Monday, February 28, 2011

Day 70 - If They Vote For Me on Capitol Hill - 19 Feb 2011

If They Vote For Me on Capitol Hill

I've been to DC many, many times. In all those trips, I've taken some shots of The Capitol. Before this day however, they were all from the outside. Now, thanks to some special access arranged weeks ahead of time by Shelley, and the fact that it is open to the public, I was able to go inside and see areas just outside of the rooms where the laws and governing happens.

Bonus points if you view it large.

Extra bonus points if you can identify from where the title comes.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Day 69 - I Get Up, I Get Down - 17 Feb 2011

I Get Up, I Get Down

What's cooler than a picture of one of the really long DC Metro escalators? A picture of one of the really long DC Metro escalators taken with a fisheye lens. This picture messes with my brain to the extent that I can convince myself that the escalator is going or I can convince myself the escalator is going down. Maybe there is some metaphor for life in that.

Day 68 - School Day - 17 Feb 2011

School Day

Back to school this morning to watch my son portray a statue of Ben Franklin that comes to life. On the way in I noticed that the big mirrors on the front of the school bus distort the view just like my fisheye lens. Risking causing a paradoxical ending of the universe, decided to see what would happen if I took a picture of the mirror with my fisheye lens. Science!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Day 67 - For Forty - 16 Feb 2011

For Forty

I'm now looking at the world from the other side of 40. May actually do a SoapBox post with my thoughts after traveling around the sun 40 times. Meanwhile, I got myself a fisheye lens. I apologize now because you are going to be seeing many funhouse pictures from this lens until the novelty wears off. This is a shot of the family to a birthday dinner at my favorite restaurant in Fred City. Notice the Swagger Wagon in the background. Part of the fun of being 40.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Day 66 - Fender Bender - 15 Feb 2011

Fender Bender

Despite my efforts and hopes, the most artistic thing I can do with a guitar is take a picture of it. Even this is not very original. Here you can see a similar guitar shot I took in 2009.

Maybe when this odyssey is over I'll start on Roth52 - A Song A Week Music Odyssey.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Day 65 - Light Up My Life - 14 Feb 2011

Light Up My Life

We don't really celebrate Valentine's Day here in the House of Roth. Why does there need to be some arbitrary day where you express fondness for one another and eat candy? Shouldn't that happen every day?

Even so, that does not mean we can't borrow its symbol for a little light painting. All it takes is a coordinated assistant (thanks, Shelley) and two mag-lights.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Day 64 - Flying Dog - 13 Feb 2011

Flying Dog

"Hey, our kite string is caught in a tree. Can you help us rescue it?"
"Indeed I can, but first I must take some pictures."

Day 63 - Pinewood Racer - 12 Feb 2011

Pinewood Racer

Glad I did not wait until the end of the race to take this picture because there were no smiles then. He finished the day as the fastest car in his den to not make it to the Super Derby. Still he had the excitement of doing very well in all but one of the heats and the satisfaction that comes from doing most of the work on the car himself.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Day 62 - Another Day - 11 Feb 2011

Another Day

Here is a shot from my Random-Stuff-on-my-Desk series. The orb is one half of a yin-yang meditation set that I got in Epcot China in 1989. Not sure if it is yin or yang. Probably yin. It is perched on a Gorilla Pod which you are supposed to put the camera on, but who am I to follow directions?

Day 61 - Who Will You Be? - 10 Feb 2011

Who Will You Be?

"You can't take a picture of this; it's already gone." -Nate Fisher

The small kitten quickly becoming a big cat is yet another reminder of how quickly time passes. You can try to freeze bits of time, but even as you do they are already past.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Day 60 - Choose Wisely - 9 Feb 2011

Choose Wisely

Some of you know why we had a pair of styrofoam heads. For those who don't, it is not worth explaining in the context of this blog. Just trust me on this.

The point is, we did have them and I think if they had styrofoam brains and functioning styrofoam mouths, they would ask to be included in this photo odyssey. I tried several poses, but was having the same kind of problems I have when posing actual heads. Shelley to the rescue. Drawing on something learned in Pysch 101 - she created the classic "is it two heads or a glass?" pose.

Day 59 - You Ain't Got No Alibi - 8 Feb 2011

You Ain't Got No Alibi

Good light can make most anyone look better. Not this guy. This friendly frige face taunts me whenever I notice him. This morning the golden morning sun made him look especially unflattering, so of course I grabbed my camera. Who's laughing now?

Friday, February 18, 2011

Day 58 - Linguini - 7 Feb 2011

Linguini

Even people on a photo odyssey need to eat. That means that sometimes they need to cook. And that leads to the zone where food and photography meet. So what if the kids are hungry and the water is boiling out of the pot?

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Day 57- Everything Your Heart Desires -6 Feb 2011

Everything Your Heart Desires

Normally we shop at a supermarket. Normally I avoid Virginia because I am still mad at it for being between Shelley and me the whole time we were dating.

