Project 50 - Week 2 - Update #2

Project 50 - Week 2
Update #2

Here is my second attempt at making a panoramic shot of San Francisco.  I know its a bit blurry and pixilation is a bit high, but I think the overall look is pretty good.  As with yesterday's photos, these were more telephoto (around 220mm) than wide-angle.  The amusing part, at least for me, is that the bird (pretty much dead-center of the image) is the clearest part of the photo!

Now, this is a pretty large picture (printed, it would be approximately 34" by 7") and if you click on it to see it "full screen", you might need to scroll a bit left and right.  In total, this panorama is compiled from 7 photos.

Enjoy!

Web-Friendly JPG

Photo 365 - Day 359 (On The Edge)

Day 359 (June 27th, 2011)
Title: On The Edge


I wonder, when a bird looks over the edge, do they think: "Wow, that's a lot way down.  Hope I don't trip or anything.  Oh, wait, I can fly!  Ha!"

Probably not. 

Enjoy!

Photo 365 - Day 227 (Indiana Bird)

Day 227 (February 15th, 2011)
Title: Indiana Bird


Finishing my "trifecta" of bird photos, I have for you, Indiana Bird!  I was watching this bird walk carefully from one paver (paving stone) to the next, with a very dedicated/intense look on his beak.  Of course, the first thing that I think of (and who wouldn't) was the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  Specifically, the part in which Indiana has to walk on the stones, "In the Name of God" and missteps and nearly falls like 3,000 stories to his dooooom!  This pigeon had that same look.  I'm not sure if the bird was after the Holy Grail, but I'm more inclined to think he was looking for the Holy Breadcrumb. 


Enjoy!

Photo 365 - Day 225 (Punk Bird)

Day 225 (February 13th, 2011)
Title: Punk Bird

Lately, whenever we go to the local mall, there are always (as old folks say) "Punk Kids" hanging out.  They are just sitting around, trying to look cool (course, just hanging out at a mall all day, at least to me, automatically reduces your cool level to zero), having an attitude that only a 15-year-old who gets a $50.00 a week allowance and has their parents pick them up when it time to go home, can have.  They also have these remarkably silly haircuts ("faux-hawks" and the like) - not that I'm giving them any flack for that, I know when I was a kid, I had some epically silly haircuts.  But, I find is slightly amusing that they are all trying to express their individually and anti-establishment they are - but they all have the same $45 haircut that more than likely they got at a "stylist" (rather than a barber, like I used to back in the "good ol' days").  I'm sure, in 30 years, they'll be at the mall, see a group of "Punk Kids" with their silly Bowl Cuts (it's a look that could come back! You don't know!) and say: "Man, thank goodness I was never like that when I was a kid!" 

The more things change, the more they stay the same!...

Of course, this photo ties in with the story only because when I saw the bird, I couldn't help thinking: "I wonder if other animals in nature have the same problems..."  Here was this pigeon, standing on a rail with only one foot ("Punk Birds" always got to be doing something different), with a "avant garde" hair-do (at least, for pigeon's it is), just hanging out at the mall.  I wonder what he say's to his friends when they show up: "Sup, coo.  Coo.  Yo." ... Probably not.

Enjoy!

Photo 365 - Day 206 (Ink and Stamps)

Day 206 (January 25th, 2011)
Title: Ink and Stamps

Secrets of Scrapbooking: Ink and Stamps!

Inks and Stamps are probably the most customizable element of your project.  While their might be 100's of different papers and 1000's of ribbons, how you draw, stamp and/or color something is limitless.  While you might use the same stamp as someone else, you can use a different ink, you can stamp it with different pressure (therefor having the line density be different), and you can colorize the picture.  All of these factors your control to customize it to your hearts content!  Included when defining "Ink", is of course, one of the most essential elements of any project - the words!  A "Thank You" card is a lot less thankful without those words! 

Just remember, the pen (and ink, and stamps) is your friend! 

Enjoy

 Card by: Theresa A. of Our Results My Vary

Photo 365 - Day 201 (Spy Bird)

Day 201 (January 20th, 2011)
Title: Spy Bird


This one I took just because it was a bit silly (which seems to be a reason I take quite a few photos).  When I say this bird, it was standing in one place, hidden by some trees and it just kept turning its head back-and-forth, looking for something.  I could picture him saying: "You hear something?!  I know I heard something!  You were followed, weren't ya?!  You hear that?  What was that!?"  Poor little stressed out CIA bird... 

Enjoy

Photo 365 - Day 191 (Got Seed?)

Day 191 (January 10th, 2011)
Title: Got Seed?

