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.