Day 11 Feb 14: My Funny Little Valentine There’s nothing I love more than playtime with my little man. He was being all cute, rolling around and playing on my bed, so I ran to grab my camera. Of course, as usual, his “Doodle” instincts took over, and he was more interested in seeing what Mommy was doing than sitting still. f/8 1/180 sec 800 iso 32.5 mm Applied bas relief sketch filter with red overlay Day 12 Feb 15: The Lucas Walking back to my car after Bobby Deen’s presentation at the Savannah Book Festival, I had to try and take advantave of the perfectly sunny day while keeping up with my ride back to the office. I snapped off 3 shots, none that I particularly loved, so I instead opted for some Photoshop experimentation. f/6.3 1/1600 sec 400 ISO 24.38 mm Applied glowing edges stylize filter Day 13 Feb 16: The Road Dog Traveled, Guyton, GA One of the great things about where I live is that any time of day, I can take a quiet and reflective walk without worry of traffic. My dog, DaVinci, loves to take the walks with me, and I always believed he found it as reflective as I do. f/11 1/320 sec 400 ISO 50 mm Converted to black and white Day 14 Feb 17: Lent A year ago, a Facebook friend reached out to me to bring me back to the church. I am eternally grateful for the congregation that has welcomed me and my son with open arms. f/6.3 1/60 sec 1600 ISO 18 mm Applied poster edges artistic filter Day 15 Feb 18: Church in Georgetown, Savannah, GA I have tried to be incredibly disciplined with this 365 project. So when I was over in Georgetown and had 20 minutes, I drove by an old church I used to pass when I lived there years ago. The light wasn’t what I really wanted, and I was intrigued by the bell but just couldn’t seem to get a good clear shot. I converted the shot to black and white to give it a more nostalgic feel. Converted to black and white Day 16 Feb 19: Lazy Photographer’s Night Shot, Guyton, GA After the rain, I only had a couple hours to get my shot for the day to keep up the 365 momentum. So, because I was in a lazy mood, I cleared one of my side patio tables, set up the camera as focused as possible, turned it on it’s back so the lens was facing straight up through the trees, set the timer, and let it shoot. I did a couple of shots and this was my favorite with the moon...
Nothing works better for a 365 project than a little vacation travel. My trip didn’t go exactly according to plan thanks to Mother Nature, but it was an adventure none the less. Below are a few of my favorites from my travels around the AL/GA/TN border mountains. Day 5 Feb 8: Skyline from Cheaha State Park, AL It was 31 degrees and a little windy, but I just had to try and shoot the Anniston skyline since it is not a sight I see often. I didn’t have a tripod, so I used a nearby post. Unfortunately, the wind still caused blur, but it was great to see what pushing the ISO could produce. f/5.6 30 seconds 3200 ISO 32.5 mm Day 6 Feb 9: Daytime Skyline from Cheaha State Park, AL Last summer, we hiked the Pulpit Rock Trail, but as it was about to rain, I didn’t take my camera. This time, we went right back, with my camera in tow. Such a beautiful skyline of the Alabama mountains, and one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever been. f/8 1/2000 second 1600 ISO 21.25 mm Day 7 Feb 10: Chattanooga Choo Choo, TN As the theme song goes, “the weather started getting rough…” On the 3rd day, we headed for shelter at the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo. I was intrigued by the over 100 year old architecture, and pushed my camera as far as I could to get a decent shot of the dome ceiling. Still a little grainy, this shot shows some of the intricate detail of the old train depot. As a historical note, a low ceiling was installed sometime in the 1940s to help reduce heating costs. If I recall correctly, it was removed about 20 years later. f/8 1/60 second 3200 ISO 18 mm Day 8 Feb 11: Point Park, Lookout Mountain, TN If there’s one thing you can know for sure about the South, we preserve our history. I love any chance I get to photograph at historic sites, and there was no shortage on my trip. This shot is taken from the top of Lookout Mountain at Point Park, commemorating the Battle of Chickamauga. f/22 1/125 sec 800 ISO 35 mm converted to B&W Day 9 Feb 12: Cloudland Canyon State Park, GA Cloudland Canyon was one of the most beautiful places I visited with my Outdoor Adventure Club at Andrew College. It was increasingly exciting to go back nearly 13 years later and see what I had forgotten. The hike was cold, and though I didn’t make it all the way down the 600 steps to the falls, I did get to experience the beauty of mountain rivers flowing through unspoiled forest. f/11 1/25 sec 800 ISO...
