Day 45 - Comeback - 25 Jan 2011

One thing I've done to prepare for my life as an old man is to master the game of Cribbage. This photo odyssey caused me to notice my old cribbage board sitting lonely and neglected on top of a bookshelf. After bringing it down and cleaning it off, not only was it ready for its closeup, but it soon was discovered by my son who is now preparing for his life as an old man.

Day 44 - Harry Potter and the G-String - 24 Jan 2011

Haha. See what I did there?

Day 43- Smoke4 - 23 Jan 2011

Luckily the AFC Championship Game did not hold my interest, because while it was on I decided to try something I've wanted to do for a while: photograph smoke. I'd read a bit on how to best do this, but it still took quite a few attempts to get anything decent.

My technique in a nutshell was to use an ingot as the source of the smoke since it gave a nice steady supply along with an aromatic wood scent. The room itself was fairly dark so I could control the lighting. I shined a bright flashlight from one direction and positioned the wireless flash pointing in from the opposite side.

Then it was just a matter of manually focusing on the smoke while following the smoke with the camera (which was on a tripod), while also pointing the flashlight. The final work was done in Lightroom where I used a graduated filter to modify the exposure and the color.

Even once I got the hang of it there were many many attempts that went right to the trash for each one that I saved. I processed about a dozen, and wound up with six worth sharing. Here are the other five - please click through to see them bigger.

Day 42 - Makes No Difference Who You Are - 22 Jan 2011

Despite arriving at the totally non-hip hour of 5:00, the restaurant we wanted to go to had an hour wait. Plan B was to go next door to Glory Days. There was nothing glorious about it. Not sure how they even got this star.

Day 41 - Worlds Colliding - 21 Jan 2011

Here in Chez Roth, Friday is Junky Cereal Day. You might think this is a small weekly indulgence to the youngins. You might think this is so I can have a break from preparing them a nutritious balanced breakfast. Or perhaps you think this is a subtle gambit by which I ensure a ready supply of tasty goodness that once the kids are out the door I can have all to myself, bwah hah hah.

In case you believe I think way to much about breakfast cereal, check out my Lucky Charms rant.

Day 40 - Clean Livin' - 20 Jan 2011

First time I had left the house since Day 36 yet somehow the Swagger Wagon needed gas. It was also desperately dirty, so a run through the carwash was in order. Most people find carwashes fun, but I find them kind of scary ever since the Bullet Sideview Mirror-ectomy of 1995.

Day 39 - Sailor's Delight - 19 Jan 2011

I bought this Canadian moon syrup bottle in 2009 thinking it might make for an interesting picture someday. The syrup was good, too.

Bonus Tip: If you have a Canadian moon syrup bottle filled with red food-colored water and you also have a kitten, do not leave the Canadian moon syrup bottle unattended on the counter overnight.

Day 38 - Repulser - 18 Jan 2011

Iron Man was my favorite Avenger long before Robert Downey, Jr. donned the red and gold. Despite not being to identify with Tony Stark's suave playboy ways, I thought his suit and the powers it gave him were just too friggin cool to ignore. That's probably why I bought several of these collectible statues back when I was in my collectible statue buying phase. Little did I know at the time that someday I would actually find a use for them.

Day 37 - Put a Cork In It - 17 Jan 2011

It is rare that a wine stopper gets long term usage in our house, but we stopped this bottle of Lobo Loco more than a week ago, and still have yet to restart it. Crazy, I know. At least it provided me with a bottle topped with a spiral, which I have had success with in the past

Day 36 - Through My Dreams - 16 Jan 2011

The early morning sun was shining through this plant, making it glow like something from Pandora. That was what I was hoping to capture. Instead I got this. At first I was disappointed, but before long it started to grow on me. You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.