Daily Practice 6/365

I was waiting to pick up a prescription, wandering in the village when I caught site of these subjects. My first thought was to go back to my car to get my camera, then I remembered that I'm always carrying my phone, which can be used. Not nearly as capable as most of my cameras, but in some ways a better tool for sharpening composition skills. The day was gloomy and it made the subjects seem sinister. Thinking of that, I titled this image:

"He saw harbingers of doom everywhere, in the bird of death and the sinister smiling man"

Daily Practice 5/365

I find the blur and framing of this image impart a sense of someone watching or being watched. I like the idea that a blurred image of iconic places can be an access point to childhood memories. With that in mind, I titled this piece:

"He remembered hiding behind grandfather's house, scared of the monster that might emerge"

Daily Practice 4/365

Wet, cold and miserable - not exactly perfect conditions for outdoor photography. I decided on using the Hipstamatic program on my iPhone, and stopped on the way home from work to look for a composition along the water. I picked this image because introspection has been on my mind today, and I was struck by the arrangement of the little islets in the water. This image is titled:

"In his deep introspection, he saw each issue as an islet in the ocean of confusion"

Daily Practice 3/365

I loaded my Holga with 50 ASA film to specifically experiment with multiple exposures on a tripod. I was hoping to get some good images of ghostly people at a local dog walking area, but the results were a little underwhelming, and I will need to rethink how to get the effects I want. I stopped at a duck pond in the park, and did this multiple exposure on a reflection of the trees. I'm struck by the waving, floating lines extending between the two darker masses.

I titled this image: "His thoughts were fragile tendrils floating between the dark masses of the underworld "

Daily Practice 2/365

The weather was wet, wet, wet earlier in the day, and then the sky cleared and the sun came out. I live near the Strait of Juan de Fuca across from the Olympic Peninsula and the sky can be quite dramatic over the water, with the mountains peeking through a veil of clouds. I followed along the coast, finally stopping at a lookout up above the Strait. Of the various images I had to choose from, I picked this image because I felt as if this cloud formation was a metaphor for past and future. I also like the historical reference to Stieglitz's "Equivalents".

Keeping in mind why I had selected this image, I've titled it:

"He felt as if his life was being redefined, the past separating from the future"

Daily Practice 1/365

Make one "serious" photo a day for a year - I've decided to commit to doing that for 2010. I see this project as a way to sharpen my eye, improve my compositional skills and become consistent in my art practice as it pertains to photography. I expect that most days I will have a number of images to choose from, so I expect to get practice at seriously evaluating my own images, figuring out what works or doesn't work and why, and improving my skills at "curating" my own work.

Today I started out the project by taking a new 4X5 pinhole camera and some expired Fuji instant film to a favourite spot near my house. I chose this image for the first of the series, even though it is not technically perfect (oh dear, that sloping horizon line). The wide angle of view, and the low perspective give a great sweep to the clouds in the sky. The imperfections in the emulsion spread that give a red line in the top left, and scanning to show the white border of the instant print give a sense of the history of making this image. And the "dark sun" gave me a point of reference for the titling of the piece:

"The new year was ushered in under a black sun, a chilling omen he refused to think about"

Bubble, Bubble, Boil and Trouble

A solitary walk along the sea on a stormy day brings an ever-changing tableau of drama that is oddly comforting and enticing. A stiff breeze sharpens the senses and makes the adventure all the more worthwhile. It seems very cliché to write this, but art is in the everyday moments, it's not only about big ideas and concepts, it's being open to opportunities whenever they present themselves.