Based on a prior discussion regarding "getting addicted to this 365project" it appears that there are a fair number of us that are addicted to this project and photography in general. It makes me think about the lengths I have gone to to get a shot - often with hilarious results that are not shown in the photo.
For example, I confess to lying in the grass so long by the river taking photos of a butterfly this week that I had runners and cyclists pausing to make sure I was okay. I have risked getting stung by bees for some shots. I have pulled over on the side of a busy highway to take photos of clouds and waited for traffic to pass to stand in the middle of the road to get pictures of redwoods. I have even taken photos while in the carwash. I know I have gotten some strange looks while photographing dead birds (I will spare you those shots…).
So, tell me (and by me, I mean us!)… What lengths have you gone to? What photo garnered the strangest look? Time to confess! I am sure there are some great stories to be shared. I know I am not alone in my insanity! =)
Yesterday morning I lay on my stomach on the beach trying to get the sunlight shining through a blue-bottle (Portugese man-o-war) and I never saw the wave coming in. I did feel it go over my legs, tho! Now here is the scary part ... I'm on day 7 of 365. This could get interesting :)
Yeah...as you know, I do the "Ceramic Cat" album. Out in a crowd, I swear I can see people calling for the White Wagon at the Happy Home to come get me.
Not my fault they are all boring and live in a vacuum!
I was out with my Mum this weekend and geeking out over all the bugs I could take macro shots of, and we were looking around an open garden, and she called me over, all excited.
"I've found a dead mouse! You should take a picture of it for your 365 project!"
I literally got a picture of a dead bird yesterday and considered posting it because it was such a beautiful shade of yellow but decided against it. Truth be told, it is not the first dead bird I have found either. I have one of a loon on a beach and another of a seagull. It is odd, I suppose, but these beautiful creatures are always up out of reach so it is special to be able to see them so close. Yeah... being a photographer has definitely made me see the world differently.
I put my hand quite close to a spider to try to get a good photo, have gotten down into the grass for shots i didn't use (and i'm allergic too!) and tried to tempted sparrows with mcdonald's chips with one of my friends to get four next to each other and received dirty looks from the manager haha!
I have yet to do anything silly to get a shot. I am just not that brave. I did see this beautiful wall that I have to take pics of my kids in front of soon. I just don't want to irritate the owners of the business. lol Maybe someday...
I have been laughing all morning at all these amazingly wonderful stories.. Chris.. I agree with you.. the vacuum dwellers... Marianne.. I have actually shot photos of dead mice. So.. I suppose I should share that story.
I live in an old farmhouse... and have mice in the kitchen.. often.. so i got some of the humane mouse traps.. I was carting mouse off every morning to other fields a bit of distance from my house.. well.. I had a friend come visit and I totally forgot about my traps that were set... a couple of days later I stumbled upon the most foul smell.. yes.. I had two poor dead mice. So.. what did I do before i chucked them out on the woods.. I put them on a piece of wood .. very artistically and photographed them. Heh..
I actually have a project idea in mind right now.. somewhat of a personal ambition.. living in South Ga.. i see roadkill nearly every day. It was really starting to get to me... having never hit more than one rabbit my whole life back when I was 16 I still wonder how so many people hit animals in the road.. so in the sadness came great understanding.. the cycle of life.. hawks and vultures coming along to eat the prey.. seeing these dead corpses return to the earth by the side of the road.. so needless to say it spawned an idea for a documentary project.. subject : roadkill.. purpose.. to demonstrate this cycle of life idea.. make something beautiful out of something that can be quite sad.. okay.. so.. with all that being said.. what are ya'lls (i am so southern , hehe) thoughts on it?
I made a total numpty of myself in the town centre today! 8D We've got absolutely massive seagulls in Dumfries, seriously, they come up to just below my knee, and I thought it'd be awesome to get a photo of one in flight, just to kinda check out the wingspan on the brutes (they're also a bit more interestingly coloured than your average white seagull). So I found one that was standing somewhere interesting (namely in the middle of the caul) and trained my camera lens on it. Normally the buggers see you staring at them and immediately hop it, but this one, noooo, he just stood there and stood there and so did I, looking at him through the camera lens. I tried walking towards him threateningly (as best I could while still trying to keep him in focus with my manual lens!), I stomped my feet, but no, he just carried on preening himself and was completely unpeturbed by this lunatic doing silly dances in front of him.
