Date: Friday, April 30, 2010
Day 120 - If You Don't Like The Weather...
...Wait An Hour.
That seems to be the universal axiom in Wyoming when it comes to the weather. Snow, sleet, rain, sunshine, dark clouds; all were part of today's weather. I think the only thing that was missing was gale-force winds. The short blizzard we had this afternoon caught my eye and I shot a few photographs as the snow fell in large, wet flakes.
Hoping for better weather tomorrow, but it isn't expected.
Date: Thursday, April 29, 2010
Day 119 - When The Darkness Speaks To Me
Today's daily photo is a three photograph, black and white vertical panorama of a few trees, etc., just as the light was ending and the darkness had begun to speak.
We are expecting snow tonight as well as the next couple of days, so storm clouds were gathering when this photograph was shot. Sometimes I think this time of day can be the most soulful, and can be a very introspective time for a person, at least for me it is.
Categories: 365 Days
Posted On: Thursday, April 29, 2010 @ 10:05 PM
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Date: Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Day 118 - Is it Live or...
Sort of an opposing shot of yesterday's daily photo, this photo was shot in color and desaturated to Black and White, to try to match the tonal quality of yesterday's reflection shot.
I don't consider this shot a very good photograph, but I had limited time today, and I wanted to experiment with desaturation and tonal quality a little bit.
Categories: 365 Days
Posted On: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 @ 9:00 PM
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Date: Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Day 117 - Concrete Reflections
While outside watching the local wildlife, looking for my opportunity to shoot some close-ups of critters, I noticed the sprinklers left a near-mirror sheen of water on the concrete which reflected the trunk and branches of a huge cottonwood tree. I don't often get to shoot reflection photographs, so I shot a few photos of these reflections. This one turned out to be my most interesting photo, so I chose it for my daily photo entry.
I did manage to shoot some photos of a baby rabbit that has taken up residence underneath the front porch, which had up until this point, barely let me see him, let alone photograph him. I got within about 35 yards of him, and shot a few photographs, before he scurried back into hiding. I've nicknamed him "Lightning," as he is incredibly fast, and very wary. But even though I shot some decent photos of him, I thought better of posting another rabbit photo again for my daily, as I've just been relying too much on shooting a quick photo of rabbits for my 365 Project, instead of finding other interesting things to photograph.
Date: Monday, April 26, 2010
Day 116 - Last Flight Out
Today's daily photo came late in the afternoon, as I managed to catch a client site update late today, so my photography play time was cut short this afternoon.
For today's daily, I caught this shot of a flight beginning a steep ascent after leaving Riverton Regional Airport, headed to Denver, Colorado.
Date: Sunday, April 25, 2010
Day 115 - Broken Home
I noticed last week that a pair of Robins had built a nest in the crabapple tree, and I had expressed an interest in photographing the little critters, when the time came. But today, I saw their broken home, laying on the ground. Either the wind blew the nest down, or a predatory animal took out the nest. I'm thinking the former, as the nest is still intact.
It was disappointing to see the nest on the ground, as it was in a pretty good spot to shoot photos of the fledglings when they were born. I thought about putting the nest back up, but I doubt they would return to it, so I'll see if they rebuild a new nest in the same spot or move on. Anyway, the photo of their broken home is my daily photo for today.
Date: Saturday, April 24, 2010
Day 114 - Ash Buds
Spring is on its way, but Ash trees always seem to lag behind everything else around here. I keep hoping to see leaves on the trees, which I think is the defining characteristic of Spring. This photograph of leaf buds on an ash tree branch provided the subject for my daily photograph, showing just a glimpse of their summer colors.
"Even ash, I do thee pluck,
Hoping thus to meet good luck.
If
no good luck I get from thee,
I shall wish thee on the tree." -
English Folklore
Categories: 365 Days
Posted On: Saturday, April 24, 2010 @ 9:13 PM
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Date: Friday, April 23, 2010
Day 113 - Icy Hot
Blue skies are visible right now, but it rained and remained cloudy most of the day again, leaving photography a challenging prospect.
Today was a pasta day, so my daily is a photograph of boiling water in a pan. After looking at this photograph among others I have done, I think boiling water appears remarkably like ice. Hence my title for today's photo; "Icy Hot."
Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010
Day 112 - Untanned Hands
Well, today's daily ended up being a black and white self-portrait. The weather was still poor today, with rain, clouds and a general feeling of gloom. We only had a few minutes of sunshine which was quickly subdued. This isn't a very good shot of me, but I thought it was kind of amusing, especially since I look like there is a dark rain cloud right over my head (which there was!).
