The Project

Alright well the time has come to bring some traffic to my Flickr account. I have decided to start a photo compilation that will initially be populated over the next 9 weeks during my Winter Work Term. The idea here is to track the progress over a given amount of time to see improvements and to have fun! I will be shooting at least once a week over the next 9 weeks. I may continue this on further but I do not know what my commitment level will be like once I am back at school with other things to prioritize.

I would like to get some feedback from whomever views the set, please do so on Flickr. I do not want to just read things like "they look awesome!!!!!!!:)" or "you are the bestest photog ever" because the idea is to improve, be ruthless, well maybe not ruthless, but give some constructive criticism I am looking for it. I wouldn't share these with anyone, if I didn't want to know what you thought. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, what you think would make it better, ideas on things to shoot etc.

I am doing this to occupy my time as well as to improve my skills and make myself more rounded since it seems like everything I am doing these days involves numbers and science, it will be fun to get to use the more abstract creative side of my brain.

So stay tuned the first set is up that I shot last night in Downtown Buffalo right on the water. I will link the set here every time there is an upload and I would appreciate if you would look and maybe even offer up some opinions. The set is called Winter Work Term Photo Project '10.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Top 10 of 2010

Well the 1 year anniversary of this blog is coming soon as well as the end of yet another year. In honor of that, and being bored over break, I would like to take a moment to share my personal top 10 photos of 2010.

These photos are from all over, ranging from my uncles house on Long Island, Albany and the greater Capital Region, the Buffalo area, and Lansing, Michigan. Looking into the future, I want to concentrate on getting more shots from day to day life, explicit purpose photography is great, but I want to get more practice with off the cuff and candid photos which I guess I can make a New Years resolution.

#1.

Cohoes Falls

This picture was taken late in the summer on a wonderful day that I spent driving through the Adirondacks looking for foliage, unfortunately it was a bit early for dramatic colors. On my way home I swung by an old spot from my childhood where I would go with my Dad. They recently built a new park at the falls and this picture was taken while I was exploring.

#2.

Wine

This past Thanksgiving was spent as my Uncle's house in the Hamptons. It was a wonderful couple of days enjoying the lovely fall weather, an uncharateristically quiet town, and great family!

#3.

1

The Capital Plaza is always a very cool scene for photos, it houses a lot of state employees as well as the state mueseum and the Egg theatre. The egg was listed on the 50 Strange Buildings of the World list done by the blog Village of Joy(Check out the list @ http://villageofjoy.com/50-strange-buildings-of-the-world/).

#4.

Buffalo #3

This picture was kind of the stimulus for this whole blog, I was in a new area and decided to go out and get the lay of the land. While out the sunset and scenery was perfect for a photo session and as they say, the rest is history.

#5.

20

This past May my good friend got married, it was a wonderful wedding and everyone had a blast. This photo was taken while waiting for the bride and groom to exit the church. Thanks are owed to my friend Nick for posing in this picture.

#6.

Mazda 3

Part of the reason I became interested in photography was due to my love of cars and wanting to capture that love. So now when I am home and bored I go shine up the car and find some cool spots to take photos. Growing up in an area with a lot of histroy and cool backdrops helps to make up for the shortcomings of my rather mundane form of transportation, and its presence in the foreground.

#7.

spider

This picture is just plain cool, I really like how the shadow turned out and the way the web is lit.

#8.

Pavillion

This shot was taken after a big snow strom in Buffalo last winter. It was a late storm with warmer temperatures which left the snow very heavy and clingy. It made everything look very cool, including this pavillion.

#9.

Frosty

I think this shot is a great representation of winter that everbody can relate to. Those especially frosty mornings make you glad to be warm and cozy inside.

#10.
Through the Trees

This picture was taken while my family and I were driving back home from my Uncle's house during Thanksgiving break. We decided to leave in the afternoon to avoid New York City traffic. There was a great sunset that evening and I was able to capture it from the passenger seat while we cruised down the highway.

There it is my top 10 for 2010, Enjoy.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Wedding Weekend

Well this past weekend one of my fraternity brothers got married; it was the perfect opportunity to get some shooting in, which I have been slacking with since returning to school. I will post just a couple shots here but be sure to check out the entire album on Flickr. (Just click on any of the photos and it will take you there)

It was a great weekend, the weather was nice, the ceremony and reception went off without a hitch the company was great, the adult beverages were plentiful, and good times were had by all in attendance.

Matt and Katie, enjoy a future filled with each others company, may it be long and WONDERFUL!!

Enjoy,

12

18

25

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Week 9

Well I made it. Week 9 marks the official end of this experiment, I will be doing my best to keep up with shooting, I hope, at least twice a month during school. More on this after this pics!

This weekend was another beautiful, albeit not as warm as I could have enjoyed. Being able to run outside without 15 layers on screaming about not being able to put my arms down is awesome. Especially since it is warm enough for the aforementioned but not too hot to be uncomfortable. In tribute of this wonderful weather I partook in one of my favorite past times, that is going for a drive with a goal of getting lost and/or finding something cool. Well I was successful on both fronts and I have a pretty cool panorama to show for it.

