Day 30: January 30th

I’ve been experimenting with layering images over each other to see what end can be achieved.  For inspiration I peruse the web to see what other people are doing and then I pick and choose what works for me.  It’s a matter of deciding what colors, subjects and compositions align with my own aesthetic.  In other words, when I lay my eyes on an image how do I immediately feel?  Not ten minutes later, not after some consideration, but immediately.  That is the most telling and the most truthful moment.  Anything after that is contaminated by brain stuff.

In this image, I combined a contemplative portrait along with an Indian fabric pattern to create a visually dynamic abstract.

Day 29: January 29th

Ain't no place better than Mom's kitchen.  It was snowing and cold outside, but it was warm in Mom's kitchen.  After tea, I was overcome by a deep and irresistable drowsiness.  This is what Rip Van Winkle must have felt as he slipped into his twenty year sleep.  I burrowed down under the comfort of one of Mom's crocheted blankets for an afternoon nap.

Day 28: January 28th

Tony Soprano said something to the effect of, "I know life is a gift, but does it have to be a pair of socks?"
This sweet potato was my lunch yesterday.  It looks utterly unspectacular and, like Tony's take on life, speaks to how most of life is mundane and usual and filled with unglamorous necessities.  Of course, this led Tony to wonder if this is all there is.

Well, I'm not Tony.  Haven't killed anyone with my bare hands today.  I get that days can be boring.  I've had a few myself, BUT...then there are sweet potatoes.  Hiding there in the bottom of my vegetable bin waiting to surprise and delight me.  It was wonderful to dig into this warm sweet bolus of yummy.  I treated it with butter and sea salt and a better lunch was never had!  Now if Tony Soprano had sweet potatoes for lunch, maybe he wouldn't have been so predisposed to murder and mayhem!

Day 27: January 27th

It's not that I want to take the easy way out and just shoot the obvious or the easily available subjects.  It's just that I find this sight astounding.  No matter how many years I live, snow will continue to amaze me.  It simplifies the landscape until you realize that it was very complicated in the first place.  Really - all those leaves and individual blades of grass and twigs and branches - it's chaos out there!  And then comes a snow.  And when that snow comes, it is one sheet of white with a single texture.  Wow.

Also, one cannot ignore the fact that I woke to this big cake of a thing on my deck.  It amuses me to no end.

Day 26: January 26th



Sammy in the snow is a big mushy pile of dog joy.  A moment before this picture, she was shoveling her nose through the snow and snapping it up and leaping and racing all around.  Joy, joy, joy.

Just days before my surgery I learned that Sammy may have the onset of an eye disease that may cause her to go blind.  As I watch her now and watch the status of her eyes and how it is not changing, I'm afraid it might be true.  As soon as I'm able, we will return to the vet and pursue treatment for those big brown puppy dog eyes.  They are worth saving!

This is one of those things that God and I will discuss and possibly argue about.  I've no doubt who will win that argument, but at least I know I'll be heard.  That's what makes for a good relationship.

Day 25: January 25th

These flowers were sent to me by my friend, Denise.  Besides being a very thoughtful "Get Well" gift, they were so beautiful there on my dining room table.  Each time I passed them they sent good tidings of friendship and it helped me to believe I am less alone than I've felt.  For those of you who do not live in snow zones, it has a way of making you feel claustrophobic and somehow penned in.  Since I haven't felt very well and since pain medication entered my life, I'm a little sadder than usual (pain meds can add to that feeling, did you know that?).  These flowers reminded me that Denise is out there, as are other friends and family who genuinely care about me.

I love receiving flowers, not only for the early days where they stand bolt upright, leaves and petals firm, but also for the later days, when they become different versions of themselves.  They take on a new interest as they start to die.  Sounds macabe, I know, but if you ever get the chance, do study the changes and postures that flowers take on as they lay themselves to rest.  They become sadly expressive as their color fades and their petals either drop or curl.  The rose on the left was simply poetic, the way it suddenly relaxed one day and then the next tilted its head to the side.  The purple and white flowers are hanging on a little stronger than the roses and lilies, but eventually, the petals will start to droop and they will take on new subdued hues and softer silhouettes when the lights go out.

