52/5 seattle mountains

52/5 seattle mountains, originally uploaded by tpurk.

The last couple days have been crystal clear and those snow capped mountains have been begging for a photo. This is from Magnolia bluff.

52/4 winter berry

52/4 winter berry, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Went to one of my favorite spots....no, not the botanical garden this time. I went over to the disc golf course and took a bunch of these winter berry shots. Most of them were looking a little mushy so I probably should have done it before the snow.....

week #3

Snow.  In Seattle.  Seriously?  Apparently we're in for something being billed as a 'mega storm'!  Day one of the snow I thought it was pretty so got out and took some shots. Day two, it all melted.  Day three, we're socked in and it's still coming down.....

I'm over it.  Ready to move back to Vegas!

week #2

Adam turned 30 this week and we had a family/friends party for him Friday night - we made it a dinner and games night which was lots of fun.  Here's Adam and Jen for my week #2 POTW

week #1

52 proj #1, originally uploaded by tpurk.

A beautiful rainbow this week - we had plenty of misty rain to make one!

Yahoo!

Done. Finished. Completed. Accomplished. 

I completed my 365 day project with only a hiccough or two along the way.  There were days I was ready to throw in the towel, give up, fade away, but by that time I was so close (2-3 months) away from finishing, it seemed a shape to give up.  So I persevered!

What I learned:
    What depth of field (DOF) is and how to control it with my aperture settings
    What all (most) of those button on my camera mean
    How to 'make' bokeh (the blurry light effect in the background)
    How to make the silky water effect or hard splashy drop effect by controlling shutter speed
    My camera has multiple ISO settings to compensate for low light situations (if I can remember to change it)
    Where the ISO setting is on my camera!
    How to throw away 39 of the 40 shots I took and just keep the best one
    There's a huge community of photographers online willing to share techniques and encourage your efforts
    To carry my camera with me always; you never know when a photo op will arise
    To use a tripod
    Sometimes the beauty is in the details rather than the vista

The other thing I realized is I don't want to make the time commitment to continue it for another year.  But, I also don't want to lose my momentum and learning.  So this year I'm going to commit to a 52 project - one photo per week.  Since it's just one photo, I'm going to try to make the one I select a planned, considered photo (rather than a get-up-out-of-bed-because-I-forgot shot).

So, here's to 2012 and 52 more photos.  I'm so glad you stuck with me during 2011 and hope you will again - feedback is always welcome.
   

day 365

day 365, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Steph & Chris were visiting from NC and Ron hosted a luncheon - it was so much fun to spend all day hanging out with them and friends/family! Thanks for coming to Seattle for Christmas you guys!

organization -day364

organization -day364, originally uploaded by tpurk.

I committed to sharing organizational info for an art blog and this is the mess I have to organize!

winter beach -day363

winter beach -day363, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Finally got out of the house this month and took a walk on the beach - with Steph & Chris! The fresh air felt great and the conversation even better. Loved the chance to spend some time with them during their visit.

birch -day362

birch -day362, originally uploaded by tpurk.

I've been in the parking lot of the post office many times and never noticed this row of birch trees. Now in winter they stand naked and stark against the gray sky but gorgeous in their textured skin.

I added a slight sepia tint; black and white seemed too harsh.

Pinecone -day361

Pinecone -day361, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Loved this pinecone in my floral centerpiece. Added a little texture, just because.....

whirlyball -day360

whirlyball -day360, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Since Stephanie & Chris are visiting Ron & Jeanne, we thought it would be a fun whirlyball group, so we met for dinner and all headed north to play. Even though we haven't played for probably 15 years, it came back to us fairly quickly. Good times!

pier -day359

pier -day359, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Took Pat & Mike sight seeing in the drizzly, cold, damp Seattle weather. A truly authentic experience!

Christmas family - day358

Christmas family - day358, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Christmas morning with Pat and Mike visiting.

elf -day357

elf -day357, originally uploaded by tpurk.

A favorite Mark Roberts elf in my collection.

holiday mugs -day356

holiday mugs -day356, originally uploaded by tpurk.

The end of project 365 is near and my ideas are running short.....

foggy morning -day355

foggy morning -day355, originally uploaded by tpurk.

My first outside shot in weeks I think! The wires don't even bother me....maybe because there are SO many.

Peace ....and quiet -day354

Peace ....and quiet -day354, originally uploaded by tpurk.

For Mortal Muses prompt of peace...my take on it this week is time for peace & quiet = reading and a cuppa in a perfectly silent house!

The end is near!!!! Only a little over a week of photos to go!

christmas zoom -day353

christmas zoom -day353b, originally uploaded by tpurk.

I'm trying one of Kat's suggestions of using a longer shutter speed (2 sec here) then zooming while exposing. I had some interesting effects; this was one of my faves. I like how the bead garland showed up here.

Paper -day352

Paper -day352, originally uploaded by tpurk.

I'm done with the wrapping paper this year, but the boys will need to wrap their gifts when they come over Christmas Eve so it stays out a little longer!