Proj 365 Jan 31 On the Way to Work- ANother Old House

There is something about old houses that I just love. I managed to get to a McDonald's on my way to work for breakfast (they usually have just quit breakfast by the time I leave for work) and I passed by this old house on the way back to the freeway. Somebody's new dream a long time ago. I can't help but wonder how the people felt moving in that first time? What was happening the last time somebody moved out?

This is a prime reason I like having my P&S. I did not have my DSLR and the clouds provided great soft lighting. (I am going to post a discussion on my regular blog www.HLDPhotos.com) about lighting soon -no really I am).

Proj 365 Jan 30th Kiss of Love

Aaahhh, you haven't been kissed till you have been kissed by a beagle. My daily ritual is take the dogs out about 6:45 (or when they start whining) and we go around the yard and then I put them in back. I go back to bed (as I usually get home late from work) and I feed them alter. When I feed them, Lana (to the left) "knocks or pushes" me down and licks my face while Guinivere hops on top of my stomach and sits there surveying the world.

By the way, beagles are not dogs! They are the reincarnation of Harry Houdini in a little fur coat and I can't find the zipper. Their good points - Highly intelligent and inquisitive; their bad points? Highly intelligent and inquisitive.

Proj 365 Jan 29th A Shoe Repairperson

Had to get some shoes repaired the other week. (Not in this photo.) They were old but the only thing wrong was the rubber sole had come loose on one (where I pull them off by the heal with the other foot. Yes I know, don't do that). They are great for working in the yard and going out in all the snow and ice we have had as they are half boots that go up the ankle. And it was cheaper to fix than to buy a new pair just for snow and ice work.

When I picked them up, I thought it would make a great shot of the man at work. In the age of computerized everything, it was neat to see something done entirely by hand and dependent upon the skill of the person.

Proj 365 Jan 28th Surprise Sign

Lots to do and the clock is ticking.

This appeared in my yard the other day. As I live on the corner, signs tend to pop up but on the edge of the street. This is in my yard! I don't mind but I wish they had asked. OLCAFA is the "Oak Level Community Against Forced Annexation". The city of Rocky Mount has been trying (unsuccessfully so far) so annex our community as well as several others.

They say it will help us. They offer (1) Street Lights (which we already have); (2) City water (we already have and are paying for); (3) Sewers (which we will pay for by the foot and since I live on a corner lot, I will pay dearly) and then we will also pay to actually connect to the sewers; (4) Rocky Mount Police Protection. No offense to RM but they have their hands full currently. Rocky Mount has a higher crime rate than Durham NC! The mayor says it is because they report the crime figures truthfully while others don't! (Right, anybody that believes that I need to see about selling some prime swamp land in south Georgia.) The RM police are locate a long ways from out area and will take a long time to respond. The Nash County Sheriff is right down the road and does a terrific job (thank you folks).

The real issues?
(1) In the community meeting between RM officials and the communities considered for annexation, it was discovered that we had no say so in the matter! Sort of taxation without representation (in fact it is exactly that!). They are going to take us (they say).
(2) Not only does RM have a high crime rate but they were rated by Forbes magazine in the fall of 2009 as the 9th most impoverished city in the nation! RM will look much better and the crime figures will look much better if they include us. MEANWHILE, our insurance rates go up! They win, we lose.

So far legal challenges have held them at bay while several groups fight for state legislation to stop forced annexation. Time will tell with the new legislature that just took office. MAny of those that failed to support the fight against forced annexation lost their office in the election.

Proj 365 Jan 27 Car Back Home

For those of you watching that day to see if I slip, no I have taken a shot a day of something that reflects my life or interests me along the way. I am trying to do more than just "take a photo". My work schedule has been crazy lately. Friday the 28th I had to leave the house at 9:15 to travel to Durham. Didn't return home but went to work in Raleigh at 2PM. Supposed to get off at 11 but had to stay until 11:30 which means I didn't get home until 12:30 (1 hour drive). Got to bed at 1:45. Have to get up at around 6:45 to take the dogs out and go back to sleep about an hour later. Had to leave for work Saturday at 12:15 after feeding the dogs and getting a shower so I didn't get anything done Saturday morning toward this project other than get a photo.  But I am getting a photo each day, even if they are posted late.

So here is today's photo. My wife's car if finally back from the shop (again) and I am rid of the little red mini whatever it was. The problem  isn't with being a Honda, the problem is some work was done on the car back in August and things resultant from that work keep happening. I can't go into details currently as things have not been resolved and so I have to keep my big mouth shut ((quite an achievement if I say so myself) for a while.

But it is nice to have it back. I am going to drive it a week or so to make sure things are ok and then give it back to my wife and I get my Honda Pilot back.

