Nick 365
With the start of the new year, I have decided to make an attempt at my own Project 365. This gallery will exhibit a photograph per day for the next year. The photos will be randomly inspired with varying techniques. My hopes are this will be a fun experience that will broaden my creativity and allow me to learn more to help enhance my photography skills. Hope you enjoy!
270/365 - October 1, 2012 - Helping Support the Tree
Tonight's shot is a simple shot of Nate holding up a tree.
269/365 - September 30, 2012 - New Playset
Back in July, we purchased a used playset for the kids from a family that Lisa knew that was about the move away to Texas. As typical with any project I do at home, it took a while for me to actually assemble said playset. To my credit, I had to come up with a way to deal with my sloping backyard. I had originally planned to do some grade work, but the thought of tearing up my backyard for a playset wasn't something I was ready to do. Instead, I modified the base of the playset to work with the slope.
268/365 - September 29, 2012 - Side Tracked
Today we had some friends over to watch the UT-Georgia football game. The action was exciting enough to keep the adults entertained. However, the kids were more interested in an episode of the Imagination Movers on Lisa's iPad.
267/365 - September 28, 2012 - Fear the Pants
In an attempt to channel some good energy toward the Vols in their gauntlet of top 25 games over the course of the next month, I broke down this week and bought some Derek Dooley inspired orange pants. I was so proud of them I took a self-photo, which I never do, to show off the pants. Fear the pants!
266/365 - September 27, 2012 - Pick Me Up
Tonight Nate was in the backyard playing in one of my favorite shirts he has. Just read it....
265/365 - September 26, 2012 - Hamming It Up
Another beautiful day equated to some playtime in the backyard with the kids after I got home from work. Anna in her great sense of style was running around the backyard in her swimsuit.
264/365 - September 25, 2012 - Shop Drawings
Today my day at work consisted of reviewing several sets of shop drawings for the Anderson County Jail Expansion project that I have worked on over the course of the past year. Exciting I know...
263/365 - September 24, 2012 - Peek a Boo
This evening I was in the backyard playing with the kids. At the time of this shot, Nate was climbing on the new playset I was in the process of setting up.
262/365 - September 23, 2012 - Anna and the Great Grandparents
This afternoon I took the kids out to Norris Dam State Park to have some fun on the playground. My grandparents, Anna's great grandparents, met us at the park. It was a beautiful fall East Tennessee afternoon.
261/365 - September 22, 2012 - Lots of Empty Seats
Today's shot comes from another UT football game. Unfortunately the deflation from the Florida loss and a very unexciting opponent left a lot of empty seats in the stadium for the game. This is another panoramic shot taken during the pregame festivities from my seat in the northeast upper deck.
260/365 - September 21, 2012 - Chipping on the Green
Today the company I work for held our annual golf tournament. I took this shot of my dad prior to attempting his chip shot to the green. As you can see, it was a perfect day for golf.
259/365 - September 20, 2012 - Magnet Mill Water Tower
This evening I was in Clinton to pickup the kids from my parents' house. While going through Clinton, I remembered I didn't have my photo of the day yet. After circling a couple of blocks and having no luck in finding something to catch my eye, I finally caught a glimpse of the water tower above the abandoned Magnet Mill on Charles Seviers Boulevard. In the foreground, you can just see the top of the ivy covered front facade of the building.
258/365 - September 19, 2012 - Go Vols Wreath
Today's photo is showing off one of my wife's creations. For the past year or so, she has been making wreaths for the various seasons to hang from our front door. Today she finished up a Tennessee wreath for football season. Isn't she talented?
257/365 - September 18, 2012 - Parking Garage
Tonight I had the kids to myself while Lisa was out selling jewelry. To keep my sanity, I decided to take the kids out for a photo scavenging trip. After driving downtown a bit, I finally found my inspiration in the parking garage at the base of the BB&T tower on State Street. The lighting inside the garage cast onto the beams provided the interest.
256/365 - September 17, 2012 - Mess Maker
Just after arriving home from work, Lisa and I were catching up prior to her leaving for her monthly Premier training. In the process, we realized Nate was missing and it was eerily quiet. Of course, that's never a good sign. After searching for him, I found him holed up in his room with the door closed. The little guy had gotten into the Boudreaux's Butt Paste at his changing station and had plastered it all over his book case and himself. The way he was rubbing it in, it looked like he was applying sunscreen. This shot is prior to throwing him in the bathtub to remove the mess.