Thank you, Denise, for thinking of me!  And thank you to all of my friends and family whose thoughtfulness and consideration are so much appreciated.  These long days of winter are warmed by your kindness.

Day 24: January 24th

Wind-drifted snow.  Everywhere.  Maybe I will enjoy looking back at this in mid-August.  Maybe.

Day 23: January 23rd

Gigi vs. Godzilla.

What?  What?

Ok, I know it's called "A Picture a Day," and I know it's cheating - there are actually four pictures that make up this one story.  So who cares?  I had a blast putting this together and furthermore, I had such a good time that I can't promise I won't cheat in the future...

Day 22: January 22nd

I don't get bored too often, but when I do, it results in images like this one.  Let me explain: I had knee surgery on January 14, which has limited my mobility not to mention my driving and hiking and all the things I like to do.  I thought it would be no trouble to find a suitable subject for "picture of the day," but yesterday was a lesson in what true boredom can do.  Specifically, it can make your mind restless and seriously impair your creativity.  So, during my time on the treadmill (a.k.a. physical therapy), I noticed the mess that is my "craft area." I figured it was as good a subject as any.  It too, is a world within my world (even if this picture does leave me bored senseless just looking at it...)

Day 21: January 21st

It occurs to me that I can start blogging before I even perceive of the picture of the day.  Wow.  Who knew?  See, I'm 46 years old and the idea of blogging instead of good old fashioned writing seems a little bit loosey goosey to me.  Seems newfangled and suspicious and maybe even lawless.  Seems like if anyone could pick up blogging without some teacher or publisher saying your writing and/or thinking skills are good enough to do it, well then...well then any damn thing might be possible.  That can't be right, can it?

There are arguments on both sides - blogging "they" say has contributed to a bunch of fluff and crap and unsubstantiated claims from people who may even have nefarious  motives.  "They" also say that blogging means that everyone has power to put their thoughts out there - to contribute to a universal dialogue.  I never believed in "them."  I always thought there was just "we."  That being the case, I come up on the side of the latter opinion.  I'm sure there is a bunch of junk out there, but in that flotsam and jetsam of thoughts, ideas, opinions, and beliefs, there are many that matter.  Even if it's just the idea that when glommed all together, we feel the same way about things, then in my opinion, value has emerged from that which was previously unobservable.  At least now we have the ability to gather a diversity of ideas in an easy human-readable format.  We don't have to wait two years for the results of a Gallup survey to see what people think.  We don't need a government report or anyone to break it all down for us.  We can simply skim the blogs and sift the flotsam and the jetsam for ourselves!

I believe blogging is tremendously powerful.  Even if no one ever reads what I've written, the idea that I have no fear in posting it marks progress.  The idea that my pictures and ideas are added in perpetuity to the human document of record is astounding.  Think about what it would have been like if Anne Frank could have blogged.  I don't know if it would have changed things in her reality, but I suspect it could impact future Anne Franks and both current and future realities.

Now onto today's picture:

This is the view from my front door.  It looks like the whole street is about to slide right off the world.  We live on a hill, that means all our horizons are tragically skewed.

Day 20: January 20th

For a few minutes today, I found happiness in this chair.  Maybe this is always where happiness is - curled up upon itself, sleeping.  It came while I was sitting there quietly, not thinking of any particular thing, not reading or working a sodoku puzzle.  I was just sitting there minding my own business and there it was - a little bit of happy.

I don't care how complicated you think your troubles are or how sophisticated you believe your life to be, no matter who you are or where you are, a little bit of happy is what you need.

Day 19: January 19th

Early afternoons, Baby G and I  - we gets our Haiku on.

Day 18: January 18th

View of the driveway from my bedroom window.  That explains the weird waffle pattern on the right of the image - it's the screen.  The cat and I are a bit stir crazy.  The both of us were at the screen trying to breathe in the cold air.  It was apparently a hard crunchy snow.  Branches were covered in ice.  Bummer I couldn't be out there shooting.  The good news is that I was inside - healing from surgery.   The good news is that I have health insurance that allowed me to have surgery.  Furthermore, not only was I fortunate to be able to have the surgery, but on top of that I was able to get pain medication to help deal with the aftermath. 