Proj 365 Jan 26th Inside the HHR

Hey it gets good gas milage!!. It had an instant gas milage display (if selected) that went all over the place. Starting off with mild acceleration gave between 5 and 12 mpg. Hwy varied between 25 to 35. Coasting as shown here went to 99. It appeared to not be able to go higher; 99 mpg was all I could squeeze out of it. BTW this as a great time to use a P&S and I couldn't imagine trying to get this shot off by myself. I guess using live view but I think this was a moment for a P&S.

Proj 365 Jan 25 Red HHR

Something that reflects part of my life. How about the rental car that I am stuck with until I get my wife's Honda Civic out of the shop. First, its Fire engine red, great to attract police with. And the ergonomics of the interior are less than optimal. no matter how I adjusted the seat, the top of the windshield was too low, the bottom of the window was too high to rest my arm on, and the arm rest on the door was too low. And I had to get the manual out to figure out how to open the gas door to put gas in!!!

Engine, performance, braking, and steering were all good. But the layout and the controls were something else. The issue with the gas door was that I am used to either a lever to push/pull or on my son's car, a dimple in the back of the door to pull the door open with. On this one, Nada!!! After reading the manual (humiliating) I found out that you push on the back part of the door itself and it will spring open. Fine once you know the trick. Even my other Chevy's never worked like that.

Looking forward to getting my wife's car back (and then mine).

Proj 365 Jan 24th Peace Cat

I had several choices yesterday and today for what to use. Remembering these represent out lives on a day to day basis, I chose something my daughter gave me. (I hope she is flattered if she ever finds out what I didn't use.)

I COME IN PEACE

Proj 365 Jan 23 It's Cold!!

It was cold this morning. I am on my way out to put the dogs (as I have said before - Beagles aren't dogs - they are the reincarnation of Houdini in a fur coat but moving along). At the last moment I decided to see how many layers I should have on. Thankfully the wind was calm.

BTW _ I am puzzled at what appears to be a reflection on the TV screen as there isn't a window behind me except up on the stairway landing and I didn't think it would show.

Bbbbrrrr!!! Pass the hot chocolate.

Proj 365 Jan 22 Sunrise

Moose Peterson, eat your heart out!! (He lives out west in the Rockies, I live in rocky Mount NC). I shot a sunrise earlier before I started the Proj 365. I wanted to do something different but after coming home from the trip and car problems etc. I grabbed this and went with it. A few days later I had a tough time choosing which shot to use from a variety of different shots. Like I've said, " Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't, Almond Joy had nuts, Mounds don't!"

Proj 365 Jan 21 Time Keeps on Ticking Ticking into the Future

Before you say what an easy shot, guess again. I was using my Canon P&S as I said I would use as much as I can, at least initially. Time was ticking against me to get a shot for today and it was getting late and I am tired from the trip I returned on Wednesday and had to run around solving car problems Thursday, and today playing catchup on everything including these blogs. Then it hit me, time is working against me, photograph time. Ok, 25 shots or so later. The problem with the P&S is that the lens wouldn't open enough to get a shutter speed that didn't show movement from a handheld shot. Tick, tick, tick, finally got it.

Later in my Photography blog (www.HLDPhotos.blogspot.com) I am going to write about the amount of time a photographer spends after the "click". It is incredible how much time is spent on downloading, post processing, uploading, writing, etc. And with that I am going to bed, its been a long day.  Goodnight.

Proj 365 Jan 20 The Eye of the Beagle (Music please - Dum dum dum)

Out in the yard with one of my girls (Lana). Thought this would make an unusual shot. Obviously I am shooting through something, anybody guess what it is?

Proj 365 Jan 19th An Old House Along the Way in Georgia

I had to stop several times on the way down and on the way back and will document the trip in my other blog (www.HLDPhotos.blogspot.com) But this was one of the most striking photos.

Maybe I am an old sentimental softy but when I passed this house, I had to go back and capture its image. I couldn't help but wonder about the history of the house. What was it like when it was brand new? What were the people like who could afford such a large home for what was obviously a long time ago. Notice the upper level of the house and the gable that indicates the upper portion was lived in also. A large family? A lot of children?

Only the ghosts of the pasts can tell that story.

More photos of this and my trip can be found at HLDPhotos.com

Proj 365 Jan 18th Photographing Wild Birds

While I was down in south Georgia, I tried my hand at photographing some birds in pop's backyard. See earlier post for a hint at my comments on photographing birds. (I imagine that any wildlife will be pretty much the same.)

Cute bird. I am shooting with a Nikon D300 DSLR that has a multiplication factor of 1.5. What that means is my 200 mm lens acts like a 300 mm lens. (Great for long shots, lousy for wide angle as a 16mm acts like a 24!)

