More Shots Coming

For anyone worried about me, I promise I haven't fallen down on this yet. I have a camera full of shots, some good some not so much, waiting to be uploaded and edited. I'll try and get to them tonight and get them up on the blog.

Erica #13

This may be my favorite image yet from either of our 365s. Erica just did great with it. The angle is different enough to make you look at "another flag picture" as well as it being nice to see one where the flag isn't being blown to hell (my favorite approach). I think Erica has a tremendous eye for what a photo will look like after editing. Personally, if it's not in the viewfinder, I don't see it, but she really made these colors pop, and whiting out the sky was a great choice to frame this shot.

Erica #12

Oh yes. Another school board meeting. At least the board looks interested in this shot...

Erica #10

"Taken with my phone...won't do that again."

I would agree, while you can get some fun shots with your phone, sports action from the other side of the field probably not what it is intended for. We both kicked ourselves for forgetting our cameras on Saturday. Something about running late and having no gas...

Erica #11

"Kinda boring with today's photo, but I like the colors and that she is obscuring the cross on the ground behind her."

I agree, interesting that the girl sifintg through her Easter Eggs is obscuring the cross on the ground behind her, indicative of the pagan/secular celebrations of Easter obscuring the religious basis for the holiday?

Erica #9

The one time they actually smiled at each other.

Erica #8

Steve #7 - Someone to Watch Over Me

Fred here watches over all the happenings and goings on in our yard and further down the block. A few of my nieghbors could use the reminder that someone is watching over them at all times.

Erica #7

Why? Why not?

Steve #6 - Make That 2-0

The final seconds tick off the clock as the Mavericks go up on Portland 2-0 in their best of seven series. This is the first time the Mavs have been up 2-0 in a playoff series since 2006. We're hoping this turns out better.

Erica #6

Steve #5 - Power Politics

This shot is from the school board meeting where the Katy ISD school board and superintendent railroaded through the firing of over 300 teachers while the public was forced to sit mute and watch. The smarmy confidence on this guy's face was illustrative of the whole ordeal.

Erica #5 - School Board

KISD is embroiled in a battle with the state legislature over budget cuts. The district wants to blame the legislature, but it is the administration's decision as to where the cuts are made. Students came to the board meeting to voice their concerns, but only one board member chose to stay and listen to them.

Erica #4 - Fun With Color

Erica #3 - The Magic Casino

It really is Disneyland for the over 21 set...

Preview of Coming Attractions

Well, things really feel like they're off and running on this thing. Hopefully this momentum will build on itself. And honestly, people checking out the pics on this blog and on Flickr help keep me motivated, if just because people are watching. Feel free to comment on the photos, to include constructive criticism. I know several of our friends and I'm sure strangers who come across this blog have knowledge and experience that we'd love to learn from.

Erica has taken her pictures, they're just short a little editing and posting. We'll get them up. And stay tuned for our #5s. There's a town hall meeting/protest over the issue that inspired Erica's #1. Erica and I will be there with cams to document. I'm hoping we can get some really good shots. There was a protest at the high schools on Friday and all I could think was that it sucked having to eb at work and not there taking shots. Oh well, unless y'all want to start buying a LOT of these pictures, work must be done...

Steve #4 - The Wages of SIn

Before leaving the casino, snapped this shot of our pool view. When Erica would ask why they needed to take so much of our money, I just pointed to this. People are going to gamble; it's just in our nature. But no business works as hard or is as good at convincing to use THEIR service than the gaming industry. Go, lose more money than you can afford, but still want to go back - just because it was such a nice stay. Then you go back, and those craps tables start singing their song...

Steve #3 - The Real One Armed Bandit

On the way to a Saturday night at the casino, the most painful expense was this one here. I also like the energy billboard in the background. Pure serendipity. Didn't even realize it was there until uploading this to Flickr.

Erica #2 - Joker Brandt

Erica took this shot with her phone then actually did minimal editing. I think it gives our son the eerie look of a recently slated vampire. Or as Erica said on her flickr posting...he really does look like the Joker. Sadly, this child would be ecstatic to think that.

Steve #2 - Backboard Jungle

This one is just a snap shot. I'm sure there will be plenty of these over the next year. But I really liked the way the flash lit up the backboard, giving it more of an electric life than it seems to have just standing there looking at it in the day or night. Also figured out the source of a problem I had with my flash, mainly that my big paw was getting in the way. Who knew?

Damn work!

Seriously wishing I didn't have work today. As the student/administration tensions highten, students walked out of school this morning to congregate at the local high school. Not only am I proud of the students (the ones who weren't idiots in the process), but man I would have loved to get some shots of that!

Interesting bit of observation

Interesting to me anyway.  What I find interesting is that without planning, Erica and my first pictures in this project both hit on different sides of the same theme - The Effect of the Budget Crisis.  It's unplanned but certainly not random.  This issue has hit close to home on several fronts, as you can see below.  Meanwhile, maybe this can serve as a lesson to stay up on current events.  What is happening out there will affect you eventually.  If you're not keeping track, it can come up and bite you in the butt.  Whether you're a 12 year old junior high girl, a 19 year old soldier fighting for his country or a parent of a young family just trying to get to the next paycheck.

And maybe even to a four year old, who probably doesn't want his toys eaten by the lawn mower.

Erica #1 - Grassroots

Day 01 of 365. After our school district grossly mishandled the layoff of 300 teachers, students at the junior high protested by writing "FFT" on their bodies, which stands for "Fight For Teachers". They also staged sit-ins throughout the day in a peacable protest. This photo is in honor of those students.

Steve #1 - "For God and Country"

Much like these soldiers face a threat in front of them and an unseen threat coming up behind them, today's military serves at war with the threat of terrorists and insurgents in front of them and the unseen threat of political budget wrangling forcing them to serve without pay.  The quieter threat, as ever, is the more sinister of the two.  A Soldier without pay is a Soldier who's family can't eat, can't pay rent, and can't take care of the million things on a day to day basis that so many of us take for granted.  With these worries in mind, Soldiers will lose focus, making the more tangible threat in front of them that much more deadly.  Thus the soft focus around the edges of the photo.  And when Soldiers don't receive their pay, it's known as serving "For God and Country"

And Here We Go!

So here's the deal.  Erica and I have agreed to do a 365 project (see the description above if you don't know what that is).  OK, I only got her to commit to a 30 day project, but check back in May to see if I've talked her into going all year.  I'm also trying to talk my daughter into joining in.  I think it'll be fun for us to do as a family.  I will post all of our pics here and on Flickr.  Probably on Facebook too.  So follow where you like, but the best descriptions, at least of mine, will be here.  Today starts the project.  The camera battery is charged and ready to go.

Wish us luck.  Doing ANYTHING every day for a year is tough, but we can do this!