One a Day

I feel like I’m constantly in my car.  Especially over the past few weeks since I started this One a Day project, I feel like I’m constantly driving by things so quickly that I never really have time to slow down and absorb anything.  I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels this way, especially in suburbia, we live in our cars, and would feel completely helpless without them.  The idea to do this came to me when I got into my car after work, and I set up my tripod in the passenger seat, then proceeded to take 25 second exposures all the way from Yonkers to Yorktown.  I had to estimate exposure, and this was one of the 4 of 67 that I took with flash, and I’m glad I did because this one blew the other’s out of the water(I looked like an amorphous blob).  FYI wide angle lenses add about 30 pounds to the subject.

I should have waited around longer to get the sky dark enough to get the effect I wanted, the sky kept getting blown out so I had to underexpose the building.  This particular motel was kind of boring, but I just like its big obnoxious neon sign.  I think I just like big obnoxious neon signs in general… Vegas bound?

Not bad for a handheld shot at 1600 ISO.  I however am shot and even less well versed than normal so that’s gonna be it for me.

Taking photo’s of the ponies tonight.  I often shoot random coworkers, to check my exposures as the sun’s going down.  This is just a B roll shot that I happened to like of Darragh.  The sun was just about to go down, and he was being lit, by the track lights, I really dig the results.

A few weeks ago Western Mass was hit by tornadoes.  Many people have been left with destroyed property and injury.  <rant> These natural disasters always point my mind towards previous disasters, such as the Fukishima and Haitian earthquakes, Katrina, tsunamis in Indonesia, etc.  And the outpour of humanitarian aid that pours in from the rest of the world.  It feels good to know that there is this desire to help people who are suffering, but at the same time it makes me stress cynicism also.  The first instance that makes my head spin are the people that say “why are we helping these people, we have plenty of unemployed here” to which I won’t even satisfy which an argument, its just sad and I’ll leave it at that.  The rest are part of the same thing.  There are the folk who tell everyone that every day is a blessing, and that this should serve as a reminder of how precious life is and how lucky we are.  It should not take a natural disaster and thousands of life ruined for you to realize that life is precious.  If you need a reminder of how lucky we are, just pick up some world news and start reading.  People who can’t get clean drinking water, who live their lives under repressive dictators and theocrats, people who are dying from tuberculosis and malaria, etc.   Everyday we have like this is a gift, and we need to stop bitching about our made up problems.  </rant>

Saturday’s tour of the Allagash Brewery, got some great tasting beers, and this back room is totally epic.

Back to basics, first of three photo’s from the weekend.  I spent the whole day driving, so I decided to make my pit stop a twofer.

Super lazy after work nearly didn’t take a picture for today, but made the detour on my way home to snap this shot in Ardsley.  Been planning on taking pictures of Motels at night for quite some time now, figured now’s as good a time as any.  The semi was in the way of the shot I wanted to I decided to have that be the focus of the shot.  Bolted when I saw the night guy at the motel looking at me through a window, I’m too old for this shit!  Going to Maine tomorrow, if my new gadget arrives I will be posting through the weekend.  If not mass upload on Sunday night.

I decided to walk down the tracks a little bit today.  Brought my tripod took some shots of passing trains.  You would think a photo of a train passing 5 feet in front of you would be exciting… you’d be wrong.  So instead we get a close up of the third rail, I like how everything pops.  Today kind of reminds me of when I used to go out to the train graveyard in Croton, to take pictures( http://fatalicon.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=72#/dbakgl.)  It’s been kind of fun to just play again, but i need to start rustling up some models, self portraits and empty landscapes aren’t quite scratching the itch.

 

Just erased the whole write up I did for this, so here’s the abridged version(better version.)  I think the death of the video store is kind of a shame.  I in no part claim innocence on the massacre, I’ve been a happy Netflix user for about 4 years now.  I remember going in with my parents or grandparents as a kid, and getting to pick out a movie or a video game or two, and to it was just like this magical thing. I also remember getting caught in the Adult Section of this particular store when I was sixteen.  Now I’m sure I’m romantisising the hell out of this, but I just think its a little sad that its dead and gone the way of the record store.  It just makes me wonder what form of retail store is next, and the sweeping expanses of strip mall ghost towns that will eventually become a reality.  Poor New Jersey they don’t stand a chance.