255/365 - September 16, 2012 - Nathan Sandwich
This evening the kids and Lisa were sharing some hugs on the couch. If I had my camera handy sooner, the shot of the three would have been better, but this was as good as it got.
254/365 - September 15, 2012 - Gameday
Today was a special day, well at least until midway through the 3rd quarter of the football game that ensued following this photograph. Tennessee's bitter rival Florida was in town for what was supposed to be college football's marque game of the weekend. With ESPN's College Gameday show in town and its associated hype, the atmosphere on campus today felt like the old days when Tennessee football was relevant. To help capture the excitement, I brought my camera to the stadium and captured this panoramic shot from the north endzone upper deck just prior to the team taking the field through the T.
253/365 - September 14, 2012 - St. Augustine Sunrise
Today was our day of departure from St. Augustine. In hopes of getting through Atlanta prior to the evening rush hour, we decided to get up early and hit the road between 7 & 8. In doing so, I was able to sneak down to the beach one last time between trips to the car to capture the sunrise. I caught this shot with a large piece of driftwood in the foreground that had washed ashore yesterday morning. I thought it added some interest to what would have been a typical sunrise shot. Too bad we had to leave...
252/365 - September 13, 2012 - Driftwood
This morning upon arriving at the beach, I couldn't help but notice a rather large piece of driftwood floated ashore. As evening approached with the sun setting over the dunes, I used the light to my advantage to capture this shot of the piece of driftwood as the tide rolled in.
251/365 - September 12, 2012 - Castillo de San Marcos
This evening after another relaxing day at the beach, we ventured into the old city portion of St. Augustine. Of course walking around, I had my camera over my shoulder. This shot is of the Castillo de San Marcos, located on the waterfront. The fort was built by Spain during their occupation of Florida and was completed in 1672.
250/365 - September 11, 2012 - Power Sand
This evening while enjoying some alone time on the beach while Lisa and the kids were in the room, I captured a shot of my trusty Tennessee coozie resting peacefully in the sand doing its job. Nothing like relaxing in a beach chair listening to the crashing waves with a favorite cold adult beverage to provide complete relaxation. Too bad these moments are few and far between...
249/365 - September 10, 2012 - As the Wind Blows
This evening before calling it a day at the beach, I grabbed the camera to capture some typical shots of the dunes, waves, etc. In the process, I captured this shot of some wind created ripples in a portion of undisturbed sand near the car. With the sun low on the horizon, I was able to capture some nice highlights and shadows.
248/365 - September 9, 2012 - Anxious Dining
On a somewhat rainy day in St. Augustine, we spent the day outlet shopping. To wrap up the day, we stopped at one of our favorite restaurants for dinner. Unfortunately, the kids were a little low on patience and manners from a long day without a nap. This of course led to high anxiety throughout the meal for the parents.
247/365 - September 8, 2012 - There's Another Me
The first day at the beach revolved around "tailgating" alongside the Outback, which was parked on the beach, listening to the Tennessee game on the radio. While I would have liked to have been at Neyland for opening day, listening to the game while sitting on the beach was quite relaxing. Nate enjoyed checking out his reflection on the car doors.
246/365 - September 7, 2012 - Changes in Latitude
Today was our first day of vacation. Albeit, the majority of the day was spent driving. Regardless, I wasn't at work and I am now at the beach in St. Augustine, FL. This is a shot of a palm tree from my 3rd floor balcony at our condo.
245/365 - September 6, 2012 - Clean Desk
Today on the way out of the office, I captured a photo of my desk, which is actually clean and uncluttered for a change. Usually when it looks like this, you can pretty much guarantee I am getting ready to go on vacation, which I am tomorrow. Under normal circumstances, my desk looks as cluttered as my mind.
244/365 - September 5, 2012 - Young Photog
Today's photo wasn't picked for the image file quality, but rather the photographer who took the shot. I couldn't resist to use someone else's photo today instead of mine. This photo of Nate was captured by my 3-year old daughter Anna with Lisa's phone camera. Lisa was out of the room while she captured this shot. To show she was no fluke, she captured a pretty good shot of our dog Brady shortly after this shot. I know who I will be sharing my photography hobby with in a few years...
243/365 - September 4, 2012 - Calm Amongst the Storm
On a day in which the kids drove Lisa absolutely nuts with their antics, I captured this calm moment of the kids quietly playing in the floor together. This moment mind you was very, very brief. The antics returned shortly afterwards...
