Jackson and her daughters Cassie and Jill's light display. There is another view pictured below. Canon Rebel T3i, on tripod. Canon 28-135 mm lens. Focal length 44mm. f/8. ISO 200. Exposure 1/2 second.

 



Day 357. December 22. Countdown 9 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Fifty Seven. December 22. Countdown 9 Days. Picture # 357. "Gift Wrap".  Ribbons, bows and paper. Chai Tea steaming in a mug and fresh baked cookies on a plate. Classic Christmas music softly playing in the background. A very happy day spent by myself totally surrounded by family and friends. If you carry your loved ones with you in your heart, you can never be alone. Taken with my iPhone, edited with Snapseed.

Day 356. December 21. Countdown 10 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Fifty Six. December 21. Countdown 10 Days. Picture # 356. "Sunset on the End of the World". I was expecting fire & brimstone today, got a nice sunset instead. Lake Travis at Volente Beach. Canon Rebel T3i, on tripod. Canon 18-55mm lens. Focal length 18mm. f/8. ISO 400.. Exposure 1/500 second.

Day 355. December 20. Countdown 11 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Fifty Five. December 20. Countdown 11 Days. Picture # 355. "Untitled". Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 28mm. f/4. ISO 400. Exposure 1/1250 second.

Day 354. December 19. Countdown 12 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Four. December 19. Countdown 12 Days. Picture # 354. "Untitled". About out of gas. View from my balcony. Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 100mm. f/5.6. ISO 400. Exposure 1/4000 second.

Day 353. December 18. Countdown 13 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Fifty Three. December 18. Countdown 13 Days. Picture # 353. "RCB". (Rolling Camera Bag). A year of my life will have passed by the conclusion of the 366 Project on December 31. Every day I have listed which camera was used and it's settings. Five cameras and four different editing software and apps were used. But I would be remiss in not devoting at least one day to my truck. In 2012 I put over 43,000 miles on the truck. A majority of the miles were chasing pictures. It is a 2001 Toyota Sequoia SUV, 4 X 4. There are many custom features that are designed for how I use the truck. To provide confidence in getting back to the hard road, it is equipped with a quick release 8000 lb winch that can be used on the front or rear hitch mounts. On the roof is a safari rack that I built with the dual purpose of a equipment rack and photography platform. I also use the rack for sleeping and have a tent that can be set up on the platform. B F Goodrich all terrain tires and powerful off road lights make navigating the back country easier. Rounding out the exterior is bed liner coating in the high abuse paint areas. The interior has side mounted dual gun racks for carrying tripods, fishing rods and various other gear. Two Hardigg brand hard cases are bolted to the floor and provide 16 cubic feet of weather/dust proof and lockable storage for camera/computer gear. Two large drawers with 200lb load capacities carry tools, repair parts, compressor and recovery gear are in the back with slide out cooler storage. Other gear includes fire extinguisher, multiple first aid kits, throw rope and 1,000,000 candle power magnetic mount spot light. Electrical improvements include dual battery system with quick release plug in 12 foot long jumper cables that can be used front or rear. Dual 400 watt inverters provide 120 volts AC power with USB ports in the cab area for running chargers and lap tops. Custom reading lights, iPhone speakers and Garmin GPS finish out the front. These are the specifications. The truck is a tool. But for me my truck has come to represent freedom. In a one week period of time I was driving through the sea spray at Padre Island National seashore with my sister; and six days later was alone on sandy back roads in Oklahoma. Freedom to visit the empty places. Priceless. Picture taken with iPhone, edited with Snapseed.

Day 352. December 17. Countdown 14 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Fifty Two. December 17. Countdown 14 Days. Picture # 352. "Untitled". Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 300mm. f/5.6. ISO 800. Exposure 1/800 second.

Day 351. December 16. Countdown 15 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Fifty One. December 16. Countdown 15 Days. Picture # 351. "Untitled". Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 38mm. f/5.6. ISO 400. Exposure 1/640 second.

Day 350. December 15. Countdown 16 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Fifty. December 15. Countdown 16 Days. Picture # 350. "Cat in a Box". This beautiful cat is a purebred maine coon cat named TuTu. http://www.fanciers.com/breed-faqs/maine-coon-faq.html . She and her sister share their lives with Tracy Jackson and her daughters Cassie and Jill. Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 28mm. ISO 800. Exposure 1/80 second.

