Terry's Photo Topics

Working on My Book

2012-01-08T22:50:00.002-05:00

After a year of posting almost every day, this past week has been dead silent. Project 365 is over and I am now working on other projects. To start with I am trying to compile my years worth of images into a book.

I have decided on a 12x12 book published via Blurb. I started out with a four side per week layout, but decided that I wanted a book with fewer pages. I am now working on a two side per week layout that should work well.

I do find it a challenge to get a layout I like and using the aspect ratios of the photos.

I hope to publish by the end of January.

Project365 366: One Year Later

2012-01-02T13:12:00.001-05:00

During 2011 in did "Project 365". I took a photo a day, every single day, and sometimes a hundred photos to get one keeper. I organized my work into weekly self assignments. The project was very successful. Not only did I take a picture everyday, but I also posted it to this blog, usually within a day of taking the image. According to Google Analytics I had 1400 unique visitors over the year. My audience was global; Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, India, Germany, France, Mexico, Indonesia, and Italy were my top ten countries. With visitors from 74 countries in total. For a good part of the year the images were cross-posted to Facebook (until they turned off the RSS syndication feature) and also on Google+ . So from a shear numbers perspective, I am under counting. Although numbers are interesting, they are not my measure of success.

Note: If you were a regular visitor and would like to put a tip in the jar, click on one of the advertisements on the blog. Thanks.

Why did I do "Project 365"? The basic goal was to improve my photography. Without a doubt I have achieved that goal. It may not be obvious by flipping through my years worth of imagery. In part because you can't see what I threw away! I found the structure of a theme useful in order to force me to stretch just that much more. I avoided the "easy out" of taken a picture of my toes before I went to bed. I also used it as an opportunity to focus on and improve some techniques. For example while working on my black and white theme, you only saw one image per day, but I experimented with many. I also combined that with specific reading on various topics, such as Andrew Gibson's "The Magic of Black and White".

I have sure you have all heard of Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule . I certainly did put in 10,000 hours during my year. I didn't keep formal track, but I estimate somewhere between 500 and 1,000 hours invested. David duChemin wrote an article entitled 'Do The Work'. He cited several quotes that I would like to repeat directly.

“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” ~Emile Zola

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working.” ~ Picasso

“Just as appetite comes by eating, so work brings inspiration, if inspiration is not discernible at the beginning.” ~ Igor Stravinsky

This whole concept of putting in the time behind the lens, and also the critical evaluation of your work - every day - is a key benefit of Project 365.

There are some limitations that come along with the rigours of daily production, at least for me. I was not able to spin a longer tale. Although the week's work did have some consistency to it, they did not form a cohesive story. Perhaps it can be done, if one were to make it a full time job, or had more established talents.

Many have asked me, "Are you going to do it again?" My answers is maybe some year, but not 2012. I want to spend this year coming catching up on some of the great images I took in the past year, but didn't have time to deal with and also to work on the larger bodies of work. One such effort will be a book of the years worth of imagery.

I started Project 365 with a self-portrait and for day 366, that is the way I will end it. Happy New Year to all.

Self Portrait 2012

1/4 f/2.8 70 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

Project365 365: Three Hundred and Sixty Five!

2011-12-31T21:27:00.001-05:00

Three Hundred and Sixty Five! I did it. Not a single day missed, but as I was reviewing my images for the year I almost thought I missed day 293. I had misplaced the file. I am glad I found it because it was one of my favs.

I will provide more of a retrospective in the new year, until then Happy New year to all!

Three Hundred and Sixty Five!
,Ontario
1/30 f/4 35 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Color Efex Pro 4 - Polaroid Transfer and frames via Fotosketcher

Project365 364: Kaput Candle

2011-12-30T20:17:00.001-05:00

Second last image of the year's Project 365. Both the candle and I share a common theme. We are both almost kaput.

Note: if you try something like this yourself, watch that you don't overheat your lens or get it smoky.

Kaput Candle

1/4 f/7.1 105 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Canon 500D macro filter. color Efex Pro 4 - tonal contrast detail extractor, glamour glow and borders

Project365 363: Wishbone

2011-12-30T17:58:00.001-05:00

The wishbone is often the last remnants of a holiday meal. My personal challenge (or wish) with this photo was to see if I could make an interesting image with a bone as the featured item. I am stll contemplating what I could have done different or better. Afterwards I took a look on some photo sites to see what other might have done. The most interesting images I found were of multiple wishbones which made for some interesting patterns.

Wishbone

1" f/5 28 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
color Efex Pro 4 - tonal contrast and borders

Project365 190: The Business End

2011-12-29T13:25:00.001-05:00

I am going though my entire years worth of Project 365 images and discovered that I didn't post one on day 190. What can I say, I was on holidays. My theme that week was descanso, meaning to relax. Although this bee was hard at work, I wasn't.

