Daily Photos

< January 2012 >

January 1, 2012
Happy new year. It was really windy today. Never say die. This was supposed to be the third photograph for today, but the wind blew it over here. It was tough to manage the inconsistent sunlight and wind ripples on the puddle, while avoiding the cars going past.

January 2, 2012
I have intended to shoot water droplet splashes for years. It took a cold, snowy day to keep me indoors to finally try. The pioneer in this field is of course Harold Edgerton, who was an engineer rather than a photographer. But it was a recent article about Martin Waugh that inspired me today. To capture just a handful of decent droplet photographs, I had to take many, many pictures that didn`t turn out at all. Some that weren`t what I wanted were still worth keeping. A true professional would use all sorts of electronics to control the droplets and camera equipment. My setup included a baking pan, plastic spoon and cereal box.

January 3, 2012
Today`s weather was perfect -- if you`re a penguin. Memory is the ability to gather roses in the winter. `There`s GOT to be some change down here someplace.` Page and monarch forth they went, forth they went together, through the rude wind`s wild lament and the bitter weather. `Sire, the night is darker now and the wind grows stronger. Fails my heart, I know not how, I can go no longer.`

January 4, 2012
If you had any doubt about the validity of this school, I`m sure the authoritative signatures will put your fear to rest. These notecards are being sold with my name on them. That`s nice, except for the fact that I didn`t take this photo. A twisted idea. Oddly enough, I have a 1942 yearbook from my college. This explains why today`s pictures were taken indoors, and why two were photos of other people`s photographs.

January 5, 2012
There are lots of boundaries in Oakwood. The only good thing about today`s pictures is that they represent Day Number 2,781 of my daily photographs. This is 40 West Fourth Street, but it doesn`t matter. Photographed from a moving vehicle, this Lutheran church in downtown Dayton resembles a smudged pencil sketch. Who wants to guess what this is? `ALUMINUM FOIL!` Uh... good guess. Pick up your prize on the way out.

January 6, 2012
Exceptionally warm weather, along with two library books about street photography, motivated me to get outside and actually make an effort with my camera today. Yes, people stopped to look at what I was photographing. And yes, I ignored them with great disdain. It`s what I do. The whole genre of street photography would be far less interesting without empty storefronts and harsh shadows. That`s the last time I order paint through the mail. Hoping to place myself alongside Lee Friedlander and Helen Levitt with this photo, I was instead humbled by a nearby observer: `I saw you fixing your hair in the glass.`

January 7, 2012
I wonder how primitive people reacted when they saw faces clearly appear on the ground. That`s my soul up there. THE POLICE You don`t really KNOW there`s a tree nearby. Okay, now you know there`s a tree nearby. Contradictions.

January 8, 2012
I think I`ve mastered this whole street photography thing. Need a silo? This one`s available. Then a bunch of guys showed up and started dancing and singing about the Jets and Sharks. It was cool, daddy-o. Four Eat mor chikin.

January 9, 2012
Amber waves. I wave back. He`s upset about the recent ban on texting while driving. Authorities are seeking a squirrel with a spray can. Silent eloquence. Another chain disappears into oblivion (see December 23, 2010).

January 10, 2012
First picture of the day. Still getting warmed up. I`m glad that color photography was invented. It took me about 48 hours to start liking this picture. On the other hand, I liked this picture even before I took it. Winter means dry skin.

January 11, 2012
It may be the world`s oldest sport, but I don`t have to like it. `Hello, my name`s Todd and I`ll be your pain-giver tonight.` As long as there`s still a pulse, the ref lets them wrestle. Although she lost her match, this athlete won my respect. `Say uncle!`

January 12, 2012
Stealth car. ;^) People who take pictures all the time are totally creepy. A new restaurant has opened in the Oregon District (see August 14, 2011). It`s called Roost Modern Italian. I hope they`re successful.

January 13, 2012
I hope it`s warm where you are. Richard Wagner`s most famous four notes (see December 7, 2005). Today I stayed inside my nest and shot out the window. Move a chair from its normal room into another room and all sorts of unexpected things occur. `I warned you not to stick your tongue on that!`

January 14, 2012
How many CDs I unsuccessfully tried to burn last night. This morning, I ordered a nice new CD/DVD burner. Did you know that compact discs were so translucent? In case it`s not obvious: due to the cold I spent another entire day indoors, not speaking at all. Ahhh . . . how nice. The reflection that five CDs make on the ceiling. Water droplet on a defective CD (A.K.A. a `coaster`).

