2. Photography

365

A photo a day, for a year. The excitement, the drama, the successes, and the failures.
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Day 62. September 8, 2010. The friend's house I stayed at in DC had a circular staircase. Rumor has it that the house was originally meant as two separate units, but, as a last minute decision, the two units were combined by this staircase. I had to handhold this since I couldn't figure out any makeshift support to hold the camera over the staircase. Eventually I just leaned over the stairs at a dangerous angle, took a blind shot, reviewed it, and repeated until I had the composition I wanted.<br /> <br /> EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 @ 10mm f/3.5. 1/30s. ISO 1000.
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Day 62. September 8, 2010. The friend's house I stayed at in DC had a circular staircase. Rumor has it that the house was originally meant as two separate units, but, as a last minute decision, the two units were combined by this staircase. I had to handhold this since I couldn't figure out any makeshift support to hold the camera over the staircase. Eventually I just leaned over the stairs at a dangerous angle, took a blind shot, reviewed it, and repeated until I had the composition I wanted.

EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 @ 10mm f/3.5. 1/30s. ISO 1000.

  • Day 61. September 7, 2010. Whoa, cuckoos really are a bit...cuckoo. These three at the Smithsonian's National Zoo were standing next to each other the entire time I was taking pictures--about 5 minutes--and the whole time, they were acting like annoying kids--nipping at each other, then grumpily staring off into the distance, until disturbed again. It was hilarious.<br /> <br /> (Edit: I just realized what they remind of: The Pixar short, "For the Birds." I wouldn't even be surprised if Pixar studied the habits of these cuckoos to make that short.)<br /> <br /> EF 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro @ f/2.8. 1/160. ISO 320.
  • Day 62. September 8, 2010. The friend's house I stayed at in DC had a circular staircase. Rumor has it that the house was originally meant as two separate units, but, as a last minute decision, the two units were combined by this staircase. I had to handhold this since I couldn't figure out any makeshift support to hold the camera over the staircase. Eventually I just leaned over the stairs at a dangerous angle, took a blind shot, reviewed it, and repeated until I had the composition I wanted.<br /> <br /> EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 @ 10mm f/3.5. 1/30s. ISO 1000.
  • Day 63. September 9, 2010. I know a few people are going to wag fingers at me for picking a picture of a pigeon, of all things, to post to represent my first day in Boston. But this pigeon has a story. I was looking for a post office in downtown Boston, and eventually found a building that my phone adamantly insisted was a "United States Post Office." Upon entering the open door, however, all I saw were the remnants of a post office that must have been stripped and left idle over a year ago. Random signs confirming its past life still showed, but it was a ghost post office. While walking out, this pigeon stumbled inside, and being the good citizen I am, decided I should chase him/her back out, which ended up being harder than expected, as he/she was one of the friendliest pigeons I have ever met, and didn't seem to get my kicking cues, and instead bobbled back and forth around me. This was shot soon after getting the pigeon outside again.<br /> <br /> EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS @ 200mm f2.8. 1/800s. ISO 200.
  • Day 64. September 10, 2010. A large bay of bay windows that a friend and I would later discover to be the dorms for Emerson College. Seriously, what other university can boast a view overlooking Boston Common? Oh, right. Suffolk University next door.<br /> <br /> EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8IS @ 54mm f/5.6. 1/200s. ISO 250.
  • Day 65. September 11, 2010. A few of us went sailing on the Charles! Apparently, MIT students can take a sailing class, and, as long as you're certified by the end, you can take out a boat any time. Amazing weather. Amazing views. Reasonably good but erratic wind. And thanks, MIT friend.<br /> <br /> EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS @ 185mm f/2.8. 1/4000s. ISO 100.
