52 Weeks (NOW COMPLETED! WOOHOO!)

[Austin Greene]

Thanks D-B-J and Vince! I was a little apprehensive about this one at the start, but I've grown to like it the more I revisit it. Getting feedback on all these posts really helps quite a bit, both in terms of motivation and improving as I move forwards

 

[Austin Greene]

For Week 30 of my 52 Weeks photo project, I did something I never expected I'd do: I hung out of the trunk of a car, on a country road, at 30 miles per hour. All of this in the name of getting a shot I've dreamed about for the past two months, a quality rolling automotive shot, taken without the use of a rig.

Next time I'm bringing some way of strapping myself in!

All in all, I'd say it was a success. Hope you all like it

Week 30 of 52: Rolling Thunder

52 Weeks: Rolling Thunder (30 of 52) by TogaLive, on Flickr

 

[Nevermore1]

For Week 30 of my 52 Weeks photo project, I did something I never expected I'd do: I hung out of the trunk of a car, on a country road, at 30 miles per hour. All of this in the name of getting a shot I've dreamed about for the past two months, a quality rolling automotive shot, taken without the use of a rig.

Next time I'm bringing some way of strapping myself in!

All in all, I'd say it was a success. Hope you all like it

Week 30 of 52: Rolling Thunder

52 Weeks: Rolling Thunder (30 of 52) by TogaLive, on Flickr

Nice shot! Next time find someone with a pickup and you could just sit in the back with the tailgate down if needed, I would think it would be more comfortable as well.

 

[Austin Greene]

For Week 30 of my 52 Weeks photo project, I did something I never expected I'd do: I hung out of the trunk of a car, on a country road, at 30 miles per hour. All of this in the name of getting a shot I've dreamed about for the past two months, a quality rolling automotive shot, taken without the use of a rig.

Next time I'm bringing some way of strapping myself in!

All in all, I'd say it was a success. Hope you all like it

Week 30 of 52: Rolling Thunder

52 Weeks: Rolling Thunder (30 of 52) by TogaLive, on Flickr

Nice shot! Next time find someone with a pickup and you could just sit in the back with the tailgate down if needed, I would think it would be more comfortable as well.

Thanks! Haha, I actually chose the sedan to ride in for its low trunk-height. I was concerned a truck bed just wouldn't be low enough. It is certainly worth a shot next time though!

 

[Austin Greene]

For Week 31 of my 52 Weeks project, I hit the biggest creative roadblock I've ever experienced.

All week I looked for photos, and nothing came to mind. Not one image. Nothing. Nada.

Come Sunday evening, I was desperate. I decided to drive out to a nearby bridge and see if I could get a shot of the traffic. Turns out my tripod wasn't working for me, and I was **** out of luck. I just stood there frustrated, looking out at the barren landscape, the pollution, the cars, thinking of everything I disliked about living in the Bay Area. It wasn't a shining moment.

Since moving to the Bay Area, this project has grown exponentially tougher. Mountain View is, in a word, suffocating. Suburbia drains you of all creativity, and the landscape of any and all character. It sucks.

I took this crap photo realizing that this project is more than just producing 52 images, it's also a sort of photographic diary. After a lot of frustrated deliberation on whether or not I should stop the project now that I live in photographic hell, I decided that any photo is better than no photo, and that no project would be complete without its moments of utter frustration, no diary without a page of useless, ugly scribbles.

So, here's to moving forwards. I hope.

Week 31 of 52: Doubt

Week 31: Doubt (31/52) by TogaLive, on Flickr

 

[Austin Greene]

For Week 32 of my 52 Weeks photo project, I had a truly unique opportunity.


Contacted months prior, a good friend and past coworker of mine expressed that her son was gaining an interest in photography, and that he enjoyed my photos. She asked if I could travel to Oregon to teach him over a weekend. I did, and it was a blast.


Not only did our small group enjoy a hike up the base up Mt. Hood, we also got to shoot at one of the clearest lakes I've ever seen.


Peppered with enthusiastic photographers, including one Irish gent, Trillium Lake was the picture of idyllic shooting conditions. Vibrant bluebird skies painted a canvas across which marshmallow white clouds floated. Passing along as I spoke with my student, Raven, about the ins and outs of the exposure triangle.


It was a fantastic experience, one I hope to repeat soon, and one I'll certainly never forget. Getting to share photography with someone so young was truly rewarding. Not to mention, the night sky out there was awesome and reminded me of home.


Week 32 of 52: "Up, so down"

Week 32: Up, so down (32/52) by TogaLive, on Flickr

 

[D-B-J]

Keep up the good work. That lake is beautiful!

 

[Austin Greene]

Keep up the good work. That lake is beautiful!

Thanks man! I really appreciate the consistent feedback

 

[Austin Greene]

Week 33 of my 52 Weeks photo project had me in Davis on a Saturday afternoon. Originally scheduled for an equestrian shoot, plans changed when the forecast called for rain. Next thing I know, I'm at the local train station with a great model!

The torrents of rain I expected never really came, at best it showered for maybe 30 seconds, and sprinkled intermittently the rest of the shoot. That was no problem for my great model Sho, who was up for just about anything, including standing in the rain. All in all, it was a fantastic shoot full of smiles, laughs, and some great photos.


Week 33 of 52: Sho

52 Weeks: Sho (Week 33/52) by TogaLive, on Flickr

 

[Austin Greene]

Note: This image was posted in a separate thread. At the end of the week, I've decided to use it as my image for this week

For this week I had one of those "screw this, I'm going to go shoot" moments. I woke up on a weekday, and didn't want to spend my evening at the gym provided by work, or studying for my upcoming GRE exam. I wanted to make a photo, damnit.

