The photographs in this gallery originally appeared in separate monthly galleries for 2008. The photographs were part of a year-long project to take a photograph a day and post it to a monthly gallery.

The photographs featured here are a subset of the original monthly galleries for 2008. They are sorted in reverse, by date which means the oldest photographs are at the end.
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Gerry Daniel > Texture and color are things that attract my eye. In the woods that were so green with summer growth, an area of dead leaves offered some rich earth tones that stood out from the rest of the surroundings. Today's song is by Bon Iver, the title is "Skinny Love" from the "For Emma, Forever Ago" album.
Gerry Daniel > For about a week before I left on vacation I had backed away from taking photographs. One of the things I love the most about photography is the creative outlet. A combination of things going on in my daily life and some stagnation with my photographs had drained a good bit of the fun from the daily photo project and my overall photography. Some time to take a step back form everything let me get a fresh look at things. For me, I think I can expect to hit snags and times when my photography will feel like it isn't meeting my creative needs. That is largely an internal battle. Unfortunately for those of you that read these captions, I tend to express that frustration here. Goals and projects can get out of focus easily. In this case, a project that I had created for my own fun, enjoyment, and development had lost my original intent. Of all the reasons I started the project, if the fun isn't there, the other reasons don't make much sense in my case. With that in mind, I am trying to approach my shooting a bit differently. Will I start making better photos? Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't really matter. It matters that I keep it in perspective. Some of you may be thinking, "Nice thought process. You are a wizard at pointing out the obvious, Gerry." But that's the point. Knowing what makes sense and keeping it in perspective are not always the same thing. One of the hardest things for me to do is allow myself some leeway. It's one of those traits that cuts both ways. Anyway, today's shot is just an attempt at finding new perspectives, looking for different ways to view a scene. And by now you know, I am a sucker for a reflection shot.
Gerry Daniel > 2008 Daily Photo Community photo
Gerry Daniel > The Smokey Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountains. It's a very old mountain range with lush vegetation. This afternoon I hiked some trails in a place in Chattanooga called Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden. I will spare you a long history and description of the location but suffice it to say if you have an interest in such places, it would be worth your time to Google it and learn what it is about. It was finally a sunny afternoon. Most of my week has been very lazy so walking and sweating was a nice change. My walk on the trails was filled with lush forests, meadows, creeks, and beautiful vistas. Choosing which photograph to upload for the photo of the day was difficult because they are all part of what was a very enjoyable experience for me. Part of my week has been to decompress, recharge my batteries, let my mind rest, and find a better balance on things that swirl around me on a daily basis in my normal, daily routine. It's been a very long time since I have had the time to get this much time to myself, this much solitude. Everyone is different and a lot of people don't have the same needs for their inner peace. It's a matter of finding what works for you. This works for me. The photo I chose ended up being this one with the view through the trees and into the valley with the dirt road winding through the gap and the mountains rising in the background. It was the variety of perspectives offered in this one shot that appealed to me. There are some other nice photographs that I will upload to the Tennessee gallery that I recently created. Some of my photos from today will have to wait until I get home to be processed. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this peaceful little scene from the afternoon walk through the woods along the trails.
Gerry Daniel > Another gray day in Chattanooga but the rain seems to have stopped. This afternoon I had an opportunity to see the riverfront from Coolidge Park on the North Shore. The park features fountains, a beautiful restored carousel, plenty of walking paths and open grassy areas. There is a footbridge across the river. Today's photo is a photograph of the bridge from the shore perspective. After taking photos on the shore i spent some time visiting a friend that owns a fantastic shop called Winder Binder Gallery of Folk Art. The shop is filled with a wide variety of art as well as many unique metal wind-up toys, books, and other interesting items. The specialty shops and cafes along this area on the North Shore are worth the time to visit if you are in the Chattanooga area. My love of pizza is no secret. I capped the afternoon with an exceptional pizza from Pisa Pizza in the North Shore business district. Each bite of the pizza was a taste treat. I will go back for another pizza before I leave Chattanooga this week.