The result of this seagull standoff was just me creating some hilarious entertainment for the small child and his mother waiting for their bus, and in the end I had to admit defeat. As the mother said to me, "Maybe he just likes having his picture taken?"
That is hilarious, Marianne! I can just imagine it!! Isn't it nice to know you are not alone in your willingness to make a fool out of yourself for a photo.
@Heather - I think that could be a very interesting concept if done right. I suspect that critters that are a bit "past their prime" might be best left unposted. Eeewwww... That being said, I do have some interesting photos along that line myself. I found a couple of dead seals while out on a retreat with some girlfriends to the ocean for a weekend but I won't post them here because they are just too sad. One clearly got caught up in high tide and could not come back down again. It broke my heart.
Well, this is sort of embarrassing, but I'll go ahead and tell it. I am TERRIFIED of spiders and today I was out mowing the yard with my daughter. She started screaming "Spider, Spider!!" So I ran over (reluctantly, I might add) and looked down and OMG! it was the biggest blackest hairiest spider I've ever seen! I though for a moment, and of course, being an avid and addicted 365'er, I told my daughter to run get my camera! She came back with it and with my heart thundering in my chest, I ventured close to that thing to hopefully get the "perfect shot". Yet, each shot I took just didn't seem close enough, so I tried and tried again...until I began to wonder why that nasty arachnid was mysteriously not moving. I zoomed in on the thing on my camera view and realized it was a fake!! Here I was "risking my life and limb'....for a toy spider!! Jeez...I felt ridiculous...the things we go through to get that one amazing shot! Okay...I'm thoroughly embarrassed now.....sigh...
@JennyLee: Sometimes toys are just that realistic! I got totally fooled by a model seagull sitting on top of a lobster catcher in Charlottetown, PEI - but then so did everybody who saw the photo I took of it XD You should show those pics to some people and see if they fall for it!
http://365project.org/rrt/365/2010-04-01 I guess my story is based on this upload. Of course as you see it was very dark, I could see very little around me.
Had the camera in hand taking quick shots before setting up on a tripod. While looking at the bridge I heard something coming towards me from right side. I couldn't see what it was. I tried to get my camera to (auto) and get the flash up.
I was ready to take the shot at what I didn't know. I figured some kind of animal,
I might scare it and get a picture as well. Just before I clocked a voice said "what are you doing there' and a flashlight came on. It was a Border Patrol Officer. I am glad I wasn't fast enough because the focus light would have lit and then the flash would have gone off. If that had happened he may have pulled his weapon. Well, he saw that all was ok, we chatted for a while then he left. I went to the same place the next night and took a flashlight that time.
@JennyLee - I could totally see that and I am sure we have all fallen victim to inanimate objects! I am not a fan of spiders either but I am slowly working on getting over my fear and trying to take pictures instead of letting them gross me out. Unfortunately we do have black widows that like to try and make a home around our house so they are killed on sight but everything else I try to give a pass.
Well, this one was during a huge snowstorm and freezing temps so people driving by were a bit confused why I was traipsing through knee deep snow to take pics of the monument in the dark. I think the fact that I drove downtown in the storm to take pictures just for 365 is even more crazy. http://365project.org/sassyinthecity/365/2009-12-27
I go out by myself and take pictures of things at the dinner table or bar and people always give me that, "poor girl, she is eating alone and taking pictures of her wine class because she doesn't have friends to take pictures of" look. Tee hee! I think it is funny. This was when I got all dressed up to go to a wine tasting by myself and it turned out to be a couples night. I got a lot of those looks that night. http://365project.org/sassyinthecity/365/2009-12-31
I made my mom go with me to get my shots for going to China for moral support AND so she could document it all for my 365 page. The nurse gave us a weird look until I explained the 365 concept and gave the info so she could look into it for herself and her daughter. http://365project.org/sassyinthecity/365/2010-02-22
I have also hung out of windows, taken pictures at stoplights, made people pullover so I could get a shop, took dad to areas of town I won't go in by myself, and crawled silently through the grass in park in China to get a picture of birds that these people had brought to the park in cages while the old Chinese men watched and laughed at me. http://365project.org/sassyinthecity/365/2010-03-22
I have no photographic shame. I just pretend I am some sort of photo journalist out on assignment when I feel awkward about taking pics in public. Since my photo journalist persona has a great backstory including an illustrious award winning career and, for extra kicks, a torrid affair with Anderson Cooper while she was covering some big news story somewhere, she would never feel awkward about taking a photo anywhere or care who was watching. ;-) Problem solved and picture snapped! Life is too short to pass up a good shot!