I wish I was being dramatic, but sorry - this is the case.  In fact, this may be an understatement of  "the case."  Most people in the world do not have the luxury of surgery in a state of the art, clean, well-staffed hospital.  Most people need medications they can't get.  A lot of the world's population doesn't have clean running water.  Try to remember that for your next mammogram or proctology exam.  At the height of your discomfort, think about those who only wish they could have the luxury of a wellness visit.

Day 17: January 17th

Meet Neo.  He was born on or around my front porch last summer.  He's about eight months old and he is as cool as his name implies.  Picture The Matrix.  Picture Neo in a long black coat.  Well, this Neo Kitty has a long black coat also.  He lives outside and in this picture he is sitting on the window ledge looking into the living room.  No worries - he has plenty of food and a toasty winter shelter I devised from Rubbermaid containers, straw and some super heavy duty styrofoam insulating material.  Dude wants for nothing. 

Also of interest (to me at least) are the Aftrican Violets on the window sill.  Those babies are approximately 23 years old.  That's gotta be some kind of houseplant record.  Anyway, this is now the third day after surgery and the truth is, I didn't have much inside me for picture taking today.

Day 16: January 16th

Two days after surgery and this is how I felt.  Not pretty, is it?

Day 15: January 15th

If I was far away from home, I would want to come back to this kitchen.  Sure there are other kitchens that are grander, but this is the kitchen where I keep forgetting to wring out the sponge and where the sprayer hose leaks water right down into the cabinet below.  This is the kitchen where thirsty plants seek sustenance and where all bad cups of coffee are made between the occassional good ones.  This is where pulled pork sandwiches are lovingly slow-simmered in beer all night long and where coconut cakes are born with a flourish and a puff of confectioner's sugar.

No doubt - this is the kitchen.  On Day 15 I was grateful to visit the kitchen under my own steam...one unsteady crutch at a time.

Day 14: January 14th - Surgery Day!

Those are my tootsies you see hanging out there.  On Day 14 I underwent knee surgery.  Nothing major - some scar tissue and arthritis.  The doc said he cleaned it up.  Said there was "debris."  Reminds me of that movie "Twister."  The team starts shouting about the oncoming tornado.  General mayhem ensues and before you know it, someone is shouting , "WE HAVE DEBRIS!"

Day 13: January 13th

The sun paid us yet another visit on the 13th morning of this 365 project.  Room to room I found these delicious sun-stained patterns all over the rugs, walls, furniture and even the pets!.  As I said in a previous post, there are worlds within our worlds.  The world in this pictures spins on its axis down the hall in my house.  That world has alternately been habitated by my Mom, Grandmom Edwards, and even good ole Malcolm T. Edwards.  There is no charge for admission into this world, no height restrictions, and certainly no preexisting condition would prevent you from entering!

Technical Info: This is a high dynamic range (HDR) image.  Three images went into the making of this one. They were all set to f8, with three different exposures.  The exposures were: 1/20, 1/13. and 1/6. ISO was set to 200 for all three images.  No flash was used.

Day 12: January 12th

It's not that it isn't beautiful and it's not that the tree did anything wrong...it's just that I am counting the days until the pink cherry blossoms come back.  I don't particularly enjoy winter and I am trying to balance that fact with the fact that living in the moment is actually what I'm supposed to do.  Since we don't know if we will have another moment to live in, we are supposed to fully live in the one we've got.  Even if it is abyssmally cold and even if you have to wear too many clothes.  In any event, the snow doesn't do this tree justice - yet another reason to hate winter :-(

Day 11: January 11th

I have an office in this building, which is in in Collegeville, PA.  I also have one in New York.  This building, though, is my favorite.  It is simply gorgeous - lots of glass, marble and stone.  After hours is the best time to be there.  That's when the cleaning staff comes in and everyone else goes home.  It gets very quiet, except for  a few echos up and down this corridor.  The best part is when the man brings out the big marble-polishing machine.  He brings those floors up to a shine and all the ladies are warned (mostly by each other) that you can see right up their dresses.  I once told a friend about it and she replied, "Oh good, I'll have to start wearing more dresses!"

