365 Project

A Family Portrait

Well, the day is here. Day 365. What better way to finish a year of photos, than with a family portrait. These two are the reason I do what I do. I live for them and love them both unconditionally. Without their support, there is no way I would have ever completed this project. In the next week or so, I will post my thoughts on the whole year. But for now I will say it has been a very hard journey. Yet it has also been the most fulfilling creative endevour I've ever completed. What comes next? Rest. Lots of rest. But please stay tuned. There is lots more coming. I've barely begun to tell the stories that need to be told. To conclude, I'll leave you with a quote from author John Jakes. It sums up what I strive for in everything I do. "Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish." --John Jakes Day 365 of my 365 photo a day project. Thank you for following me on this journey! Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

Water Glass and Tissue Square

For my penultimate 365 image, I asked friends on Facebook to help me with a few ideas for today. They were all great suggestions, but one in particular was perfect (thanks Erin!). Part of what I do with my photography is try to capture the everything things of life and present them in an extraordinary way. There have been many common items in my images over the past year but this one was a challenge. Shoot a glass of water and one square of toilet paper. For this photograph, I used a shot glass, a square of tissue, a darkened room, and a pen light. However, this is not one shot. It is actually 14 shots. Yep, 14. After a bit of experimentation, I discovered it would be very difficult to get the lighting I wanted with one shot. But with the pen light, I was able to light each part of the glass and the paper square with precision. I combined all the shots in Photoshop through a variety of masks and blending modes. Then I adjusted the colors and contrast and added a slight overall glow. So here it is, Erin, a glass of water and a toilet paper square. Day 364 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

Water Flowing

The water is flowing fast in the Milwaukee River these days. This shot was taken under the Locust Street bridge on the East Side of Milwaukee. Taken at midday, I used a 10-stop ND filter to slow down the water and create the smooth, silk-like motion. For some reason, while I was shooting, the chorus of the Talking Heads song "One in a Lifetime" was running through my head: "Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down Letting the days go by, water flowing underground Into the blue again after the money's gone Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground" Does it have any relevance to the shot (outside of flowing water)? Not really. But I thought I'd share a little of what goes on in my head sometimes when I shoot. It doesn't always make sense. But it is who I am! Day 363 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

Straight Line Above

"The straight line belongs to men, the curved one to God." --Antoni Gaudi Whenever I am out and about, I'm always looking up (and down and around). Some of the most interesting photographs can be found when you look at things from a different perspective. And that is especially true of architecture. Looking up, I loved all of the lines in this shot. There are three main horizontal sections - the sky, the building side and the overhang. The siding on the building created a checkerboard of lines going horizontal and vertical. The panels in the overhang also has many parallel lines. Finally, the straight lines of the blurred clouds create almost an arrow pointing down the side of the building. Finally, to emphasize all those wonderful lines (and minimize the distracting colors), I converted the final image to a copper-toned black and white. Day 362 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

A Hint of Autumn

I found a small hint of autumn on the sidewalk today. Yes, the calendar says it is fall, but at least here in Milwaukee, the trees are still thinking summer. But soon enough, just a few weeks or so, the gold and yellows will be out in full force. And I can't wait for that! But for the time being, I'll rejoice in the little hints. Day 361 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly Effect. That is what I thought of when I saw this cool stencil street art. It's one of the many murals in the recently opened Black Cat Alley in Milwaukee. It is an actual alley and features street art from local, national, and international artists. Located between Prospect and Farwell, the alley runs from Kenilworth to Ivanhoe. The pieces range in size from just a few feet to covering the entire side of a building. It is well worth the trip, for sure. The butterflies are by local Milwaukee artist, Jeremy Novy. If you live in and around the city, you may have seen his stenciled koi fish - they are everywhere. Day 360 of my 365 photo a day project. Photograph copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography The stencil art copyright is owned by Jeremy Novy - https://jeremynovystencils.com/

Wonderful Magic

You get some wonderful magical surprises when you experiment. For this sweet shot of my son, I used a Diana+ 110mm soft focus telephoto Lomography lens. In addition, I created the surreal blurred look by using trailing curtain sync with my on-camera flash. This is another technique that is very nice to have in your bag of tricks. While I loved the warm tones in the initial image, I felt the motion and shapes in the photo were the stars. So I added a bit of grain and converted the final image to black and white. Day 359 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

The Telephone Handset

“ TELEPHONE n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance.” ― Ambrose Bierce Day 358 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

Look Into My Eyes

"Don't believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you'll see the way to fly." --Richard Bach Day 357 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

Chevrolet Apache Pickup

Since I teased you a couple of days ago with the 1959 Chevrolet Apache nameplate, I figured I should show you the whole thing. This flat black pickup was parked along the street in our neighborhood. Parallel parked, it was quite difficult to get a good angle without a ton of distractions. However, undeterred, I took several exposure brackets from a couple of different angles. You can't just pass up a vehicle like this. Day 356 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

No Swimming

No Swimming. I took a deep dive into my archives for this image since I was unable to get out and shoot today. From August of last year, this was taken along the lakefront in Chicago. I found it interesting the "No Swimming" sign right in front of a ladder to the water. Day 355 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

Lite Brite

What happens when you introduce a 2 1/2 year old to a vintage Lite Brite? A joyful couple of hours of total fun. Along with some really cool (and totally photographable) color abstracts. Day 354 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