Although the photograph is a B&W, there is a very noticeable difference in the tone of my hands, compared to my face. My face has gotten a bit of a tan on it, while my hands are still pale, due mostly to my wearing of gloves (I love my Mick Belker-style camo gloves), while my face has been exposed to the sunlight. The weather was so cold here this past winter that gloves were an absolute necessity to get anything done at all outside.
Now that the weather has started to warm, I've got to get a tan on those lily white hands. :-)
Categories: 365 Days
Posted On: Thursday, April 22, 2010 @ 8:30 PM
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Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Day 111 - Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'
A nasty storm rolled in this afternoon. Nothing but dark, brooding clouds are visible from horizon to horizon. There hasn't been much rain here in Riverton this evening, yet, but it looks like Lander got hammered with heavy rain.
Before the black clouds rolled in, some blue skies and fluffy white clouds, along with a little wind were standard fare for the day.
I spent most of my photography time today back on my self-portraits kick, but then a huge gust of wind literally blew my tripod over with my camera on it, which thudded to the ground with a sickening sound.
Fortunately, the camera still worked, so I pulled my camera off the tripod, and shot a few freehand panorama shots of the blue skies, clouds, and Ash trees (which have yet to leaf out), as the storm was closing in. I was surprised this two photograph freehand panorama turned out, especially with as hard as the wind was blowing, so I chose this shot as my daily photo.
Categories: 365 Days
Posted On: Wednesday, April 21, 2010 @ 8:26 PM
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Date: Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Day 110 - Dark Presence
The Grackles have returned, and have fast become a dark presence to the Robins. One pair of Robins has built a nest in the crabapple tree, and this grackle spent a lot of time trying to get near their nest, but the Robins have kept vigilant in keeping them away from their home. I don't know if the Robin has laid eggs yet or not, but they are protecting their nest as though they have.
I call these birds, the "squeaky swing birds," because their call is almost identical to a park swing that squeaks when children are using them. In this photograph, a Grackle is strutting around the yard, waiting for the Robins to leave in search of food, but it didn't have any luck this afternoon, since I finally scared it off with my incessant photography.
I chose this photo as my daily entry, above the photos of the robins, and rabbits, etc., since it is a new player on the scene.
Date: Monday, April 19, 2010
Day 109 - A Leisure Afternoon
Being surprised that I didn't have any client site updates come in this afternoon, I decided to spend a leisure, "down" afternoon out in the yard with my camera, sitting down for a while in the grass, photographing local wildlife that have made this area their home. Photographed some rabbits, Robins, etc., while enjoying a warm spring afternoon alone, except for my animal pals.
So, guess what? Everyone gets another rabbit photo for my daily yet again! As soon as I get some personal work ironed out, that will allow me to spend more time to devote more hours to my photography.
In this photograph, one of the local rabbits made himself a nice resting place in the shade, underneath a large pine tree just a short distance away from where I had sat down to enjoy the afternoon sun.
Date: Sunday, April 18, 2010
Day 108 - Blue Skies, Smiling At Me
While today started out very poor, I found myself spending some time outside, late this afternoon, by myself, contemplating life, and found the blue skies and trees comforting. So, I shot some photos of the blue skies and trees, as the sun started to get low on the horizon. The temperature has warmed up, but there was a slight breeze that had just a touch of coolness to it, which felt nice.
This shot of deep blue skies with a few clouds floating gently by now and then, acted as a colorful backdrop for the leafless Russian Olive trees and Ash trees. I felt this photograph more than the others I shot today and it looks nice, so I chose it as my photo of the day.
Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010
Day 107 - Pride
The days are beginning to warm and Robins are beginning to come around quite a bit so Spring appears to have arrived. I followed a pair of Robins around the yard this evening, one of them was hunting for worms, and the other was gathering nesting material.
I liked some of the photographs of the Robin gathering nesting material, but this particular shot of the other Robin appearing so prideful while hunting worms, was just a bit better quality, so I chose it for my daily photo for today.
Categories: 365 Days
Posted On: Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 8:12 PM
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Date: Friday, April 16, 2010
Day 106 - Torn Steel
Today was another lost photography day, spent working on repairing the undercarriage of a camping trailer. Prepping and repairing one of two broken axle leaf spring brackets was on today's list. This photo is of one of the broken spring shackle brackets, being prepped for welding, early this evening.
My cousin's boyfriend, Randy, a professional welder by trade, drove his welding rig over this evening and welded this spring shackle bracket back into place without any problems. Prepping the other shackle bracket on the opposite side of the trailer comes tomorrow morning for welding in the early afternoon after the local auction is over. I'll be satisfied when the undercarriage work is done on this camping trailer tomorrow...