I like birds, I think they are fun to watch and take photos of.  Now, normally pigeons aren't the smartest of all the birds (I like to compare them, intelligence-wise, to a brick).  But, this little fella was stalking me.  We had a lovely lunch all ready to go at my favorite deli in Santa Cruz (Eric's!), and down flew this bird.  I thought, "Oh, a bird.  How lovely!  I should take a picture before he remembers how to fly and leaves! (again, IQ of a brick)."  I shot a few photos and got my yum-wich and ignored the bird.  He didn't fly away.  In fact, he slowly side-stepped closer and closer till he was about 2 feet from me.  Then he gave me this look like: "Sooo... I see you sitting there, enjoying your lovely sammich.  I was just thinking, perhaps you might have some seeds in your pocket that you might want to be tossing over here.  No reason why you might want to do that, if you have any seeds... Course, it would be tragic, just TRAGIC if anything happened to you while you were eating that darn yummy looking sammich.  Yep.  Tragic." 

I realize that I might have read a tiny bit more into that look than probably was there.  Perhaps when he went "Coo?" all he meant was "I'm a brick that can poop on your sandwich!"  Either way, I was worried and gave him a cracker.  He was appeased and we finished our meal, albeit with sidelong glances at him the whole time, just in case. 

Enjoy

Photo 365 - Day 143 (Bird Lift)

Day 143 (November 22nd, 2010)
Title: Bird Lift

Alt title: Worlds Strongest Bird Competition.

We recently went to the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco, and outside in the parking lot there is this strange red/orange sculpture made of I-Beams.  I saw some birds sitting on top of the structure, just relaxing, enjoying the view of the city, and suddenly one of them flew off.  I just happened to catch the little guy right when he took off and was lucky enough to get a shot where one of his claws is still on the bar.  With a little creative cropping and a bit of imagination it looks like, to me, that the bird is carrying that beam away.  I can't imagine what kind of nest he is going to make, but I feel darn sorry for that tree!

Enjoy!

Photo 365 - Day 140 (Squawkmas)

Day 140 (November 19th, 2010)
Title: Squawkmas


For day 2 of sharing some of our Christmas decor, we have Squawkmas, our Christmas Parrot.  He's a small hand-painted parrot that we got back in 2001.  You'll start to notice that we really like animal ornaments (another bird tomorrow!)  We try to get at least 1-2 small ornaments each year, and we usually like strange animals (see yesterday's fish!). 


Enjoy! 

Photo 365 - Day 91 (Blackbird)

Day 91 (October 2nd, 2010)
Title: Blackbird

With my birthday fast approaching (ahh!  35!), I am reminded of a gift I was given by my grandmother on my first birthday.  She gave me a large book of Mother Goose nursery rhymes.  It was a British edition and had crazy drawings and art, as well as some very confusing rhymes.  I remember a few of them (as I am sure many of you do), but one that always stuck in my head (both due to the lyrics and the art) was a poem called: "Sing a song of sixpence"

It goes:

Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing
Was not a dainty dish
To set before the king?

The king was in his counting-house
Counting out his money,
The queen was in the parlor
Eating bread and honey.

The maid was in the garden
Hanging out the clothes,
When along came a blackbird
And pecked off her nose.

Clearly Ms. Goose was totally nuts.  Still, she lived in a shoe, so perhaps she just got high off the smell of the odor-eaters. 

Enjoy!

Photo 365 - Day 43 (Grey Bird) and Weekly Hindsight

Day 43 (August 15th, 2010)
Title: Grey Bird

While walking, I saw this little fellow sitting on a post, just looking at me.  I'm sure he was thinking; "Uhm, yeah, so, you got any spare crickets?"  Sadly, I was out of crickets, but he didn't mind.  We just watched each other for a bit, he let me snap a few pictures and then off he flew.

I'm sitting here, trying to think of how this story/picture is a metaphor (sometimes you just need to stop and rest on the post's of life and look at others or something along those lines) or has some deeper meaning (Art is fleeting and constantly changing), but honestly; sometimes a cute little bird, is just a cute little bird.

Weekly Hindsight

Photographically, this was a strange week for me.  I did have quite a few neat ideas of some project that I am going to be working on in the coming weeks (including fire!  Woo!) as well as some other art-related ideas - including scrapbooking stuff.  But, my actually productivity was really low.  I guess there are "do-things" weeks and "think-things" weeks.  This was a "think-things" week for me, but I'm hoping that it will turn into some productive (and interesting) photos next week and in the coming weeks. 

I guess that's my one bit of advice to folks this week, is write down ideas as you have them, even if they aren't perfect.  One of the things that really started me off on my idea-a-thon this week was finding an old little notebook that I had written a few ideas down.  These ideas were from months ago (before I even started the 365 project).  Most of the idea were just little one-line thoughts ("Fire and ice?  How to picture the idea of 'hot' and 'cold'?") and some of them were more complex.  Heck, one of them I even drew something, which at the time was probably important, but now I can't figure out what it is!  So, the next time you are at the dollar store or Target, pick up a package of 6-10 little notepads and some pens and just put one in every major area you spend time (car, living room, desk, work, kitchen, bathroom, etc).  You never know when a random thought or great muse will occur!  And if you draw some strange looking blueprint, make sure to label it!

Have a good week!

Anthony