Gerry Daniel > It's been a while since I took any photographs. I am on the road and processing the images from the laptop, so it's a little weird. I have been in Chattanooga since Sunday. It has been raining most of the time but I haven't minded, I am just taking it easy. I went the the Tennessee Aquarium this afternoon. When I get home, I will have a lot of images to go through but I wanted to go ahead and post something. I will create a gallery for Chattanooga and put images there as I get a chance to process them. One dirty secret about my photography is that probably over 99% of them are taken from a tripod. Clarity is such a big part of an image and I don't trust my hands to be steady enough to get the best shots. Today is one of the exceptions. Lugging all of my camera equipment around, in a driving rain and through the Tennessee Aquarium so I put a lens in my jacket pocket and carried the camera with the other lens mounted. That is about as light as I can travel for photography. So all of the shots from today were hand held. I went through a butterfly exhibit and got some nice shots that I will share. Because of the people swirling around and the movement of the butterflies, I actually shot a lot on automatic in that area which is something I rarely do. Today's photo are two birds at the top of the floor in an area outside the butterfly exhibit. Some of the butterfly photos may turn out to be better shots, but I happen to like this shot. These two had not cooperated at all. They were constantly grooming each other. Hope everyone is doing well. I haven't been on my site or looked at any galleries for a what seems like forever. Needless to say, I am extremely behind but not stressing about it. Sooner or later I will get back into a more regular routine. Peace
Gerry Daniel > Something about my shooting the last few days hasn’t felt right. It’s like when you are trying to think of something and it is right on the edge of your mind but you can’t quite recall it. On some level I am searching for what I want to shoot but it hasn’t clicked yet. Today’s photo isn’t it. It isn’t even on the right track but I have to do something to change the way I am looking at things. I shot some water lilies but they aren’t where I need to go either. I am hoping the change of scenery next week when I go to Chattanooga will help by putting me in a different environment.
Gerry Daniel > Today's shot was just something to fill the spot. I am having some problems with my surgery from last week. The area around the bone graft for the dental implant is hurting and I really wasn't into shooting. Going back to see the doctor in the morning.
Gerry Daniel > Despite being somewhat positive the past few days about the way my photographs have resembled what I have been trying to capture, I admit to being a little restless with what I am shooting. As has been discussed in this group from time to time, being comfortable is not always the best thing for growth and development as a photographer. This morning, I was in a place that I am sure offered plenty of opportunities for nice images. The desire and effort were there but the inspiration was not. I knew it, not in the “I failed” sense but in the sense that I knew when I got home, I wasn’t going to have any shots that I liked. As I was about to unlock my car, I saw this flower blooming through the overgrown area beyond the curb. The camera was still on the tripod, so I took a few shots. It was just an afterthought, just a few more desperate clicks, no real expectations. I spent part of the afternoon trying to decide whether to go out and shoot again. My mouth is still sore from the surgery earlier this week and really didn’t want to make the effort. I worked through the shots from this morning, all of them except the last few I took before I got into the car. Before I called it quits and skipped posting for today, I worked on one of the afterthought images. I am going to have to work through the restlessness and see where it takes me. There was something about this shot that I liked, so here it is.
Texture and color are things that attract my eye. In the woods that were so green with summer growth, an area of dead leaves offered some rich earth tones that stood out from the rest of the surroundings.

Today's song is by Bon Iver, the title is "Skinny Love" from the "For Emma, Forever Ago" album.
> Texture and color are things that attract my eye. In the woods that were so green with summer growth, an area of dead leaves offered some rich earth tones that stood out from the rest of the surroundings. Today's song is by Bon Iver, the title is "Skinny Love" from the "For Emma, Forever Ago" album.
Texture and color are things that attract my eye. In the woods that were so green with summer growth, an area of dead leaves offered some rich earth tones that stood out from the rest of the surroundings.

Today's song is by Bon Iver, the title is "Skinny Love" from the "For Emma, Forever Ago" album.
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