Sara, your stories cracked me up!!! I have started following you so I can go back and read your blog entries. Your torrid affair with Anderson Cooper cracks me up!!! You create a fantastic mental picture. Hehe! I have also taken pictures while in my car (See X is for... and Electric Blue). I get odd looks sometimes but I am always very very careful. My mom has told me that some day photography while driving will be banned and it will be all my fault. LOL
Autumn, Thanks and thanks for all the comments you left! Hey, if I am going to be an amazing imaginary photo journalist, I have to have the imaginary love life to back it up. Just please don't mention my name to Anderson for a while. He really hasn't been the same since I broke it off. My blog entries have been epically long since I came to China for my last round of student teaching but they are pretty funny. Just ignore the grammatical errors and typos. I am so exhausted by the time I write those that I don't proof read at all and my typing gets really sloppy. Still, the content is good. I would start at the beginning though, A is for Antibodies, because those are funnier and more inspiring than the ones as of late. The being away from home and the difficulty of navigating the particular area I was placed in is starting to get to me and I think it shows a bit in my more recent entries. I just try to convince myself that I am "on assignment" here in Guangzhou, reporting on life and events here for all those back home to take in. Only a few more days and I will be back in the States and back to covering domestic affairs though! =)
wow, after reading these, I have gained a sense of bravery! I'm always afraid someone is going to yell at me or I feel I am being rude! I think my goal now is to not worry and get out and have fun with it!
Well, I can't wait to get caught up on your adventures Sara and looking forward to seeing your view of life in the States. =)
Kathleen - Go for it! Have fun!!! My only rule for my photography is to try and tread lightly. Whether I am outside taking photos of butterflies or indoors in a busy aquarium, I try to make sure that I am not "trampling" anything or anyone around me to get my shot. I try not to block other's views in order to get my shots when in public places and I definitely try and leave the great outdoors great. Other than that - it is all fair game! I have found that the strangers I have photographed really don't mind. I would just avoid happily chanting "Now I've got your soul" after a spontaneous photo session. ;) Not that I have done it... but it seems like it might be a bad idea all the same. Hehe
@ Autumn. Now see to me that seems like a HILARIOUS and great idea one day. Then I can snap a picture of their face when I say that!
@Kathleen, you can be sneaky if you don't want to bother people. I often just hold my camera around chest level and point it towards the object of my deception and look the other way while I click the button. Or sit it on a table our counter and do the same thing. They think that since I am not looking at the screen I am not shooting pictures. I did that a lot for my pics in China because the minute I would take out my camera and look like i was shooting a picture my students would freak and start posing and lose the point of the whole candid shot. I did the same thing on the train and other places I didn't want to draw attention to myself because I am constantly stared at anyway for being American. I get some really cool shots and angles that way.
lol, great fun reading all of your stories. The weirdest thing I've ever done that people saw me doing was walking into the water to get a better picture of a birds nest. I just took out my phone and wallet, left that on the dry with my camerabag, stepped into the water, walked around some reeds and got a really nice close up. No idea what I did with that photo though, can't find it.
A more recent stupid photo taking moment is actually also posted on my 365, and people have declared me crazy because of it. It was the photo of my little kitchen mishap in which I cut off a chunk of thumb. My first instinct was actually to first take a good photo of that bloody thumb, instead of getting some first aid :-) I was even kind enough to place back the sliced off part of my thumb because it made the photo better and less gruesome :-) http://365project.org/raymond/365/2010-01-23
I just want to say that this is prob my fav thread yet.. I am enjoying laughing at all of your stories immensely.. I love hearing all the crazy things we are all doing in the sake of a shot.