242/365 - September 3, 2012 - Porch Remodel
Today I started a new project at the house. Our original porch railing had fallen into disrepair with the bottom of two posts becoming completely rotten and dropping a few inches. To remedy the issue, I demolished the railing and started replacing it with a new, more updated system. This shot shows the first two posts in place.
241/365 - September 2, 2012 - Empty Bottles
Tonight we had to make some room in our wine rack and cooler for our wine club quarterly shipment. We save the empty bottles to give to my father-in-law to aid in bottling his wine. As you can see, we have a few empties we have consumed over the course of the past few months.
240/365 - September 1, 2012 - The Godfather Reception
Today after having lunch at Maggiano's in north Atlanta while waiting on Lisa to finish up in the restroom, I noticed one of the banquet rooms in the restaurant had a name the Godfather would be proud of. I just wonder if Kim and Steve had to make Maggiano's an offer they couldn't refuse in order to use the room.
239/365 - August 31, 2012 - It's Football Time in...Georgia?
Tonight was an exciting night. Lisa and I made the trip to Atlanta with some friends to watch Tennessee open up the 2012 season against NC State. This was my first experience at the Georgia Dome and enjoyed every minute of it. This is a panoramic I captured from my seat early in the 1st quarter.
238/365 - August 30, 2012 - I Want Something
Anna in a familiar pose, she is reaching out for something while standing atop her playset at my parent's house.
237/365 - August 29, 2012 - Mommy and Anna
After dinner tonight, Lisa and Anna were sharing some hugs and laughs. I grabbed my camera just in time to capture the moment.
236/365 - August 28, 2012 - Look Daddy
I captured this shot of Nate in the kitchen with my cell phone camera, hence why the motion blur. However, I thought this one was interesting with Nate's up close, out of focus hand.
235/365 - August 27, 2012 - Anna
Tonight while playing with the kids on Anna's bed, I captured this shot of Anna's name on the wall. Lisa and her craft skills created the letters before Anna was born.
234/365 - August 26, 2012 - Season Tickets
Today was one of my favorite days of the year, we got our season tickets. I'm just hoping we have something worthy of cheering on this year.
233/365 - August 25, 2012 - First Haircut
Today we took Nate to get his first haircut. His hair overall wasn't too long, but he had developed a nice rat tail on the back that needed tending. Overall, he did really good once Lisa got in the chair to hold him.
232/365 - August 24, 2012 - Door Knob
Last minute shot resulted in a shot of one of the cabinet door knobs. I removed the color and tweaked the lighting in Photoshop to help isolate the knob.
231/365 - August 23, 2012 - Fuel Nozzle
I am sure I looked goofy taking a shot of the fuel nozzle at the pump tonight while filling up. In what was a spur of the moment shot, I was actually pleased with the lighting I got with my capture.
230/365 - August 22, 2012 - Headlight
Today's shot is a close up of one of the headlights on the Outback. I thought it produced a somewhat abstract feel.
229/365 - August 21, 2012 - Knoxville Before Sunset
This evening I ended up taking a panoramic of downtown from the top of the 11th Street parking garage. This is similar to a shot I took earlier in the year, just a different time of day. I experimented with some different coloring in Photoshop.
228/365 - August 20, 2012 - Just a Pawn
Today's shot was taken under the lights with my chess set. I used a macro filter to get close in order to create the shallow depth of field to help isolate the last pawn on the front row.
227/365 - August 19, 2012 - Funny Guy
This afternoon we ventured out to my grandparent's house for lunch. I captured this shot of Nate in the backyard afterwards. He was displaying his cheesy face.
226/365 - August 18, 2012 - Hickory Smoked
Today I spent the majority of the day tending the smoker. I smoked a 6 lb Boston butt and a rack of pork spare ribs. Both turned out really really good, complete with a rich hickory smoked flavor.
225/365 - August 17, 2012 - Balance Ball
Tonight Nate was trying to balance himself on Anna's princess ball.
224/365 - August 16, 2012 - Torch Bearer
This evening I spent some time exploring on the UT campus. I captured a similar shot to this one a couple of years back and decided to reproduce it.
223/365 - August 15, 2012 - Coffee Beans
I can still smell the coffee beans just viewing this picture. Personally, this smell has to be one of the most refreshing and relaxing smells out there. Now I want a cup of coffee...