March 27 Heading Out

March 27 Heading Out, originally uploaded by NedraI.

My husband and I returned to the train station this evening to try and capture the beauty of the building. Luckily this train was late arriving so we were able to shoot some pictures. I like the way this one turned out. The train wasn't going very fast but the longer exposure gives it a feeling that it's moving quickly.

Wating for the Bus

Wating for the Bus, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot:
Sidewalks are great for people watching. Make a photograph of a sidewalk scene today.

We don't have sidewalks in our area so I made a quick trip to the nearby train station to take a few pictures. A bus was pulling out as I arrived. These two ladies were waiting for the next bus.

March 26 Skates

Skates, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Today’s Daily Shoot:
Think of a subject that starts with either the letter "D" or "S". Find it, and make a photo!

I was looking for sap buckets on my drive home but no luck. Later we went to visit some friends. I took a picture of a swing in their yard and on the way back into the house I noticed the two kinds of skates. There were some snowshoes on the wall as well.

March 25 Black and White

Black and White, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Time to revisit a traditional photographic look. Make a black and white photo with high contrast today.

My daughter takes special orders from her friends for their birthdays. She makes cookies, cakes or pies of their choice. Tonight she made chocolate peanut butter chip cookies for her friends that are twins. Lucky for my daughter they were both ordered the same cookie.

March 24 Product

March 24 Product, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot: Imagine you've been commissioned to photograph a product for a company's marketing dept. Give us your best product shot.

This is one of my favorite beers. My husband helped me set up the shot. Now that I'm looking at it I realize I should have turned all the bottles around in the box so you can the labels. Oh, well.... I didn't show it here but the inside of the bottle caps are cool because they have a Hawaiian word with the English translation.

March 23 Angles

March 23 Angles, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Look for angles today: 90s, 45s, or any other combination of angles that make an interesting composition.

Yep, pretty lame but the best I could do today.

March 22 Author-James Bruchac

March 22 Author-James Bruchac, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot: Set an alarm for a random time today. Any time. When it goes off, pick up your camera and find a photo near where you are.

Ok, I cheated a little, I knew what time I'd be watching this presentation.

James Bruchac was our PARP kick off assembly today. He spent the day at our school. He did a K-2 and 3-5 session in the morning and then met with 3-5 as individual grade levels in the afternoon. I was able to take pictures since the third grades went during their special time in the morning. Then I was given coverage for the 5th grade session so I could go and take some close up photos of the kids working. James had the kids jot down things kids should or shouldn't do. Then the kids picked one of their ideas and wrote descriptions of a monster and told what it would do and why. Considering they were doing this the last hour of the day I thought they were coming up with some good ideas.
I was not familiar with him or his books but I really enjoyed listening to him tell his stories to the morning group. You can see here that he had some great expressions.

Sign of Spring

Sign of Spring, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot: Sunday challenge: It's a new season (Spring up north, Fall down south). Make a photograph that illustrates the change.

I was taking pictures of crocus and bees for today's picture. When I went out to the deck I noticed some flies on the siding and just took this one quick shot. I wish I had taken more. I like the looks of its shadow. The return of pesky insects is certainly a sign of spring.

March 21 Lenton Rose

March 21 Lenton Rose, originally uploaded by NedraI.

I had this plant for years before it surprised me and finally bloomed. Once the flowers open it's hard to photograph since it's so close to the ground and the blooms hang down. But it's the worth the effort since it's so unusual.

March 20 Liquid

March 20 Liquid, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot Liquids can be still and reflective or in motion and chaotic. Make a photograph of something liquid today.

March 19 Crocus Flower

March 19 Crocus Flower, originally uploaded by NedraI.

It is so nice to be out in the garden photographing something with color! Last year the rabbits ate most of the crocus before they had a chance to bloom. Glad that didn't happen this time.

Foot Off the Ground

Foot Off the Ground, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot Change your angle today. Make a photo from 1' (30 cm) off the ground and post it.

It was another beautiful March day. I took some flower pictures but then decided to look for something a little different when I noticed the interesting textures of the bark of the grape vines. These grapes have been around for a long time. Last year we only had a few grapes, the year before we had more than needed. Hopefully this will be another good year.

March 18 Beer Fridge

March 18 Beer Fridge, originally uploaded by NedraI.