So I did. I spoke with a coworker, and he suggested I check out Treasure Island, a midway point between the two halves of the Bay Bridge as it heads into San Francisco. A couple hours and a phonecall later, and I was headed out to the island with a photographer friend of mine, Phil. It was just what I needed, and evening of hopping fences trying to find the best shots, and good conversation. We both got some great shots, and I owe this one to Phil letting me borrow his 70-200 (I left mine at home) so I could get a solid zoom of distant San Francisco.

The complete panorama is composed of 30 images, and stretches almost 11 ft long. Drapes can be seen in windows, people on docks, etc. Full resolution downloads available upon request.

Week 34 of 52: Domicile

52 Weeks: Domicile (Week 34/52) by TogaLive, on Flickr

 

[D-B-J]

You've really got a thread of solid work here [emoji106]

 

[Austin Greene]

Snow patches and the slowing current of a brook mark the beginning of Winter, near Round Top Mountain.

Week 35's image came, unexpectedly.

Following what's become a normal routine, I drove on Friday from the Bay Area to Davis for a photoshoot scheduled for Saturday. Returning to my college home affords me the opportunity to spend the weekend with my girlfriend, and get knock out a photoshoot. A win in anyone's book, I think.

Well, it didn't turn out as expected this weekend. After a 2.5 hour trip turning into 5 hours thanks to traffic, I arrived in Davis only to see my client had to cancel on their photoshoot. I was pissed, and worse, I now had no ideas for this week's photo. Thankfully, I have a girlfriend who understands how important photography is to me.

Next morning, to my surprise, her and I are driving another 2.5 hours into the mountains near Lake Tahoe to what's become a favorite hiking spot, near Winnemucca Lake. High in the mountains near Carson Pass, patches of snow marked our path as we climbed, enjoying the mountain air and affording a much needed break.

As I question my current employment in the Bay Area, and the huge stress living in suburbia places on me, I've never been so thankful to have a significant other who doesn't mind going on a hike and freezing her butt off, all for the sake of a photo. It makes me wonder, makes my mind wander, about one thing:

Where paths may lead.

Week 35 of 52: Where Paths May Lead

52 Weeks: Where Paths May Lead (Week 35/52) by TogaLive, on Flickr

 

[D-B-J]

Snow patches and the slowing current of a brook mark the beginning of Winter, near Round Top Mountain.

Week 35's image came, unexpectedly.

Following what's become a normal routine, I drove on Friday from the Bay Area to Davis for a photoshoot scheduled for Saturday. Returning to my college home affords me the opportunity to spend the weekend with my girlfriend, and get knock out a photoshoot. A win in anyone's book, I think.

Well, it didn't turn out as expected this weekend. After a 2.5 hour trip turning into 5 hours thanks to traffic, I arrived in Davis only to see my client had to cancel on their photoshoot. I was pissed, and worse, I now had no ideas for this week's photo. Thankfully, I have a girlfriend who understands how important photography is to me.

Next morning, to my surprise, her and I are driving another 2.5 hours into the mountains near Lake Tahoe to what's become a favorite hiking spot, near Winnemucca Lake. High in the mountains near Carson Pass, patches of snow marked our path as we climbed, enjoying the mountain air and affording a much needed break.

As I question my current employment in the Bay Area, and the huge stress living in suburbia places on me, I've never been so thankful to have a significant other who doesn't mind going on a hike and freezing her butt off, all for the sake of a photo. It makes me wonder, makes my mind wander, about one thing:

Where paths may lead.

Week 35 of 52: Where Paths May Lead

52 Weeks: Where Paths May Lead (Week 35/52) by TogaLive, on Flickr

She'll hike and freeze and all that for a photo?! MARRY HER!

Nice shot man [emoji106]

 

[Austin Greene]

Beautiful places don't come to you, you have to seek them out. Waver for a moment, and they're gone. So walk through the forest fervently, listen carefully to the world's tonality, and live.

For Week 36 of my 52 Weeks project, I took a much needed solo hike deep into the Santa Cruz Mountains. 10 miles to be exact.

As redwoods towered above me, it gave me time to think, to destress, and most of all to reconnect with the natural world I find so lacking in the Bay Area.

Seeing this toppled giant and the lush greenery adjacent, I set up to take a shot. Only once I was set up did I realize that the photo wasn't meant to be just about the tree. Just like my hike, this image had to be a reminder of my place in the world as a photographer. After all, this entire project is as much about my journey as a photographer, as it is about the images themselves.

So, I set up my remote timer, clambered onto the tree, and enjoyed the surroundings for a few minutes.

All in all, the hike was a huge personal success, giving me the opportunity to regain perspective, and relax.


52 Weeks: Amongst Giants (36/52) by TogaLive, on Flickr

Again, thanks for tuning in folks

 

[D-B-J]

Beautiful places don't come to you, you have to seek them out. Waver for a moment, and they're gone. So walk through the forest fervently, listen carefully to the world's tonality, and live.

For Week 36 of my 52 Weeks project, I took a much needed solo hike deep into the Santa Cruz Mountains. 10 miles to be exact.

As redwoods towered above me, it gave me time to think, to destress, and most of all to reconnect with the natural world I find so lacking in the Bay Area.

Seeing this toppled giant and the lush greenery adjacent, I set up to take a shot. Only once I was set up did I realize that the photo wasn't meant to be just about the tree. Just like my hike, this image had to be a reminder of my place in the world as a photographer. After all, this entire project is as much about my journey as a photographer, as it is about the images themselves.

So, I set up my remote timer, clambered onto the tree, and enjoyed the surroundings for a few minutes.

All in all, the hike was a huge personal success, giving me the opportunity to regain perspective, and relax.


52 Weeks: Amongst Giants (36/52) by TogaLive, on Flickr

Again, thanks for tuning in folks

Excellent! It would have been a dud without you in it. :thumbsup: