Day 2: I Need to Stop Napping in the Afternoon

So today was an exceptionally nice day considering it's January 2nd in Western Pennsylvania. And rather than using that nice weather to get out and take some good photos, I decided (not by choice) to take a nap while watching TV. Blame it on the fact that I'm getting over a cold or blame it on boredom. Either way I was a little upset that I wasted so much time inside today.

But for now, onto the pictures! I was really only happy with how a couple of things came out today, so I'm only posting two pictures today. The other ones aren't terrible, but just so-so. Not worth posting either way. And then another set I took for a specific purpose to use in the future (HDR). It wouldn't make much sense to post those now.

Once I got my lazy bum off the couch and out of the house, I headed up to the Co-Op Park in Indiana, PA (it's an outdoor park that is run/owned by the Student Co-Op at Indiana University of Pennsylvania). It's a nice woodsy area that probably would have given me much better photo opportunities in the fall. But it's winter now, so we take what we can get. I was really hoping for some nice sun through the trees/branches shots, but couldn't find anywhere really great looking that maximized it (those were some of the throwaways I was talking about before).

1/60 sec. exposure at F/4.5. ISO 100.
Click here for larger image.

But then I stumbled onto this really crazy looking tree. It was probably about 4 or 5 feet around at its base, but then about 3 1/2 to 4 feet off the ground it just splits into a bunch of branches that grow straight up for a bit before they do what branches do. So I attached the camera to my tripod and attached the remote shutter trigger. I held the bottom end of the tripod, bracing it under my right arm, so the camera was positioned in the tree right where all of the branches split out. Then I took the picture. I think what I like most about this picture is the fact that you everything you see in it is all part of the same tree, but it looks like a bunch of trees grouped together with camera and me in the middle of it.

As I was walking back to my car, I decided to stop and take one last set of photos. Now, I understand the irony of taking this picture in a nature park, but I always like photos of telephone poles. In my opinion, there's just something really cool about that perspective as it just keeps going and going--especially with a completely clear sky above it.

1/25 exposure at F/13. ISO 100.
Click here for larger image.

I also like the fact that this one had spikes in it that were low enough that I could get real close to the first one and keep it in focus. I think I probably looked pretty funny to anyone that may have seen me taking this picture, but oh well. That's the life I've chosen! The best way to describe it is doing half-splits while my chest and nethers rested against the pole. 

That's it for today, lerdies and gentlemules. I'm at work all day tomorrow, so Day 3's photos might involve some sort of "still life"-esque things. We'll see. Maybe I'll try and get creative. Thanks again for stopping and I hope you're enjoying yourselves so far. And again, any suggestions you have for me to try either leave a comment on here or email me at 136songs@gmail.com. Remember, I have to do 363 more of these... Any help you all can give would make my sanity last a little bit longer (unless, of course, you're only here to watch me slowly go insane. In that case, why would you help me, meanie?). Adios amigos!