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.
Gallery pages:  <<  <  14  15  16  17  18  19  >  >>
< 148 of 231 >
Gerry Daniel > It has been a while since I have shot any photographs at Moss Rock Preserve. I am lucky to have such a place adjacent to our subdivision. At first it didn’t seem too hot in the woods. There are lots of trees and a nice canopy of leaves. Eventually I started to feel the heat and by the time I finished shooting, I was very hot. It is so peaceful in the woods, no city sounds, just the breeze and the insects. As in many cases in the past, I can’t identify the flowers in the photograph. I keep saying I am going to buy a book on wildflowers. I need to quit talking about doing it and just buy the book. Today’s iTunes selection is by ZZ Top, “Tush” is one of their classics.
Gerry Daniel > I know, it’s another water lily shot. What can I tell you? They were just floating there and they were pretty. I needed a twist, a hook, something to help me slip it under the radar. On cue, the dragonflies appeared and I had the hook I needed. So here it is, a photo of a dragonfly that happens to be sitting on a very pretty water lily. Thanks again for being so supportive in this group. I appreciate all of you every day. Tonight’s iTunes selection is by Hem, the song is “Stupid Mouth Shut” from the “Rabbit Songs” album.
Gerry Daniel > You knew it would happen. It was lurking in the background, just waiting for a chance to break through. The water lilies have been quietly stalking my monthly gallery for days now. Photographs were made and readied for display. The water lilies are relentless, silently mocking the other flowers. They are ancient and have immense patience, making their first appearance in the June gallery only two days into the month. The water lilies look both primitive and alien, like they came from another planet. Today’s iTunes selection is from a band called State Radio, the song is “People to People” from the “Us Against the Crown” album. If you like a nice reggae beat from time to time, this is a great song and I like the lyrics too.
Gerry Daniel > We had thundershowers this afternoon but there was a break between them when the sun peeked out then clouds took over again. Shooting after a rain is one of my favorite times to take photographs. Today’s photo is just the underside of a lily pad. The patterns on the underside of the leaf and the water droplets from the rain were visually interesting to me. Today’s iTunes song is “Nobody’s Cryin’” by Patty Griffin from “A Kiss In Time”.
Gerry Daniel > First, let me clear some old business from yesterday, I struggled with what was something that was funny in my head but it wasn’t at all possible for me to translate it into the daily photo album. In a nutshell, I had a photo of a frog and another photo with canoes on a trailer. For some reason it made me think of “The Muppet Movie” and the scene early in the movie with Kermit in the boat in the pond. I think it was when he was singing “Rainbow Connection” and maybe Fozzie was in the boat too. Anyway, however funny it was to me, my photos had no element of that scene beyond boats and a frog. I tried, believe me, several different angles, it just wasn’t going to get there, not even close. So hopefully that clears that up, the two photos responsible are in the Bonus Tracks gallery now so you can see how much it would have failed. Now for today’s picture which was shot this morning. I might as well confess to you, we are sharing photos and things about our lives. It’s time I told you about my addiction. You have to understand I was raised in an agricultural area with farms all over the surrounding area. Like a lot of kids from my generation that lived in the Southeastern United States, we spent most of the summer months outside playing, coming inside mainly for meals. Our water breaks would be from the hose in the yard, which as anyone that had drank water from a hose in hot weather will tell you, let it run a little before you drink because the water sitting in the hose can be pretty dang hot. Anyway most of our meals included generous portions of fresh vegetables. At the time, I assumed that everybody ate that way because everybody that I knew ate that way. I know, I am wasting time, avoiding the addiction confession. Be patient, I am trying to give you some context. I couldn’t begin to estimate how many peas I have shelled, how many butterbeans I have shelled, or how many ears of corn I have shucked but it would be a healthy number. I have two older sisters and a younger brother. My sisters and I would have to finish whatever chores we were assigned before we could go out and play. So if there were peas to shell and other kids from the neighborhood came over, if they were in a hurry to play, they were likely to end up with a bowl of peas to shell to help things move along. Why so much shelling and shucking you may ask. Obviously the growing season was limited, part of what were had was cooked and eaten then and part of it was “put up” for the winter months. I don’t know what they call it elsewhere, but “putting up” vegetables was a way of saying that they would be prepared for the freezer and eaten in the off season. Quit pushing, I am getting to the addiction part. You needed more background. Tomatoes, there I said it. I have an addiction for farm/garden fresh tomatoes. Every Saturday morning, this time of year, I will go to downtown Birmingham to Pepper Place Saturday Market. Farmers and their families will come into town, setup their fruits and vegetables and sell them between 7 am and noon. There are crafts, coffee stands, and food places to buy muffins and other breakfast fare. There is also live music on several porches that surround the area. I would miss something if I tried to list all of the fruits and vegetables available during the warm months. Today was going to be a hot one so I took my camera with me when I left to go to Pepper Place this morning. My photo for today is from Birmingham Botanical Gardens and was taken on my way home. I was a little later than I had planned because when I got to Pepper Place, an older lady had fallen in the parking lot, her bag of vegetables had thrown off her balance. She had fallen on her left side, her husband was with her but he is blind. Eventually I called 911, which I had never done before, the paramedics came and took her to the hospital, I am pretty sure she had some broken bones. One of the people there took custody of her vegetables and followed them to the hospital to keep the vegetables from spoiling. iTunes song for today is by The Be Good Tanyas and is titled "Scattered Leaves" from the album "Hello Love".
