What next after completing two 365 Projects?

I have now completed two 365 Projects. I will not be doing one for 2013.

2011 – Primarily DSLR

2012 – Primarily Camera Phone

It really has been fun making sure I made a photo every day. It has given me inspiration and helped me develop creative building blocks. Now I plan to pause, take a step back, focus and create intentionally.

Using a camera phone this year helped me stretch even more to ‘get the shot’ with lower grade tech (such as the Union Flag below). It also resulted in some pretty subpar photos getting in. I feel 2011’s DSLR (And associated developing of photos) helped me grow further across the year.

So, what next?

I’m considering publishing a photo book. Perhaps using photos that the two years of 365 Project furnished me with. What do you think?

Should I do it?

What would you like to see in that book?

94 Additions to the 365 Project for 2012

Whoops. Two things happened today.

First up; Today I did my “every once in a while” check for SmugMug Windows Phone 7 apps and low and behold discovered one was released around about the time of the birth of my second son – that might explain why I’d not noticed it. This is GREAT news as it means I can publish dailies directly from my phone vs. these insane bulk updates. However I’m mildly surprised that after all my tweets to @SmugMug on the matter that they didn’t have a note to ping me (and others?) who had been braying for it.

That leads me to the second thing… a bulk update of photos. Now the advantage of the bulk update is I was able to swap out some camera phone photos with photos taken with my DSLR… I guess I can always have temporary or stand in photos from my phone for dailies and if there are photos I take with my DSLR that I love, process and publish then I can swap out a day here or there.

After three months of not publishing I am quietly happy to realize I didn’t skip and days. Both photos link to the 365 Project for 2012 gallery.

Storm Front

Just a little quick and dirty HDR that I threw together last night. Taken in Suncadia, near Cle Ellum Washington. The HDR (Photomatix) was necessary to pull out the foreground whilst retaining the detail in the clouds. Final touch up happened in Lightroom. Its was a beautiful and epic scene. A nice warm day which broke to threatening storms in the distance. There was a breeze in the fresh mountain air, but it wasn’t cold.

I ended up completing the 365 Project uploads last night and this one holds the enviable spot for that day, which had allot of photos made on it.

Click the pic to see it in it’s full glory.

Halfway through the year

Crikey, that was quite the update. Although I’m not quite up-to-date I thought I’d go ahead and post about this latest upload as it nicely marks the midpoint through 2012 and marks June 7th through July 1.

It’s a big one, for two key reasons 1) It’s the first update since our second son was born 2) It’s, well… allot of photos all at once.

As I stated at the beginning of the 2012 project my plan was to use my camera phone more. Alleviating the burden of feeling the need to carry a DSLR everywhere, every day, as I did in 2011. Packing that kind of photographic punch is a great experience and helps you ride the learning curve like nothing else.

That being said I’m frequently impressed by the camera phone’s capability. It really is a test in composition and lighting. The occasional filter doesn’t hurt and of course you’ll not be doing large prints of them. It’s no Canon 5D MKII + 50mm 1.2L for control, quality or artistic leverage – and no I’m not just saying that because of the price delta between the two. Amount, size and quality of glass and sensor do make a difference.

On another note; I’m still waiting on an app to be able to upload to SmugMug from my Windows Phone, so I’m not attaining my prior aspiration of uploading daily.

Either way here’s the little guy taken with my Samsung Focus phone;

Welcoming the Canon 50mm 1.2L

Just shy of an “up-to-date” update I did a significant upload of dailies today. I continue to struggle with an elegant SmugMug upload solution for Windows Phone 7. I found “MySmug” but it strips meta data which is unacceptable. I need date sorting! Despite Windows Phone photo app woes I still love it more than the iPhone, the interface is just the unsung hero of user experience and I am prepared to sit it out. I’m also a Microsoft employee, I do maintain that’s not why I love the phone.

Recently I was lucky enough to get a Canon EF 50mm 1.2L and I love it.

