(Day 365) It's TIME

There seems to be something magical or mystical about the midnight hour on the eve of New Year. The clock turns over a new hour, new day, new month, new year, and sometimes even a new millennium. There's something refreshing about closing the chapter on the year gone by, and seeing all the new possibilities in the year just started.

For me, and many fellow bloggers, today marks the last day for our Project 365. We set out exactly 365 days ago to make some photos every day of the year and post (at least one of) them on our blogs. It's been an exciting time, an exasperating time, and a time full of learning. It's now also a time of relief (unless some out there are going to start on year 2 or 3 or 12 !). No more daily thoughts about what to shoot, and to set aside time to do so once a subject is chosen. It feels great to have successfully achieved this goal. It's not for the faint of heart, but if you're interested in learning a lot more about photography, I recommend it.

As for what I plan to do now, ideas are still floating around in my head. I've promised my wife (and myself) not to do another 365 project. I'll put down a few thoughts on what it was like and what I learned from it in a near future post. I do intend to maintain this blog, but without the promise of shooting daily. I will continue to visit fellow bloggers. And I will make/take time to continue with my photography.


In the meantime, I wish all of you health, happiness, and a great deal of pleasure in your photographic endeavours in 2011.


H A P P Y   N E W   Y E A R !!!


(18-55mm  f5.6  1 sec  ISO400)

(Day 364 !) Waiting till next year ...

I suspect there will be a few extra cheers tomorrow evening in addition to those ushering in the New Year. The extra cheers will be coming from those photographers who took on a 365 project and will have completed it tomorrow - and I expect to be among them.

But that wasn't the point of my little slice-of-life post this evening. Sasha and I wandered around the yard and ended up behind the garage, where come spring time our milkweed patch will again flourish. I thought that with the winds that have blown since the milkweed ripened, all the seeds would by now have been scattered. But some of the seed is determined to wait till next year to part ways with the pod.

While I may have your attention now, I'd like to wish all my followers the best for 2011 ! I hope you have a most productive and creative time pursuing your photographic dreams, and I hope you'll be back here too.

(60mm  f4.5  1/40 sec  ISO200)

click on photo to enlarge

(60mm  f5.6  1/30 sec  ISO200)

(Day 363) Winter fun !

All good things must come to an end, and so today we said goodbye to family with whom we'd spent the Christmas holidays. We had a wonderful time, and as is always the case the time went too quickly. But before we packed things to prepare for our drive home, there was still time to go sledding with our granddaughters. We walked to a nearby hill which was fairly steep - they didn't seem that steep when I was a kid, though. Some dare-devil youngsters had fashioned a ramp out of snow, which was to be my wife's undoing - on her first run downhill, having thrown caution to the wind, she and one of our granddaughters literally flew through the air after being launched off the ramp, and came to a rather abrupt halt. We're sure her bruises will heal over the next week - my granddaughter had none as she made a 'softer' landing on top of my wife.

After that experience, the following runs were made from just above the ramp, with much better, although less spectacular, results.

(18-55mm  f22  1/100 sec  ISO800)

Lilly

(50mm  f2  1/4000 sec  ISO200)

Hailey

(50mm  f16  1/200 sec  ISO800)

(50mm  f2  1/3200 sec  ISO200)

an unidentified brave person fully utilizing the ramp

 

(Day 362) All is well

Tuesday Dec. 28, 2010

I got an invitation from one of my daughters to go with her on a trail that she frequently takes her dogs on for exercise. Given the abundance of Christmas-related goodies that have been offered me, and which I of course was too polite to refuse, I needed the exercise too. It turned out to be a beautiful area with abundant opportunities for photos. At one point, when we'd left the trail to make our own along a little creek, through all the snow, we were forced to climb a steep 50' bank. After that we stuck to the trail that ran along the ridge.

Although the sky was a dismal gray, it was a beautiful day for a hike. The water running under the ice, the snow lying thickly on fallen trees, and the peacefulness of the woods indicated that all was well. Here are just a few shots of the many I was able to make this afternoon.

(18-55mm  f8.0  1/15 sec  ISO200)

(70-200mm  f5.6  1/40 sec  ISO200)

(10-22mm  f7.1  1/100 sec  ISO200)

(Day 361) At the beach

Monday Dec. 27, 2010

You might think I'm crazy, but I went to the beach tonight, even though it was -10C/14F out. No, I didn't join a polar bear club - while I admire their pluck, I can think of much easier, less painful ways to die. In fact, I was properly outfitted for a cold evening in my heavy winter coat, zipped right up to my chin, a toque, and heavy duty gloves. Sasha of course came along dressed as she was. This looked like a nice place to get some shots when I passed by last night and that's how I came to be here late this evening.

Note: since we're out of town visiting with family I'm only able to post late at night and won't have time to visit your blog until we're back home later this week. I do enjoy reading your comments - thank you for your visits.

(18-55mm  f22.0  30 sec  ISO200)

And there were all sorts of fabulous light displays there also; here's one of them.

(18-55mm  f22.0  3.2 sec  ISO200)