Daily Photos

< August 2010 >

August 1, 2010
This morning I photographed a sixteen-year-old student athlete in the Oregon District and downtown Dayton. Our previous appointment for a photo session had been postponed because she got a black eye playing volleyball. She was very reluctant to smile, but seemed to get by pretty well with this wide-eyed, smoldering stare. Most of this girl`s previous pictures were taken in wheat fields and barns, so I wanted to show her in the big city. Her experience in the big city included rude people yelling things at her as we took pictures. Welcome to Dayton!

August 2, 2010
The picture is lamely derivative, but I`m comforted to know that many respected photographers shot the same thing. You`re so vein. I like to eat sunflower seeds too, but usually from a bag. Why are there colors in nature? Think about it. I`ve been doing this for 2260 days in a row, and I still haven`t grown tired of taking pictures of flowers. You probably grew tired of looking at them 2000 days ago.

August 3, 2010
For photographers out there: how high off the ground is the camera? For photographers: are the orange flowers in the background there by accident? I waited for the Keebler elves, but was disappointed. For photographers: start shooting as soon as you see it, get closer, shoot more, get closer . . . until it flies away. Being locked inside Smith Garden wouldn`t be too bad. Being locked outside Smith Garden would be a tragedy.

August 4, 2010
Heat, haze, a bit of lightning . . . that`s about it for today. Continents in the sky. Don`t worry, guys. I`m sure the lightning won`t hit YOU. This was one of the small ones. More lightning? No, a car driving past.

August 5, 2010
Jazz is rhythm. Jazz is harmony. Jazz is melody. Just pause a moment and reflect on this photograph. What the chipmunk saw.

August 6, 2010
I thought I had exhausted the genre of window blind shots, but I noticed this as I was walking out the door for work. Tap dancers don`t go anywhere without a wooden board. En plein sidewalk. Many happy returns. A lot of people were in the office late on a Friday night.

August 7, 2010
It`s a picture of a butterfly eating. If it was a dog or a cow eating, would you be saying, `Oh wow, that`s beautiful!`? Anybody with a camera can take a picture of something. What makes it good is what`s around that something. If you`re planning to photograph butterflies, do it in the morning before their wings are warm enough to fly. Instinct drives this little guy to eat constantly. It will need all of that stored energy during metamorphosis. A monarch butterfly`s wings are covered with millions of tiny scales that produce the distinctive patterns of color. The little spots on its head are splotches of Wite-Out.

August 8, 2010
Ahoy, maties -- shiver me Styrofoam! It`s time once again for the Outrageous River Derby (see August 9, 2009; August 10, 2008; August 5, 2006; and August 14, 2005). Lady Gaga took time out of her busy schedule of being scandalous to serve as the mascot for this boat. The Love Boat got cancelled. Honest Abe`s story didn`t hold water. Meanwhile, back on dry land.

August 9, 2010
The first soccer game of the season will be played here in less than 24 hours, and the field has no white lines on it. How tacky. Moments after taking this amazingly boring photograph, my camera fell off the tripod and onto the hard tile floor. I then took this picture just to see if the thing still worked. The camera seems fine, but the lens is badly damaged. So the last thing I ever shot with the broken lens is a picture of the new one I ordered to replace it. There`s a good reason why I`m not allowing you to see the price.

August 10, 2010
After breaking my ordinary lens yesterday, I set out today a special lens that`s best for shooting flowers and bugs. Flowers and bugs, bugs and flowers. If that`s all I did, I wouldn`t need a new lens. They were constantly dropping little gifts on the sidewalk. Don`t even TALK to me about autumn yet. Fortunately, someone had time to put lines on the field.

August 11, 2010
An artist has been painting in my neighborhood and these tape marks help her remember where to place her easel. If I was really mean, I`d move them a little bit every day. A secret: I photographed this gate yesterday, but didn`t need it to make my five-a-day quota, so I reshot it today. What`s behind the green door? And what imbecile painted it? This is no exaggeration: when someone who OWNS a cat stands near me, it`s hard for me to breathe. Two blouses -- neither of them mine. You will see at least one of them again soon.

August 12, 2010
I`m still using the bug-and-flower closeup lens today, but I hope that my new zoom lens will be delivered very soon. On a walk through the playground. I never could do this. Swinging was more my style. Taking pictures in the morning is a necessity, since I hide from the heat during the rest of the day. So close and yet so far. My new lens was on my front porch, but I wasn`t home to sign for it.

August 13, 2010
I told you two days ago you`d see this blouse again soon. You`ve seen this smile in April, May, July and now August. I don`t know what my problem was in June. She hasn`t worn all white since eighth grade graduation. I must admit that I MADE her put on all those necklaces. I was also scheduled to photograph a laywer in his office today, but this was much more enjoyable.

August 14, 2010
My new lens arrived finally, and as is typical I began testing it in the living room. I eventually took it outside, although it was very rainy. My new lens has greater zoom capability, so I don`t have to get as close to cats as I did before. The female cardinal enjoys a vegan meal of fresh berries. While the male cardinal dines on a nice meaty cicada.

August 15, 2010
Left over from someone`s recent cookout. People eat these, but it`s interesting that no animals have touched it. What`s at the end of the rainbow? An orange construction barrel. When this juvenile heron reaches breeding age, its top bill will turn yellow like the bottom one is now. In a few days, I`ll be back to photograph this scene again and the river will be full of college students in kayaks. Idiot proof?