With the return of warmer weather and just a perfect spring week my husband turned the garage fridge back on. During the winter we keep some beer on the back porch to keep it cold but that doesn't work once it warms up. We're hoping the real cold weather is done. Those frosted mugs will be appreciated more once summer returns. :)

Timeless

Timeless, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Today’s Daily Shoot assignment is:
Find something that's so old it's almost timeless and make a photograph of it.

The flour sifter still works and occasionally I'll run across a recipe that calls for flour to be sifted. However, most often this job is done for us now before the flour is packaged.

March 17 Snow Drops from the Top

March 17 Snow Drops from the Top, originally uploaded by NedraI.

After taking my Daily Shoot picture today I turned around started up a different way to get back to the path when I first spotted something yucky-a deer leg and then a few steps further I found two clumps of these beauties. I think I need to buy some of these for my garden.

Stream

Stream, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot: Grab your camera and walk 2 minutes in any direction. Stop. Find a photo worth making from where you stopped and post it.
Since I had a meeting after school and then had to attend the school board meeting I just stayed at school this afternoon. After the meeting I went for my first bike ride of the season! When I got back to my car I put the bike away and grabbed my camera and did my 2 minute walk. I headed up the path to the high school. I noticed this stream and climbed down to get a picture. It was great to be out enjoying the beautiful weather.

3 Clean Cars

3 Clean Cars, originally uploaded by NedraI.

It was a beautiful warm sunny day in central New York. Very unusual for us this time of year! When I got home from work and teaching a class I pulled into the driveway just as my husband was finishing up cleaning his car. My son was doing his as well and the driveway was blocked. So I left my car and said they could do mine too and my husband did. I hardly recognize it when it's all nice and shiny!

March 16 Crocus

March 16 Crocus, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Today was an unusually beautiful day for central New York! According to my daughter it was 80 degrees on the back deck and she got a sunburn while sitting out there working on an essay. That was a first. My husband did lots of yard work since he's on spring break and took a drive in his Corvette. I'm glad my family has nice weather for their week off. Just wish I was home with them to enjoy it!

Curvy Shape

Curvy Shape, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot: Curves, squiggles, and flowing lines interest the eye. Make a photograph dominated by a curvy shape of some sort today.

This knot was at the end of a pier which was located where we're spending our weekend.

March 13 Gazebo on the Seaway

March 13 Gazebo on the Seaway, originally uploaded by NedraI.

This is the scene outside our hotel room. I went for a walk out there this morning. It was a little chilly but still pretty. We were hoping to see some big boats but no luck.

We're in Ogdensberg for the weekend for our daughter's 19U Tier II State Hockey Tournament. The team has only won two league games all season but they ended up first in their division and have made it to the semi-finals!

March 12 Favorite Gadget

Favorite Gadget, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Genesee Street

Genesee Street, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot #115 Street scenes capture life on the go, be it a bustling city or a quaint village. Make a photo of a street scene today.

I'm a day late with this shot. My husband and I went down to Genesee Street tonight. My fingers were numb by the time we were done but it was a fun time. I think this shot is cool with the the car lights and how all the street lights are lit at the same time.

Break The Rules

Break The Rules, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot: "Rules" can be stifling if taken to extremes. Break the rules today with focus, composition, etc, and see what happens.

Rules Broken:
Stream is mostly centered
Too much background is out of focus
Distracting background-culvert-didn't mean to get that! I almost cropped it out.

First Robin

First Robin, originally uploaded by NedraI.

I stopped by a creek on my way home to take some pics for the Daily Shoot. When I got back in my car and started up the hill I noticed a robin! Luckily the road was quiet because I stopped right in the middle, changed lenses and got off a couple of pictures before he flew off. Another sign that spring is coming!

March 10 Raisin Bread

March 10 Raisin Bread, originally uploaded by NedraI.

I'm continuing to make my own bread in my quest to be a healthier eater. This raisin cinnamon bread turned out wonderful! I'm looking forward to my son being home next week for spring break. He is the resident expert on making beer bread.

March 9 Candle Stick Symmetry

March 9 Candle Stick Symmetry, originally uploaded by NedraI.

This was one of my thoughts about symmetry on my way home from work today. I was so surprised when I went to the Daily Shoot page and saw that mhokirk had also shot a Fiesta tripod candlestick!

My mom starting collecting Fiesta Ware for me when I was in high school. She'd pick up pieces at garage sales. My aunt found these little gems at a drug store that was going out of business in her small town. They were in the basement. The orange one was 25 cents and the yellow was 10 cents because it had a small chip! I used the Fiesta for a long time and continued to add pieces if I could find them at affordable prices. But once I started chipping and breaking too many pieces I boxed most of it up. I still have my favorites on display in the china cabinet and I use those occasionally. I love the bright colors.