  • Day 66. September 12, 2010. St. Francis of Assisi in the St. Francis of Assisi garden along the Freedom Trail in Boston. If you aren't current with your knowledge of patron saints, St. Francis is the patron saint of animals and the environment; hence, the bird. But the first thing I though upon seeing the bird was the bluebird from Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.<br /> <br /> EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8IS @ 40mm f/2.8. 1/200. ISO 200.
  • Day 67. September 13, 2010. Do you see that? It's rain! On a window! My Bostonian friends must think me crazy, but it's been so long since I've seen a thunderstorm that I was reveling in this minor rainshower accompanied by a few weak rolls of thunder.<br /> <br /> EF 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro @ f/7.1. 13s. ISO 100.
  • Day 68. September 14, 2010. From the east to the midwest. I'm always struck by how saturated the colors are in suburban MN, especially in autumn. All the lawns are verdant green. All the maple trees are fiery orange and yellow. The sky is sapphire blue with bleached white clouds. And the sunlight has its way of swimming through all these colors.<br /> <br /> EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8IS @ 28mm f/2.8. 1/400s. ISO 100.
  • Day 69. September 15, 2010. There are VUVUZELAS IN THE HOUSE. BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.<br /> <br /> EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 @ 10mm f/3.5. 1/30s. ISO 1000. Using a desk lamp for some impromptu lighting.
  • Day 70. September 16, 2010. Visual representation of my mental state while visiting my parents.<br /> <br /> EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS @ 95mm f/3.5. 1/30s. ISO 100. Light: window + 430EX II @ 1/64 from on camera.
  • Day 71. September 17, 2010. I accidentally deleted all the pictures I took that day, so I redid a similar shot a few days later back in Palo Alto.<br /> <br /> EF 50mm f/1.4 @ f/3.5. 1/15s. ISO 100. Lighting: 580EX II on camera @ 1/64 bounced from ceiling. 430EX II with orange filter 4ft above subject @ 1/16.
  • Day 72. September 18, 2010. Yum. Lobster.<br /> <br /> EF 50mm f/1.8 @ f/1.8. 1/60s. ISO 400.
  • Day 73. September 19, 2010. From a friend's backyard that's a haven for macro photography.<br /> <br /> EF 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro @ f/7.1. 1/160s. ISO 400.
  • Day 74. September 20, 2010. I was setting up my umbrella, and accidentally hit the shutter in 10-second timer mode. Of course, it looked terrible, but that got me thinking to do a staged shot with that concept. Standing this close to the light, even having the umbrella didn't look quite diffuse enough, so I put a diffuser on the strobe behind the umbrella. Double diffusers! Once that was setup and adjusted, I upped the on-camera fill just enough so there would be some definition in the face.<br /> <br /> Also, umbrellas are very good at catching wind.<br /> <br /> EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS @ 45mm, f/6.3. 1/50s. ISO 160. On-camera 580EX II @ 1/64 bare. Umbrella w/430EX II @ 1/2 with diffuser.
  • Day 75. September 21, 2010. For all the lovers in the crowd.<br /> <br /> I could play with my 100mm macro all day.<br /> <br /> EF 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro @ f/4.5. 8s. ISO 100. Fluorescent light behind camera left.
  • Day 76. September 22, 2010. This shoot started out as an attempt to capture the full moon over the new medical quad, but I couldn't resist capturing a symbolic shot of the Gates computer science building at night to signify the start of another quarter, and the start of many inevitable late, late nights. The full moon is there in spirit, casting a fill light that's significantly stronger than normal.<br /> <br /> EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 @ 11mm, f/13. 30s. ISO 100.
  • Day 77. September 23, 2010. My car, Taiga, in the morning, with a smooth polish of dewdrops.<br /> <br /> EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS @ 17mm, f/2.8. 1/250. ISO 100.
  • Day 78. September 24, 2010. I wish this piano played as well as it looks in this picture.<br /> <br /> EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS @ 40mm, f/3.2. 1/15s. ISO 200.
  • Day 79, September 25, 2010. Look what I found under my bed! What a nice surprise to follow up another great Stanford Football win.<br /> <br /> EF 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro @ f/4.5. 1/3s. ISO 100.
  • Day 80. September 26, 2010. Found behind a bookshelf as we were shifting things around.<br /> <br /> EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS @ 54mm, f/2.8. 1/50s. ISO 200.
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