Day 10: January 10th

Day 10 found me working in New York.  This is the view from my hotel room in the Hyatt Grand Central.  I was very happy to face the Chrysler building, which is the star of this image.  This was taken with my Blackberry.  It's a lucky shot, because the window through which I was shooting was filthy.  Still, the image came out pretty good.  I converted the original color image into black and white.  I found it more satisfying.

Oh - and work was just fine that day.  Everyone was nice to me.  What more can you ask?

Day 9: January 9th

Not a fabulous photo - wasn't meant to be.  This is pure documentation of my 2010 Christmas tree.  As you can see, this is no ordinary Christmas tree.  It is my own creation and I am very happy with it.  No matter what you think or how many times you say "Charlie Brown" about this tree, it brings ME great pleasure.  That's why it is still hanging around my living room in January.  The vase was a bargain from the Ross store in Landsdale.  The twigs are from my own backyard.  I painted them with white spray paint.  The ornaments are more awesome than you can see here.  They perfectly mimic the vase - round, red and flat on the bottom.  Good luck trying to find a better set.  When on earth do you ever see Christmas balls that are flat on the bottom???

The picture above the tree is one I snapped while visiting the crypt of the Canterbury Cathedral in May last year.  It started to feel creepy so I turned to bust a move outta there.  I looked back one last time and saw how pleasant the arches and lighting were.  Snap snap and I was gone...

Day 8: January 8th

Day 8 was a tough choice.  In fact, I am still second-guessing it.  There were two other images in contention for the daily prize.  One was a little brooke with stones wearing little caps of fluffy snow.  It was lovely.  The second was a simple but sweet birdhouse.  It also was topped with a fresh cap of white snow and there were the tiny blurred flecks to prove it was taken during a real live snow event.  This landscape, with the round hay bales was chosen, because it is truer to the story I want to tell about this time of year.  Anyway, it's truer to my story.

Day 7: January 7th

I managed to pull off this ghostly self portrait through old fashioned trial and error.  I tell you, it was not easy.  I was up early...5:00ish to be non-exact.  My head was buried in my latest project, which I cannot reveal here.  Not now.  If you are loyal you may learn about it during the BIG REVEAL.  But, that's not now.

So there I was up to my amygdala in this project, when I finally raised my eyes to the window and saw that between the time I woke and oh about 7:30 a.m., we had a lovely snow storm.  It all happened without my knowing and without my permission.  Still, that new pinhole lens was lurking in my camera bag and the bench by the pond has been overdue this winter for another portrait (I have WAY too many pictures of that bench).  I schlepped out in my tall rubber boots and the getup that you see here.  When you are a woman of a certain age, I find you can wear any damn thing you want.

A pinhole lens needs a long exposure.  For this image, I set the self-timer to 6 seconds - barely enough time to gimp around to the back of the bench on my bad knee.  The shutter speed was set to 20 seconds - an eterninty to stand there as still as possible.

Day 6: January 6th

My fascination with "alternative" photography started about ten years ago.  There is this guy who was like the best artistic photographer of his day.  Of course he was overshadowed by the exploits of another photographer who was less talented.  That's just my opinion, but it is mine and I'm sticking with it - Joseph Steichen was more talented than Alfred Steiglitz ANY FRIGGIN DAY.  There.  I said it.

Anyway, Steichen in his day would do things like ping his camera legs (they had legs back then) to intentionally create camera shake.  This softened the image and created a painterly look.  He would drop water on the lens to see what that would do.  He tried all kinds of things that might have seemed nutty.  The results were stunning and I LOVE HIM.

What does this have to do with day 6?  This picture was taken with a pinhole lens, which cost me $50 U.S. bucks.  Pinhole cameras have a long history and are often created as craft projects for sixth graders.  Many an oatmeal box has met its fate as a pinhole camera.  You can make them any time any where.  Images from these cameras are often soft-focused and have what some may describe as an "artistic" look.  So my little $50 pinhole lens is just a lens cap with a hole in the middle.  The hole is covered with  thin plastic sheet.  There is no high-tech aspect to it.  You put the camera on the tripod, open the shutter for however long (5 minutes in this case) and voila!  You get a picture.  There is no focusing, there is no worrying about f-stops or anything like that.  I like it very much.

