🔥 Current year posting percentage: 100%
Days posted this year: 151 / 365
Current streak: 195 days in a row
Longest streak: 195 days
Total photos on site: 606
Total posts on site: 456
Welcome to 365pixels 👋🏻
Home for my 365 photo challenge, where I attempt to take and post a photo every day for the year.
Click on Photos to see all the photos on one page or scroll down. You can find more pictures and some not-very-good blogging at Cliff538.
I hope the pictures bring a smile and inspire you to take more pictures.
Thank you for stopping by.
Well, here it is, the end of May already. I can’t believe it.
Cancún is hot and humid, and I almost can’t stand it. I’m definitely a cool-weather guy, and I just sweat and suffer in this humidity. I think it’s time to stop bidding for these trips until winter comes around again.
I got my shots done early this morning and wanted to get this post up before my day got started. It’s a late show today, with just one leg back to Phoenix, which I’m pretty pleased with.
The amount of seaweed on the beach is the worst I’ve seen it. Parts of the beach are almost unwalkable, and the smell can be pretty bad. Despite that, I had some really good conversations with the workers this trip. Everyone is so nice. When you start asking people where they grew up, what their parents did, or what their favorite childhood memories are, you can end up having some really beautiful conversations.
This is technically a no-tipping resort since everything is included, but I still tip everyone. They work hard, and I know it’s appreciated.
Lots of stray pixels this time around. I tried to experiment a little and be creative with some of them. Every photo was shot and processed on the iPhone.
First time in Richmond. Not enough time to explore the city, hopefully next time. Good day out in the skies, only 40 minutes late by the end of the day. Lots of thunderstorms and turbulence today, glad to be done. Ended up in Cancun, time for a good rest.
These two California Quail were outstanding parents, carefully corralling and watching over their brood. So much fun to watch.
Hope it was a good day out there for everyone. Thanks for stopping by.
Back from mountain biking and nursing my old, sore, out-of-shape body, I’m now sitting in the backyard with a cup of coffee, watching this little guy guard his two feeders. A little male Anna’s hummingbird has proudly claimed my backyard tree as his home, and I’m honored. He’s letting me get really close with my camera. I think it’s a fair trade: I provide two always-full feeders and a big shade tree, and I get to take pictures.
I’ve also put up two grass hummingbird nests, just in case he wants a ready-made home to move into. From what I’ve read, Anna’s hummingbirds now live in the Phoenix Valley year-round.
Another great day of biking through some spectacular nature.
Shot and processed on iPhone.
Great day out exploring and mountain biking. Not very many pictures today, I’m really out of shape, it took all my energy just to stay on the bike. Add in an elevation of 7300', and I was toast.
A little road trip up to Flagstaff, AZ, for some hiking and biking to escape the already oppressive heat in Phoenix. Shot and processed on iPhone. Summer is filling me with dread. I need to move North. Way North.
It’s always been a fascinating topic for me: where you live and why. I’m envious of the people who can say, “I live here, I love it here, and I’ll get the best job I can here, because I love it.” On the other side of the coin are the people who say, “I’ll live anywhere for the job that I love. My job comes first; I’ll make do wherever I am.” Guess which camp I’m in…
I’m seeing a positive trend with younger people I fly with: they’re putting quality of life first. Where they live comes first, and how much they work comes second. They’re putting family and time off first—something we never did, and we’re paying the price for that attitude later in life.
Anyway, I digress. A topic for another day.
I hope it was a good day. Thank you for stopping by.
Home from a good three day trip. Caught River outside looking thoughtful.
Beautiful day in SEA, a short walk and halibut fish & chips make for a nice day.
iPhone shot and processed—more pics down in Stray Pixels.
On the road, I had a few hours to wander around downtown Indianapolis before bed—another early morning ahead.
Shot and processed on iPhone. More photos down in Stray Pixels.
Trying to get a good shot of the dogs is harder than it should be. They really dislike having something pointed at them. I have to be really fast before they turn away.