Date: Thursday, April 15, 2010
Day 105 - For Her Love Of Freedom
Today's daily photograph is of a woman holding the Stars and Stripes close to her heart, as she listens to speakers at the Riverton Tax Day TEA Party, here in Riverton, Wyoming.
The TEA parties seem to have captured the nation's imagination for the time being, and I had photographed their first rally over in Lander last year, so I wanted to see if there had been any growth toward libertarianism within their group. I think they "get it," but I don't know if they are ready to embrace libertarianism, without falling back to their respective political beliefs. I guess time will tell...
I photographed both the Riverton and Lander TEA Party rallies. I had a very interesting time shooting photographs of some of the local characters in Lander. That town has a lot of interesting people in it, compared to Riverton. Although I shot some interesting people photos in Lander, I thought I'd post the photo of this woman holding her flag close to her, as I think it was an emotive shot that captured a nice moment in time.
Categories: 365 Days
Posted On: Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 8:40 PM
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Date: Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Day 104 - Cadillac Lipstick
So...Today was filled up with underbody sheet metal work on a camping trailer, as well as computer shopping for a neighbor. I didn't have much time to spend shooting photographs, but I carried my camera with me into the garage, coming away with this photograph of a "Chipstick" matched up for one of the Cadillacs. A Chipstick is pretty self-explanatory. You fill small chips in the paint with the chipstick, which is matched to the color of the car, wax over it, buff it out and the paint is as good as new.
After shooting some photographs of other miscellaneous items in the garage, I settled on this shot. It isn't a desparation shot so much as it is a lack of subject matter when I'm involved in other work.
But tomorrow will be a different story, as I'll be photographing some public events, which should be fun.
Categories: 365 Days
Posted On: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 @ 9:03 PM
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Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Day 103 - Pause
I wasn't feeling well today, well...since yesterday, and I spent the day in bed, with my remote control and that Magic Green Elixir (NyQuil), which seems to have done the job. So, before the witching hour arrived on today's daily photo, I quickly shot some photos of my remote, along with the NyQuil in the photo. I just happened to catch the "pause" button in good focus, so I chose this shot as my daily.
Date: Monday, April 12, 2010
Day 102 - Axe Me No Questions
Today's daily is a photograph of a rusty, broken, splitting axe, embedded in a piece of firewood. As soon as I buy a replacement haft for it, I'll run this splitting axe head over the wire wheel and then sharpen it so that it is better than new.
Date: Sunday, April 11, 2010
Day 101 - Winter's Last Gasp
The last visible vestiges of winter are finally disappearing. The last patch of snow I can see, is on the verge of disappearing, leaving behind last year's leaves, and some green grass which had been hidden beneath the icy coat.
I'm looking forward to spring weather, with its green grass, green leaves, pink, red, orange and yellow flowers. Come on, Spring!
Date: Saturday, April 10, 2010
Day 100 - Driving Me...Coo...Coo...Coo!
The Eurasian Collared-Doves are going to town with their Coo...Coo...Cooing. And with about 30 pairs of these noisy critters around, that repetitive call can really get on your nerves sometimes. Pretty birds, but I wish they'd quiet down. :-)
Anyway, I opted to not post another rabbit photo, and I was not feeling up to a photowalk today, so I hopped outside this afternoon, shot a few photos of the doves, and did a bit more practice shooting panoramic photos. I shot a nice tree, clouds and blue sky panorama, but it would show up pretty small at the limit of 1024 pixels on Flickr. I need to upgrade Flickr so that I can upload larger photos. With that being said, I decided a photo of this noisy critter sitting among the heavy twig cover of an Ash Tree that still has no leaves, should be my daily photo entry.
Categories: 365 Days
Posted On: Saturday, April 10, 2010 @ 8:00 PM
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Date: Friday, April 09, 2010
Day 99 - Another Day, Another Bunny
I think I should rename my daily photo project, "365 Days of the Bunny" with as many rabbit photos as I've been posting. :-)
Oddly, rabbits are the only regular critters showing up around here that will permit me to photograph them with any regularity. Very few birds to photograph for some reason, and the squirrels flat run away from me when I try to photograph them.
So...coming soon, I will be starting a daily photowalk, if the weather cooperates and hopefully, I'll be expanding my subject base for my daily photograph postings.
Date: Thursday, April 08, 2010
Day 98 - Shrinkage
Today's daily photo is a macro shot of now-shrunken berries from last year's Virginia Creeper crop, as they cling to the bark of a Chinese Elm tree, where the vine had been climbing.
The foliage on the Virginia Creeper vine is rich and colorful in autumn, with berries that are full and plump. However, after months of drying up over the winter, they now appear as very hard little raisins.
