DAY 46 "Manzanita Bloom"

One of my favorite shrubs in the chaparral.

DAY 45 "Ejected"

Charting new territory for future outings (pictures,camping,hiking) today and had the option to take a 9 mile fire road or a 4 mile back country trail. Keep in mind, the 4 mile route has the name "devils canyon" in it and the map labeled it as VERY strenuous. Well, I love adventure and a challenge, plus limited on time = DEVILS CANYON! I hit the trail and within minutes this thing descended so rapidly I knew there was NO way I could possibly bike back up it...plus the rain started in and the trail started to get muddy. Well 3/4 the way down I hit a soft, muddy gopher hole at ~20 mph...EJECTED! My bike and all my gear down the ravine. If this had happened a mile before this area, I wouldn't be typing this...300 foot drop!!!

At this point I no longer had front or rear brakes and this spill here, destroyed my gear mechanism...the only thing my bike was good for at this point was a simple hill and rolling. On the return trip, as expected, I pushed it up 4 miles...I have NEVER seen any 4 miles so nasty or take so long in my LIFE!!!! But I loved it!

DAY 44 "Alone"

A really fun back country trip today, exploring new grounds, I pulled off and trekked into a remote campground. I found a ant just cruising along a Manzanita branch..fit the moment well.

DAY 43 "She has an eye"

A nice walk down the path today, warm and beautiful...

The shot here was captured with my new lens, a 50mm f/1.8 Canon. I'll state for the record, nothing will touch this lens (for the 3 I have this is my favorite).

DAY 42 "Omega-3"

Yep, Omega-3 fish oil @ 1000mg right on your screen. You know what taste so good about them? Is you can't taste them.

DAY 41 "Sea Lavender"

I haven't been out much, so I've been playing indoors. This is a shot from a bouquet of flowers I bought myself...yes, guys can do these things (you have to be a bog boy).

Day 40 "I'm Back"

After a two month hiatus, I'm back with the family.

DAY 39 "The Background"

It is not always what's in front and in focus that's the main picture...some of the most beautiful things happen in the background on the stage of imagery.

DAY 38 "The Silent Dart"

Testing out a new Blowgun I just picked up. I really enjoy the outdoors and would like to start going for longer periods and further back. In order to do this, it requires lighter packing, which means less food. Given that, this new skill will come in handy. Within the past few days, I've been able to hit a 3 x 4 inch target from 35ft away (3 out of 6 times...50%). A couple more outings and I'll have it dialed.

DAY 37 - "At Peace"

Camping in the Los Padres National Forest, relaxing by the fire and this shot presented itself.

DAY 36 "Distracted"

Yep! This is a real photo...At least from my mind :) The object that has been lingering in the background has came about. There's not much that can distract me, but it was enough to get an entry without names or pictures.

DAY 35 "No Mind"

"No Mind" Easy to say but difficult to do. I'm not promoting my religion here, but do appreciate the beauty of Buddhism. My heart is tied to nature and any belief I may have, will be with nature. There's nothing "man made" in nature, just magickal (not a mis-spelling) happenings.

DAY 34 "Au Naturel"

Love nature and love flowers...and macro. So, here it is! An iris @ 200mm macro (love my Tamron), manual w/CFL light and a lightbox.

DAY 33 "The Family"

It's not always about capturing that "shot", but capturing those that mean something to you. The couple I live with purchased my little boy a Growme and he loved it...kept asking "did you put water on it yet dad?" So we did and the Growme's hair took off like wild fire. The day came for a hair cut, so he and my older son went to town on his hair and sported a Mohawk (actually almost turned into the classic mullet...business up front and party in the rear) You can see the one with hair in the center.

So we're out shopping and he see's a group of these and is almost screaming.."LOOK DAD, MORE GROWME'S, HE NEEDS A FAMILY DAD, PLEASE DAD, GET HIM A FAMILY...DAD!!! CAN I?!?!?! Sure son, grab your favorite two...."TWO? DAD HE NEEDS A FAMILY" ...okay, how many? "FIVE" great, throw them in the cart. We proceed to the check out and she rings me up..."how much were the Growme's?" 33 cents sir! "33 CENTS DAD CAN WE GET MORE DAD? HE NEEDS A FAMILY, A BIGGER ONE" So, he gets his family. Meet the Growme's.