I have another story to share.. the one night of snow that we got in GA for the entire 3 years I have lived here.. supposedly the first snow in something like 20 years.. the shot is here: http://365project.org/faeriebritches/365/2010-02-14
I spent hours outside that evening with my tripod.. not being able to see through the lens well enough to focus.. with a flash light and frozen hands.. yes.. but I got a few amazing shots.. and nearly frostbite on my hands :)
Loving the stories you all are sharing! Hopefully people will continue to add to this thread. I am sure there are plenty of us on there and I am sure that those of us that have already posted will have more stories to share later. Good stuff! Thanks for the laughs!!!
Autumn--how great of you to start this therapy session and even more fabulous that you follow up on responses and even encourage people from their albums. Are you a therapists as well as a photographer by trade?! Your excellent at both, I might add.
Me...I am with Sara Hall. I have become this pseudo photographer who, once lens is in hand, take on a new persona---and take on some insane risks. If it weren't for my family calling me back from ledges and curbs and window sills and balcony edges, I might be dead or like Richard (arrested) or Chris (hauled off in the infamous white wagon). Over vacation, I took this photo from a ledge that was nothing but deteriorating concrete--all in the name of getting these sculptures lined up with the sunset behind. My family nearly lost it! http://365project.org/tee62/365/2010-04-08
My husband has taken to calling me Ansel (as in Adams) and not with an endearing tone. My children vacillate between rolling their eyes and saying, "Cool shot, mom."
I adore capturing shots of people in their own lives, world, habits--especially when traveling to other places. These shots are tricky in that I don't want to invade their space or moment---yet, I want to capture the emotion or magic of the moment. The zoom lens helps but I still get some very odd looks---and wonder if the authorities will be called if I hang around too long! This photo of a grandfather helping his grandson with a kite string was one of my favorites from San Juan. http://365project.org/tee62/365/2010-04-09
And...this one of the an old woman gazing from her balcony to the active street market below has to be one of my favorites of the trip. It captures the essence of the San Juan...from the architecture, to the warm colors of the building and the beauty of the people---along with suspicious look on the woman's face! http://365project.org/tee62/365/2010-04-11
Thank you Autumn for starting this thread. Like Heather...it is the most enjoyable one I have participated in so far!
What a timely discussion. Just when I was reading these posts and thinking how boring and safe my photography is, today I took lots of photos with my point and click camera from the back of a moving motorcycle. You can see some of them at http://picasaweb.google.com.au/mggrove/ScarboroughRideApril201002#
I think I can honestly say I've never done anything like this while trying to take a photo. I think I need to get out and be more adventurous. Wish me luck.
@Theresa - Thank you for your kind words! I am not a therapist but I know that talking and photography are theraputic. I think my inspiration for posting this came from the many hours I have spent reading www.postsecret.com. There is beauty in sharing whether it be silly or sad and so on. It is nice to read these and to be able to see yourself in them too and know that we are all connected even if only by the pictures that we take. I hope this thread will continue to grow and thrive!
@Margaret - Great pictures and very brave! You won't catch me on a motorcycle so you have gone to far greater lengths than I would!!!
@Rachael - Good luck on your adventures!!! I can't wait to hear all about them and see your pictures. Just, please, don't call me for bail if you get in trouble on your adventures! I need all of the extra money for gas for my own adventures! ;)
I was thinking about this thread as I was clambering over unstable rocks beside a river whilst carrying my expensive camera with it's fancy zoom lens to get the shot I wanted.
After all that, the shot didn't quite come out the way I wanted.
I worry about dropping my own camera too! I use the neck strap almost constantly now, just in case. Never mind possible harm to myself...just the camera! LOL
Well, I have my own story to share from this weekend. I took a picture that I was not supposed to...
This creature has very sensitive eyes so there is a sign near the display specifically stating "no photography". I took it anyway because I know what they actually meant is "no flash photography". I understand why they put up the sign since most people don't know how to use their camera and end up having their flash going off anyway. A woman nearby chided me for taking the picture but what she did not understand was that I DID NOT use a flash and got my camera into focus so the red light would not bother it ELSEWHERE in the display before moving my camera up while still in focus to take the picture.