In order to push my limits and force me to learn everything I can about my new Pentax K-30, I decided this is the year I will do a 365 project. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoy taking them! Day 1 Feb 4: Angry Sky Eyes Driving home from work, I was completely entranced by the storm clouds moving in to our area. One set in particular reminded me of scary eyes from a horror movie. I waited until I was off the interstate and found a good place to pull over and snap a few pictures from the safety of my car. Settings: 1/800 @ f/11, 400 iso, 42.5mm Day 2 Feb 5: My Doggy Vinnie It got to be 10 pm and I realized I had not shot one picture yet. As I was tired and only had 2 hours left before I blew the whole 365 concept, I pushed my dog out the door and commanded him to pose. He is the world’s worst doggy model. He was easily distracted by his toy chicken, the cows across the street mooing, and me playing with my camera. This was one of the middle shots, where he was staying the most still. Settings: 1/160 @ f/11, 3200iso (auto), 23.13mm, with flash Day 3 Feb 6: Birthday Petals 1 I had probably the best day-after-birthday ever. One of my higher ups sent me this beautiful bouquet of flowers from Savannah’s Garden on the Square. They made perfect subjects for my 365 shots. A photog friend of mine has been convincing me that our Pentaxs can handle much higher iso than I’ve been giving credit, and since I hate using a flash, decided to try it with these flower shots. There is a bit of grain with them, but I still like them. Settings: 1/160 @ f/5.6, 1600iso, 55mm Day 3 Feb 6: Birthday Petals 2 Settings: 1/125 @ f/5.6, 2500 iso, 35 mm Day 4 Feb 7: On the Job One of the biggest uses of my camera is for my real, paying job. I take a lot of candid shots of my boss at her events. Just so happened, she was in the office to do a massive book signing. I stood in a far corner of the room, held the camera above my head, and shot using the “live view” function. I still didn’t capture all the piles of books waiting to be signed, but with over 7,100 likes on her Facebook page, it turned out to be a pretty successful picture. Settings: 1/125 @ f/5.6, 18mm, 3200, with...
This past Saturday, I had the joy of volunteering for the second time for the Rock N Roll Savannah Marathon. This year though, I had my Pentax with me, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for some great marathon shots. I was amazed by how many people were running in honor or memory of family members and friends. I was extremely touched by the Cubes for the Cure group – a firefighter running the full marathon while trying to break a world record for the most Rubik’s Cubes solved, all in honor of a fellow firefighter who died of cancer earlier this year. Bet you never knew you could find so much inspiration before 9 am on a...
Whenever I get a new filter, lens or anything for my camera, I’m like a kid on Christmas Day. There’s no way I can wait to get out and use it. So yesterday, my friend David and I headed back out to the Savannah Wildlife Refuge to go see just what kind of shots I could get with this new-to-me Sigma 400mm lens. I was a little saddened that many of the wildlife I had seen just a week prior were nowhere to be found, but there was almost about 20 times as many cars as the previous Sunday. We went later in the afternoon so we would be there for sunset. The shots were not as sharp as I had wanted them to, but I was excited to get closer up with some of the...
Once upon a time, I was a young and adventurous black and white photographer, gallivanting around with my trusty Pentax K-1000. But high school and college ended, and real life began, and my love had to be pushed aside. Now, 12 years later, I’m trying to pick up where I left off with a whole new world before me, and the most adorable 16-month-old test subject to take with me wherever I go (in addition to my Pentax K-2000).
My Influences include Richard Archer Woods, the professional photographer I met in high school while working with my dad who turned me on to photography and encouraged it, and Ansel Adams.
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