Thursday, October 8, 2015

24 Day Project Film Reveal...Days One Through Six

For the first 24 days of September, I set out to make one exposure a day on cheap drugstore film (Fuji Superia Xtra). On day 11 of this project, I caved and shot several exposures of a deer and her fawn in a misty forest. From that day on, I chose one subject each day and shot only two or three frames. My scans came back from the lab today. For the next four blog posts, I will reveal the photographs and stories behind them, six images at a time. It was an exciting journey. I learned a lot about technique and exposure and sharpened my skills, skills that may have gone soft from the convenience and safety nets that digital cameras provide. Thanks to all who follow this blog! Here are the photographs from the first six days of project.

September 1st - Yellow Jewel Weed
 I decided to open the project with one of the season's most abundant plants. Finding a good specimen to isolate for a picture was difficult. Behind these orchid-like flowers is a dense hardwood forest where I would make the majority of the images for this project.

September 2nd - Mallard Hens Bobbing in Waterlilies
 Day two took me to Bass Lake. I drove up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway and turned down many tempting subjects. I settled on these ducks, waiting on the bank of the lake until they were all bobbing at the same time.

September 3rd - Two-Tree Hill
 I shot this exposure from the edge of my neighbor's property. This is a picture I knew I would make for the project. The warm evening light and simplicity of the scene is what makes this image for me.

September 4th - Regal Swan
 Life is full of ironies. On day four, I made this accidental exposure while trying to get a meter reading. I thought for sure I'd messed up my first image of the project. The irony is that this is one of my favorites! I waited on the bank of Bass Lake for about an hour hoping this swan would spread its wings for a picture. It didn't. When the light changed I pressed the shutter release button instead of the back focus read the scene. I pressed a little too hard. It was a pleasant surprise.

September 5th - Morning Mist in the Pine Grove
 I walked through this pine stand for a while, frustrated that I could not seem to find a subject. Then I looked up. My wide-angle lens did the rest.

September 6th - Goldenrod Spider
 In the late evening of day six, I was sure I'd have to settle for something ordinary. I was moving my tripod and camera around trying to get some interesting perspective in a field of goldenrod. Then I spotted this little spider, hiding in wait for a snack. 

(c) 2015 Jon Reaves. All rights reserved.

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