Well, I have gotten in trouble once but I don't feel too bad because I knew what I was doing. Thankfully security was not called to escort me out or worse *gasp!* take my camera! All in the name of a great photo!
Your story, Autumn, makes me remember back quite a few years ago... I was in a Vegas casino with my husband and some friends, and I took a few pictures. Bam! Security was all over me!!! We were escourted to a room where they asked for my film (I said it was awhile back). I resisted strenuously! They said I might have captured other people in my pictures that might not want to be photographed. I continued to argue that I was taking vacation snap shots and wasn't about to be strong armed into giving them my film...and in the end I prevailed, but was asked to leave! We seldom go to Las Vegas now (for many reasons), but I wonder, with the prevelence of cameras of every kind & size, is this an on-going hazard to be dodged?
That's probably another discussion thread... when should we make sure we have releases? I have releases for all the shots of known people in my shots but what about the people caught in crowd or journalistic shots?
You know, on this one, I don't know! I think even most concerts have given up on the "No Cameras" policy with the prevelence of cell phones that have cameras in them. I am sure that they don't want you bringing in a gigantic SLR but I think they must have a hard time stopping people with cell phones and tiny P&Ss that can fit in their pant pockets!
As for Vegas, I have never been but I have been told that I must go. Maybe some day.
@Lyn - That may be a good topic to discuss! I don't take pictures of people generally so I have never considered releases and if/when I would need to use them.
The embarrassing thing for me, like @Brenda Smith, is that I'm too embarrassed to do anything insane or even conspicuous in order to get a shot!
I'm way too "safe" and I've tried to pretend like I'm just looking through the photos on my camera when I was taking a photo out in public once.
I am new to 365, so hopefully I'll become addicted and start getting adventurous! @Margaret I spend a moderate amount of time on the back of a motorcycle too! Now that I have a couple of different cameras I'm not as terrified of something happening to my point & shoot, so I might try that too!
ive got on for you but it was a long time ago you would have to go through myspace or facebook to find them but any way i had just figured out how to make ghost pictures or time lapsed pictures really but i wasnt the one bouncing around it was my best friend heidi and she wound up with a few bruises by the end of the night. see we figured out that the faster the subject in the picture moved the more trancparent they where and you had to move supper fast to be see through in the first place so she was bouncing all over the place rather quickly to so yeah lots of bruises. if you wanna check out the pics you gotta got to one of these links and then just got through theres a whole series of them.
well for some reason links are just bouncing me back to this page. so if you wanna add me on either or just check out my pics im under alexis harrington on both facebook and myspace and my profile pic is the same as mine on here.
Tweets ahoy!
Join the Group
Pin With Me
http://365project.org/etiep/365/2010-01-14
Funny you should bring this up! My funniest story yet I just posted a week ago. Addicted and loving it!
Not my fault they are all boring and live in a vacuum!
"I've found a dead mouse! You should take a picture of it for your 365 project!"
Oh, mother. You're worse than me XD
I live in an old farmhouse... and have mice in the kitchen.. often.. so i got some of the humane mouse traps.. I was carting mouse off every morning to other fields a bit of distance from my house.. well.. I had a friend come visit and I totally forgot about my traps that were set... a couple of days later I stumbled upon the most foul smell.. yes.. I had two poor dead mice. So.. what did I do before i chucked them out on the woods.. I put them on a piece of wood .. very artistically and photographed them. Heh..
I actually have a project idea in mind right now.. somewhat of a personal ambition.. living in South Ga.. i see roadkill nearly every day. It was really starting to get to me... having never hit more than one rabbit my whole life back when I was 16 I still wonder how so many people hit animals in the road.. so in the sadness came great understanding.. the cycle of life.. hawks and vultures coming along to eat the prey.. seeing these dead corpses return to the earth by the side of the road.. so needless to say it spawned an idea for a documentary project.. subject : roadkill.. purpose.. to demonstrate this cycle of life idea.. make something beautiful out of something that can be quite sad.. okay.. so.. with all that being said.. what are ya'lls (i am so southern , hehe) thoughts on it?
