It's seems so fitting that this project should be over at the end of a year (and a decade!), and that a new year and decade is beginning.
Having done a previous 365 before, I knew what I was getting into, that it would be worth the effort and that I would learn a lot. Besides being a journal of a year in my life, I decided at the beginning some of my effort would be in getting to know Photoshop better. At the end of the year I've barely scratched the surface of what that editing program can do, but I'm amazed at the things I can do with it. Yeah, there were some overboard bokeh and texture things going on but hopefully I'm developing a better eye for that.
The downside to a 365? Having days were everything you took looks like rubbish, but you still need to put up a pic, feeling panic at 11:45 PM because you're in bed and you forgot to take a shot (!), losing your photo mojo for weeks at a time, but you still have to work through it. That's when you decide Starbucks cups become a compelling subject!
Upside? First, the people you meet! The 365 - DPS Assignment group has a great bunch of enthusiastic photographers willing to help each other out and applaud everyone's efforts. Then there are the friends that willingly visit your photostream on a regular basis leaving comments and observations, faving and sending flickr mail. They manage to keep you going on off days. Despite some misses along the way - and there were quite a few - I can look at some of these shots and feel as sense of pride that I am slowly improving.
I'm not a naturally gifted photographer, I take 2 steps forward and 1 step back all the time, have no real distinct style, love to take pictures of everything, and constantly mess up under pressure. But those are all reasons why I love doing it, too. The fact that you are never done learning about it, there is always a better picture around the corner, plus the camaraderie of others that feel the same as I do keeps us all going, trying to be better photographers.
So I'm ending by celebrating my year and yours and looking forward to more pictures from all of you ♥
Happy New Year everyone (with a little bokeh ;-))!!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Day 365-365 Celebration
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Day 362-365 "Kayt's Rustic Apple Pie"
My daughter is moving into the world of pie baking and searching for the perfect apple pie. There will be a lot of pie eating in the next few weeks. Better work on my food photography and my waistline!
Day 360-365 "Bargain Shopping"
Spent about an hour at the King of Prussia mall on Saturday.
That was enough.
1. Crowds of shoppers
2. Lego store: Choose your color
3. Sale, sale, sale!!
4. Tons of people trying to get in. Or out.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Day 357-365 "Sugar and Coffee: It gets you through Christmas crunch time"
Day 357-365 "Sugar and Coffee: It gets you through Christmas crunch time" , originally uploaded by saralonde.
Are you ready?
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Day 354-365 "Crystal Forest"
Did you ever start fooling around in Photoshop and lose track of what you were trying to accomplish in the first place? That's what happened here, I lost my initial vision.
Day 353-365 Fence
Cold, snowy and windy. Not too many shots turned out well and I'm too cold and too busy to retake them:-(.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Day 348-356 "Merry Christmas, Everyone! ♥"
Okay, enough with the Christmas ornaments for this year (I think :-)!)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Day 347-365 "A Christmas Sampling"
Went out looking for something "Christmasy" to photograph. Wasn't feeling very inspired, so I thought en mass they looked better than they did alone :-).
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Day 345-365 "Fragile"
These ornaments come from early in my parents marriage and always hung on the tree when I was growing up. I inherited 2 boxes of them and they hang on my tree now. Old and fragile, two or three have broken, practically disintegrating in my hands, so the opportunity to photograph them is important to me. Originally inexpensive baubles, they bring warm Christmas memories to my heart.
Day 344-365 "Let It Snow..."
Nothing else can put you into the holiday spirit as well as some fluffy flakes:-).
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Day 343-365 "Merry Christmas to Me!"
I just noticed I officially ended my week of red Starbucks cups yesterday. But while I was in the store looking for a permanent red Starbucks mug, I found this white one, normally $8.95, but for $1.00 more, it came with 1/2 pound of Christmas blend. So I bought myself a Christmas present :-). Yea for bargains!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Day 342-365 "Coffee and the Lost Glove"
Every coffee series needs the cliched "Starbucks cup on a bench,shallow dof" image, so here is mine ;-). Red bench had some holiday spirit with a few sprinkles of snow, and it had someones missing glove on it, too. Hope they find their glove or at least get a hot coffee of their own to warm their hands.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Day 341-365 "Alas! No red cup at Barnes & Noble!"
Guess their in-house Starbucks lacks the Christmas spirit :-(
Monday, December 7, 2009
Day 339-365 "Frozen stiff? Maybe this will help..."
