The Snow Falls

The Snow Falls [60/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

60/366

We got a brief late winter snowfall this afternoon and evening. After a long day at work, it was quite nice to watch the snow illuminated by this street lamp on my walk home.

Chili Powder

Chili Powder [59/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

59/366

inspired by recent spice photos from djwtwo and DadAndHisCamera I decided to try my own tonight. This is chili powder for tomorrow night's chili dinner (precooked the beans tonight, which gave me the idea), surrounded by dried chipotles, fish peppers, and yellow cayennes. I tried a bit more zoomed out shot as well, but I liked how the chili powder dominates the scene in this version.

Ring-Billed Gull

Ring-Billed Gull [58/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

58/366

Not a very inspired day today photographically. Tried a few things that didn't come out all that well. I just happened to spot this gull while taking some other photos (none of which ended up worth keeping) and grabbed a quick shot that I was reasonably happy with.

I must say this gull was pretty fearless - I had my 50 mm on my camera so I was amazed I could get close enough to get this shot before it flew off. In retrospect, I probably should have dialed the aperture to something more like f/4.0 to get the entire gull in sharp focus, but I only had one shot at this so this will have to do. It is nice practice to have only one or two shots at a subject, instead of being able to shoot 100 photos and then pick the best at the computer.

A Crown of Trees

A Crown of Trees [57/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

57/366

I've been shooting with prime lenses (28mm and 50mm) almost exclusively for the first few months of this 365 project. It has been a great experience, but today I decided I wanted to play around with a lens I don't use as much as I'd like, my 10-22mm wide angle lens. At the widest zoom this lens gives a pretty interesting perspective on the world which I am I sure I will continue to explore during the course of the year.

Walking Hand-in-Hand

Walking Hand-in-Hand [56/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

56/366

Walking together to dim sum for lunch today. From right to left, my wife, my son, my 3-year-old cousin, and my teenage cousin.

Happy Fence Friday

Happy Fence Friday [55/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

55/366

A gray, rainy day today. I was struggling a bit to think of something to shoot and decided to turn to Flickr groups for inspiration. So Happy Fence Friday, everybody!

Shattered Colors

Shattered Colors [54/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

54/366

Spent much of the evening playing around with some ideas for this week's Gizmodo shooting challenge, on the theme of "Shattered". I tried a few things that didn't really work, but am reasonably happy with how this cracked CD looks.

Door into Night

Door into Night [53/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

53/366

I often walk past this church on my way home from work. I've always liked the door - while it isn't particularly fancy, in the right light it has a certain moodiness to it, I think.

Closed

Closed [52/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

52/366

Not my best work, but some days any photo will do. Working late tonight, and noticed this flower shop as I was walking to the subway. The contrast between the bright lights inside and the closed sign struck me. I'm not thrilled with the lack of crispness for the closed sign was crisper (shooting hand-held at 1/10 sec is tricky), and I think the composition could be a bit better.

Spring Bursts Forth

Spring Bursts Forth [51/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

Day 51/366

Crocuses in bloom are one of the first signs of spring around here. I have to admit I'm not quite sure I'm ready for spring: we haven't even really had a good snow yet. But the crocuses bloom and the seasons turn whether we are ready or not. So here's to spring!

Dinosaur Party

Dinosaur Party [50/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

50/366

Whew, 50 days! Definitely feels like an accomplishment.

Today was my cousin's third birthday party. He had a dinosaur-themed party with this amazing cake. The dinosaurs are all characters from the TV show Dinosaur Train, which is apparently pretty popular with the three-year-old set.

At The Museum

At The Museum [49/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

49/366

Took a fun family trip to the Harvard Museum of Natural History this morning. Saturday morning is apparently toddler hour at the museum, since practically everyone we saw had a little one in tow. Isaac had a great time running around and looking at all the stuffed animals.

Lighting

Lighting [48/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

48/366

This 366 project has really made me think about lighting in a new way, and made me realize I have such a lot to learn about how to light photographs. And at least a little gear to buy if I want to get better.

Freedom Trail, Winter

Freedom Trail, Winter [47/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

47/366

Downtown again today meeting my brother for lunch, so here is another Boston shot. Inspired by Michael Avina's photo from Day 43, I've been looking for an opportunity to play around with shooting perspective, and this is what I came up with.