The result of this seagull standoff was just me creating some hilarious entertainment for the small child and his mother waiting for their bus, and in the end I had to admit defeat. As the mother said to me, "Maybe he just likes having his picture taken?"
Here he is: http://i44.tinypic.com/nxwetg.jpg
Defeated by a seagull, oh the shame T_T
@Heather - I think that could be a very interesting concept if done right. I suspect that critters that are a bit "past their prime" might be best left unposted. Eeewwww... That being said, I do have some interesting photos along that line myself. I found a couple of dead seals while out on a retreat with some girlfriends to the ocean for a weekend but I won't post them here because they are just too sad. One clearly got caught up in high tide and could not come back down again. It broke my heart.
Had the camera in hand taking quick shots before setting up on a tripod. While looking at the bridge I heard something coming towards me from right side. I couldn't see what it was. I tried to get my camera to (auto) and get the flash up.
I was ready to take the shot at what I didn't know. I figured some kind of animal,
I might scare it and get a picture as well. Just before I clocked a voice said "what are you doing there' and a flashlight came on. It was a Border Patrol Officer. I am glad I wasn't fast enough because the focus light would have lit and then the flash would have gone off. If that had happened he may have pulled his weapon. Well, he saw that all was ok, we chatted for a while then he left. I went to the same place the next night and took a flashlight that time.
I made myself 30 minutes late for a date getting this one. The pic was better than the date so it was worth it. http://365project.org/sassyinthecity/365/2009-12-29
I go out by myself and take pictures of things at the dinner table or bar and people always give me that, "poor girl, she is eating alone and taking pictures of her wine class because she doesn't have friends to take pictures of" look. Tee hee! I think it is funny. This was when I got all dressed up to go to a wine tasting by myself and it turned out to be a couples night. I got a lot of those looks that night.
http://365project.org/sassyinthecity/365/2009-12-31
I made my mom go with me to get my shots for going to China for moral support AND so she could document it all for my 365 page. The nurse gave us a weird look until I explained the 365 concept and gave the info so she could look into it for herself and her daughter. http://365project.org/sassyinthecity/365/2010-02-22
I have also hung out of windows, taken pictures at stoplights, made people pullover so I could get a shop, took dad to areas of town I won't go in by myself, and crawled silently through the grass in park in China to get a picture of birds that these people had brought to the park in cages while the old Chinese men watched and laughed at me. http://365project.org/sassyinthecity/365/2010-03-22
I have no photographic shame. I just pretend I am some sort of photo journalist out on assignment when I feel awkward about taking pics in public. Since my photo journalist persona has a great backstory including an illustrious award winning career and, for extra kicks, a torrid affair with Anderson Cooper while she was covering some big news story somewhere, she would never feel awkward about taking a photo anywhere or care who was watching. ;-) Problem solved and picture snapped! Life is too short to pass up a good shot!
Kathleen - Go for it! Have fun!!! My only rule for my photography is to try and tread lightly. Whether I am outside taking photos of butterflies or indoors in a busy aquarium, I try to make sure that I am not "trampling" anything or anyone around me to get my shot. I try not to block other's views in order to get my shots when in public places and I definitely try and leave the great outdoors great. Other than that - it is all fair game! I have found that the strangers I have photographed really don't mind. I would just avoid happily chanting "Now I've got your soul" after a spontaneous photo session. ;) Not that I have done it... but it seems like it might be a bad idea all the same. Hehe
@Kathleen, you can be sneaky if you don't want to bother people. I often just hold my camera around chest level and point it towards the object of my deception and look the other way while I click the button. Or sit it on a table our counter and do the same thing. They think that since I am not looking at the screen I am not shooting pictures. I did that a lot for my pics in China because the minute I would take out my camera and look like i was shooting a picture my students would freak and start posing and lose the point of the whole candid shot. I did the same thing on the train and other places I didn't want to draw attention to myself because I am constantly stared at anyway for being American. I get some really cool shots and angles that way.
