New Year’s Day, 2012
I have a small tradition where I go out to take pictures on the morning of New Year’s Day every year. I don’t stay up late or drink much the night before, so it’s not hard to get up before the sun rises and enjoy some time to think and take a few pictures on one of the quietest days of the year.
New Years Day, 2012, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Last year went by much too quickly for me. I threw myself headfirst into my new business, which has been going better than I ever could have expected, but I think I may have lost some perspective along the way. I definitely didn’t spend enough time on photography last year, and I’ve been out of the loop socially, too. I’m not much for resolutions, but I’d like to finish a substantial photo project in 2012, and I’d like to do a better job of keeping in touch with friends.
Instagram and iPhone tools for photographers
I don’t use Flickr anymore, but if you want to keep up with miscellaneous snapshots I post online, you can find me on Instagram by the username daltonrooney. Unfortunately you can’t sign up for the service unless you have an iPhone, but you can still search for individual users via Instagrid. I hope you like dogs.
One of the features that first interested me in Instagram were the retro filters, but I’m definitely experiencing filter fatigue at this point. Every photo on Instagram looks like every other photo on Instagram. It’s great for casual sharing (see those dog photos, above), but I don’t think it’s what I’m looking for when I’m posting more serious photographs. I recently discovered Process, a simple image editing app for iPhone which gives more control over the application of effects, and I like it a lot. Here’s a recent iPhone photo that I edited with Process before I uploaded it to Instagram:
This doesn’t look too far off from the process I use in Lightroom and Photoshop for my “real” photos.
Speaking of real photos, I often use my iPhone to take test shots while I’m out with a film camera, so a lot of what I’m posting to Instagram these days are outtakes from the new series I’m working on. Another great iPhone tool I use is Viewfinder Pro (here’s a review on Luminous Landscape), which allows me to set up my shots on the phone before getting out the tripod and big camera. Viewfinder Pro is something I’d recommend to anyone using a camera which requires a lot of setup, as it has helped me find shots I might have missed otherwise.
One more bonus iPhone app for film photographers: The Massive Dev Chart. This app has a list of just about every film/developer combination in the universe and takes into account things like temperature and dilution to generate a film development profile for you that you can customize and save. I use this every time I develop a roll of film.
Here are a few more recent outtakes from Instagram:
Bodies of water
I took a good long walk in Long Island this weekend and came across some excellent puddles.
Along the firebreak at the
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
The firebreak at Jamaica Bay runs in a loop that is roughly two or three miles long. I have walked this loop many, many times and find that it has a tranquil, meditative quality. I once saw baby turtles hatching in the sand here, and have been chased by angry geese more than once.
One day I had a flash of an idea: a series of dozens of photos showing essentially the same exact view, over many years, through the seasons. This is about as far as I got; about a year ago I got very busy and I haven’t taken many pictures since then. I am slowly working my way back into things, but I’m starting small.
Quote
Camden Hills, Maine, Andrew Wyeth.
“I could probably just paint a hill for the rest of my life.”
— Andrew Wyeth