The Freedom Trail is a red brick path through downtown Boston that leads to many significant historical sites in the city. It is very popular with tourists, but on this wintry February afternoon not many people were around.

Box Office

Box Office [46/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

46/366

Went downtown after work today to pick up tickets for a Boston Symphony Orchestra concert we're taking my sister to at the end of March. Took a few shots walking around downtown Boston; this is my favorite but I've uploaded a few others as well.

Taken Feb 15, 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₄₀ sec at f/2.2, ISO200, no flash.
Lens: EF50mm f/1.8 II

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day [45/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

45/366

Port + chocolate + love = Happy Valentine's Day.

Pour-Over

Pour-Over [44/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

44/366

I've been really into pour-over coffee lately - it really brings out the flavors of the bean and makes a great cup.

Sea Urchin

Sea Urchin [43/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

43/366

I was feeling kind of uninspired yesterday so my wife suggested shooting something with texture (good idea!) so I settled on this sea urchin shell she found while snorkeling in the Caribbean during our vacation in the Turks and Caicos last year. I spent a while trying to get the lighting right - this is shot on a mirror with a window camera right letting in natural light, and a piece of white cardboard serving as a reflector camera left. I wanted to try to emphasize the texture of the shell, but adding additional light threw off the white balance so this is as good as I could get without real lighting gear.

Red Coat

Red Coat [42/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

42/366

Happy cliche Saturday! I've always wanted to play with selective color, and while I know this is a totally cliched shot, I couldn't resist.

Bricks

Bricks [41/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

41/366

Today's theme is bricks. A few more in the comments on Flickr (linked from picture).

Green Shadow

Green Shadow [40/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

40/366

Something a bit abstract today: the shadow of a tree on some green siding I spotted while heading out for some afternoon coffee. I was struck by the interplay between the crisp, straight lines of the siding and the tangled, chaotic shadow of the tree.

Old Couple

Old Couple [39/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

39/366

This pair of statues of an old couple is in the small square right near my house. The lights on the trees behind them made this photo too good to pass up.

Snow Moon

Snow Moon [38/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

38/366

February's full moon is often called the Snow Moon, although it has been anything but snowy in Boston this year.

I noticed the spectacular nearly-full moon yesterday, but did not have either a long lens or tripod with me. Today, I prepared, bringing both my tripod and long lens to work to get this shot (which is actually three exposures merged in Photoshop).

Sunlit Tower

Sunlit Tower - SOOC [37/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

37/366

Memorial Hall, in the beautiful late afternoon sunlight, straight out of the camera. Nice to be feeling completely better and finally get outside to play around with my nifty fifty. Will try to take fewer shots of this building for the remainder of my 366 - sorry if it is getting repetitive.

Superbowl Party

Superbowl Party [36/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

36/366

I've been wanting to try a Gizmodo Shooting Challenge, and this week's looked like fun. Definitely the most elaborate photograph I've ever produced: 22 separate photos, merged in Photoshop to this image. Also the most elaborate Photoshop work I've ever done. Not bad for a first effort - in the process I learned a lot about what does and doesn't work for these kinds of things, and have several ideas to try for my next shot like this.

Peek-A-Boo!

Peek-A-Boo! [35/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

35/366

Finally feeling a bit better today and had some energy to play with my son, and to upload pictures from the past few days. Hiding is a favorite game right now.

Dessert, or Sore Throat Therapy?

Dessert, or Sore Throat Therapy? [34/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

34/355

Had a nasty sore throat all day and kept dreaming of a nice bowl of ice cream. But was too cold from the chills to eat one, and had to make due with this picture instead (my wife graciously agree to eat a bowl of ice cream for the sake of art). Did the best I could with the ambient light in my kitchen, which is less than ideal - I will have to look into acquiring some real lighting equipment to improve these kinds of shots.

Ibuprofen to the Rescue [33/366]

Ibuprofen to the Rescue [33/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

Day 33

Feeling awful, but managed a picture anyway of my savior at the moment, ibuprofen.

Soothing Tea [32/366]

Soothing Tea [32/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

Day 32

Not feeling so good today, so this is the best I could come up with. Ginger tea with lemon and honey for what ails you.