Week One - 2016 in Photographs

Day One of 2016

Every year I wonder if I really want to do another 365 day challenge in photography or another weekly blog post about the week past. And yet for I believe the beginning of the sixth year here I am. I also went through the 2015 and selected out some of the best of the 365 photos to post in other blogs such as the best landscapes, etc.

I find these challenges beneficial to me in the growth of myself as a photographer. And they give me a command to post daily on my social media which keeps my presence active.

The reviews, like the one I did today and will post the results of later, are also good for me. Looking back on an entire year is a very interesting process as a developing artist.

Day Two

However, there can be a bit of ennui at the closing weeks of the challenge. And it lingers until the opening week. Or two. But that ennui can make me look for a different angle or a new trick to post post process. As 2016 begins the subject is again trees. But I uploaded the new version of my favorite photo processing software and played around a bit. Day one is a familiar grove of aspens which I made black and white, a common treatment for me and aspens, but then I applied extreme contrast. I like it.

Day two was just contrast. I was looking for a way to heighten the snow flakes against the background row of firs. Expect to see more of this sort of handling of a digital image.

Day Three

Day three is nothing new. I love the condensation on green house windows. Often I photograph from out to in and the image in the fog, as it were, is a flower. This one was from inside to out.

Day Four

Day four was a freezing fog event. And I wanted to make the ice and frost on the branches stand out in the photo. It is the sun which does that best. And usually when the frosted object is between you and the sun. Pointing the camera directly into the sun has dire effects on the camera I am told so you wait until the sun is behind a branch and take the shot. I used this in both Day four and Day five.

Day Five

And for Day five I used a backlight trick in the software and then made it black and white.

Day Six

Days six and seven are just photographs of trees and the shadows they cast. Some times trees with no tricks are enough. Especially if snow is involved. 

Day Seven

It is snowing as I write this blog so no doubt it will be featured in my photographs. But I am also getting in the mood to do some more still lifes. I didn't do a lot of them last year but those I did were enjoyable. And the forecast looks awful for the next week. Good time to stay inside and play.