DAY 32 "Solitude"

Riding along a coastal trail on my bike looking for certain types of plants, I stopped and enjoyed this section along the way. The air temperature was around 75 degrees, a bit odd for this time of day and also time of year...but I accepted it :) Something about this shot meant a lot to me, so it got a spot on 365 and a title to go with it. The beauty here, I made zero modifications to this picture...exposed and uploaded...I wanted it just the way it was. Another memorable moment here was the scent of sage coming up from the brush...I guess you just had to be there...actually I'm glad you weren't!

Day 31 "Daffodil"

Daffodils or 'I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud' Poem

William Wordsworth wrote Daffodils on a stormy day in spring, while walking along with his sister Dorothy near Ullswater Lake, in England. He imagined that the daffodils were dancing and invoking him to join and enjoy the breezy nature of the fields. Dorothy Wordsworth, the younger sister of William Wordsworth, found the poem so interesting that she took 'Daffodils' as the subject for her journal. The poem contains six lines in four stanzas, as an appreciation of daffodils.

Analysis of Daffodils by William Wordsworth


I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

DAY 30 "Your Last Breath"

Part of being out on the trails is having an understanding of your surroundings. The plants, animals and terrain. This one is no exception (Castor Bean), as it contains one of the most toxic compounds known (Ricin -toxalbumin -plant lectin). It's the same plant that produces castrol oil, but what is left in the seed after it has been pressed, is the ricin...and in large quantities. Three seeds would be enough to kill an adult, which contains only 0.5 mg of ricin!!! The scary fact here, is once this has been injected (by way of food or drink) into the system, there is no cure for the onset of the poison. It takes about three days of a slow and painful death...your last breath! From one of my books on this plant "There is no antidote for ricin poisoning. The only remedy is to give supportive medical care to minimize symptoms, and hope for the best." The ARC (Agriculture Research Center) has labeled it the deadliest plant known today.

Even handling the leaves can cause skin irritation, since this also contains small quantities of the ricin (I was very careful in collecting my samples and probably washed my hands 3 or 4 times after cracking the seeds). The location of the plant was on the coast, but can be found upwards to the 3000 ft level.

I have a huge fascination with something that can be naturally provided by way of nature and have the affects that it does. I'll be tracking down medicinal and also poisonous plants over the next few weeks.

**Another small factoid**

Ricin is considered both a chemical and biological weapon and is explicitly prohibited by the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and Schedule 1 of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). ...Deadly huh? :)

DAY 29 "Salvia Apiana"

Salvia Apiana is commonly know as White Sage (or sacred sage...the Chumash Indians called it "we'wey" (pronounced waykway) and can be found along the chaparral, coastal sage scrub and other locations along California.

This plant is by far my favorite. The smell, the feel and taste are wonderful. They call this plant the sacred sage and rightfully so. It has excellent healing powers and cleansing abilities. When the ancients speak, we should listen. I always have a good dried bundle of it at hand and also a potted plant (rubbing the fresh leaves immediately clears your mind...wonderful how plants work). If you're any bit interested in natural medicines, I would highly suggest looking into this. The medicinal properties are wonderful. I use this plant several times a day for many different purposes.

Here's a statement from a local Chumash on this plant:
"It is our everyday plant. It is a spirit plant. If you don't have it, everything is going to bother you. You drink it in water or you suck on a leaf everyday. You are going to be calm enough to be rational. It will enhance any medicine you take and protect you from the toxicity of the medicines. It tickles your spirit, your conscience, and helps you keep your integrity. If you drink it everyday, you won't get as many colds. Some people have very harsh communication skills. If they smoke white sage, they're just a little gentler. I smoke it because I need to be a peace keeper. If drug addicts smoke it, it helps give them direction. They're not aggressive. It cures their addiction one hundred percent."

Mother Nature...you've got to love her.

DAY 28 "Into the Wild"

I think I stated I was doing 30 days of black and white...Oh well :) This project is meant to open my horizons, expanding my skills and dipping me into the uncomfortable zone. It has at times, more on the backend where the processing takes place. I feel my "eye" for shots has expanded some, just for the mere fact knowing I have to take a shot each day, so I'm constantly scanning for a "good" shot. I also find that I'm looking into the shot more, putting more feeling into it...as in "why do I want this shot?". I can see I'm starting to appreciate it a lot more just for that reason alone.

Now, I have yet to venture out and start snapping people in public places...that will come in due time. For now, I have the urge to get out in nature! It is in my blood and it's what makes my heart beat. I have yet to find anything in this world that puts me more at ease and and gives me that true feeling of comfort...to the point I could easily just lay down in some meadow and fall asleep and not have a care in the world...that is where home is for me.