The Business End
Puerto Vallarta,Jalisco
1/200 f/9 105 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Color Efex Pro 4 - detail Extractor, centre brighten and borders

Project365 362: The End of The Day

2011-12-28T20:28:00.001-05:00

Sunset at Lake Wilcox; I originally had a different concept for this image. I was thinking of the dead end road with the signage being the feature and the sunet as background interest but as played around with the scene I decided that the sign didn't work and instead I would feature snow capped rocks.

The End of The Day
Lake Wilcox, Richmond Hill,Ontario
1/5 f/7.1 28 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Color Efex Pro 4 - sky Light (x2) and borders

Project365 361: Running on Empty

2011-12-28T18:28:00.001-05:00

Many people has asked me if I am going to continue with Project 365 into another year. My answer is 'no'. Just like the fuel in my tank, I feel like it is time for a change.

Running on Empty

1/10 f/2.8 190 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Color Efex Pro 4 - film grain and borders

Project365 360: The End of Dessert

2011-12-26T15:35:00.001-05:00

Today marks the the beginning of the end. As is my custom I start my new weekly theme for Project 365 on Mondays. This week my theme is 'Finis' as in 'The End'. This week will feature the end of things.

I might also use the opportunity to explore some more complex lighting setups. I now have a new Apollo softbox that I need to learn how to use.

The End of Dessert

1/50 f/20 40 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Color Efex Pro 4 - tonal contrast and borders

Project365 359: The Family of Snow

2011-12-26T12:08:00.001-05:00

They are taking refuge on our window sill. There was not enough snow on Christmas day for them to be outside. They were happy nonetheless.

The Family of Snow

1/50 f/14 50 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Color Efex Pro 4 - tonal contrast and borders

Project365 358: Ornament

2011-12-26T10:49:00.001-05:00

"So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them." Luke 2:16-18

Ornament
1/40 f/4 105 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Frame added with Fotosketcher

Project365 357: Street Scene

2011-12-26T10:30:00.001-05:00

We went out to see the Mayan exhibit at that the ROM (recommended). This was the Yorkville scene on the way back to the parking spot.

Street Scene
Toronto,Ontario
1/30 f/4 84 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
color Efex Pro 4 - tonal contrast Levels and Cruves, and borders

Project365 356: A Royal Tree

2011-12-23T11:40:00.001-05:00

The pick for today was a toss up between the Christmas Spirit Tree at Union Station and this tree in the lobby of the Royal York. I liek the way this turned out.

I'm not going to show you the image from Union Station. It was a pretty good shot - I thought. I had the tree and the central clock in balance with each other. It was thinking about the idea of travelling home for Christmas. And then I had both of those refelcted in the polished countertop. I thought I had nailed it. When I got home I realazied that I had missed a big item; Also in the reflection was a brochure stand with bright white papers. It is amazing to me that I didn't see that when composing. I guess I was too focused on the main composition and mental assumed that the relfection would match. Lesson learned - probably not. :-(

A Royal Tree
Toronto,Ontario
1/10 f/4 24 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
color Efex Pro 4 - tonal contrast and borders

Project365 355: Catch a Falling Star

2011-12-21T23:01:00.001-05:00

But reindeer don't have pockets! The Eaton Centre has these massive reindeer on display. They have these stars decorating their interiors.

Catch a Falling Star
Toronto,Ontario
1/60 f/4 67 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Color Efex Pro 4 - detail Extractor, centre brighten and borders

Project365 354: Glass Flowers II

2011-12-20T23:01:00.001-05:00

The TD Centre has these large urns with a Medusa like growth of glass flowers with a light bulb on the end. Interesting.

Glass Flowers II
Toronto,Ontario
1/125 f/4 35 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Color Efex Pro 4 - detail Extractor and borders

Project365 353: Portrait of an Angel

2011-12-19T22:58:00.001-05:00

Christmas, its traditions and its Christian roots are both important to me. Luke 2:8-15 tells the story of an angelic visit to a group of shepherds some 2000 years ago. The song they sang was “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Every year we place an angel on the top of our tree. There must be millions of angels on top of trees around the world, perhaps much like it was back then.

Portrait of an Angel
Richmond Hill,Ontario
4.9999996711455" f/32 195 mm (This was simply a coincidence that this image was also a 5 second exposure)
Canon EOS 40D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Frame added with Fotosketcher

Project365 352: What Time Is It?

2011-12-18T21:40:00.001-05:00

It is said, "That a man with one watch knows the time, but a man with two is never sure!" But what if your watch has more than one second hand?

