Project 365 :: March

 

March was a tough month for this project.  The signs of spring were starting to appear yet most of the month I was still finding myself taking photos in a dark apartment.  Some of the photos from this month I don't really care for... but some I really like.  I guess that is an inevitable part of the process.  I am happy that I stuck with it through March as thus far, April has been a blast for photography...

{The mosaic tool puts the photos in a random order and is the thumbnail; for the full sized view visit this set on flickr}

Project 365

One of my goals for this year was to do a 365 Project for photography.  Every day I take a photo.  Seems like an easy enough goal, right?  Well, some days it is easier than others.  Some days there is something that catches my eye (and I actually have my camera with me) or a quiet moment of everyday life that stikes me.  But some days I forget until we are getting ready for bed and I find myself trying to find something to take a photo of while feeling completely uninspired.  Light has been a challenge.  While our new apartment has really good light, it is dark when I get home from work so I guess that the upside on the short winter days is that I am getting plenty of practice using a tripod. 

It has been a lot of fun too.  I am now constantly composing photos in my mind throughout the day.  I have taken the camera with me to work so I can sneak out during my lunch to do a mini photo walk.  But I am always thrilled when I have the chance to take photos when there is some lovely natural light, I can't wait for spring and summer!

While it is sometimes a challenge to fit this into my "corporate career lifestyle" and be able to get the photos that I want to be taking (it was killer to have to go to work on beautiful sunny day after our largest snow storm as all I could think about was the photo opps that were out there...), I am excited to see what I pick up from this project.  Thus far I haven't done any sort of "theme" or focus for a time period and have gone with a more "freestyle" approach.  But I am considering trying a theme for a set time period to help me have a focus... I am project manager by training so some type of plan and scope definition gives me comfort!

These little mosaics are just the thumbnail versions, the full images are on Flickr in a set for the project.

Pro Shutter Bugs

Being as interested in photography as we are, we decided that "snap shots" aren't cutting it anymore and it was time to grow up a little.  Tara found a Photography class at North Central College which covered everything from aperture setting to lighting.  The only drawback was a manual SLR camera was needed.  We decided to borrow my Dad's Minolta 35mm manual SLR, but the time between taking the picture and seeing the result was too long for two very digital and tech-savvy people. We settled on the Canon Rebel XSi, because it is the new 12.2 MP DSLR from Canon.  It uses all the lenses the professional ones can use, has a max ISO of 1600, along with a shutter speed of up to 1/6000 of a second!!!  In other words, a great camera for the amateur to mid level professional.

The above pictures were us practicing on depth of field.  The main focus of the class was to learn how to fully control the shot, meaning to use the full manual setting, not the automatic setting.  We learned a lot and can't wait for the weather to improve so we can get some practice to hone our skills.  Expect to see even more photos in the near future!

Almost Famous

Daniel's photo of Dolphin Quest in Hawaii was published on Schmap! And of course later on during the day he found out he mentioned that he needs to get a 'more powerful' camera...

Short-Listed

Yesterday as I was going about checking my email accounts I saw the subject line 'Schmap: Hawaiian Islands Photo Short-list' and of course thought what in the world is this... Apparently, Dan has been short-listed to have one of his photos published in the second edition for Hawaii! It is completely out of the blue but apparently one of our photos from Hawaii was not all that bad. And maybe Dan should explore a the new hobby of photography instead of motorcyling...

Schmap’s series of digital travel guides integrates dynamic maps with useful background reading, suggested tours, photos from the traveling public and reviews by local correspondents (for sights and attractions, hotels, restaurants, bars, parks, theaters, galleries, museums and more) to profile 200 destinations throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It sounds pretty cool and like a fun way to pick out sights to build a vacation itenerary.

If you want to check out the photos from our vacation in Oahu Click Here!