Given that, I went out today and purchased $40 worth of local hiking, biking and pure nature exploration content that will take me deeper than I ever have been in the back country. The hiking map alone, gives over 435 miles worth of trails. The one I currently have on my agenda, would be the crazy biking map that will take me ~60 miles in the back country and over two days of adventure...that is what love is all about!!! What does that have to do with photography and making me grow? I don't have all the answers, so it's my job to present my journeys along the way and bring the back country to your desktop while you sit there sipping your tea and eating your crumpets.

I have no time table when the nature theme will end if ever. I may just never make it back...if I don't...PLEASE do NOT send help :) I might just be enjoying myself.

DAY 27 "The Arrangement"

Not much, just an arrangement.

DAY 26 "Mind's Eye"

“An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will”

DAY 25 "One Love"

Yes, this is black and white! (under the texture :) RULES! I love the single rose.

DAY 24 "The Start"

Well this is the one. The shot that has hooked me for life into photography. I was 22 years old at the time, sitting in a restaurant on the Island of Maui. I only had a camera at the time because I was on vacation. I really never played with one other than just general pictures (birthdays, holidays, etc.) Getting back to the mainland, I exposed the film and as I sorted through them, this picture just moved me. The beautiful thing about it was, it was for me, my eyes and what I felt when I snapped the photo at the time. I remember sitting at the table and looking out the window and felt I couldn't get the camera quick enough. It wasn't about the sunset vanishing (it was beautiful though) or the tiny little boat that would soon disappear, but it was the silhouettes...the lines and shapes. So I put this in my 30 days of black and whites, since color was not my intention when snapping this photo.
I had the option of editing it, but I love it just the way it is. Sometimes we just "see" photos, but have you ever "looked" into one? That's the stuff that makes me inhale a little more air than normal, gaze into it as if I was there and lose track for a moment of what I'm doing. I love where I'm at today and the direction I'm headed in photography. I can never say enough good things about the 365 project...yes, I've banged my head on my computer recently on that damn cabin trying to come up with some fix or edit, but that's okay, that was yesterday :)

DAY 23 "Faded"

I have hit a massive road block on this day/photo. "Faded" is referencing my creative process...it was lost here. I didn't post when I wanted to, thinking I could wake up the next day with a fresh perspective...that didn't happen. I put this photo through a variety of ideas, but could NOT make anything of it. I felt this had a lot of potential, but after enough time on it, I went back to the RAW file and then transferred it into a B & W (rather hastily at that, I was a bit chapped). So, here it is, in all it's glory!(not) I WILL be looking back on this day, I promise you that!

DAY 22 "Aged Barrels"

I found these barrels down at a train museum. Both were in good condition, but caught my eye as something that would look good in B & W along with a texture layer. I then snapped a photo of some old wood with paint chipping nearby and used this as an overylay for the "aged" photo. I'll post the details later at http://theariian.blogspot.com/.

DAY 21 "Gravitation"

The big day..a mile stone. Scientific studies have shown that once you do something for 21 days straight, that you build a habit and tend to stick with it. Well, I can assure I didn't need 21 days to build this habit :)

Today I shot for the "LOMO" effect on my B & W. The term came from the actual cameras that were designed in Russia that tried to simulate reputable cameras of the time...but they were extremely poor quality and took poor photos. But today, there is a serious following with these due to their results...people like the old time, scratchy grunge look. As you can see, I missed my mark on that in this process, but it's about digging in and trying different things. I'll assure you, by weeks end, I'll have that dialed :) Love you 365!

DAY 20 "The Unknown"

I went to the Santa Barbara Mission today and paid my entry fee, even though I've seen this many times. As usual, I take a stroll through the graveyard and I'm completely amazed that the area they buried 4000 Chumash Indians, is only the size of a three car garage...4000!!! ..the unknown. The picture here is just above the door you exit to enter back into the main courtyard.

DAY 19 "On the Sea"

I like this shot for it's simplicity. The lone pelican.

Day 18 "Stearns Wharf"

1 of 30 in the series on this project (B&W). At the end of the 30 days, I would like to compare day 1 to day 30 and see how "pleased" I am with myself. I can already tell I'll be happy. Just this session alone forced me to do things I have yet to do before, hence the whole purpose of this project. I see mistakes in everything I do and usually after the fact. But that's okay, as long as I see them :)

DAY 17 "In the Valley"

A hiking trip that took me 1000 feet down into an old mining camp at the base of a valley. This shot was captured in the center of the creek using exposed rocks to support my tripod.

DAY 16 "New Years"

A hiking trip to Los Padres National Forest for New Years (from the mobile phone)