Day 349. December 14. Countdown 17 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Forty Nine. December 14. Countdown 17 Days. Picture # 349. "Korczack's Children". I drove away from work today in a good mood. I had no idea what would be my picture of the day. I drove to the deserted end of a road near my house seeing if anything caught my eye. The weather was beautiful and I had my windows open. Nearing the end of the road I turned on the radio. As I adjusted the volume, I saw a shot up road sign that looked interesting. I stopped the truck and grabbed the camera and started shooting the pattern of the bullet holes. Something about the radio announcer's voice distracted me from shooting. I stopped and listened. Words with horrific meaning were being relayed by an emotional announcer. Connecticut, the news was about a school in Connecticut . . . The bullet holes in the sign were no longer interesting patterns. They now took on horrible new meaning. Each hole in the sign became a grotesque symbol of innocent lives stolen and grim reminders of shattered lives left behind. I was finished shooting. I just went home without any more pictures. Later that evening I had plans on seeing my friend's daughter Jill Jackson in an high school production of "Korczac's Children" by the playwright Jeffrey Hatcher. It is a dark play about an Jewish orphanage during the Nazi occupation of Poland run by Doctor Janusz Korczac. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janusz_Korczak . Part of the play is about man's inhumanity and immeasurable capacity for cruelty towards each other. This picture was taken prior to the play being performed, but the empty stage powerfully represents the play's conclusion. The theater teacher had discussed the day's events with the cast and crew. It had affected them all deeply. Watching these young actors channel the raw emotions of the day into their characters made this a very moving and powerful production. There were many glistening eyes in the audience. Instead of bullet holes this picture of an empty set will be today's choice. The play is about love, hope and faith even at life's darkest moments. Today an evil wind caused the candle's light to flicker and grow dim. but the light did not go out. It never will. These young actors are proof of it. Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 18-55mm lens, Focal length 18mm. f/3.5. ISO 800. Exposure 1/320 second.

Day 348. December 13. Countdown 18 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Forty Eight. December 13. Countdown 18 Days. Picture # 348. "Change in Weather". Canon Rebel T3i, on tripod. Bower fish eye lens. ISO 400. Exposure 1/40 second.

Day 347. December 12. Countdown 19 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Forty Seven. December 12. Countdown 19 Days. Picture # 347. "Untitled". While driving home today, I noticed the shadows on this fence. I turned around and went back to take a few pictures. Luckily there was a very cooperative horse which filled the bright empty spot in the picture for me. Tough lighting, deep shadows and bright sunlight. Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 100mm. f/5.6. ISO 400. Exposure 1/1250 second.

Day 346. December 11. Countdown 20 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Forty Six. December 11. Countdown 20 Days. Picture # 346. "Morning Light". Where I work we had been moving some crates around and had stirred up some dust which created these wonderful lighting effects.Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 18-55mm lens. Focal length 18mm. f/8. ISO 400. Exposure 1/125 second.

Day 345. December 10. Countdown 21 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Forty Five. December 10. Countdown 21 Days. Picture # 345. "Untitled". One of the things that I hoped to accomplish with the 366 Project was to make myself see my daily world in a more complete way. Many things I had overlooked came into a new focus for me. Things I had stopped seeing became new sharp images once again. The process still seems to have it's blind spots. I have found myself having to travel further each dayfor pictures or to struggle to find fresh views of often shot subjects. Today I ran into one of those "blind spots". 183 is a nearby major road that that runs north and south close to my apartment. It is the gateway to many of my photo drives. I have been driving by this abandoned building all year and never saw it. It sits a little ways off of the road and can easily be seen, "if" you are looking at it. The reason for me not seeing it is because it is close to a merging side road and a turn around. Safe driving habits, makes me look to the left in this area watching for traffic. So habit has kept me from seeing it. Today I left work early and headed north on 183. I had the road all to my self. I looked right instead of left. Old habits die hard. Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 28mm. f/5.6. ISO 400. Exposure 1/800 second.

Day 344. December 9. Countdown 22 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Forty Four. December 9. Countdown 22 Days. Picture # 344. "East Side Flavor". Austin is a city of food trucks. They serve a wide range of foods and tastes. This truck is located in Austin, Texas, a few miles east of I-35. Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 18-55mm lens. Focal length 18mm. f/5.6. ISO 400. Exposure 1/200 second.

Day 343. December 8. Countdown 23 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Forty Three. December 8. Countdown 23 Days. Picture # 343. "Untitled". Early morning light at Lake Austin. Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 70mm. f/8. ISO 400. Exposure 1/640 second.



Day 342. December 7. Countdown 24 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Forty Two. December 7. Countdown 24 Days. Picture # 342. "Untitled". I wonder if this scene was this peaceful on this day, seventy one years ago. The dock and the houses certainly had not been built yet, but the lake had existed for two years. Was there a disturbance? I am guessing not. Not a ripple changed the surface of the water even as America was plunged into World War II by the December 7th early morning attack on Pearl Harbor. Seventy one years later the water here is still peaceful and our men and woman are still fighting in some far away place. Somethings never change, maybe it is time that they do. Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 28mm. f/6.3. ISO 400. Exposure 1/400 second.

Day 341. December 6. Countdown 25 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Forty One. December 6. Countdown 25 Days. Picture # 341. "Long Shadows". End of the day along side of Lake Austin. Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 28-135mm. Focal length 75mm. f/7.1. ISO 400. Exposure 1/500 second.

Day 340. December 5. Countdown 26 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Forty. December 5. Countdown 26 Days. Picture # 340. "Portal". I have been thinking a lot about the end of this project. The numbers and logistics of keeping it going. To shoot a picture, edit and post it is a minimum of 1-2 hours a day. Shots on location nearby add about two hours. If I go one one of my drives after work the total for that day's picture is in the 4-6 hour range. My weekend trips and overnight trips can involve as many as 30-32 hours spent on directly on this project. By years end I estimate I will have over 2000 hours in this endeavor.This year I have driven over 43,000 miles in my truck. I have shot tens of thousands of pictures. Today I did none of the above. I took out my camera and took three exposures of my keyboard. I edited it in about three minutes. Today I realized it may be the most important piece of equipment in this project.  It is my way of interfacing with my editing software. But once the pictures are edited, then what? This project would be meaningless without having the ability to share it.Through this keyboard is my portal into your world. Thank you for letting me in. Canon Rebel T3i. handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 28mm. f/4.5. ISO 400. Exposure 1/80 second, with pop up flash -2.

Day 339. December 4. Countdown 27 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Thirty Nine. December 4. Countdown 27 Days. Picture # 339. "Dirty Work". A common scene at the the White Lime Company in northwest Austin. The shimmering white dust makes everything have an out of focus surreal look. These trucks are huge. I have included a picture of one of these trucks crossing the highway for scale. Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 300mm. f/8. ISO 400. Exposure 1/500 second.

Day 338. December 3. Countdown 28 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Thirty Eight. December 3. Countdown 28 Days. Picture # 338. "Tradition". There are fifteen different Santa head ornaments in this picture. Each Santa represents a year. Fifteen years ago my friend Sally Rust decided to make Christmas ornaments for a few of her friends. The first year's ornament is on the bottom left. It is the one with the long curly hat. Sally made six ornaments that first year. If she had known where this labor of love was going to take her, she might have reconsidered her idea of continuing this tradition. Fifteen years later each ornament is still painstakingly handcrafted by Sally, The quality and attention to detail have not changed. What has changed is the number of friends that Sally shares her Santas with. She now makes around one hundred twenty ornaments each year. That's a lot of ornaments and a whole lot of friends. I had the good fortune to get on the ornament list a few years ago. Thus Sally's tradition has now become part of mine. Sally plans on working and sharing her Santas for five more years. I already have this year's and am looking forward to five more. In planning this picture, I wanted to try for a Norman Rockwell type quality in the picture. I needed a background that would invoke simpler times and days when many things were still made by hand. I arrived at the Rust's house with no idea what to use for the picture. I needed to not have worried. Sally had her Santas on the butcher block that had come from her father's butcher shop in Pella, Iowa. Perfect ! Can't get anymore traditional than that. If you would like to view each Santa in detail, they are pictured below. Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. f/8. ISO 400. Exposure 1/200 second with pop up flash -2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 



Day 337. December 2. Countdown 29 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Thirty Seven. December 2. Countdown 29 Days. Picture # 337. "Untitled". Signs of the drought of 2011 still linger. The gray areas in this view of the Balcones greenbelt are trees that did not survive the unrelenting heat and lack of rain. The silver lining is that they make a nice background for this year's fall colors. Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 75mm. f/7.1. ISO 400. Exposure 1/250 second.

Day 336. December 1. Countdown 30 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Thirty Six. December 1. Countdown 30 Days. Picture # 336. "Untitled". Canon Rebel T3i, on tripod. Canon 18-55mm lens. Focal length 18mm. f/8. ISO 400. Exposure 1/800 second.

Day 334. November 29. Countdown 32 Days.

 

Day Three Hundred Thirty Four. November 29. Countdown 32 Days. Picture # 334. "Untitled". Canon Rebel T3i, on tripod. Canon 28-135mm lens, Focal length 38mm. f/8. ISO 200. Exposure 1/8 second.

Day 335. November 30. Countdown 31 Days.

Day Three Hundred Thirty Five. November 30. Countdown 31 Days. Picture # 336. "Untitled". Lone tree on a foggy morning northeast of Temple, Texas. My day started at 4:30 AM. I went in search of heavy fog hoping to get some shots a the fog lifted. The fog was still lingering at 10:00 AM. It never really lifted, it just faded away. Canon Rebel T3i, on tripod. 28-135mm lens. Focal length 28mm. f/6.3. ISO 400. Exposure 1/25 second.