A year in the life.

[Blue_In_AK]

Well, I managed to stick to my 2010 resolution to post a photo a day at my SmugMug site. If you want to check them out, they're here: http://northernvisions.smugmug.com/Photography/Photo-of-The-Day-2010/10840010_6Z4Zw#756044150_peGYA Some are boring, some are desperation shots, but there are a few good ones in there. Making myself do this was really a challenge, but I think I'm going to try again in 2011.

Here are my monthly picks.

January - Seward Harbor


February - the new Anchorage Museum


March - Lance Mackey wins an unprecedented fourth straight Iditarod


April - Bison on Kodiak Island


May - Springtime on the Coastal Trail


June - Hands Across the Sand in solidarity with Gulf oil spill victims


July - Boy and puddle on Independence Day


August - Somewhere along the Denali Highway


September - Protesting a Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin event on 9/11


October - Rachel Maddow broadcasting from Anchorage


November - A warm fire on a cold night


December - Playing with fire on New Year's Eve

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. nice

I love your stuff, really want to go up there again, last time I had no idea how to take pictures

[Blue_In_AK]

2. Thanks so much, Wanna.

Not anywhere near as good as yours, though. You blew me away with your retrospective shots the other day...they were just stunning. (Oh, wait, did we say we weren't going to use that word anymore?) I don't know if I put enough superlatives in my comment to you on that thread.

If you decide to come up to Alaska again, let us know. We'd love to meet you and take you around places, and you could teach me photo tricks. InTheFlow can tell you what good tour guides we are.

[intheflow]

10. I attest to the awesomeness of Blue's AK Tours.

:thumbsup:

[NV Whino]

3. Congratulations on a great photo year

and on sticking to your commitment.

[MattSh]

4. Nice stuff there...

though that big key in March is a bit tacky.

Not your fault, I know!

Note to self: Must get a few more people shots this year (other than family)...

[Blue_In_AK]

8. Well, yeah, the key is tacky,

but since the actual money purse isn't all that large for winning the Iditarod (probably the most grueling athletic event ever), they have to make a big deal out of the new Dodge truck. I think in actual dollars, first prize is only $60,000, probably not even enough to cover the cost of dogfood for a year. These guys/gals just love the sport, though, and must do it for "fun," as fun is defined in their worlds.

[MattSh]

5. Oh, and what's your experience with...

the photo a day project?

My worry is that it would be more of a quantity over quality thing. Overall, do you think it helped your overall photography?

[Blue_In_AK]

9. It was a good experience for me

because otherwise I'd only be taking pictures when we go on road trips or vacations, and they'd all be landscapes, and I wouldn't really push myself to do anything different. Landscapes are easy and abundant for me and not really much of a challenge at this point.

On sloppy rainy gray days (like today), I might end up taking a boring picture of the dog or whatever, or some object, or a pot of chili, but that gives me a chance to work on exposures or post-processing or something that I otherwise wouldn't do.

I'm still relatively new with photography as compared to a lot of you who learned on film and know all the ins and outs, so for me, this is a good exercise.

Plus, posting them gives my kids and family out of state a glimpse into what we're up to back home. I don't do Twitter and not much Facebook, so this is my "blog," so to speak.

[Mira]

6. Phenomenal retrospective

love the glimpses and variety, and study and revel in the expertise you display.

Your trip is near, I hope it will be what you hope for and that you will be very happy in Costa Rica with your family members. Please give a hug to Aiman and tell him it's from me.

[Celebration]

7. Good job, and

I can tell that you picked the shots that have meaning for you, which I love. Your Alaska landscapes are just phenomenal--all of them. (phenomenal=stunning, LOL).

Totally admire your pic of the day thing! One a week would be a stretch for me.

[intheflow]

11. May!!!

Oh, wait, this isn't a poll? :silly:

I do love that May shot, though. Second is January, in which you've perfectly captured January light and texture. June makes my heart ache for our coastlines while it lightens my heart to witness such solidarity in tragedy.