Playdate

Playdate [196/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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Over the weekend, we had some friends from college and their 15 month old daughter over for a playdate/cookout. Isaac had a great time showing her his black pickup truck (previously featured here.).

Blackberries

Blackberries [195/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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Several fellow 366ers have been posting berry pictures (djwtwo and flashfix), so that must have been in my mind as I passed this (unripe) blackberry bush while walking home on Friday. Couldn't resist the shot, and I took note of the spot so I can return in a week when the berries will hopefully be ripe. This bush was pretty loaded.

Out of Ideas

Out of Ideas [194/266], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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I am so behind these days with everything - work, unpacking, photo editing, Flickr. While I would love to spend two hours redoing my watermelon shot from a few days ago, or playing with lighting bottles as some others have been doing, it just isn't in the cards right now. So consider this a 'keeping the project alive' shot more than anything else. Once the ongoing renovations to our apartment are done, and we can finally unpack and settle in, I will hopefully be able to return to the complicated shots with extensive setup.

I am definitely going to find time tomorrow to get caught up with Flickr, as I have seriously missed having time to see what all my Flickr friends are up to. I also really hope to finally get caught up with Dublin photos this weekend, we'll see. If I can get all caught up before Day 200, I'll be happy.

There are definitely days when this project is really tough.

Corn on the Cob

Corn on the Cob [193/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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Fresh corn on the cob is one of my favorite summer treats. Normally I don't eat it with butter, but I thought it needed a bit more interest for the photograph. Shot in natural light from camera right, with a sheet pan as a reflector camera left and a black metal pan behind the corn.

Boston Skyline

Boston Skyline [192/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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The Boston skyline, seen from Kendall Square in Cambridge. This is a five shot panorama, stitched and edited in Photoshop. With a bit more time I think I could do the stitching a bit better, but after playing with this on and off for several days I think it is time to call it done.

Boston Industrial Wharf Co

Boston Industrial Wharf Co [191/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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Fort Point Channel in Boston was, in the 19th century, a major shipping center, with extensive industrial warehouses developed by the Boston Wharf Co. Now, of course, the industrial activity is long gone, but the architecture remains.

Taken Jul 9, 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₁₆₀ sec at f/11, ISO100, no flash.
Lens: EF50mm f/1.4 USM @ 50 mm

Watermelon

Watermelon [190/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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I was trying for something like .avina.'s Day 30 shot, but with watermelon, but I couldn't quite get the reflected light to work the way I wanted. I think I need a more reflective surfrace, but it is also possible that watermelon is too translucent to reflect colored light the way an orange peel does. Still, I was reasonably happy with this for now and I'll have to try it again. Strongly backlight food is a fertile field.

Strobist info: 403 EX, on the table, directly behind subject at 1/32 power, shot through built-in diffuser.


Taken Jul 8, 2012 in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₆₀ sec at f/13, ISO100, no flash.
Lens: EF50mm f/1.4 USM @ 50 mm

Swan Boats

Swan Boats [189/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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This past weekend, we went to the Public Garden to ride the swan boats with Isaac and his grandparents (my in-laws). Despite some rainy weather, we had a great time. Isaac was very excited to see the swan boats, and several days later still likes to talk about them. Since Isaac's grandma has been looking forward to taking him on his first swan boat ride since he was born, I thought a portrait of the two of them was an apropos picture for the day.


Taken Jul 7, 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₃₂₀ sec at f/5.0, ISO200, no flash.
Lens: EF-S17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM @ 44 mm

Summer Nights

Summer Nights [188/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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I have gotten really behind with uploaded these to Flickr lately, although I've continued shooting every day. Traveling and then moving have thrown me off, so things may be out of order for a bit. I will try to catch up soon!

This is from last Friday, when it was ridiculously hot here. Cold cucumber soup, couscous with pesto, and a nice dry rosé from Spain was just the thing for dinner.


Taken Jul 6, 2012 in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₂₅ sec at f/4.0, ISO400, no flash.
Lens: EF50mm f/1.4 USM @ 50 mm

Dark Clouds Approaching

Dark Clouds Approaching [187/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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This has been a rough week for my 366 project. Between a huge backlog of photos to sort and process, the stress of moving, and lots of tasks piling up at work, I've been really struggling to find the time to get my shot each day. I have a long list of shots I want to try, but no time or energy at the end of a long day to set up anything complicated, and no creativity to make something exciting out of my day-to-day life. Sometimes, though, events intervene to give you inspiration, as happened tonight when I saw this storm cloud moving across the sky. This is a three-shot HDR, fired in burst mode, and composited in Photoshop.