Ice Rink Symmetry

Ice Rink Symmetry, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot: Most of us enjoy some symmetry in our lives. Look around for it today and make a symmetrical photo. (via @melhutch)

Our daughter had a scrimmage tonight. After the game I took a few shots looking for symmetry. This was my favorite. Lots of symmetry at the rink.

It's starting to sink in that after this weekend we'll be done with youth hockey after 17 years!

March 8 Looking for the Greener Grass...

March 8 Looking for the Greener Grass..., originally uploaded by NedraI.

or maybe just any grass would do!

This is a sign of spring! The two horses on this small farm have their purple winter coats off and this one was by the fence. It's been awhile since I've seen one close to the road. Someday I'm going to stop by the house. Two of my students live here and they sell eggs. So, I'm hoping to buy some eggs and maybe get some pictures too. :-)

Blue

Blue, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot: Take care of the Monday blues by picking up your camera. Make a photograph dominated by the color blue.

I wanted to get the blue sky for today. We've had an unusual number of blue sky days here lately so I want to photograph it as often as possible! I was running very late on my way to work and was running late for an appointment after work so I was happy to see this guy close to the road so I could take a quick pick for today's theme.

Sunrise

Sunrise, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot: Sunday Challenge: Make a photo of a sunrise or sunset today.

I woke up at 6 and the first thing I checked was the Daily Shoot assignment. That got me moving. I rolled out of bed and hit the road. I stopped several times on my way to work to shoot the sunrise. This is something I've been wanting to do for awhile but I just can't get myself motivated. I debated between this and one with a barn for my favorite shot. I've enjoyed looking at all the beautiful sunrise pictures today.

March 6 Crazy Otto's Diner

March 6 Crazy Otto's Diner, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Our children showed us that their hearing skills can be very keen when food is being mentioned. My husband walked into the bedroom this morning and mentioned he'd like to go to diner for breakfast. Immediately our daughter yells out from her bed that she likes diners and a few minutes later our son emerged from his room ready to go! We headed to Herkimer to eat at Crazy Otto's Diner. It's a fun place. There is stuff everywhere so it's one of those places that you see something new every time you go there. The food and service were great and spending time with both kids was a wonderful way to start the day.

March 4 Experiment with Light

March 4 Experiment with Light, originally uploaded by NedraI.

The local camera club has two meetings a month. One is a competition with a theme and the other is a workshop. Because of other commitments we don't always make it to the meetings but we were glad we did tonight. Tonight's workshop was on painting with light. Two of the club members shared what they had learned through experimentation and then we all set up our cameras and gave it a try. We did 30 second exposures and it was funny how quiet the room got every time the lights were turned off. I know this is something my husband and I will experiment with again in the future.

March 4 Stripes

Stripes, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot: Striped patterns have a natural pattern that catches the eye. Find some stripes today and make a photo.

Kept my eye out for stripes today but didn't come up with many ideas. So I settled for the dishtowel.

March 3 Turkey

March 3 Turkey, originally uploaded by NedraI.

A field on my way to work had lots of turkeys in it this morning. For a change they were close enough for me to get a shot. This guy looked pretty proud walking around all the females although the females were ignoring him and busy looking for food.

March 2 Water Drop

March 2 Water Drop, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Find out what those buttons and dials on your camera do. Play today! Try a new setting and make a photo. (via @dibytes)

I tend to keep my camera on Aperture priority and single frame for shooting. So today I shot with Shutter Priority and changed to multiple shots, thanks from a reminder from my husband. I took 10 shots of the water drops and this is the only one that turned out cool. The sun was out today and the snow was melting away!

I also went into my menu and made a couple of changes there as well. Thanks for the push @dibytes!

March 1 Hockey Stuff

March 1 Hockey Stuff, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Daily Shoot: During the Olympics, we saw many images of sports. Make your own photo of a sports activity, gear, or spirit today.

This is what part of our basement looks like during the winter. My daughter brings her hockey bag to the basement and lays everything out to air dry. Drying equipment is something we've insisted on since she first started playing. At one time she had lots of hooks in her room to hang everything but at one point she decided that wasn't the decor she was looking for and moved it all to the basement. Yes, the 17 year old does have a Labatt's Blue hockey bag, thanks to her dad. On the days I get motivated to ride my bike I have to step around all this stuff! Luckily since she keeps it aired out it doesn't smell too bad.