Categories: 365 Days
Posted On: Thursday, April 08, 2010 @ 6:14 PM
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Date: Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Day 97 - Cold Comfort
Early, early this morning, I headed outside while it was still pitch black and thought I'd shoot some longer exposure shots of items covered with snow, using incandescent flood lighting. I shot in color and camera black and white, trying some different exposure lengths, and perspectives on this rocking patio chair, covered with the latest coating of snow we had received earlier in the evening.
This black and white shot turned out fairly interesting, showing how the snow had coated the arms, seat and back of the chair, along with the sparkling snow fading into black for a background, so I chose it for my daily photo.
Categories: 365 Days
Posted On: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 @ 8:12 PM
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Date: Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Day 96 - Rings And Stripes
Winter has reared its head once again, leaving us with several more inches of snow, so my photography subjects were limited by the time I spent outdoors today.
Today's daily photo is a macro shot of the saw marks and growth rings of one of the Chinese Elm trees that was chopped down by arborists, hired by the power company to keep the power lines clear. The wood and rings took on a deep, rich tone, after the snow had been cleared and melted, leaving the wood wet. I liked this shot, as I spent a minute counting the rings, and the tree appears to be about 20 years old, or maybe 21 years of age.
Date: Monday, April 05, 2010
Day 95 - Soaking Up The Sun
Yes, another cottontail rabbit photo for my daily!
I spent some of today practicing shooting panoramic photos, and experimenting with Microsoft ICE. I had all but decided on posting a panoramic photo of the top half of trees, blue sky and clouds, until this furry little critter allowed me to get some close in shots of it, as it sunned itself in the waning afternoon light. I managed to get within just a few feet of it, shooting photos from several different angles, as it leisurely hopped around the yard.
Watching the warren of rabbits living around here, is a relaxing pastime, and they make great photography subjects, at least until the birds and flowers start arriving in force, as the weather warms.
Date: Sunday, April 04, 2010
Day 94 - At The Intersection Of 7/16 And 11/16
The chill of early spring wind is still in the air, and I headed back out into the garage to shoot more photos of everyday tools.
Today's photo is a semi-macro shot of a couple of forged line wrenches, one crossed on top of the other. Line wrenches, are used to tighten or loosen the hex fitting where the line connects. Mainly, this type of wrench is used on fuel lines and brake lines.
These wrenches absolutely stood out, sitting on the workbench next to the window, so I shot them in full color as well as B&W. The color versions looked much more interesting, so I'm posting one of them for today's photo.
I wasn't really in an celebratory mood for Easter, so I just shot some general photos for today. In any event, I am happy with today's shot, more than I have been with some of my recent daily photographs.
Date: Saturday, April 03, 2010
Day 93 - Off Hook
Today was mostly a bust for my photography, as the wind was blowing and it was icy cold outside. Not many critters were around, and I spent some time practicing shooting photos "off the hook" so to speak, not using either a monopod or a tripod. With the weather being so chilly, I didn't spend much time outside, since I buzz-cut my hair very short yesterday, and it wasn't a hospitable environment outside with those icy winds blowing across the top of my dome.
Today's photo is a simple macro of the ball knob on the end of my monopod / walking stick. The ball knob removes to reveal a stud for mounting a camera on the monopod.
If I'm not carrying my tripod, this walking stick is almost always with me when I'm shooting photographs. From my perspective, one of these monopods should always be in a photographer's arsenal.
Categories: 365 Days
Posted On: Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 8:46 PM
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Date: Friday, April 02, 2010
Day 92 - Top Hat
Our snowstorm tapered off last night, leaving us with several more inches of white stuff on the ground. Much of the snow melted during the sunny day, but this we had ourselves a another winter wonderland morning.
Today's daily photograph is a poppy seed pod from last year topped with about 2 inches of snow, making a formal-looking top hat for this lucky seed pod.
Date: Thursday, April 01, 2010
Day 91 - Shedding Winter
They say, if you don't like the weather in Wyoming, wait an hour. Well, they seem to be right about that, as winter has come back for an encore one more time.
The snow continues to fall after a full day of coating the countryside with another layer of wintry paint. Locally, we received about 5 or 6 inches, and more is expected in the next day or two. I was hoping winter weather would be behind us for the year, but it just seems to go on and on and on and on and on and... Mother Nature certainly played an April Fool's joke on those of us who were ready for Spring!
My Daily photograph depicts ice as it peels off a twig that it had coated earlier in the day. I found this shot interesting, as the ice appeared as though it were a snake skin that was being shed, so I chose it for my daily.
Categories: 365 Days
Posted On: Thursday, April 01, 2010 @ 7:46 PM
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