The 365 - 10/31/17 - Day 100

Happy Halloween everyone - Today's image was something that seemed so strange at first, but then was absolutely genius once I learned what it was.  While in Oaxaca, I got a chance to tour the botanical gardens in Oaxaca City.  Oaxaca is a relatively dry part of Mexico, so the botanical garden has to be efficient with their water use in order to maintain the gardens.  All along the ground were these squares filled with rocks laying on their side, purposely arranged.  At first, I assumed this was for an aesthetic design, but it was explained to me that these squares were in fact water filters.  Water flowing of of the roofs were channeled over these squares and these rocks, which filtered the rain water from a good portion of the contaminants.  This water wasn't potable, but was sufficient for the gardens.  This image here was a very early attempt to capture how these looked, and in the end is a very cool design.  Enjoy your Tuesday - 

Oaxaca, Mexico - The Water Filter

The 365 - 10/30/17 - Day 99

Happy Monday everyone - It's a very busy week, so the posts are going to be short and sweet.  Today's image is one from the Metal series.  As I have written before, this is one of my ongoing series of found photos.  The industrial leftovers serve as great subjects for light and shadow contrast.  Enjoy your Monday - 

The Metal Series - Gears

The 365 - 10/29/17 - Day 98

Happy Sunday everyone - What is a 365 project without any selfies?  Mostly a jest as I am not a fan of taking these myself, but I have done a few shadow selfies (along with a few of the more traditional kind).  Tonight's image is a celebration that the weather here in Houston has finally turned for the colder and it finally feels like Fall is here.  It reminds me of some of my favorite afternoons in Pleasantville hiking through Graham Hills Park.   This was the first shadow selfie I took after I got my first DSLR (a Nikon D5000).  It's not anything special to look at, but it was the start of a passion that still burns in me today - Enjoy your Sunday - 

Pleasantville, New York - The First Selfie

The 365 - 10/28/17 - Day 97

Happy Belated Saturday - Another full day today and thus another missed post.  Today's image celebrates one of my guilty subject pleasures - graffiti.  I really love making images with graffiti and written messages.  They don't often get posted publicly for a few different reasons (not always sure what they represent or the message they are sending).  However, having cut my early photographic teeth in NYC where graffiti is part of life, these kinds of images were some of my very earliest favorites.  I still have a few of my first ones in small frames around the apartment.  This one was a found mark on a bridge in Rapid City, South Dakota.  The black and white treatment gives the image a more timeless feel which I feel matches the lasting mark of the graffiti on the landscape.  Enjoy your Saturday - 

Rapid City, South Dakota - Graffitti on Bridge

The 365 - 10/27/17 - Day 96

Happy Belated Weekend - I have to catch up on my posts from this weekend as I have been busy with my Astros in the World Series.  Very exciting for us down here in Houston.  Friday's belated image is one where I reminded myself to try to think outside of the box when it comes to post-processing.  I did a quick grab of this image while testing out a new camera body one summer.  I was originally drawn to the texture in the wood as my subject.  However, in the post-production on this file, I tried to underexpose a little bit (something that is usually not what I do) and I really liked how the color popped out.  I keep this image in my library to remind myself to always try to shake out of any production or editing ruts.  I'm often pleasantly surprised by the results.  Enjoy your Friday - 

Spearfish Canyon - Firewood