All Done!

From 365 Project

The final daily photo is posted and my year long adventure with Project 365 is done. Over 9000 images captured, averaging about 25 a day. I achieved all the goals I set out to accomplish with this project and much more. I have new friends from literally all over the world. I have discovered new photographers and their wonderful work, learning and borrowing plenty of ideas along the way. Thanks for your support, comments, encouragement and advice. Some have asked if I'm going to continue with taking and posting a new photo each day and the answer is no. The process was wonderful but at the same time it was demanding and consuming. So I'm going to take a break from trying to take a new picture each day. I will continue to post regularly using some of my older photographs and some new ones. I hope you enjoy the collage of all 365 images it was made using Shape Collage Pro 2.5.

365 - Tipsy

From 365 Project

Partied too hard didn't you? There is nothing wrong with your monitor. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity. Sit quietly and we will control all that you see. We repeat: there is nothing wrong with your computer or monitor. You have just participated in a great adventure. Thanks so much for following this blog for the last 365 days. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 100, 50mm prime lens and one off-camera strobe.

364 - Roman Renaissance

From 365 Project

Tonight we had the opportunity to tour the Chrysler Museum's "To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum" special exhibit lead by Jeff Harrison, the Museum's Chief Curator. The Egyptian exhibit was spectacular but afterward Jeff took us on a little detour through a staff hallway which was lined with four over-sized Roman sculptures. This is the head from one which is not the original. Renaissance artists in Italy in the 17th Century reassembled the original pieces of the statues with newly carved missing sections to make them whole again. The haunting face of this man pays tribute the early Romans and their 17th century master artists descendants. Canon G10, 1/30 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 800, converted to B&W using Silver Efex Pro in Photoshop Elements 6.

363 - Chips & DIP

From 365 Project

This is a collection of old memory chips and a DIP (Dual In-line Package) switch that I kept from old an computer I had in the 1980's. These types of memory chips have been long since been replaced by memory modules and the DIP switch once a common way to set configurations have been replaced with software settings saved in non-volatile memory. They are all sitting on a silicon wafer board containing about a hundred 386 processor chips before they are cut and mounted in the ceramic housing. Basically chips in the raw. Canon 7D, 1/60 sec @ f/9.0, ISO 200, 50mm macro lens with two off camera strobes using a light tent.

362 - Cloud Bands

From 365 Project

A cold front moved into the area around sunrise today. With it came these bands of clouds making for an interesting winter sky. The picture is taken looking east into the rising sun silhouetting the bare tress in the foreground. Canon 7D, 1/6400 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 640.

361 - Firepower

From 365 Project

The Dwarf Firepower Nandina in my backyard have taken on their bright crimson color for the winter. These bamboo like shrubs are great low maintenance additions to any garden and provide interesting color in winter. Canon 7D, 1/125 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 200, 50mm prime lens.

360 - Tulip Mania

From 365 Project

Oddly enough the beautiful tulip created the first economic bubble in history, now referred to as Tulip Mania. In the 1630's a craze throughout western Europe for the recently introduced tulip sent prices to extraordinary heights. The collapse came in February 1637 and created the first economic bubble - when asset prices deviate from intrinsic values. Similar irrational mania contributed to the two most recent bubbles, the 2008 mortgage crisis and the 2000 Technology collapse. Seems we are bound to repeat the same mistakes. Canon 7D, 1/160 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800, 50mm prime lens.

359 - Slinky, Slinky

From 365 Project

A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing! Everyone knows it's Slinky. The famous toy made an appearance at our Christmas dinner table, as holiday napkin rings. Every time I looked someone was playing with one. Why not -
It's Slinky, it's Slinky. For fun it's a wonderful toy.
It's Slinky, it's Slinky. It's fun for a girl or a boy.
Over 300 million have been sold and the jingle is the longest running in advertising history. Yes I know, the song is now running through your head over and over - happy, happy, joy, joy. Canon 7D, 1/320 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 1600, 50mm macro.

358 - 'Twas the night before Christmas

From 365 Project

Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
. . .
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night. —Clement Clark Moore
Canon 7D, 1/15 sec @ ~f/4.0, ISO 800, Lensbaby Composer with home made Christmas Tree aperture disk.

357 - Meet Petrie

From 365 Project

We have a new addition to our family - the "grandbird". A gift to our son Michael from his fiancé Kelly, she is a very pretty and quite social female Cockatiel named Petrie. She has quickly won our hearts and taken over the house. Canon 7D, 1/640 sec @ f/1.8, ISO 800, 50mm prime lens.

