Orangina

Photo #117

The first time I encountered Orangina was in France at the exact same moment I discovered that the French aren't perfect when it comes to creating delicious beverages. My daughter has recently discovered this "orange" beverage, and she actually likes it. She also likes Sponge Bob, so there is that. Before I let her somehow enjoy drinking it, I enjoyed taking a picture of it.

Fill My Night

Photo #111

What this blog needs, obviously, in MORE FIRE TRUCK. Well not really, but that is what you are getting. This particular firetruck is from the days when all vehicles didn't have LED lights. Even without them, the firetruck designers still managed to make this one of the most noticeable vehicles rolling down the highway.

Circle Takes the Square

Photo #110

The parade through town on Kentland's Day is exactly like the best parades at Mardi Gras, except not at all. One thing they have in common is me trying to take pictures of them. This is a firetruck wheel. Like those on a bus, it goes round and round. Not at this point - it was just sitting there waiting for the parade to start, with several firefighters hanging out wondering about the strange man taking pictures of the wheel.

Pick It

Photo #109

Now you can see what color the background of that flower from yesterday actually looks like. It is white. As in white picket fence. Lets consider the fact that two pictures in a row are of the exact same thing as an exercise in comparison. Lets don't consider it going back to the same well.

Tippy Toe

Tippy Toe by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #108

I cheated several ways on this picture. First, the flower was dry, well, at least until I sprayed it with a water bottle. Next, the background was not really purpley like that - it was white (as you'll see in Photo #109). It got purple thanks to some goofing around in Lightroom. I'm generally of the "match reality" school of photo processing, but sometimes the final product makes more processing worth it.

Downside Down

Downside Down by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #107

Geese. I still don't like them. Damn dirty birds. Even so, sometimes, when there is nothing better at which to point the camera, I will take a picture of them. Once that is done, I let Kenzie chase them away.

Cage of Souls

Cage of Souls by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #106

I wasn't going to include this one in Roth365 because I didn't think it was all that special. But then it got more love on 500px than most of my pictures, so maybe I just have no taste in what makes a good picture, even when it is my own. I will say it got lots better after I cropped out the bottom third. In a digital world, what is the reason to always stick to the aspect ratio of film?

Daddy Long Legs

Daddy Long Legs by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #100

I credit the odyssey with making me take the shot. This back in April when I was more concerned about getting my 7 shots a week, so as the sun was setting and shadows were getting long, I took out my iPhone and got this. Because of this, I think it makes a fitting shot for #100.

Flying V

Flying V by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #33
I told you they would be back. Maybe they are trying to spell out a message. What starts with LV? Maybe they are using Roman numerals to say 55, but why? Obscure Back to the Future Reference? Lets go with that. Meanwhile, I'll tell you a secret. The sky was not this color. I totally cheated and added a graduated filter in Lightroom. I try to avoid doing stuff like that, but sometimes the picture just needs it. This post dedicated to Hoops

Flying L

Flying L by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #32
My mother was scared of geese. Or maybe it was chickens. One or both of those attacked her when she was a child, and she never really got over it. Despite this, I spent most of my life geese-agnostic. That is until we moved to this house, which has some walking trails nearby. These trails go by some small lakes. You may have seen these in some of the pictures I've posted. When the geese are around, these trails tend to have a nice layer of geese scat.

This makes me like them less.

Anyway, I do still like geese in the air, as long as they are not directly over me. On this morning's walk, many geese were flying by in various directions. I don't know where they were going since it is the middle of winter, and they should just be staying in The South. Maybe they are Canadian geese and is this is their South, eh? Point is, the geese flew by, I took their picture, and it became Photo 32. A short while later some more geese (or maybe the same ones?) flew by, and I took their picture, too. If you don't believe me, wait until the next post.

Let the Water Hold Me Up

Let the Water Hold Me Up by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #23
Something of which I'd like to take a picture is an orange-footed duck standing on the ice. That may be happening in this picture, but it is hard to tell because it is still dark. This was a 1-second exposure using a simple MacGyver tripod (the railing along the path we call The High Road). I am facing mostly east, but it was either too early or too cloudy to get the cool sunrise sky I was hoping for. Even so, I like the way this came out.

Before Sunrise

Before Sunrise by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #22
I blame the dog for this. It was dark and wet and unpleasant out, and I was planning on exercising on the elliptical. Then she gave me that look, and the next thing I know, we were headed out into the dark, wet, unpleasant world. The lesson here is that while it is good to change how you see, where you see and why you see, it is also good to change when you see.

Dr. Pierce

Dr. Pierce by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #21
What interrupted me from shooting the woodpecker? It was this hawk. He flew right by in a way that conveyed the question "What's so great about woodpeckers?" Of course the first question is, is this the same hawk from Photo #13 I don't know! What am I, some kind of bird expert?

Would He?

Would He? by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #20
Another shot from the Sunday tree hunt, which I realize is really getting out of the spirit of a photo a day. Let me tell you, though, it is going to get worse before it gets better. I was nearly back to my house when my four-legged photo companion alerted me to the presence of a squirrel. Squirrel! While trying to shoot the critter, behind me I heard "tap tap tap tap tap". I turned and scanned the trees but saw nothing, so I went back to the squirrel. Once again, "tap tap tap tap". This time I turned around and caught a flash of red, which I quickly identified as a red-headed woodpecker. I followed him back and forth along the path until finally I got this decent enough shot. Right after taking this, I got interrupted by something even better...

A Peeling Tree

A Peeling Tree by Andy Roth on 500px

Picture #19
Another shot from the Sunday tree hunt. This is a photo that was made better by some aggressive cropping. What is no longer in the picture is the other trunk of this tree, which because of how I had the aperture set, was very blurry. Cropping is your friend!

Constricted

Constricted by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #18
This week's photochallenge had me out Sunday searching for trees. There are many trees here and that makes it feel like home to me. I'm sure I've walked past this one over one hundred times, but it has been case of not seeing the trees for the whatever else I had on my mind. I also was once again thwarted in getting a picture of the heron, this time due to a combination of lens malfunction and a disloyal dog. I did see some other cool birds later, but that is for another day.

Cold Dock Morning

Cold Dock Morning by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #12
By this point I felt about as frozen as the lake. I was on my way back, trying to increase my chances of making this frosty excursion worth it.

19 Degrees

19 Degrees by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #11
It was a very cold day, but I was warm in my bed. It was early, but I didn't have to get up. It was still dark out. Then I remembered Roth 365. A new week was beginning and that meant I had 7 new pictures to take. I put on my warmest gear, grabbed my trusty old Sony Alpha a55 and my trusty dog, and off we went. Soon the sun began to light the sky in blues and pinks and colors in between. I watched as a Great Blue Heron flew majestically silhouetted against this sky, forgetting I had a camera in my hand then cursing myself for being an idiot. Eventually I found myself on Black Snake Bridge, where I took this shot, which made the whole trip worth it.