August 16, 2010
A typical Canon lens has a red stripe around the end and is part of the `L` series. My new lens has a green stripe and is part of a new family of lenses called the `DO` series. A raging fire erupts in the middle of campus, conveniently located inside a metal bin. As luck would have it, a nearby student is taking her fire extinguisher for a walk. The student saves the day, while a man in a blue shirt stands by helplessly.

August 17, 2010
It`s easy to spot the UD cheerleaders around campus. Sunrise and shadow. As I took this picture, I thought of Heidi and Matt (see May 1, 2010) who, I just found out, are expecting a baby. A very tiny sliver of time. A longer sliver of time.

August 18, 2010
Instead of spending a typical Wednesday in the office, today I hung around the Great Miami River in Dayton. I mentioned on August 15 above that I planned to take this photograph, but I didn`t expect there to be geese in it. No trip to the river is complete without electrocuting fish. The fish shocking session [say that three times] resulted in the capture of a northern pike, very rare in these waters. The day culiminated in a somewhat insane jaunt through the RiverScape fountains.

August 19, 2010
The appealing face of my neighborhood. The unappealing face of my neighborhood. I stand head and shoulders above other photographers. A nearsighted phantom. I will never get tired of shots like this.

August 20, 2010
Danger is my middle name. TSI is just a nickname. Groups of identically dressed freshmen came through the Library today on a scavenger hunt. They may never set foot inside the building again during the next four years. Marking the success of the women`s soccer team in 2009. They are so good, they`re running out of room on the board to show it (and leaving the men`s team behind). With four hours to go until a game, it`s time to put lines on the soccer field. A totally spontaneous moment in the Library reference room (see January 30, 2009).

August 21, 2010
This spider looks hungry for breakfast. Leftovers from the spider`s dinner last night. Nature`s gift: a silky white flower petal covered with dew. Nature`s curse: bugs biting me while I photographed it. Have you ever seen a bee with a yellow square on its face? Or with a number 9 on its eye? I will probably never drop my camera on the ground again (see August 9), but I can`t rule out dropping it into a pond.

August 22, 2010
The side that faces the sun has turned red. Foreclosed and abandoned. I`m still trying to get accustomed to working with my new lens, and at this point I was feeling a little disappointed. Then I managed to get shots like this from a long distance and in dim light and I felt better about the new lens. I`m repeating myself. It`s the apple picture again, but with a flower this time. I`m repeating myself.

August 23, 2010
Students are back! Students are back! Students on their back! Flying in on the redeye. A full moon was glowing in another direction, but I`ve DONE full moons before.

August 24, 2010
When I reach a certain level of desperation, I put on the blurry lens. `Blur is Cool` claims the manufacturer. Nearly anything looks more interesting in a partially blurry photograph. I even photographed a brick wall with this lens and it looked good (although I didn`t choose to show it here). This shot would be unusual even without the blurry lens.

August 25, 2010
As part of the ongoing Library art project (see June 30 and July 9, 2010), very small collages were hung today. Normally I have a bit of sympathy when I see someone has been ticketed on campus, but this person parked a big SUV in a spot that wasn`t even a spot so it was deserved. Annie being mysterious. It was the first day of the semester and I worked about 13 hours. I bought a sandwich for dinner at 9pm and nearly ate one of the toothpicks as I wolfed it down. I`d smile more if I put the sticker on someone else`s forehead.

August 26, 2010
Sprinkler at sunrise. She`s reading a book. Her cell phone must be broken. Today the large sections of the art installation were hung. Notice a consistent color scheme? My new lens (see August 16 above) is now boxed up and ready to be returned. Considering what I paid for it, I expected more than mediocre pictures. Stay tuned . . .

August 27, 2010
Contrary to popular notions, a sunny day is very bad when you want to take photographs outdoors. Direct sunlight creates bright highlights and dark shadows on whatever it is you`re photographing. This is a tombstone. Somebody should`ve told this guy you can`t be rich AND dead simultaneously. Monarch butterfly awash in a sea of green. Do Not Capitalize The Article.

August 28, 2010
f/2.8 f/5.6 f/11 f/16 f/32

August 29, 2010
A college volleyball team from Arizona played another team from Virginia. The gym, in Dayton, was empty. I`m kind of between lenses right now, but my bug-and-flower lens did a pretty good job shooting sports today. Compare this to my blurry volleyball pictures taken in the same gymnasium on September 9, 2005. Will my photos continue to improve as much in the next few years? No. 2 was a huge success in high school volleyball in Florida. Now a freshman in college, her team is 0-4. My volleyball pictures have improved due to a combination of experience and very expensive camera equipment.

August 30, 2010
I`ve never had a cat pose for me before. An ordinary plant MEANS something, and if you thought about it enough, it might change the way you live your life. Me, reflected in the eye of someone I photographed today. It was such a peaceful neighborhood before the NASCAR driver moved in. This is the textbook to a class I`m in this semester. It will help determine whether I`m a real photographer or just an aspiring amateur. So far, it`s not looking very good.

August 31, 2010
I can see clearly now. A giant photo of mine in a display case. I didn`t particularly like this shot, but it`s getting a lot of exposure around town. Visitors hardly ever come by. Most of what you see here are morning flowers, but this is a rare evening flower. It has been a long time coming.

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