I remember the summer of 2018 being a rather Instagrammy one for me, and the level of floral photography shows it. In fall, I took my first photography class and began shooting with a DSLR at time. TO DO: October, November, December
In general, the further I go back in time, the fewer usable photos I have, so I’ve split these into seasons rather than months. It’s a bottom-heavy year with most photos occurring in fall, so fall is also split into themes.
Winter
I have very little to share from winter. I had surgery that winter and didn’t go out much.
There is a soft-focus quality to many of my Motorola Moto G photos (especially toward the end of its lifespan, presumably because of scratches on the lens). Still, I think this awkwardly-composed sunset shot captures something of city energy.
Spring
Nothing like April to energize me and bring out my floral photographer side!
I liked the contrast between the exuberantly blooming field of yellow wildflowers and the still sticklike trees.
Not so much the photo quality as the subject here: trilliums are pretty unusual and only bloom for a short period of time.
Shot from the Red Line.
Summer
There’s something about the vibes of this lighting that I really like.
You know I love a peony. And a pink so bright it nearly blows out the phone camera.
A classic me shot: I liked the shapes of these trees.
Fall
Photography Class
In September, I started taking a photography class and ended up taking a bunch of shots with a DSLR for homework that I otherwise would not have taken. They aren’t always competent, but it was still really fun.
Fujiko Nakaya’s Fog x Flo, an art installation involving “fog sculpture,” was running in various Franklin Law Olmstead parks, including the Arboretum and Franklin Park. I got some cool shots of scaffolding in the fog that was set up for the exhibit, and discovered my love of fog.
These leaves show off near-complementary colors.
More color assignment photos.
Golden Hour might have been this assignment.
This was done using props in class. What I like about it is the abstraction of the edges of the bamboo mat, which in the light ends up looking like an abstract design element of golden dots.
Trip to Montréal
In late October, I went to Montreal for Skate Canada. I took a lot of bad photos, not having figured out yet how to focus my camera or where to stand to take interesting architecture shots. Here are some salvageable ones.
Cool architecture.
I liked the almost blue color of the leaves of this winter cabbage.
I didn’t quite get the top spire in this image. But I liked how to stars around the statue look almost fake because they are so shiny and new compared to the surroundings.
Arboretum
This Beautyberry shows a really interesting complementary color pattern. The colors look fake, but they are real.
I love the texture of a Paperbark Maple tree. I also love singing “Paperbark Maple” to the tune of the Beatles’ “Paperback Writer.”
The sun just caught this tree perfectly! I also posted this to Unsplash.
For once, my camera was in focus and I got lots of great detail in these maple leaves.
I’m obsessed with the way that Japanese maple leaves catch the light and look like stained glass.
I do not recall what this shrub is, but isn’t there a great fall gradient in these leaves?
General Fall Photos
I first posted these marigolds in the post The New England Fall Foliage Palette, or, Autumn Palette Mark II.
The horizon is impossibly skewed but the sky is dramatic and great.
This doesn’t feel like fall, does it? You’d really need Opera Pink for this rose.
The angle of this photo is odd but I like how the grimy train station frames the glorious autumn leaves.
Again the quality of the photo isn’t great but I simply couldn’t believe how red the tree was.
I actually genuinely like this photo which uses the bold orange-yellow-green gradient tree colors to contrast the bluish, rainy street.
Winter Again
A winter storm in November! You can see the freezing rain pelting down over the snow. Time to acknowledge it’s winter again.
The photo’s blurry yet the subject is exactly what I like: a magical, cloudy, pink sunset!
If there’s one thing I love to take a picture of, it’s a beautiful sunset sky over a grimy city landscape. The design of the platform allowed me to take this leading lines rail picture while standing safely on a raised platform.
And that is 2018! Although I had not yet started painting, I can already see my visual interests emerging in sunset, florals, and fall foliage. My increased use of Instagram this year, borrowing a DSLR camera, and taking my first photography class really informed my aesthetic.