356 - Holiday Honors

From 365 Project

2500 wreaths adorn the graves of fallen veterans at the Hampton National Cemetery in Hampton Virginia. The wreaths were placed as part of the Wreaths Across America project and honor veterans from the Civil War to the present who rest at the historic and beautiful Hampton National. Canon G10, 1/200 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 200.

355 - Barren

From 365 Project

The barren tree branches of my neighbor's pecan trees are illuminated by the golden light of the early morning sun. The cold clear air provides for a nice blue sky backdrop. Canon 7D, 1/60 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 200, 30mm prime.

354 - Holiday Reflections

From 365 Project

Glass blown Christmas ornaments were invented in Germany in the mid-1800's. Today's mass produced versions still add sparkle and shine to the holiday celebration. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/25 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 800, 50mm macro.

353 - First Snow

From 365 Project

Most of Virginia west of us was buried in snow today. We got only rain until the sun went down. Finally temperatures dropped enough to get a dusting of snow, extremely rare here in Virginia Beach, especially in mid-December. You can see the fine snow on this just opening camelia bud. I'm sure the cold will take it toll on the flower by morning but for now its beauty shines. Canon 7D, 1/160 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 1600, 50mm macro lens with light from the micro Litepanel.

352 - "Eventually...Why Not now?"

From 365 Project

These old advertising signs were revealed by a building demolition on Norfolk's Granby Street a few years ago. The Gold Medal Flour ad has the slogan "Eventually...Why Not now?" which the company used from 1907 through the early 1950's. The clown dangling the string to a kitten is an interesting touch. The other billboard reads: "The House of Hofflin - The Middy Blouse Man - Famous Hofflin Suits for Girls - Sailor Suits Made to Order." The billboards may be of the World War I time frame. They are in great shape having been shielded by an adjoining building for years. Canon G10, 1/500 sec @ F/5.6, ISO 400.

351 - Curves

From 365 Project

The elegant curves of the mezzanine and balcony at the Sandler Center for the Preforming Arts in Virginia Beach. Virginia. I was looking up from my seat in the right orchestra while waiting for Michael McDonald to come on stage. The Sandler Center is a beautiful building with great acoustics. Canon G10, 1/10 sec @ F/2.8, ISO 200 hand held, a testament to the built-in image stabilization on this camera. Converted to B&W in Photoshop Elements 6 with the Silver Efex Pro filter.

350 - First Lutheran

From 365 Project

The First Lutheran Church has been featured in my blog before on day "216 - Elvis Sighting". This photo of the classic Gothic Revival church was taken from the Maury Avenue side looking towards the front of the church. The bright afternoon sun nicely illuminates the wonderful stone work. Canon G10, 1/800 @ f/4.5, ISO 200.

349 - Fog

From 365 Project

I have been thinking about trying to capture the old Elmwood Cemetery in Norfolk shrouded in fog since I began this 365 project almost a year ago. I drive by it everyday on my way to work. Well this week we have had two foggy mornings so I took the picture. Fog is actually pretty difficult to photograph and it took some trial and error to capture the picture I had envisioned. Sorry for the break from the recent run of holiday themes but they weren't generating any excitement or comments anyway. Enjoy the macabre. Canon G10, 1/200 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200 converted to black and white using Silver Efex Pro in Photoshop Elements.

348 - LED for the Holidays

From 365 Project

This year has seen the full scale introduction of LED (light-emitting diode) lights into our holiday decorations. They use far less power and thus give off lower heat than standard holiday bulbs. This has allowed designers new flexibility in creating light sets. This set of layered globes looks more appropriate for a summer time deck party than the holidays. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/60 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 400, 50mm macro lens.

347 - Pretty Packages

From 365 Project

It is always magical when the presents begin to appear under the Christmas tree. Today was rainy so there was a lot gift wrapping going on at our house. Our resident Santa's helper was hard at work and her efforts brought more of the season into our home. Canon G10 2.5 secs @ f/8.0, ISO 100.

346 - Richardsonian Romanesque

From 365 Project

The Romanesque steeple of the Epworth United Methodist Church in Norfolk Virginia is back lit by a late afternoon sun burning through a thin cloud covering. Said to be inspired Henry H. Richardson's Trinity Church in Boston, this building is the only significant Romanesque style structure in the city. Built in 1894, the steeple was extended in height years later when it was said the new tall buildings in downtown were blocking the sounds of church bells. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Canon G10, 1/320 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 200.

345 - Bug Eye

From 365 Project

A friend at work owns this cherry restored 1953 Volkswagen Beetle. He usually drives it on Fridays so I took advantage of it and captured today's photo. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400, Lensbaby Composer with wide angle adapter.