A more recent stupid photo taking moment is actually also posted on my 365, and people have declared me crazy because of it. It was the photo of my little kitchen mishap in which I cut off a chunk of thumb. My first instinct was actually to first take a good photo of that bloody thumb, instead of getting some first aid :-) I was even kind enough to place back the sliced off part of my thumb because it made the photo better and less gruesome :-) http://365project.org/raymond/365/2010-01-23
I have another story to share.. the one night of snow that we got in GA for the entire 3 years I have lived here.. supposedly the first snow in something like 20 years.. the shot is here: http://365project.org/faeriebritches/365/2010-02-14
I spent hours outside that evening with my tripod.. not being able to see through the lens well enough to focus.. with a flash light and frozen hands.. yes.. but I got a few amazing shots.. and nearly frostbite on my hands :)
Me...I am with Sara Hall. I have become this pseudo photographer who, once lens is in hand, take on a new persona---and take on some insane risks. If it weren't for my family calling me back from ledges and curbs and window sills and balcony edges, I might be dead or like Richard (arrested) or Chris (hauled off in the infamous white wagon). Over vacation, I took this photo from a ledge that was nothing but deteriorating concrete--all in the name of getting these sculptures lined up with the sunset behind. My family nearly lost it! http://365project.org/tee62/365/2010-04-08
My husband has taken to calling me Ansel (as in Adams) and not with an endearing tone. My children vacillate between rolling their eyes and saying, "Cool shot, mom."
I adore capturing shots of people in their own lives, world, habits--especially when traveling to other places. These shots are tricky in that I don't want to invade their space or moment---yet, I want to capture the emotion or magic of the moment. The zoom lens helps but I still get some very odd looks---and wonder if the authorities will be called if I hang around too long! This photo of a grandfather helping his grandson with a kite string was one of my favorites from San Juan. http://365project.org/tee62/365/2010-04-09
And...this one of the an old woman gazing from her balcony to the active street market below has to be one of my favorites of the trip. It captures the essence of the San Juan...from the architecture, to the warm colors of the building and the beauty of the people---along with suspicious look on the woman's face! http://365project.org/tee62/365/2010-04-11
Thank you Autumn for starting this thread. Like Heather...it is the most enjoyable one I have participated in so far!
@Margaret - Great pictures and very brave! You won't catch me on a motorcycle so you have gone to far greater lengths than I would!!!
@Rachael - Good luck on your adventures!!! I can't wait to hear all about them and see your pictures. Just, please, don't call me for bail if you get in trouble on your adventures! I need all of the extra money for gas for my own adventures! ;)
After all that, the shot didn't quite come out the way I wanted.
Well, I have my own story to share from this weekend. I took a picture that I was not supposed to...
http://365project.org/autumnseden/adventures/2010-04-29
This creature has very sensitive eyes so there is a sign near the display specifically stating "no photography". I took it anyway because I know what they actually meant is "no flash photography". I understand why they put up the sign since most people don't know how to use their camera and end up having their flash going off anyway. A woman nearby chided me for taking the picture but what she did not understand was that I DID NOT use a flash and got my camera into focus so the red light would not bother it ELSEWHERE in the display before moving my camera up while still in focus to take the picture.
Well, I have gotten in trouble once but I don't feel too bad because I knew what I was doing. Thankfully security was not called to escort me out or worse *gasp!* take my camera! All in the name of a great photo!
As for Vegas, I have never been but I have been told that I must go. Maybe some day.
@Lyn - That may be a good topic to discuss! I don't take pictures of people generally so I have never considered releases and if/when I would need to use them.
I'm way too "safe" and I've tried to pretend like I'm just looking through the photos on my camera when I was taking a photo out in public once.
I am new to 365, so hopefully I'll become addicted and start getting adventurous!
@Margaret I spend a moderate amount of time on the back of a motorcycle too! Now that I have a couple of different cameras I'm not as terrified of something happening to my point & shoot, so I might try that too!
well for some reason links are just bouncing me back to this page. so if you wanna add me on either or just check out my pics im under alexis harrington on both facebook and myspace and my profile pic is the same as mine on here.
I have photographed a pile of old tyres at Wilco/FastFit in Norwich - that elicited some very suspicious questioning from one of employees there...
Also, I took a photo on stage, once... Nobody mentioned it afterwards, but maybe some people in the crowd thought it looked a little odd?