Gerry Daniel > This photo had a longer caption but it didn’t survive to be shared. Well, to be honest there were several drafts. For a lot of reasons, they have all been discarded. Today’s photo is in black & white, no color, not even muted tones. Going with the flow may seem easy but watch out for the undertow and riptides. ***edited caption - ok - i tried several funny drafts but none of them translated well - should have added that to the caption, sorry for the confusion, it was late
Gerry Daniel > You guys are great. Thanks for all of the positive reinforcement on my photos. Today finds me back on what is now familiar territory with another flower. I never think of myself as someone that photographs flowers. I don’t even know why I photograph them. Well, that’s not exactly true; I photograph flowers and plants because I find them visually pleasing for some reason. They pose nicely too. If you are someone that uses layers and Photoshop CS3, converting your background layer to a Smart Object is a good idea. It basically builds in a layer mask and if you choose to apply filters, it allows you to turn them off and on as well as go back and adjust them or anything else at any point, even after you have saved. It’s pretty cool. Tonight’s iTunes selection is a little song by Amos Lee on his self titled album. The song is “Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight” – the whole album is great, I recommend it if you are looking for something pleasant.
Gerry Daniel > For those of you secretly thinking that I am just a one-trick pony, I bring you something different today. Yes, I can photograph more than flowers and water. Sorry if it seems to any of you that I am in a rut. To be honest, I have gone through several phases already over the course of 2008 with my subjects and my approach to shooting. This month is the first month I have begun to feel a certain comfort level. I am not saying that I have started to feel complacent. In fact I am very far from feeling that way. I still question my shots every day and I still question my skill as a photographer every day. In fact, it still seems strange to refer to myself as a photographer. I love photography and feel like it has been a great addition to my life experience but I am not sure what line you have to cross to call yourself a photographer. Anyway, back to my original point, today’s photo is obviously not a flower or water. it is in fact a bird. The shot was taken at the Birmingham Zoo and I really didn’t think it would turn out well enough to share because I had to take it through the glass (which was very smudgy) and the lighting was poor. Birds can be interesting; I have noticed a number of you have birds in your daily photos. One thing that stays in the back of my mind when I look at birds, especially exotic birds, is that they are probably one of the closest living relatives to dinosaurs. It is easy to think lizard, but I think birds are considered closely related in some areas. Feel free to contradict me; I am by no means an expert on birds or dinosaurs. Before I post my iTunes choice of the day, John reached back to a Harry Nillson song yesterday. Nice choice, he was a unique artist with an amazing vocal range. So John, I see your Nillson and raise you a Roy Orbison. This song is taken from a special concert he performed late in his career with many of the current greats. It took place in September 1987 and his band that night included Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and Jackson Browne. Backup vocalists included k.d. lang, Jennifer Warnes, and Bonnie Raitt. There isn’t a bad track on the album but I chose one of his classics, “Pretty Woman”. If you ever get a chance to see the video, Bruce Springsteen had a ball on this song if I remember correctly. The album is titled “Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night”.
Gerry Daniel > We had a rainstorm this afternoon. I waited it out until it was only a drizzle then went out to shoot armed with my new waterproof cover for my camera and a rain poncho for me. I like shooting after a rain and it was nearing sunset. The light had a nice quality. I ended up with several shots I like and had a tough time choosing. I am not saying that I had great shots, I am just saying I had shots I liked, and your mileage may vary. It’s all subjective. So this was my choice. Hopefully it works for you too. If not, maybe another shot on another day will do it for you. This is kind of a ride along thing anyway, so just ride along and don’t mess with the music on the iPod or complain about the volume. Sometimes it needs to be a little loud for emphasis. Tonight’s iPod selection is from John Mayer on “The Village Sessions” album. This is a song I like a lot, “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room”. If you like John Mayer and don’t have “The Village Sessions” album, I highly recommend it, the arrangements are outstanding.
We had thundershowers this afternoon but there was a break between them when the sun peeked out then clouds took over again. Shooting after a rain is one of my favorite times to take photographs. Today’s photo is just the underside of a lily pad. The patterns on the underside of the leaf and the water droplets from the rain were visually interesting to me.

Today’s iTunes song is “Nobody’s Cryin’” by Patty Griffin from “A Kiss In Time”.
> We had thundershowers this afternoon but there was a break between them when the sun peeked out then clouds took over again. Shooting after a rain is one of my favorite times to take photographs. Today’s photo is just the underside of a lily pad. The patterns on the underside of the leaf and the water droplets from the rain were visually interesting to me. Today’s iTunes song is “Nobody’s Cryin’” by Patty Griffin from “A Kiss In Time”.
We had thundershowers this afternoon but there was a break between them when the sun peeked out then clouds took over again. Shooting after a rain is one of my favorite times to take photographs. Today’s photo is just the underside of a lily pad. The patterns on the underside of the leaf and the water droplets from the rain were visually interesting to me.

Today’s iTunes song is “Nobody’s Cryin’” by Patty Griffin from “A Kiss In Time”.
Gallery pages:  <<  <  14  15  16  17  18  19  >  >>
< 148 of 231 >

Comments

|

New comment:

Name: Email: Link:


To foil spammers, enter this code: copy this text in this box: Code unreadable?

Add Comment Cancel



All photos © Dream Hat Photography! Please don't use them illegally.
Custom Smugmug Design: WolfSnap.com