Daily Photos

< September 2012 >

September 1, 2012
There`s a fine line between fun and fear. Sorry, Teddy, you`re not tall enough to ride. Wait here. Poultry pals. Fence friends. For a photographer, it`s a really good day when a couple of girls in white boots approach and say, `Do you want to take our picture, jumping and throwing our pom-poms?`

September 2, 2012
I had more time today to take a picture of my houseguest (see August 23, 2012). For a brief moment, this leaf was a symbol of change . . . . . . then a car went by, and it became just a squished leaf. Ripples lingered in the puddle after the car drove past. A single drop of the Gulf of Mexico, delivered by Isaac.

September 3, 2012
Loitering on my porch. Obviously not hurricane-proof. The rainy morning was followed by a gloomy afternoon. Patriotic puddle. On the downbeat.

September 4, 2012
Today`s special. Who`s been walking on the plants? Change of address notice. Hoo painted this owl? Hoo? Hoo? Shadowlands.

September 5, 2012
Hey, you got some flowers from Wilt. Wilt -- get it? This way up. Don`t understand the physics of light, but don`t need to. How much is that doggy in the window? Sixty percent of today`s photos are of Oregon District windows.

September 6, 2012
Reminiscent of my near-perfect photo of October 3, 2011. This team tried hard, but lost their match very quickly. Chocolate makes you jump higher. Teamwork always works -- except when it doesn`t. `THIS IS PIRATE COUNTRY!`

September 7, 2012
I nearly went to the wrong location to shoot this game. Concentration. I care very little about football, but it photographs well. A moment later, she asked me to move my camera bag from the cheerleaders-only zone. I managed to shoot a few plays before the game was scrubbed due to lightning.

September 8, 2012
Ah, the glamorous life of a professional photographer: this morning I got up at 5:15am so I could take pictures of hundreds of little soccer players outside in the rain. One moment, the sun would be shining . . . . . . and the next moment it would be cloudy. This gave me great frustration, which was only partially relieved when some kid fell down trying to stand with one foot on the ball. Fun with a zoom lens. After taking 231 soccer pictures this morning, I was in no mood to go out and shoot photos for myself (or for you).

September 9, 2012
The orange-loving artist is working with new materials (see March 25, March 26 and April 15, 2012). She`s heading in an interesting new direction. No worries. She limited herself to one scoop. I had two. Our Lady of Burns Street.

September 10, 2012
Eight years of experience and an hour of shooting today resulted in this very satisfactory 1/125th of a second. I was in a flower and bug mood today. I got away from work 90 minutes early and headed straight to my favorite park with my camera and flash. Kids should be encouraged to explore nature -- to a point. How much did my macro lens cost? It doesn`t matter.

September 11, 2012
BEFORE being beaten by one of the best teams in Ohio. I`d think twice about serving the ball toward this player. Some high school kid seemed to question the cost my camera, so I showed him this. `That`s legit,` he said. The purpose of school sports is not to win trophies, but to cultivate the supreme self-confidence seen in this photo. Her team went down fighting, but went down quickly.

September 12, 2012
In golf, this is what they call a bad lie. `I hereby claim this land in the name of Fenwick High School.` Wait, is that real? Okay, that`s probably not real. I had no golf cart, a heavy camera, and only a vague notion of the way back to the clubhouse and parking lot.

September 13, 2012
Although this happens constantly during a volleyball game, it`s pretty rare to capture a photo of it. This happened to me a lot in school: rejection by girls. I had to show her this one during a timeout. She loved it. Going about their business of destroying the other team, they were always acutely aware of where my camera was. They`ve got it, and they earned it.

September 14, 2012
Urban Nights: upside down dudes. Urban Nights: people flinging themselves off tall buildings. Urban Nights: gigantic flotation devices. Urban Nights: people on bikes calling my name. Urban Nights: dancing in the streets.

