Images from the month of April, 2008. For each day in the month, I will take at least one photograph. Some days, I will take more photographs than others but I will only add one new image to this gallery for each day of the month. This is part of my image a day project for 2008.
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dream hat photography > Taking a photograph a day has helped me in so many ways. Although I have miles to go, I think I am improving by little bits. The task of shooting every day has made me become more familiar with my camera and has helped me expand my range/comfort zone. One of the other side benefits of both shooting every day and also looking at all of the great galleries in this group, is an opportunity to learn new things, sometimes about photography, sometimes new information about a variety of people, places, and things. Today, I was in the woods intending once again to find a great wooded scene. I was armed with a new lens that I bought this morning – a Nikon 70-300mm zoom. I had really needed the extra range. So, as I was walking back through the woods, I saw a butterfly and was able to use the new lens to catch her on a branch. Yes, I said her. I researched the butterfly while I was processing the image. This is apparently a type of black swallowtail and is a female. This is the first butterfly I have ever photographed. Comments and suggestions are always welcome and encouraged.
dream hat photography > For the second Friday afternoon in a row, my photography was punctuated with tornado warning sirens blaring throughout the area. Luckily I had taken a few photographs before I ran to the car. I drove home in a heavy rain mixed with hail. Almost as soon as I walked in the door, the power went out and stayed off for about four hours. Today’s shot was a bit of an experiment with grain. I shot at a higher ISO with the intention of introducing more grain to the image, trying to see where that would take the shot in terms of the image and the processing. It gave the flowers a different texture.
dream hat photography > The woods in Moss Rock Preserve are getting greener every day. I love the shades of green on the new leaves; it is so fresh and bright. My intent was to shoot down some of the trails framed by the new growth and have one of those shots as my image of the day. I made a number of those shots, but along the way, off the trail, were tiny splashes of color. At first I didn’t notice them because I was more focused on the trees and the trails. In various places, would be these various colors and types of wildflowers. Sadly, I am not a wildflower expert so I am unable to identify what I shot. The wildflower in today’s shot reminds me of an iris in shape and color, but I think irises are flowers from bulbs. Anyway, this is a pretty flower, no matter what name we call it. A few other shots from today can be found in a new gallery for Spring colors in Moss Rock Preserve.
dream hat photography > Downtown Birmingham has a lot of interesting areas, so lunch hour today was another excursion to the north side of the city. Morris Avenue is just across the line that divides the north side of the city from the south side. The street runs east and west and borders the train tracks. It is a very old street and part of it is old brick cobblestone. They have converted a lot of the old buildings in the area to offices and loft apartments. I was able to get several good shots. After a lot of back and forth, I chose this one. Not much in the way of PP, the photograph really didn’t need any help from me, so I just made a few minor adjustments and cropped. Was there something wrong with my shot from yesterday? Comments always encouraged and welcome.
dream hat photography > This morning, on the way though the downtown area of Birmingham, on the north side of the city, I saw this building. The building itself was more than shot of the day material. I love old buildings; their architecture has so much character. But for some reason, an abandoned building in full stages of decay, with broken windows, and colored with age have a certain appeal to be photographed. This building fit all of the categories, then as a bonus, the sign painted on the bricks of this old building put it over the top. In capital letters “AMERICAN LIFE” had once been painted in bold white letters and now they had faded to a shadow of the past. There are so many ways to interpret the symbolism, or you can just take the building at face value. Either way, it was a striking image to me. In the PP I used a gradient map layer and reduced the opacity to give the photograph the effect you see here.
dream hat photography > I have decided that with the occasional exception, I am not good at predicting which image from the group I shoot will become the photograph of the day. So many days I shoot and think I know which image will be the one. So many times I am wrong. Today was yet another reminder. I shot an absolutely beautiful deep velvet blue iris. The color was so rich it almost shimmered. It turned out to be a good shot, but it was the composition that was lacking balance. This shot was ultimately much better balanced and composed. Note: The shot I was describing earlier in this caption was a completely different flower. There really isn’t any special PP for this shot. I have noticed that I tend to crop a lot of things very linear and centered. I am making a conscious effort to get away from that habit and play with offsetting the primary object in the frame.