Let me restate that just to be clear;

I LOVE it

It is an epic, legendary, monumental piece of glass. It’s not for the faint of heart. all sub f2.0 aspherical lenses exhibit focus shift, unless they have a floating rear element (make a pricey lens even pricier). The theory goes that the nature of the 1.2 is intentional. Due to all that buttery bokeh. Canon have been making lenses for a long time and this design was very much on purpose. Shift isn’t a problem wide open… which, let’s be honest, is the reason you buy this lens in the first place. But wide open you are up against another challenge, the thinnest focal plane you have ever worked with. I feel like 25K Shots over six years with the Canon EF 50mm 1.4 just about prepared me. All of these properties add up to the lenses epic nature, its just that it’s allot to handle if you are not used to it. Oh, and it’s heavy. The results however…

Without further adieu, here is a photo ala 50 1.2…

Oh No! No Photo!

Mega backlog of photos uploaded for 365 Project today…

To my horror I realized I’d missed a day, last Friday. No! How could this be? I’m so diligent. Even if it’s a lame photo, like today, I get one… at least one… always!

Ugh… that’s taken the wind out of my sails.

Seeing as I’ve technically failed for “a photo a day” this year, do I continue?

Does the fact we have an extra day (Feb 29) entitle me to one miss? Keeps it as a 365 Project, I guess? What do you think?

No Dumping 365 Project

I just dumped a bunch of 365 Project photos up online – I’m still without an elegant Windows Phone 7 + Smugmug solution. Let me know if you find one.

This upload actually includes a few shots with my DSLR, the below isn’t one of them

Click it to see this and more photos after the jump…

Dailies and Lightroom 4

I’ve not been too happy with my camera phone performance these past several days, by in large… But it’s certainly providing good feedback. Low tech tools. Funny, I never thought I’d be referring to the convergence of photography and telecommunications and computing and the internet as low tech.

Then I also noticed Lightroom 4 is in beta – woohoo! Exciting stuff! Amazed it took me this long to notice… it’s been a busy few weeks I guess.

Here’s one of my recent photos that I’ve been happier with.

Dailies update

Post snow and a 365 Project update – just threw up several new photos from the past week or so – I’ve continued to slack on the ‘publish daily’ plan due to the lack of any suitable Windows Phone aps for SmugMug. I should note with all my app complaining that I love the Windows Phone*.

DSLR vs. Phone

Last year’s 99% DSLR project certainly had enormous benefits such as getting to know the tool, really well. I also feel my art benefited – the results from a DSLR generally being much more pleasing and thus I feel the feedback loop fed my eye in very pervasive ways. And of course shooting RAW and developing 365 photos developed that muscle.

That being said I’ve been enjoying the challenge in January of taking dailies with my phone, and I’ve been very pleased with some of the results even without any treatments, edits etc. such as the below. I do plan on using my DSLR soon, honest! The phone has been a whole new challenge. Often forcing me to get in close, being more conscious of light and composition.

The geeky bit

Done on the laptop. My Windows Phone app issue withholding… My phone syncs over Wi-Fi to my PC (not laptop) at night, sends all the photos over. So I was able to lounge with my laptop connected via Windows Live Mesh to my home office PC and do the uploads. I could Mesh the photo directory and then I’d have them on my laptop… I’m just not sure I want to sync all those photos onto my work laptop, maybe I’ll consider that. Either way then a simple drag and drop on the Mesh session to upload the photos to SmugMug and then did the sorting/naming on my work laptop.

*Windows Phone

I’m not just saying that because I’ ma ‘softie (which I am). I genuinely prefer how it surfaces information at my finger tips, even from within aps. Check in on Foursquare from your home screen without needing to load the app, then click check in, pin actual locations right to the home screen if you wish… pin different cities weathers, websites to the home screen. You get the idea… you can pin virtually whatever you want even from the bowels of apps to your home screen.

Snow storm impacts publishing!

I’ve got my hopes pinned on a few forth coming aps I’ve caught wind of to be able to upload my dailies to SmugMug effectively. Until then I’m subjected to the same “Spending time at my PC” roadblock to get images online.

Last weeks Seattle winter storm left us w/o day care or the ability to get into the office pretty much the whole week. Whilst technology helped us get work done (go Lync!) it was tricky juggling a toddler (try, they are heavy, even one is tough).

Net net less time spent on line.

Less photos published… so, stay tuned. Mean time here’s the 15th’s during the start of the storm