So I go out to shoot the birds. Wish I had had a gun, might have had better luck. What looks close to the eye isn't through the lens (Try it you will see. That large moon looks great but the photo makes it look tiny).

As with the lovebird at home, THEY KEEP MOVING!! About the time I thought I was getting close enough, they flew away about thirty feet! The cardinals I photographed looked tiny until I cropped them and then they looked grainy due to the enlargement crop. This fellow allowed me to get close enough for a decent photo.

Lesson learned - when photographing wildlife, you have to sit and let them come near you, you can't walk up close to them unless they are really tame.

Proj 365 Jan 17th A Grand Ole Man

I think I am going to omit which day it is as that is going to be a logistics nightmare as time passes.

Here is my father in law, a truly great man. He was married to my mother in law for 64 years when she passed away a few years back. I wish I could tell you about all the things he as told me that have impacted me so. One quick story-

When he was in the Navy during WWII (pronoucned W, W, i, i ), he flew among other things, a plane that could land on water or land. His was an air-sea rescue mission (some were equipped with more aggressive weapons for night missions and were called Black Cats as they were painted black or nighttime.)














http://www.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&oe=UTF-8&q=PBY+Catalina&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=UwY6TeyVGsXEgQef6dmJCQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQsAQwAA&biw=1436&bih=784
He had wanted to be a fighter pilot but they told him that he didn't have the profile for it. A fighter pilot had to be willing to lose the plane and even themself if need be. They said tests showed he would be the person who would bring everybody back. And so it was.
One time he was circling a downed pilot in the ocean as they were not supposed to land in the open ocean, it would be too rough. They were supposed to circle and guide the rescue boat in to the downed pilot. (consider they ere flying in areas where nimble fighters had been shot down and they were flying something with the agility of an elephant!).
They told him to come home as it would be three days before a boat could be there to pick up the pilot. Rather than abandon the pilot, Pop (I call him pop) landed the plane in the open ocean and picked the pilot up. He said the plane sounded like every rivet was popping out and the plane wouldn't make it as they took off. IT did and he brought everybody back home, included the downed pilot. I can't help but wonder how many noticed a crew of 8 (?) took off and 9 landed.

Besides all that, he allowed me to marry his daughter. Kathy.

I wish everybody had a father in law like him.

Proj 365 Jan 16th Going Home Again - Long Overdue

(If you are reading this and thinking, "This wasn't posted on the 16th or whatever, I left to go se my father in law in south Georgia and was unable to process and post the photos for the appropriate day. I did shoot a photo each day (check the exif data in the photos). I promise that if I miss a day, I will confess it.)

Forgive me for two pictures but when it came down to it,  couldn't choose between the two. Its funny how some days you drown in photographic ideas and opportunities and other days seem like the desert.

Anyway, the first is a followup to a previous photo post where the neighbors were doing construction at 7:30AM Sunday morning!!! I felt I should do some periodic followup so before I left for a trip to south Georgia to see my father in law (the salt of the earth) I captured this of them working on the house some more. I forget the time but it wasn't 7:30AM.






To all my friends in Georgia that I didn't get to stop and say hello to, my deepest apologies but the travel time simply didn't allow it. but this is my most emotionally linked photo for that day. I am crossing the Georgia state line coming from South Carolina. It felt good to be coming back home, if only for a little while.

Proj 365 Jan 15th Jail Break Planned

Aaahh, yesterday I mentioned my two beagles and explained how they aren't dogs but reincarnations of Houdini in a little fur coat. Beagles are interesting, you never outsmart them, you buy time until the next event.

Here we have Gwen (Gwenivere) on the left and Lana in the back on the right on their way to the vet.

I believe the conversation goes like this:

Gwen: Ok Lana when he opens the door, I leap to the right and you go left."

Lana: "Gotcha."

Notice the red clip (anybody know what you call that thing?). That is my security device. If they manage to get loose, they will get snagged the first time they go past something like a pole or mailbox. Trust me, I know they will and they haven't (yet) figured out how to unwrap themselves.(They will someday, beagles love a challenge). So far they haven't gotten loose since I started using the clip but they do occasionally get under the deck when I take them to the back yard and wrap around the post under the deck before I can get them unhooked and in the yard.

Proj 365 Jan 14th Working at 7AM Sunday Morning!!!

 Its 7:15 in the morning and its 20 degrees as I take the beagles out. (Beagles aren't dogs, they are the reincarnation of Harry Houdini in a little fur coat and I can't find the zipper!!)  I suddenly notice that somebody is hammering!?? Did I mention its 7:15 AM and it 20 DEGREES? Somebody is adding a deck/porch to the back of their house. Such is life in my neighborhood.

Project 365 Jan 13th My eye is on the birdy but she keeps moving!