Here is Daisy, looking a little perturbed that she’s being subjected to all these photographs.
What a day with this shot. I originally took it with the iPhone, tweaked it, and just never liked the results. I almost posted it, then thought, come on, you can do better.
So I got the OM-1 out and used the 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens. I shot it handheld on a table outside, where there was plenty of light. I had to clean up some dust in the image, convert it to black and white, and make a few more tweaks. I’m much happier with these results.
There’s something about a close-up of a lens, where you can see the aperture rings, that I really like. I’d love to spend more time finding a better angle for this shot, using a tripod, and getting all the dust off the lens!
I hope it was a good day for you and you were able to take some pictures too.
Thanks for stopping by.
The very slow but steady march toward my film experiment continues with this absolutely beautiful Pentax Analog Spotmeter. I think it’s simply beautiful, and I love bringing it up to my eye, pulling the trigger, and getting my EV.
I grew up shooting and developing film. Trying to think back on how I metered and what techniques I used has left me with very little information—memories lost to time and buried under too many digital cameras. I can’t even remember the basic steps of developing film in the darkroom.
So, here I am with my grandfather’s Rolleiflex, two Pentax Spotmeters, film in the refrigerator, and the BeerPan 35mm pano camera on the way. Now it’s time to refresh those dark arts of film photography…
You can read how Ansel Adams did it and come away a little frustrated. There are plenty of videos online that will instruct you, but I was looking for something special—something that spoke to me: an instructor whose photography I deeply admired and who was willing to share their technique. I found Nick Carver. I don’t know Nick; I only recently found him on YouTube and have watched several of his videos. I liked his style, loved his photography, and he just so happens to have a course on manual metering for film. I don’t want the quick-and-dirty approach; I want to truly understand the hows and whys of it all, like I used to. Nick has put me on a good path toward understanding how to meter a photograph so it comes out right almost every time. With the cost of film and film developing, I don’t want to waste film learning the hard way.
Along with Nick, and with some very good courses from John Greengo, the lost knowledge is coming back. You know—the 18% gray card, the light meter that shows 0, meaning Middle Gray. The technique of shooting white and black cards at one-stop intervals until you lose detail, searching for your film’s dynamic range. Wonderful examples proving that light meters at zero are based on Middle Gray. The rule that says there is no “proper” or “right” exposure—only the exposure you want for that photograph. There is more to it than I remembered, but probably, back in high school, I wasn’t as interested in the deeper whys and hows. I am now.
The experiment continues with more learning. I haven’t even started figuring out how to get my negatives into the computer—scanning them, taking pictures of them—I have no idea. Then it’s out to the field for my first film shots in 30 years. I’m in no hurry; this is a journey that I’m enjoying every step of.
It’s fun. I love the process. I love learning. I love photography.
Let me leave you with the Filmomat (I got the link from Hiro’s newsletter). I watched the video, marveled at the technology, but started to think, “How much does this thing cost?” Well, check it out. I won’t be buying one 😂.
What a day. The alarm went off at 3 A.M. Dallas time, which is 1 A.M. local time for me. Talk about painful. I was main-lining coffee until I was vibrating. Good day in the training center, then a completely full flight home. I’m still amazed that everyone is still flying. Planes are packed. Which, on the bright side, is good for my job. (but, I’m still going to complain, it would be nice to have center seats open…)
Another tough day for pictures. I got what I got.
Busy day today, just a few shots to pick from.
iPhone shot and processed.
Tough day on the photo front. Lots of airport time and deadheading. Finished another book, though, and got a good start on another. All is not lost.
Another three days at the training center ahead of me.
iPhone shot and processed. 100mm f2.8 48MP RAW
Flame Skimmer Dragonfly (Libellula saturata)
Ok, the 10-year-old boy in me had to ask the internet if the Blue Dasher had a long penis, hence its scientific name. Well, it turns out my Latin is just really rusty. Longi is Latin for long, and Pennis is winged/feathered. Talk about a let down 😆