dream hat photography > Today was one of those days when I didn’t make many photographs. Days like this force me to work with what I have and that isn’t always a bad thing. This little stream runs through one of the areas at the botanical gardens in Hoover, it was sunny, and the light was not coming from the direction I really wanted but such are the realities of shooting outside. For my camera equipment, I try to use our local Wolf Camera stores if possible. They had offered a good deal to customers to let them create a book with some of their photographs. My photographs haven’t been printed to any degree and I decided to take the time to put some of my images on a USB drive and head over to the store. One of the employees helped me a lot with layout and in the process it gave me a chance to discuss photography with someone that has some helpful insight for me. I have so much to learn and love to expand my knowledge. Now I am thinking about some options for lenses and also maybe a better tripod.
dream hat photography > Today’s weather was rainy for most of the day. After in being in a severe drought condition for the past year, the rain is much needed and appreciated. I took advantage of a break in the weather this afternoon to go back to the botanical gardens in Hoover. Most everything was glistening with water and since it was very cloudy, there was no glare or shadows to worry about. I had a number of possible for today but chose this one due to the rich tones and the water on the leaves. Some of the photographs that didn't make it for the choice today are in my Bonus Tracks gallery.
dream hat photography > We had some severe storms today but there was a small break in the weather as I was going home from work. I stopped at Aldridge Botanical Gardens in Hoover to take a few pictures. I have noticed several galleries with the traditional dogwood blooms. My photograph for the day is a dogwood, but it is a pink dogwood. It was very pretty in that strange light you get between storms. The picture that was almost the picture of the day is here.
Taking a photograph a day has helped me in so many ways. Although I have miles to go, I think I am improving by little bits. The task of shooting every day has made me become more familiar with my camera and has helped me expand my range/comfort zone. One of the other side benefits of both shooting every day and also looking at all of the great galleries in this group, is an opportunity to learn new things, sometimes about photography, sometimes new information about a variety of people, places, and things. Today, I was in the woods intending once again to find a great wooded scene. I was armed with a new lens that I bought this morning – a Nikon 70-300mm zoom. I had really needed the extra range. So, as I was walking back through the woods, I saw a butterfly and was able to use the new lens to catch her on a branch. Yes, I said her. I researched the butterfly while I was processing the image. This is apparently a type of black swallowtail and is a female. This is the first butterfly I have ever photographed.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome and encouraged.
> Taking a photograph a day has helped me in so many ways. Although I have miles to go, I think I am improving by little bits. The task of shooting every day has made me become more familiar with my camera and has helped me expand my range/comfort zone. One of the other side benefits of both shooting every day and also looking at all of the great galleries in this group, is an opportunity to learn new things, sometimes about photography, sometimes new information about a variety of people, places, and things. Today, I was in the woods intending once again to find a great wooded scene. I was armed with a new lens that I bought this morning – a Nikon 70-300mm zoom. I had really needed the extra range. So, as I was walking back through the woods, I saw a butterfly and was able to use the new lens to catch her on a branch. Yes, I said her. I researched the butterfly while I was processing the image. This is apparently a type of black swallowtail and is a female. This is the first butterfly I have ever photographed. Comments and suggestions are always welcome and encouraged.
Taking a photograph a day has helped me in so many ways. Although I have miles to go, I think I am improving by little bits. The task of shooting every day has made me become more familiar with my camera and has helped me expand my range/comfort zone. One of the other side benefits of both shooting every day and also looking at all of the great galleries in this group, is an opportunity to learn new things, sometimes about photography, sometimes new information about a variety of people, places, and things. Today, I was in the woods intending once again to find a great wooded scene. I was armed with a new lens that I bought this morning – a Nikon 70-300mm zoom. I had really needed the extra range. So, as I was walking back through the woods, I saw a butterfly and was able to use the new lens to catch her on a branch. Yes, I said her. I researched the butterfly while I was processing the image. This is apparently a type of black swallowtail and is a female. This is the first butterfly I have ever photographed.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome and encouraged.
Gallery pages:  <  1  2  3  4  >  
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