January 15, 2012
Bright sunshine all day long had no effect on the ice. Life goes on . . . barely. On a day like this, a fur coat is a good idea. That`s good. Who wants to go to the bathroom in public? At this point, the sheer joy of being outside in the cold was beginning to wear off, but I still needed one more picture.

January 16, 2012
Cleaning day. UNDER NO MANAGEMENT The downtown Dayton landscape. Dangerous crossing. Beauty`s where you find it. MADONNA

January 17, 2012
No that`s fine, go ahead and leave my expensive new CD/DVD burner on the front porch all day, preferably with the label showing so everyone will know what it is. Thanks! I probably would`ve removed the electric lights from the Christmas tree before throwing it away, but that`s just me. Hovering over Dayton. Tis the season of death. I much prefer to see people move out of my neighborhood than move in, due to the very limited parking available. Unfortunately, these people were heading the wrong way.

January 18, 2012
Nothing in my neighborhood is new. We like it that way. Traffic light green, tail lights red. The Neon Movies lobby constellation. I guess phonograph records were translucent before CDs. Look what I received in the mail unexpectedly today. COLOR GUARD WILL SOON BE HERE!

January 19, 2012
Where am I going? I have no clue. How many pictures can I take from the front porch? There are some people who actually like this white stuff, but I don`t hang around with them. Even MY camera has limitations shooting in the dark. It`s 11:49pm. Today`s pictures almost didn`t get taken.

January 20, 2012
Now that`s some high-precision snowplowing. Awwww, not yet! Can`t I stay up a while and watch TV? Happy New Year! Or Mardi Gras, whatever. Pass the salt. Light snow.

January 21, 2012
Would you be satisfied with five pictures of this table? Probably not, so I guess I have to go outside in the cold. The cardinal I was stalking flew away, but mockingbirds are more self-assured. MELT!!! `Cold cereal AGAIN?!` Light ice.

January 22, 2012
Did you see that movie `The Thin Blue Line`? Day or night? Okay, enough joking around. Bring the city back. CLOSED. Please call again. Lower your utility bills this winter with NEW weatherizing T-shirts! Available in a variety of colors.

January 23, 2012
It was a springlike day, complete with flooding. When the fields are wet, or when I am? At about this time, it began to rain. Reluctant to ruin my perm, I retreated to the car. You mean you`re supposed to clean inside a vacuum? Who knew?

January 24, 2012
Update: I`ve now taken photos for 2800 days in a row. First time I`ve come across a tea bag in a rose bush. Late January is the perfect time to tackle outdoor projects. They`re dancing in the streets. Why so glum, chum? For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in. MATTHEW 25:34

January 25, 2012
Another lineup of unusually tall girls from Alter High School (see November 12, 2011). HACK! I can usually get good shots of sports I don`t understand, but if it`s a game that I`ve played I know where to look. They`ll rough each other up on the court, but come to the sports banquet wearing dresses, high heels and lipstick. This game was a blowout from the first quarter.

January 26, 2012
They say the neon lights are bright on Fifth Street. Our most precious resource just laying on the ground. Apparition. Rush hour. It`s all about the colors and lines.

January 27, 2012
Food poisoning, scene 1 of 5. Food poisoning, scene 2 of 5. Food poisoning, scene 3 of 5. Food poisoning, scene 4 of 5. Food poisoning, scene 5 of 5.

January 28, 2012
Very rarely do I have any connection to the people in my pictures. This was just a free indoor event in winter. Great pictures require a quality camera, an understanding of photographic technique, and the nerve to shoot from places where you`re probably not supposed to stand. I can see individual drops of water. Kinda love my camera. She was an all-state gymnast in high school, but then discovered a new (and much more damp) sport in college. The hard part is coming out of the water before breathing.

January 29, 2012
Believe it or not, this porch looks better than it used to. I wonder if there`s also a dried up Christmas tree inside. Who? Or, more importantly, why? How much is that photographer in the window? And in a nearby window, the President of the United States.

January 30, 2012
Birthday lunch. Birthday leftovers. It`s all about the colors and lines. It was another springlike day in January. Archaeology.

January 31, 2012
Cardinals usually fly away when I get this close. Historic homes are fully of useless, but endearing, details. BEWARE OF CAT Like memento mori found in some Renaissance painting, my photos are frequently filled with reminders of mortality. Yet another squirrel with special dietary requirements (see November 6, 2011).

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