12/18/09
Recent participation in some photography forums has piqued an interest in doing a Project 365. Photography has been a hobby on and off for over 40 years and in the last 18 months my interest has intensified. So I've decided to jump in, give it a shot (no pun intended) and see if I can shoot every day for a year.

My expectations for this project are that it will provide motivation to expand my skills both behind the camera and in post-processing and provide a vehicle for experimentation. My photog pal Doug has been a great mentor, so I want to publicly say thanks; this is your fault (kidding of course).

It is going to be a learning experience, so any and all comments, critiques and encouraging words are welcome.

Thanks for viewing.

Jeff

Thursday, December 31, 2009

This Bike Needs a Serious Cleaning



12/31/09 - Day 13
Once again, I combined my hobbies of cycling and photography.  This time it's trying out my new 90mm macro lens.  Looks like there is some work ahead (on the bike and the camera).  Happy New Year to all.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Chicago Evening


12/30/09 - Day 12
Downtown Chicago evening shoot including Federal Plaza, State Street, Millennium Park and North Michigan Avenue.   Since it was snowing, the wet pavement made for some striking reflections.  However, city reflections in the Bean, with the adhering snow powder and chunks, made for an unusual composition.  The snow forms, at quick glance, almost look like continents on a globe.  The sky in the upper left corner gives an additional clue that this image is of a reflection.  Was taken handheld using an 18-200mm VR lens on a D90.

Additional images from this shoot can be found on my Smugmug site at http://jeffm211.smugmug.com/Chicago/123009-Chicago-Evening-Shoot/

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Dancing Eel


12/29/09 - Day 11
Dinner tonight with friends at a local restaurant called Sushi Thai. I knew this would be the source of today's image.  The Dancing Eel roll was beautiful so I again tried out the macro function on the point & shoot and this is the result.  And yes, it tasted as good as it looks.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Where's the Mate?


12/28/09 - Day 10
Walking to the train from my office, I saw this woman's boot along the sidewalk and couldn't help but wonder where the other one was.  Did she finish her journey half-barefooted?  Odd.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Bagels


12/27/09 - Day 9
Pilates at the health club this morning followed by a visit to our cycling group's favorite eating spot, Einsteins Bagels in Lincolnshire, where planning began for the summer bike trip.  The Cyclopaths could hardly believe a whole week passed without a bagel photo being included in Project 365, so in true Cyclopath tradition, here it is.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Light at the End of the Tunnel


12/26/09
It snowed all day and was pretty gray out; not good conditions for shooting photos.  Took a couple of shots from the car but wasn't satisfied.  Later on, when the snow stopped, I took the D90 out for some night shooting.  Had a few interesting shots, but this one of the pedestrian bridge over McHenry Road, taken about 8:40pm, is today's choice.  The clouds had thinned and the moon was out.  The light was an interesting balance between cool moonlight and warm streetlights.  This was a 6 second exposure (on a tripod).

Friday, December 25, 2009

Christmas Day


12/25/09
This year, Christmas consisted of sleeping in, health club in the early afternoon and then a movie and dinner with friends.   This was my first attempt at blending images in Photoshop Elements.   Definitely needs some work, but at least the idea comes across.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Popcorn


12/24/09
Christmas Eve - that means a movie, popcorn and Cheesecake Factory for dinner (which was pretty crowded).   I debated whether to use a popcorn shot or the candlelight dinner at the bar shot.   The popcorn shot won out so as to vary the theme from yesterday's image.

The new Olympus point & shoot is coming in very handy as I don't carry around the DSLR on a regular basis.  Supermacro mode is pretty amazing - I had to be very careful not to hit the popcorn with the edge of the lens.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

PMA DC


12/23/09
Following the annual PMA Cinefest, a few of us went to Bull & Bear for PMA Holiday DC (drinking club).   Pressure was on from my colleagues for today's shot to represent DC, so I elbowed my way to the bar and took a few shots of the spirits and beer taps.  The name on the tap is what we are all hoping for this year.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

City Lights


12/22/09
Keeping with the commuting theme, this shot is taken looking west along the Adams Street bridge over the Chicago River.   It was snowing and the wet pavement enhances the reflections.  Since it was generally a dreary day, I decided to put the image through some heavy post-processing in Lightroom as a counterpoint to the gloom.

4 days down, 361 to go.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Metra North Central


12/21/09
First workday for Project 365. Took a variety of images, but this is the best of the bunch. Heading home on the 3pm train, I pulled out the point & shoot and fired off this shot down the platform before boarding.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Reflections in snow and ice


12/20/09
The weekend snow created some nice scenes in Riverwoods. I went out shooting and came upon this puddle of ice and water. Fortunately, I had the fisheye lens and captured another self-portrait amongst the trees and sky. No, I did not have my scuba gear on.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

I couldn't wait until January 1st


I am pretty stoked about this Project 365 and spent last night setting up the blog.  I've decided to start the shooting early.  Maybe this will provide a few "sick days" during the course of the year if/when I just can't get a shot done.

What better way to kick off a Project 365 than with a self-portrait. I wanted to take an image involving two of my hobbies; photography & cycling.  So on this snowy morning, I set the tripod up in the garage and the mountain bike on the driveway and fired off a few self-timer shots.

1 day down, 364 to go.