My final image from my "5 Second" series. Exposure time was 5 seconds. Flash set to pulse every second, which is why there is six second hands.

What Time Is It?

4.9999996711455" f/32 150 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

Project365 351: Descending

2011-12-18T15:48:00.001-05:00

This was a very experimental piece. Water droplets and a five second exposure? Since they would just be in the field of view for a fraction of a second, how could I catch anything interesting? To freeze the motion I used my flash and set to to pulse at one flash per second, so during my 5 second exposure it would pulse 6 times. So the droplets in this image are different droplets, each caught during separate pulses. The orange hue comes from the bottle of dish soap sitting in the background. I originally tried to smooth out the noise in the background, but then changed my mind and decided to enhance the noise to give a texture to the background.

Descending
Richmond Hill,Ontario
4.9999996711455" f/18 153 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
dFINE, Color Efex Pro 4 - detail Extractor, tonal contrast, and borders

Project365 350: Spinning Wheel

2011-12-17T13:44:00.000-05:00

I recently discovered (thanks JM) that Toronto has its own Christmas Market at the Distillery District. This is the last weekend so hustle on downtown if interested. Expect crowds and parking to be a pain. Check out the web site at http://torontochristmasmarket.com/. I'll post some photos of the place sometime soon. But this image is for my weekly theme of '5 seconds'.

Spinning Wheel
Toronto,Ontario
4.9999996711455" f/16 18 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Frame added with Fotosketcher

Project365 349: Too Much Coffee

2011-12-16T11:16:00.002-05:00

This was taken from the Go Train Window as we approached Union Station from the east. You can see the Toronto Star building on the left side. The train was moving along slowly and as the shutter was open I zoomed all the way out and then back in again to create the 'V' formation. Ironically and despite the title I hadn't had any coffee yet that day. Perhaps it could be described as withdrawal jitters.

Too Much Coffee
Toronto,Ontario
4.9999996711455" f/11 18 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Frame added with Fotosketcher

Project365 348: Shooting Stars

2011-12-16T10:43:00.000-05:00

The technique I explored today also involved a car, but this time I set up my tripod in the passenger seat and pointed the camera out the side window. I used a 'cable' release to hold the shutter button down and turned on the repeat exposure feature. I set the exposure manually (eventually) with a Tv=5. Then I drove around the neighbourhood looking for front yards decorated with Christmas lights. I drove past them slowly to capture a streaking light effect. This image was rotated slightly for effect.

Shooting Stars
Richmond Hill,Ontario
Frame added with Fotosketcher

Project365 347: Warp Speed Mr. Scott

2011-12-14T08:36:00.000-05:00

I found this an interesting way to explore longer shutter speeds. I mounted my camera on a gorillapod and set it in the dash. I mounted ND filters to be able to hold back enough light. Try all of your windows not just the front. There were some out the side window that I really liked too. A few tips. Make sure your sensor is clean as you will likely need to use very small apertures. Use ND filters to stop down the light. Wear black and bring a black cloth to cut reflections of the dash. Clean your windows. And don't forget safety: wear your seat belt and have somebody else drive.

Warp Speed Mr. Scott
Richmond Hill,Ontario
4.9999996711455" f/32 41 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Color Efex Pro 4 - detail Extractor and borders

Project365 346: Ghosts of Christmas Present

2011-12-12T23:08:00.000-05:00

This week I am going to try making images that has a particular and yet arbitrary constraint - 5 seconds. More specifically a shutter speed of 5 seconds. I haven't pre-planned the weeks worth of images as I sometimes do, so this will be a week of discovery.

Ghosts of Christmas Present
Toronto,Ontario
4.9999996711455" f/20 52 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Color Efex Pro 4 - detail Extractor, tonal contrast, and borders

Project365 345: Chocolate and Cream

2011-12-11T19:08:00.000-05:00

I mentioned on day 343 that Poinsettias are a common decoration in my house at Christmas. Chocolate is another common ingredient. So I mixed those two up with a chocolate-cream duotone rendition of this white Poinsettia.

Chocolate and Cream
Markham,Ontario
1/15 f/4 67 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM

Project365 344: Blue Christmas

2011-12-11T18:56:00.000-05:00

One of the neat things about black and white conversions is that you can also tone the image. This is a blue and cream combination that I like. In Lightroom I have set the highlight hue to 50 and the shadow hue to 217. (Don't forget to pull up the saturation as well). The original image was very warm with a lot of red and orange hues.

Blue Christmas
Richmond Hill,Ontario
1/5 f/4 105 mm
Canon EOS 40D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Black and White conversion in Lightroom