Day 5: January 5th

I'm trying to stay true to the idea that this isn't about being perfect.  It isn't about taking the perfect picture or always using the "good camera" to do it.  This is about expressing ideas, telling stories and sharing experiences.  Like the daily puddle of sun that pools on my living room floor in late morning.

Day 4: January 4th

I was on the way home from a doctor's appointment when I could no longer resist these clouds.  They were sitting there in my windshield just waiting for me to pull off the road.  I did.  I rolled the window down and snapped this with my cell phone.  There is a lot I like about this image, but overall it is the layers of terrain and sky that makes me love this - and I do love this one.  The first layer is left-over snow at the bottom of the image.  Second is the brown field.  Third is the bristle of darker brown trees, like a bad haircut.  Fourth is the uninterrupted band of blue sky just before the clouds start to form the fifth and final layer.  It's as delicious to me as a layer cake with vanilla frosting!

Day 3: January 3rd

Let's face it.  We've all played with the idea that the world is too big, too small, or too stupid for our own comfort.  All three perspectives are right, just probably not at the same time.  When I took this picture, the world was right-sized and I was very content.  The morning sun through the bedroom windows was as magnificent to me as the Rocky Mountains in the snow or the Golden Gate Bridge peaking through the fog.

But you don't need to go to Colorado or California or ever leave your driveway to have an adventure of the mind.  There are worlds in our very own houses that are worthy of exploration and I wander around in my own like Horton trying to find Whoville.  I try to see new worlds in mundane things like this house plant, which is clearly plotting to overtake the lifeless trees in the yard.  Like the peaks and valleys of your bedcovers.  Ever imagine them as snowcapped mountains?  Ever want to ski down the slopes of your rumpled pillowcases?  Little worlds, people, there are little worlds all around us.

Technical info (well, sort of): No tripod was used.  This is a high dynamic Range (HDR) image.  It is composed of three frames all shot at f8.  They were compiled in Photomatix and then I think I further refined the image using Topaz Adjust.

Day 2: January 2nd

Mom and I found this scene while out on a morning drive.  We ate breakfast at the Golden Dawn diner and then we decided to go for a drive, even though it wasn't anything at all like a "golden dawn."  It was a bit rainy and snow from the last storm was still on the ground.  It wasn't too cold, though, so we had a nice mist rising off of the water.

Day 1: January 1st

This horse is Adrian.  He and I go back quite a few years.  I met him when he was a baby.  He owns my friend Barb in the same way my horse, dog and cats own me.  He gets the honor of being my day 1 picture.  I selected him from all the others I took that day, because what I hope for this year is to get outside more often, regardless of what the weather throws at us.  Let me change that - in spite of what the weather throws at us.  I hate winter, but in my experience bad weather can make for more interesting pictures.

Also and as Teddy Roosevelt said, "The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man."  I'm no man, but it turns out that this is true for women, too.  Another hope for this year is that I get to spend more time with my horse.

Focus, focus, focus

The Resolution

I've been online reading about and looking at these things called 365 projects.  The deal is that you take a picture a day and then post it.  You do this for 365 contiguous days and by the time you're done a whole year has gone by.  You have something to show for it.  Seems reasonable to me.  Chances are I would do it anyway.  I'm shooting all the time - the "good" camera, the camera phone, the point-and-shoot.  So, I figure, why not put a little structure around it.  Why not let other people see what I see.  I go some pretty cool places - my backyard for example, is just teeming with turf wars and cats trying to sell crazy.  You should see their fur stand on end when the neighbor's tom wanders over to drink from the pond.  Absolutely worthy of a shot or two.

So, the resolution is to actually do this.  Don't get too excited, I have never kept a New Year's resolution before.  I will say though, if you reward me with any measure of viewer loyalty, your eyes will grow fat with all the eye candy I am capable of providing.  I promise!