Waiting for the River

"He who postpones the hour of living is like the rustic waiting for the river to run out before he crosses." --Horace I am often guilty of standing by while the world spins around. Minor things become important while the essentials are forgotten or relegated to the bottom of the to-do lists. However, time spent meditating along the river always seems to help me realign my priorities. I should do this more often for sure. Perhaps I'll add that to my to-do list. Day 353 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

Down Feather

Another reoccurring subject in my 365 Project is feathers. This tiny down feather is the latest image in that theme. Only about an inch long, it's amazing that a collection of these can power flight. Day 352 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

1959 Chevy Apache

A flat black 1959 Chevy Apache pickup truck. What a cool cool vehicle. There is not much else I can say. Except enjoy the classic lines. Day 351 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

Dizzy Moon

I call this one Dizzy Moon for what may or may not be obvious reasons. But the title came only as I was finishing up my processing. In actuality, I had no real goal in mind when I shot it outside of creating an abstract. Well, that is not entirely true. I guess I wanted to play around and see what I could see. That in itself is a goal. You gotta try new things - that is when the "a ha!" moments occur. So what is it? This is a long exposure of a laser pointer on a white folded piece of foam core in a dark room. I stood there taking shot after shot waving the laser around creating lines, shapes, dizzy circles, and even words. And I must admit, the theme from Star Wars did run through my head a few times while I was shooting! (cue the light saber sound effects) I chose this photo out of the scores I shot because I love the organic feel of the light oval. And once the image color was inverted, it was also reminiscent of a moon rising above the ocean. That was a happy surprise - abother "a ha!" moment. I added a bit of texture to minimize the digital noise from the long dark exposure and did a small amount of exposure correction. Simple and fun. Day 350 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

If My Calculations Are Correct

If my calculations are correct, I have only 16 days and 16 images leftin my photo a day project. However, that doesn't necessarily mean they will all be of great value - see today's average image. With multiple projects today, I figured I'd just do something simple that would not divide my time too much. Creative fatigue is certainly a factor too. Add to that, the ratio of good to bad ideas seems to be getting exponentially smaller as time continues to move toward infinity. However, looking back at the project, the volume of good photographs is greater than the bad ones. So I guess I should count my blessings there. Day 349 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

Five String Banjo

I'm adding a five string banjo to the list of instruments I've shot for this project. This one hangs on the wall at the Urban Ecology Center just down the road from our house where they have quite a collection of stringed instruments. Hanging next to it is also a guitar, a mandolin, and ukulele all hanging ready to be played. While I've never actually seen this played, it certainly looks....well used. And it was the texture of the wear and tear on head behind the strings that caught my eye first. Then I noticed the complimentary colors from the various light sources. To ensure maximum dynamic range, I shot 5 bracketed exposures and created a 32-bit file. In processing, I enhanced both the color and textures of the banjo and rotated the image 90 degrees clockwise from the way it was shot. Day 348 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

September 11, 2001 - Never Forget

September 11, 2001 - Never Forget Day 347 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

Milwaukee Fire Department Engine 27

I had a nice conversation with the fine folks of Station 27 from the Milwaukee Fire Department today at a neighborhood block party. They were showing off Engine 27 and giving kids of all ages a chance to see a real fire truck up close and personal. My 2 1/2 year old son was enthralled. And I'll admit, I was too! It's hard not to like a panel like this full of gauges, knobs, nozzles and buttons. Not to mention the flashing lights and all of the brushed metal and chrome. Standing next to one of these makes this 48 year old feel like a kid again - just like my son, full of awe and wonder. To the Milwaukee Fire Department and firefighters across the country, thank you for your service. Day 346 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

Seashell by the Seashore

I wanted to capture something "summer-y" and minimalist to commemorate the impending end of summer and the slow downhill slide to the dead of winter. What better way than with a nice sandy beach and a seashell or two? The only problem with that is I'm in Milwaukee and nowhere near the ocean. Oh sure, we have Lake Michigan. And with the right light and conditions, the lake water can look just like a Caribbean beach in a photograph. But that wasn't today. What to do? My solution involved a white foam core backdrop, natural light from a window, and a pen light. I was planning on creating the blue sky and sandy beach colors in Photoshop, but as luck would have it, the blended colors of the natural and artifical lights worked together well to create the two-toned look in camera. All I had to do was enhance what was there. The light from the window camera left acted as a large warm softbox. With just that natural light, the window just barely lit the scene at a 20 second exposure. So I used the pen light to "light paint" the shell and fill in the rest of the lighting. Finally in Photoshop, along with my normal color-correction and contrast adjustments, I added just a slight bit of texture.

The Arch on the Edge of Forever

Everytime I walk through this arch in the park near our home on Milwaukee's East Side, I think of an old TV show. And some of you may have guessed which one just from the title of this blog post. (Geeks.) The entrance to the Rotary Centennial Arboretum is quite magical, especially for being in the middle of the city. There are no visible man-made objects other than the stone archway. No wonder I think of otherworldly TV shows when I'm there. For those that haven't figured it out, the TV show is Star Trek. And the particular episode is the Harlan Ellison penned, "The City on the Edge of Forever." (Yes, I am a geek.) It is arguably the best episode of the original series. I guess it is appropriate too that I'm shooting something Trek-like on it's 50th anniversary. So, if you are ever in Milwaukee, make sure to visit the arboretum and the stone arch. And if you haven't seen it (even if you have!), do yourself a favor and watch "The City on the Edge of Forever". Day 344 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com