With this post, I have successfully completed my 365 project, to which I committed myself one year ago. I have taken, and posted to this blog, at least one photo every day for the past 365 days. As I look back, it has been a labor of love and I am now more committed than ever to make myself a better photographer. During this past year I stretched my comfort zone far beyond what I ever imagined I could and I have not only learned more about photography, I have learned more about myself. Most importantly, I have more confidence in myself and my abilities and I am thrilled to be learning a new and challenging skill. This past year, at the request of others, I have taken photos of babies and young children, produced head shots for aspiring actors, shot publicity photos for a blues band, and produced documentation of rescued raptors. I am now feeling comfortable in the role of photographer as I work to improve my expertise.
About 10 percent of the photos I posted this past year were of birds. I posted only two of Bobo. I thought she might be featured in my blog more often, but I found raptors and hummingbirds more compelling. My favorite photo that I took this past year was posted on June 19, 2011, Day 170 Fly Like An Eagle which I took in Friday Harbor, Washington. This photo did not have the best exposure or the best composition (I had to crop it) but it was my first bald eagle photo and I was thrilled to get that capture. I owe its existence to my friend Barbara, with whom I was traveling and who alerted me to the eagle landing in a nearby tree. It is fitting, then, that my photos today are all birds in flight: a great egret, a long-billed curlew, a red-tailed hawk, a snowy egret, and a pair of mallards, sort of representative of my taking wing.
Focal Length 300mm
ISO 100
f/5.6
1/200
Cropped