344 - Chim Chiminey

From 365 Project

The red chimney and the stark primary colors of the sky and the house invoked memories of seeing the movie Mary Poppins many years ago. The bright yellow house is at the corner of Colley and Boissevain Avenues in Norfolk's Ghent neighborhood. Canon 7D, 1/800 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 100.

343 - Capillary Action

From 365 Project

In 953, Ma'ād al-Mu'izz, the caliph of Egypt, commissioned the construction of the pen instructing: 'We wish to construct a pen which can be used for writing without having recourse to an ink-holder and whose ink will be contained inside it. . .’ It would take 900 years for his wish to come true when the first practical fountain pens emerged in the 1850's. The key is a combination of gravity and the magic of capillary action. Once the ink starts to flow through the nib, capillary action keeps the flow going by drawing in more ink from the reservoir. This is a closeup photo of an 18k gold nib on an Omas 360 fountain pen. Canon Rebel XTi, 8/10 sec @ f/16.0, ISO 400, 65mm macro lens.

342 - Wheels & Tires

From 365 Project

A set of wheels and tires from a 15 passenger van await their fate in the early morning sunshine. The tire sitting partially under the one in the foreground is most certainly headed to the recycler since the tread has completely separated from the tire. The others will likely head back out on the road after a good balancing. It's all part of routine "PM" (preventive maintenance). Canon G10, 1/5 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 200 converted to black and white using Silver Efex Pro in Photoshop Elements..

341 - QWERTY

From 365 Project

The QWERTY is the standard layout for English keyboards. The layout comes from the 1870's and was devised using a study of letter-pair frequency to position the letters to avoid type bar jams that plagued early typewriters. Originally the letter "R" and the period "." were reversed on the keyboard. They were switched into the current positions so a typewriter salesman could impress customers by quickly typing out "TYPEWRITER" using only the top row of letters. The photo is my Logitech illuminated keyboard, a fine device for working late at night. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/20s @ f/3.2, ISO 800, 50mm macro.

340 - Spectral Highlights

From 365 Project

The technical definition of a spectral highlight is "A bright reflection from a light source containing little or no detail. " Essentially this portion of light is too bright for the digital camera's sensor to capture, so you end up with a white spot or streak in your picture. Reflections often cause this as does shooting towards the sun or other light source. However when using the Lensbaby with a star shaped aperture insert, those out of focus spectral highlights take on the shape of a star. This is our Christmas tree with its white lights. Canon 7D, 1/8 sec @ ~f/2.8, ISO 200 with the Lensbaby.

339 - Star Light, Star Bright

From 365 Project

Star light, star bright,
May I take your picture tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Take a great picture tonight.
Canon XTi, 1/100 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 400, 50mm macro.

338 - Cylinder Head

From 365 Project

Close up of a cylinder head and its values stems and springs. This one is from a diesel engine used on a transit bus. The cylinder head sits above the cylinders and consists of a platform containing part of the combustion chamber and the location of the valves and spark plugs. Canon 7D, 1/8 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400, 50mm focal length.

337 - Nose Job

From 365 Project

The bow of the USS Wisconsin at its pier in Norfolk Virginia. This is not the original bow. In May 1956 she collided with destroyer USS Eaton in a heavy fog off Virginia. The Wisconsin's bow suffered heavy damage, the Eaton fared much worse. A 120-ton 68-foot long section of the bow of the uncompleted battleship Kentucky was used to replace Wisconsin's damaged bow resulting in the largest "nose job" in history. The Wisconsin's nickname "WisKy" comes from shorted versions of Wisconsin and Kentucky. Canon 7D, 1/125 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 100, 27mm equivalent focal length.

336 - Red & Green

From 365 Project

Every wonder how red and green became the colors of the Christmas Holiday? One explanation dates to the 14th century and the Paradise Tree. Adam & Eve day was celebrated in churches on Christmas Eve and the miracle plays of the time featured an evergreen tree decorated with apples. The tradition eventually became the Christmas Tree. This is a small red wire tree with green bells that is part of our holiday decorations. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/80 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 400, 50mm compact macro and lighting from the micro LED Litepanel.

335 - Shining Eyes

From 365 Project

My grandson Robert was trilled to help setup a Christmas tree first thing this morning. Watching the joy and excitement in his eyes truly made my day and getting a great picture was the icing on the cake. Canon G10, 1/13 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800. The Canon G10 can introduce image noise (graininess) on low light high ISO images like this one. I used Noise Ninja to post process and reduce the noise.