September 15, 2012
Considering this wasn`t what I was shooting for, I`m not sure I deserve this photograph. But I will take it gratefully. This one was not a gift. I worked for this picture. Wait, did I just see an ewok? NO, look at the other camera! The youngest attendee at my photography workshop.

September 16, 2012
After getting through spring with hardly a sniffle, autumn allergies have hit me hard. I hope this medicine doesn`t make me sleepy, because I have lots of things -- {THUD!} She`s gone to pieces. There`s a certain slant of light on winter afternoons that oppresses like the weight of cathedral tunes. EMILY DICKINSON Okay, now just TRY to steal this bike. Robert Gould Shaw and W. E. B. DuBois, on their way back to the library. `If one must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the old.` C. S. LEWIS

September 17, 2012
Those aren`t soft berries, they`re hard, almost like nuts. Taking shelter from the bright sun. It distresses me to see small children playing with electronic devices, so I find this somewhat comforting. High-rise living in downtown Dayton for those who can`t afford the luxury condominiums in the Schuster Center. Yes, I allowed a Nikon in my house, but only for one night.

September 18, 2012
Which way will the political winds blow our country? Jimi Hendrix up close (see August 17, 2012). What did photographers do before automatic focus? Missed a lot of shots, I guess. Shades of beige. I had to get out my blankie today.

September 19, 2012
My new camera lens can capture the human aura. Welcome to downtown Dayton. The slips of paper said things like, `Great outfit` and `Have you been working out?` A flower grows in Dayton. My upstairs neighbor.

September 20, 2012
It begins a little early this year. It`s cold outside, so I stay inside. I have to make photos out of nothing. Every year, I wonder if I will survive the winter photographically. Maybe this will be the year I stop taking pictures.

September 21, 2012
I haven`t had much luck photographing football this year. Students don`t care about the weather -- or the game. With the game postponed, I looked for photos off the field. Despite the downpour, a bunch of damp trophies were handed out, which meant I had to stay and take pictures. Different school, different weather, same enthusiasm.

September 22, 2012
Consumers rush to obtain the new iPhone 5. Each runner has a shoe tag with an electronic chip that identifies them automatically at the finish line. This sport looks like so much fun! How can I sign up? Cross country is probably the most difficult sport I`ve had to photograph. Everyone is constantly moving -- even me. Nobody could catch up with her and she won her race.

September 23, 2012
Cheese ball! Golf ball! If it`s her birthday, why does she have to make the Tasty Delight? A bit of grilled chicken -- just out of reach. Happy birthday, Anna!

September 24, 2012
There`s always more work for me to do, and that`s good. Walking into the future. They`re heading for my car. Split level house. It tried to land on my face, but then flew away. I guess I should`ve shaved this morning.

September 25, 2012
Pencils are necessary because choir directors always make changes to what`s written in the music. See the pencilled annotations? It`s chilly in the choir room. I have many pleasant memories of childhood and music. This will be one of hers someday. These kids learn more about music than I`ll ever know.

September 26, 2012
Camera in one hand, umbrella in the other. Fortress. Elephant ears. Guy in a fountain. Higher education.

September 27, 2012
This is the best picture of the day. It`s all downhill from here. I`d turn back if I were you. Nothing to see here, move along. Hopefully tomorrow`s photos will be better.

September 28, 2012
Thunderbird. We shouldn`t have to live this way, but we`re used to it. Elections are more about who we vote against than who we vote for. Shyness in the shrubbery. Finding this was, quite literally, the highlight of my day.

September 29, 2012
At the start of the homecoming dance. This test shot turned out so nicely I couldn`t just delete it. As soon as the girls walk in the door, their shoes come off. Dance chaperones browsed the tables admiring them. High school royalty. At the end of the homecoming dance.

September 30, 2012
Remnants of last night`s homecoming in my camera bag. Fifth and Jefferson - looking up. Fifth and Jefferson - looking down. The downtown falcons were flying around hunting pigeons. I sure could`ve used a neutral density filter for this shot [Christmas present hint].

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