Snow in the air can give you a need to thaw out.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Day 337-365 "Yes, Virginia, there is a Coffey Way..."
On my daily quest to shoot the Starbucks Christmas cup.
Day 336-365 "All Gone"
Decided on two things today's shot: A self-portrait, because I should have at least one or two somewhere in a 365 and a try at selective color.
About selective color: I'm not a fan except in a few rare instances. Think red coat in "Schindler's List", certainly not Starbucks coffee cups. But I've never found anything I really wanted to do it on, so I had to give it a try. So I did :-).
Day 335-365 "Christmas Starbokeh"
I think I'll make this a Starbucks coffee week...How many ways can I shoot a cup of coffee?
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Day 334-365 Carnations
Last of the flowers. Carnations are so overlooked sometimes. Everybody loves roses and tulips and orchids, but inexpensive little carnations? They cetainly have their good points: Long-lasting, spicy scent, lots of colors. I decided they needed natural light and a narrow dof.
Day 333-365 "Daylily Close-up"
This time I decide to go close. There is something about a lily that always makes me do this ;-). Probably in kind of a rut with this flower. Anyway, I went simple again, used a macro lens and lit it camera left. There was a touch of This time I decide to go close. There is something about a lily that always makes me do this ;-). Probably in kind of a rut with this flower. Anyway, I went simple again, used a macro lens and lit it camera left. There was a touch of daylight from the window on camera right.daylight from the window on camera right.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Day 332-365 "Red and Green"
Someone gifted us with a huge floral display for the Thanksgiving holiday. It was lovely, but not quite my thing, so I separated out the flowers into individual groups. So for the next few days, it's flower photography in November ;-)!
I'm going to try and treat each one differently, depending on how I'm feeling them at the moment. Since this was pretty much just two complimentary colors I decided to go simple, place them against a black background and do very little processing. I ended up cropping this down to better see the veins in the leaves. Used a bit of levels and curves and decided that was it :-).
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Day 331-365 "Yellow Flowers"
Someone gifted us with a huge floral display for the Thanksgiving holiday. It was lovely, but not quite my thing, so I separated out the flowers into individual groups. So for the next few days, it's flower photography in November ;-)!
I'm going to try and treat each one differently, depending on how I'm feeling them at the moment. This one seemed to need some texture to go with the delicate flowers.
Day 330-365 "Thanksgiving Dessert"
My daughter was in charge of the holiday dessert. Instead of the traditional pumpkin and pecan pies, she made pumpkin cheesecake and chocolate pecan tart.
I think I gained 5 pounds ;-).
Day 328-365 "Turquoise Teacup"
Another cup from my mother. I estimate it to be about 55 years old. I love the Tiffany blue color, which I hope shows up on your screens.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
New E-Book at DPS
Portrait photography is one of those areas that effect most of us and we're all looking to keep improving, so you might want to take a peek at this, or better yet, buy yourself a Christmas gift!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Day 323-365 "Simple Things: String-a-ma-jig"
This wooden container holds kitchen twin. My husband thinks it looks like a bomb :-) Hmm...might be good for blowing up a turkey.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Day 318-365 "21st Century City Throught the Eyes of a 15th Century Ship"
Day 318-365 "21st Century City Throught the Eyes of a 15th Century Ship", originally uploaded by saralonde.
Went to Pittsburgh this weekend to see the replicas of the Nina and Pinta ships along the river. Fascinating to see how small they would have been. It certainly took a leap of faith to cross the Atlantic in one, particularly when you might have been pretty sure of dropping off the ends of a flat earth :-).
This was taken inside one of the ships, its window framing the modern city beyond.
Day 317-365 "Nothing ever happens around here... Part II"
I took a walk around one of our community parks and my quiet day was somewhat spoiled by a noisy helicopter flying in circles overhead. Much to my surprise, it landed in a parking lot not far from where I was walking. Other than having totally the wrong lens with me (I was looking for closeups of plants not helicopters), I took a few shots.
Despite the 3 police cars there, it seemed to be more of a test and not an actual emergency.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Day 316-365 "Autumn TtV"
I've been feeling a little uninspired recently, so I pulled out my Argus and took a walk in my backyard. The trees all look empty with the only color provided by some pines. These old pines are tall and sparse, but I like the lines.
Sometimes I forget to pull this camera out, but it is always fun.