In the words of Charlie Brown, "Aaaarrrggghhh!!!" Why the quote from Charlie Brown in a moment.


First, as I undertake this project, as it is to be a learning tool, I am trying to use my new Canon P&S as much as possible initially. I also use a Nikon D300 DSLR which I have used for several years and am fairly familiar with (always something new to learn though.)


So tonight I began to look for something that is in my life. Aahh! Peaches! Peaches is my son's (my?) pet lovebird. Lovebirds bond for life and aren't too friendly with anybody else, thus I have learned to keep my fingers, hair, and anything else a healthy and respectable distance from the bird.


As noted earlier, P&S's have a shutter lag compared to DSLRs. So every time I tried to catch the photo, by the time the shutter clicked, the bird had moved!! Aarrrgghh. I know photographers say watch the birdy but in this case I wish the birdy would quit watching me. When I half pressed the shutter and the autofocus light came on, the bird would naturally react. So I just sat and waited, the focus was already set, sometimes on the bird and sometimes on the cage wires. Hard to see until post processing. those little LCD screens are not as detailed as one would want. Finally got the shot I wanted.


THEN I decided to experiment with the fish-eye effect. Since I don't have an expensive fisheye lens for my DSLR (in the DSLR world nothing is not expensive) I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to experiment and see how it worked.


Problem 1 - I can't find the camera instruction book. Turn the house upside down, look everywhere it could be and then can't be. Trying to figure who moved it and who was at fault. (Hey that's what we have spouses and kids or right?)  Found the box and decided to call Canon and order a new book even though that won't help me tonight. Ah-hah! There is no instruction book beyond the quick start guide. I had forgotten it was a CD disk. Found the disk and everything was ok again.


Problem 2 - The BIRD KEEPS MOVING! Remember that shutter lag? Now as I tired to center the fisheye effect on the eye of the bird, by the time the shutter clicked, the bird moved. Where's that gun of mine, I'll fix this problem. --- Don't worry the bird is fine and there are no holes in the wall. I just kept trying until I got what I wanted.



Again, I finally got the shot I wanted.


This brings up a point for new digital photographers. It is often said that inexperienced digital camera users shoot tons of photos and hope one is good. Maybe but then again, I know of plenty of old pros who take countless shots to get the right one. Sometimes it isn't experience but simply circumstances that make the difference.




What did I learn tonight?
1) P&S cameras are different. The shutter lag is the biggest negative. In other ways my new one has features that my D300 doesn't have or would cost a lot to have (fish-eye lens would be expensive and movie recording is impossible to add on although the new models have it.)


2) Planning the shot is important but so is recognizing what is not under the photographers control and trying to figure how to work around that. Patience is important.


3) The owners manual is on a CD and nobody moved it. Now to go fix some barbeque wings.

Project 365 Jan 12th Love flags

OK, now the creative juices had time to work. Was on my way to lunch and had an assignment for Nikonians.org to photograph the force of wind in the month of January. As I walked out the door to
Arby's the cold (38) and the wind cut right through me and I realized this was the opportunity I wanted. Went to the car and got my new Canon SX 210 IS Point and Shoot I got for Christmas (thank you kids). And I stood out in the freezing wind and took photos. I quickly remembered how my Nikon DSLR takes the shot almost instantly whereas P&S's have a lag between pressing the shutter and taking the photo. Did I mention the wind was literally freezing?

 I submitted the first one for my entry at Nikonians even though it had McD in the background. Reasoning? I wanted to include the flag at half staff and the American flag at McD's added to the idea of the force of the wind.

My son like the second one better.

Ooopps, its 9:15 and I forgot to get a shot for today the 13th. Need to go think and look around. This once a day thing is going to be harder than it sounded.

Project 365 Jan 11th Snow!

 Saw my wife's car covered in ice and decided to catch that. (No I would never use it to remind her to put a cover on the windshield when ice is predicted. Mainly because I forgot to myself. rolls eyes) Was on my way to work so I am seeing that the time it takes to not only find but to compose a good shot even for a project like this takes effort.

Project 365 Jan 10th The Start

I found out about a photography challenge called "PROJECT 365" from a facebook friend, Brain Hatch (See his work here  www.hivemindphotography.com). Project 365 (Do a google search and you will find tons of references) "is a phgotography project where you document a year of your life by taking a daily photo. We want to help you build a picture of the  little day to day things that make your life so special and unique. Everyone can take part and join in! All you need is a camera." from So here is Day 1 Jan 10th. We had had an ice storm and I wanted to do some close-up work with the flash mounted off camera. The Flash (Nikon SB-800) is on the deck to the left with power reduced. (No I don't remember how much, it was cold!). 

One of my goals on this is to do minimal editing of the photo. Here I brought the exposure up just a touch and adjusted the white balance and that was it.