Hilltop Farm

My second picture was driven by the fact I still had a Doppelganger picture on Facebook and wanted to change it. I decided to shoot a clone photo. This is the first time I have done one of these, and I wanted to try it close to the computer so I could trouble shoot it if need be. Because of this I shot it in my room and was limited on my frame and activities, but I am excited to try this in the future.

double trouble

Well I guess this is the time where I go back and review my progress. I am not sure looking at the photos there is much to see in face value. That said I have become much more competent on site with the operations of my camera. I still want to improve my composition and layout and just having the eye for things worth shooting.

I am happy with this project and I hope to do this again over my summer work term when I have the time again. Thank you to all those who have viewed, I hope I keep this up and continue to improve.

Enjoy!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Week 8

Why hello, I figured trying out some macro shots would be fun. I just shot some stuff I had lying around...see if you get the theme.

Enjoy!

Action-Reaction

ID Tag

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Week 7

This was a rather downer week for me. I had a big ski trip planned for the end of the week, I took Thursday and Friday off from work and I was ready to have a blast. Call it fate, call it bad luck, call it stupidity but I went out skiing after work last Monday to use my pass for the week, I usually go Saturdays. Well while on a trail I have skied countless times, I performed a trick I have done countless times, but this time it was different. I took a tumble, I am not entirely positive what happened as I don't remember anything between thinking, this is going to hurt, and standing in front of the lodge with a killer headache. But at this point what I am sure of is I caught myself and protected the rest of my body using my face to cushion the landing. Your guess is as good as mine what happened in the time that Sam forgot, as I have come to call it. I would like to think I skied like a champ, hitting rails and doing flips that would make Sean White jealous.

Back in reality, which has been a little cloudy as of late. I ended up taking a ride in the band aid bus to the ER got a CT scan and the rest of the tests for head trauma late into the night. The results...a concussion, a very lack luster black eye, and a ruined ski trip, with not even a story to tell since I still have no recollection of the event. All was not lost though I graciously retreated to the domicile of my youth to suck from the parental teet for the weekend and take every opportunity to blame any and everything on my bruised melon. What could be better...O yeah 12 inches of fresh pow pow and moguls the size of Aveos, but considering my situation the best option was the former.

Well these pictures are kinda lack luster, but hey give me a break, I have a...see it is very easy to pull the broken card. :) They were taken while traveling down I-90 back to Western NY.

Enjoy!

Guiding Light

Westbound

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Week 6

Well this weekend was a late showing of what winter in Buffalo can be like, it started to snow on Thursday and did not stop until late Saturday night leaving us with about a foot and a half of heavy damp, heart attack snow. I spent a windy Friday night, and a very soggy Saturday night on the slopes where the snow was epic, us East Coast skiers do not often get to ski the glorious magic of powder. I am hesitant to venture to the wild west in fear that I will never return! The wet heavy snow made for a very scenic morning today on my way to the gym, and it was the muse for this weeks photos.

Enjoy!

Pavillion

Forrest

Monday, February 22, 2010

Week 5

Monday, Monday, Monday! It is week 5 of this little experiment, we are on the downswing at this point and with that I have come to a few conclusions.:

I always seem to find a great photo spot or that elusive shot at the most in opportune moment. I have started carrying my camera with me everywhere like a paparazzi, to try to prevent these light bulb without a room to light moments.

There is a lot out there, you just have to look a bit harder and be creative. The secret to a great shot isn't a secret at all, they are all over sometimes right in front of your eyes.

Practice makes perfect, I am becoming much more proficient with the operation of my camera. Being able to make just about every adjustment without having to reference the manual is SWEET!

I feel like I am rambling at this point but, this is my blog and not many people read it so you are stuck scrolling a bit farther to see the pics this week...

Enjoy!

Sour Patch

Hello

Keys

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Week 4

Well the saying better late than never comes into play this week. I decided that the snow we were getting last night was a good enough excuse to no go to the gym and work and get these photos uploaded.
I shot these during a snow storm and all of my shots but these two were plagued with snow flakes on the lens. I guess I will have to work on my photo shop skills to try and edit the spots out.

Enjoy!

Road to the Trees

Windmill

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Week 3

Well it is already the third week of this project. I have quite a few photos since there wasn't an upload last week. I tried to work harder on getting the correct lighting. I don't have as hard of a time of this at dusk or night but during the day I struggle a bit, so I worked during the day. All the shots in this set were shot free hand without a tripod with my 28-80 Tamaron Lense.

Enjoy!

Die Cast


Die Cast
Originally uploaded by sryan87

Cobble Stones


Cobble Stones
Originally uploaded by sryan87

Graffiti


Graffiti
Originally uploaded by sryan87

Frosty


Frosty
Originally uploaded by sryan87

NUB


NUB
Originally uploaded by sryan87

Mill St


Mill St
Originally uploaded by sryan87

LL Bean Water Bottle #1


LL Bean Water Bottle #1
Originally uploaded by sryan87

Monday, February 1, 2010

Week 2 Update

Well I was fortunate enough to catch a sweet stomach bug this weekend, and instead of shooting I was calling dinosaurs. I am hoping to get out tomorrow to get some shots and hopefully I will have them posted by Wednesday!

Sunday, January 24, 2010