Taken Jul 5, 2012 in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₄₀₀ sec at f/6.3, ISO200, no flash.
Lens: EF50mm f/1.4 USM @ 50 mm

Fourth of July Cookout

Fourth of July Cookout [186/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

My nephew celebrating the 4th of July, chilling in my parents backyard.

Water Fight

Water Fight [185/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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Some days the best toys are what's around, in this case spray bottles. After helping my sister Laura spray the vegetables at our weekly farm share pickup to keep them fresh, Sasha and Isaac decided it would be hilarious to turn them on each other. Predictably, hilarity ensued.

Peas In Bloom

Peas In Bloom [184/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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When viewed up close, the flower of the common pea takes on a new, exotic look.

Housewarming Flowers

Housewarming Flowers [183/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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The past ten days have been completely crazy. First, I was traveling, at a conference in Dublin for a week. Then, two days after I got back, we moved. In theory it was an easy move - just one floor up, from the downstairs to the upstairs of the two-family house we live in. However, the fact that renovations are still ongoing in our new apartment added a certain degree of difficulty. Still, we are now mostly as settled in as we can be for now. In the right light, and with a pretty bouquet of flowers my sister brought us, it looks like home.

I am slowly getting caught up with the rest of my life, including digging through the several hundred pictures from Dublin and getting caught up with posting. With any luck, tomorrow I will have some time to get a little caught up with what I've missed on Flickr.

Today is also the half-way point of this 366 project! Congrats to everybody who has made it this far.

Helping with the Books

Helping with the Books [182/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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Moving day! Isaac spent most of the day at his grandparents house while we moved, but in the morning he wanted to help put all his books in boxes. He has been a trooper throughout the whole process, sometimes handling the whole move better than the adults.

Possibilities

Possibilities [181/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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Although a move is stressful and exhausting, there is also something very satisfying about starting with an empty room and setting it up from scratch.

Packing, Packing

Packing, Packing [180/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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The packing tape dispenser - an indispensable tool for a move. I spent a lot of time with this in the two days between my return from traveling and my move this past Saturday.

Christchurch Catherdal

Christchurch Catherdal [179/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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About three weeks ago, I went on a business trip to Dublin. Since returning I've been quite busy, and am still catching up on the photos. Here are the rest of the 366 shots from that trip, although a few more shots might trickle out over the next few months.

My final day in Dublin was quite brief, as I had to catch a bus around 9 am to get to the airport on time for my flight. I did, however, have time to walk around for a few minutes in the morning, and took this photograph of Christchurch Cathedral. My hotel was directly across the street from Christchurch, which meant it was easy to get a few shots before checking out. This is a 3-shot HDR, merged in Photoshop and processed in Lightroom. A few more shots of Christchurch are on Flickr.

Queen of Tarts [178/366]

Queen of Tarts [178/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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About three weeks ago, I went on a business trip to Dublin. Since returning I've been quite busy, and am still catching up on the photos. Here are the rest of the 366 shots from that trip, although a few more shots might trickle out over the next few months.

I had breakfast most mornings at this small cafe very close to the hotel, called Queen of Tarts. They had amazing scones (pictured here), and also great eggs and tea. A very pleasant way to start each day while I was in Dublin.

Ha'Penny Bridge [177/366]

Ha'Penny Bridge [177/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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About three weeks ago, I went on a business trip to Dublin. Since returning I've been quite busy, and am still catching up on the photos. Here are the rest of the 366 shots from that trip, although a few more shots might trickle out over the next few months.

I took this shot, of the Ha'Penny Bridge, while walking back to my hotel after one of the earlier evenings of the conference. This was pretty tricky to pull off, actually, as I didn't have a tripod and there was no convenient resting spot. In the end I just cranked up the ISO and fired away on burst mode, figuring I could get one or two usable shots. This required some cleanup in post but came out reasonably well, I think. A few more shots of this bridge are on Flickr, as I took quite a number since I passed it usually twice a day.

Dublin Custom House

Dublin Custom House [176/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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About three weeks ago, I went on a business trip to Dublin. Since returning I've been quite busy, and am still catching up on the photos. Here are the rest of the 366 shots from that trip, although a few more shots might trickle out over the next few months.

Once the conference began in earnest, I had a lot less time for photography, so I have many fewer pictures from the remaining days in Dubiln. However, I was staying at a hotel about a 30 minute walk from the convention center, which meant I had a very scenic walk every morning along the River Liffey and plenty of opportunity to get a few shots in each morning. This is the Custom House, built in the 18th century to serve as a new custom house as the center of trade in Dublin inexorably moved further down the river towards the ocean.

Famine

Famine [175/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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About three weeks ago, I went on a business trip to Dublin. Since returning I've been quite busy, and am still catching up on the photos. Here is another batch.

The first day of the conference was a very light schedule: just registration and an opening reception in the evening. Thus, I had all day for sightseeing. I walked over quite a bit of central Dublin, hitting many of the highlights. One of the things I was most struck by was the public art: Dublin is full of interesting sculpture. One of the most striking and memorable was this memorial to the Irish Potato Famine (or Great Famine), titled simply 'Famine', by Rowen Gillespie.

There are a few other shots from the day on Flickr. I should get to uploading the remaining four days of my trip this week, and then I will be finally caught up (and can make my June mosaic).

Order of St. Patrick

Order of St. Patrick [174/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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A little over two weeks ago, I went on a business trip to Dublin. Until this weekend, things have been crazy and I've barely had time to think about photography, much less getting caught up with posting, but I am finally digging out from the backlog.

I landed in Ireland the day before the conference I was attending began, so I had some time to both recover from jet lag and explore a bit. The first morning, after some breakfast, I set out to explore Dublin's two cathedrals: St. Patrick's and Christ Church. Somewhat unusually, Dublin has had two cathedrals for many hundreds of years, dating back to the early Middle Ages. St. Patrick's is larger and somewhat more ornate, while Christ Church is older (but was extensively reconstructed in the 19th century, so most of the current church building is not particularly old).

The shot I chose for Day 174 is of the banners and hatchments of the Knights of the Order of Saint Patrick that fly over the choir stalls in St. Patrick's cathedral. A few more shots of St. Patrick's are at Flickr (click the picture).

Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus [173/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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A little over two weeks ago, I went on a business trip to Dublin. Until this weekend, things have been crazy and I've barely had time to think about photography, much less getting caught up with posting, but I am finally digging out from the backlog.

The day I left for Dublin was a brutally hot day (seems like we've had a lot of those this summer), and I was actually rather glad to get to the airport early, take some pictures, and work on my laptop in the cool, air conditioned terminal until my flight out on Aer Lingus.

A note to blog readers, if there are any of you: Sorry I have gotten so far behind with the blog; most of my posting has been on Flickr. With travel and moving, things have been hectic, but I hope to get the blog caught up to the present this week, and then be a bit more diligent about keeping it updated. As always, follow me on Flickr if you want to be guaranteed to see things as soon as they go online.

Strawberry Gazpacho

Strawberry Gazpacho [172/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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A brutally hot day today. So what's a perfect, quick dinner for such a day? Strawberry gazpacho! With some good bread and a salad, it is a nice relief from the 100 degree heat.

The recipe is very easy: puree 1 quart strawberries (hulled, obviously), 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/3 cup water, 1 Tbsp lime juice, 2 tsp honey, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 0-2 dashes Tabasco (to taste), a big pinch kosher salt, and several generous grinds of black pepper in a blend. Chill. Serve, garnished with cilantro, chopped strawberries, cucumber, and red onion (although today I left out the last two).

It was also another crazy day getting ready to leave for a conference in Dublin tomorrow, which is why I'm up at 12:30 am uploading pictures to Flickr. Sorry I have fallen way behind on my commenting, this week has just been too hectic to keep up. I will hopefully have some time tomorrow to see what my fellow Flickrites have been up to.

Old-School Retail

Old-School Retail [171/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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I was downtown today both to meet my brother for lunch and to drop off my camera for some badly needed sensor cleaning prior to my trip to Dublin on Thursday. While downtown, I took a few shots of some of the classic old department store buildings. This is Filene's.

Somerville Theater

Somerville Theater [170/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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The past couple of days have been tough photographically. I am leaving for a conference in Dublin on Thursday evening, and it has been a whirlwind getting things ready. This shot, of the Somerville Theater facade, is an idea I've been holding in reserve for an uninspired day, and yesterday was that day.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day [169/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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We had a wonderful weekend. Yesterday was strawberry picking, then community work day at my sister's farm. Today, we went out to brunch to celebrate father's day, and then headed to my parent's for a cookout. Isaac was in a great mood walking home from brunch, playing silly games, and this shot just summed up the day for me. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.

Hoeing Potatoes at First Root Farm

Hoeing Potatoes at First Root Farm [168/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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My sister's farm, First Root Farm, has a community work day every month, when members of the CSA (community supported agriculture) and friends of the farm get a chance to get out in the fields for a morning. Saturday was the community work day for June. We weeded tomatoes, built up potato beds, and laid burlap in the rows between beds to supress weeds. This shot is a potato flower with workers in the background; you can see the whole set here.

Old Fence

Old Fence [167/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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With the sun setting so late these days, I had some daylight left after dinner to go out in search of an interesting fence, and stumbled across this somewhat run down specimen. Processed a little more heavily than normal for me, but I think it works with this image. Happy Fence Friday!

A Long Day Ends

A Long Day Ends [166/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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I had a very busy day at work today, preparing for a conference next week, so I didn't leave until around 9 pm. I decided to take advantage of the fading light, and walked down to the Charles River for some sunset shots. This is my favorite of what I came home with.

Tatsoi

Tatsoi [165/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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I could not figure out what I wanted to shoot today, so decided to turn to my macro extension tubes for inspiration. After trying a few things without success, I hit upon the idea of shooting backlight salad greens (tatsoi, in this case). An hour and a half later, at 11:45 pm, I got this. I am quite happy with how this turned out.

Drinking at Drink

Drinking at Drink [163/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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My brother works in Fort Point, very close to Drink, one of our favorite bars. Since his office moved to their current location, we have tried to meet after work about once a month to enjoy craft cocktails. This past Monday was our trip for June. The light streaming into the bar at 5:45 was very nice, so I could not resist this shot.

Hakurei Turnips

Hakurei Turnips [164/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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Tuesday was our second CSA pickup of the season. It was kind of a hectic day, with a lot going on at work and dinner guests, so here is a vegetable shot from the CSA pickup.

These are Hakurei turnips, a mild white variety. They are excellent raw in salads, and also quite good braised.

Sweet Sunday, Ice Cream Edition

Sweet Sunday, Ice Cream Edition [162/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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One of my fellow 366ers, flashfix, has been posting delicious photos of sweets as her photo of the day every Sunday. This week I decided to get in the game, thanks to fresh local strawberries and amazing chocolate ice cream my wife made last week.

This is also my first attempt at lighting food with an off-camera flash. Ice cream on a hot night is a tricky subject as there is only so long you can adjust before it melts. Strawberries are tough too, as I couldn't figure out how really get the lighting so they pop.

Ocean of Petals

Ocean of Petals [161/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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A flower macro shot, inspired by :Elizabeth:'s shot from Day 94.

Stata Center

Stata Center [160/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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I was at the Broad Institute this morning for a seminar, so afterward decided to walk across the street to take some pictures of the Stata Center at MIT. This is really a wild building, with lots of photographic potential, so I will likely be back, but for today this was my favorite image.

Reflected

Reflected [159/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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I've been thinking about textures a lot lately, as for the "Get Pushed" Flickr group (where you get a new challenge every month issued by another group member) I was challenged to take one of my vacation photos and apply a texture in Photoshop. I'm still working on that, but in the mean time it occurred to me that puddles provide a sort of natural experiment in textures. Here is brick on brick - Memorial Hall at Harvard reflected in a puddle on a brick sidewalk, then flipped and processed in Lightroom

Alien Landscape?

Alien Landscape? [158/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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Lichen turns into an alien world when viewed up close.

My Sister the Farmer

My Sister the Farmer [157/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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This is my sister Laura, a farmer who runs First Root Farm in Concord, MA, which operates a summer vegetable CSA. As she puts it, "CSA stands for community supported agriculture, and that is exactly what it is – a unique partnership between farmers and their local communities. As a CSA member, you pay up front for a season’s worth of vegetables, providing the farmer with much-needed capitol for seeds and equipment in the off-season. In exchange, you receive a weekly share of the harvest during the growing season." Today was the first pickup for the season - chard, garlic scapes, kohlrabi, arugula, radishes, broccoli, lettuce, and bok choy. Yum!

Something Old

Something Old [156/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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Yesterday's picture was my son, Isaac, playing with his new Brio train set that he got for his birthday recently. Today, I noticed that the theme for the Flickr group Me Again Monday was "Something Old", and could not resist a shot of me with my Brio train set from my childhood, nearly 30 years ago. Happy Me Again Monday!

Choo-choo, All Aboard!

Choo-choo, All Aboard! [155/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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At his birthday party yesterday, Isaac got a set of Brio trains from his aunt and uncle. We spent a large part of today playing with them. Obviously a big hit!

Angel Food Cake

Angel Food Cake [154/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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We had a long-delayed (due to our recent vacation) birthday party for Isaac (2 years old) and his cousin Elyse (1 year old) on Saturday. My wife went a little overboard in a totally delicious way, and made both a chocolate angel food cake and a regular angel food cake, using 28 egg whites in total. They were quite amazing. This is the chocolate one, decorated with fresh strawberries.

Farmer's Market Season Begins

Farmer's Market Season Begins [153/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

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Although the summer farmer's markets have been going now for about a week, today at lunchtime I finally managed to make it over to the one near where I work. Although at the moment they are mostly selling herbs in pots, I still came home with asparagus, strawberries, lettuce, and greenhouse tomatoes. The early summer, when the first fresh produce starts appearing at the markets, is always a great moment.