And so it begins...

I'm a couple of days early, but here it starts. This is my first assignment photo. The way Venus and the moon were joined together, along with the glow from the sodium lights in the parking lot in which I was standing, made this a perfect starting point for my Photo a Day assignment.

My hope is that by the end of the year I will see a marked difference and (hopefully) improvement in my craft and art. If we don't keep learning we stagnate.

Wandering

One of my favorite ways to pass time is to just wander and see what I can find, or what I can see. Especially in a place I've never been before, I can usually find something to catch my eye, or something that I can use later. In the case of the sign, I found several images from the one sign, including this one.

The statue had a special meaning for me, because it made me think of my grandfather, who was a sailor in WWII. Every time I look at it, I think of him and the sacrifice he made for our country. I wish I had told him I was proud of him for that, but I think he knows.

Nature

I do a lot of camping and backpacking, and many of my images come from that. I've always felt very comfortable in nature, since that is where I can get away from the cell phone, the broken-down machines, the constant calls, etc. Instead, I can go to where I find new sights, and new insights.

Planes

I've always been an aviation fanatic. In fact, I've already declared that my "expensive retirement hobby" is going to be getting my private pilot's license. But that's not for many years. Until then, I'll still be faithfully attending our local airshow every year, where the Blue Angels regularly perform, along with plenty of other civilian and military acts. And I will most certainly keep photographing them. And yes, that is a plane landing on a platform on top of a moving van!

My Style

My style, as I've thought about it in the past, is found detail. I can and do create images "from scratch", but most often it is the detail I find around me that fascinates me the most. Seeing something different from everyone else is what I find exciting about photography. Creating my own point of view, and sharing that with everyone else, is what keeps me going as a photographer.

Walls

Walls. I look at them. A lot. The way light hits, and shadows are cast, can give an ordinary wall a character all it's own. I pretty much guarantee that I will be including plenty of wall images in my Photo a Day assignment. And maybe a window or two from time to time.

A big thanks to arete113 for being my first "follower". I hope my work merits your continued attention.

What catches my eye...

I never know what is going to catch my eye on a certain day. It might be an unusual spot on a leaf, or a particular way the clouds look after it rains. I've learned, however, it is usually worth the effort to stop and grab my camera and get the image.

Random images

I will be adding some random images, as I run across them on my computer, in the days leading up to the end of the year, and the start of my project.

Purple Chair

I don't usually do a lot of editing on my photos. I prefer to do just what I could do in a "traditional darkroom", and I guess you could argue this could be done that way, with hand coloring. This image was kind of boring in color, but just screamed for this look. I've tried the chair in many different colors, from flaming red to a very sedate blue, but this one seemed to be just right.

Photo a day

I have a little assignment I've given myself for 2009. I hope to shoot and post one good image every day during 2009. I also am going to shoot food images (which is an interesting choice for someone who has lost almost 90 lbs. since January) so I figure that will play into my "assignment" as well. I am looking to be as different with the images as I can, to stretch my creative horizons. We'll see what it looks like by this time next year...

Shells

This is the first "keeper" image I ever shot with my D-70, so this is the one I chose to open up with. I've always had a special feeling for this image, as it is the first one that helped me realize I am still a photographer, even though I hadn't shot for years at the time.

My starting point...

This is the starting point for my blog. It will be my photos, for the most part, but there may be the occasional thought as well. I don't delude myself by thinking this is going to get viewed by more than the few people who are truly important to me, but if you happen to stop by and take a look, let me know what you think.