But this was Superbowl Sunday, and a regular supermarket would not do. No, we needed a Super supermarket. We crossed state lines to hit the best supermarket in the bi-state area: Wegman's in Leesburg, VA.

It was early enough that the forthcoming chaos had yet to come forth. The baker was delivering rolls. The Sushi chefs were rolling Sushi. The Yellow Raincoat Lady left the path for reasons I don't know. And I was capture it all.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Day 56 - Many Colored Days - 5 Feb 2011

Many Colored Day

"Some days are yellow. Some are blue. On different days I'm different too." - Steve Johnson

One nice thing about a photo odyssey is that wherever the day takes you, there is opportunity. Even if it Lowes. Do I get strange looks when I am taking pictures like this? Sure, but then I often get strange looks anyway and at least this way I get a picture out of it.

Day 55 - The Chaos Within - 4 Feb 2011

The Chaos Within

"You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star." Friedrich Nietzsche

This was one of those desperation over inspiration days. Ideas were not coming easily and the few I did have turned out poorly. Luckily among the vast and extremely random assortment of things on Ella's dresser was this plastic necklace. The use of a mirror and a flashlight made it appear just worthy enough to join the ranks of this odyssey.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Day 54 - Year of the Rabbit - 3 Feb 2011

Year of the Rabbit

Happy New Year! The Year of the Rabbit caused me to scurry through the house on a hunt for a suitable subject. Too bad it was not they Year of the Kitten or the Year of the Lego Minifig, because I could cover those in my sleep.

But, Year of the Rabbit it was, so the search was on. I then remembered the Bunny Tray. This was a wedding gift from childhood friend Dave Barclay, aka Rockin' Davy B. I remember when we opened it, I thought, "Ah...it's a bunny tray." It soon became a favorite and something we use for pretty much every cake worthy occasion. Thanks, Dave! Rock on!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Day 53 - Pillar of the Porch - 2 Feb 2011

Pillar of the Porch

Groundhog's Day was uneventful to the point where I was hoping to not have to relive it. There came a moment in the late afternoon however, where the color and quality of the setting sun gave the ordinary view outside my window a special something that was worth noticing. Realizing this is step 1, trying to capture it is step 2. Fifty three days into this jaunt I am getting into the habit of doing both.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Day 52 - Black & Tan - 1 Feb 2010

Black & Tan

The correct blending of dark & light is a key component in compelling photography. For example, the first pint I tried this with was on the stark white kitchen counter and it did not at all match the idea of the picture in my head. Luckily I took the second pint down to the Duck & Turtle where the warm tones of the wormwood blended nicely with the shadows in the room to get this shot.

Once I knew I had the shot, I drank the subject to celebrate.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Day 51 - Out of Dixie - 31 Jan 2011

Out of Dixie

When a guy looking for something to take a picture of meets a girl with a dwarf hamster in a dixie cup, you get this. Meet Pipsqueak, or as I call him, The White One (there is also The Black One, but he bites). Pipsqueak is like a very small Tribble that has had half its brain removed. I could not use a flash because he(?) does not like bright light. We are also careful not to feed him after midnight or get him wet.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Day 50 - Under Ten - 30 Jan 2011

Under Ten

You wouldn't know it by looking, but something I am trying to do this time around is take more portraits. It is certainly one area where my photography skills are lacking, so this could be a good opportunity for improvement. The specific kind of portraits I'd like to get good at taking are Environmental Portraits. Wikipedia defines these as:

An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject's usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject's life and surroundings. By photographing a person in their natural surroundings, it is thought that you will be able to better illuminate their character, and therefore portray the essence of their personality, rather than merely a likeness of their physical features.

So anyway, at least you now know what I was trying to do with this shot. Hopefully you will see more of these in the next 315 days.

Day 49 - Nice Beaver - 29 Jan 2011

Nice Beaver

I like diners. There, I said it. Beyond the selection of comfort foods and the Big Al's vibe, they often have interesting what-nots. After a tasty breakfast consisting of an omelet, home fries, and a side of scrapple, I took this closeup of the giant gum ball machine in the waiting bench area.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Day 48 - Bat Juice - 28 Jan 2011

Bat Juice

I'm no fan of rum. This is something I learned the hard way in college. Yo ho no. That said, I do have a favorite brand - Bacardi. It is not because of whatever characteristics make one rum better than another (rumminess?). It is because the bottle cap has a cool bat on it. Holy photo of the day!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Day 47 - After the Snow Has Fallen - 27 Jan 2011

After the Snow Has Fallen

This is what I wish this thing would look like on the first day of winter, but it never does. Just because I take a shot of this on the first day of each season, does not mean I can't shoot it other days, too.

Nice bonus of the snow is that you can't see me.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Day 46 - Faces in the Snow - 26 Jan 2011

Faces in the Snow

This has been a mean winter thus far. One cold day after another without the usual break of Springlike weather in between. And to top it off, no decent snows. That is, not until this day. Finally we got a snowman-making, sled worthy, snowball-fight-enabling, find-your-sled kind of snow. Before I grabbed my shovel, I grabbed my camera and took this shot.