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It’s not that I couldn’t have posted a photo yesterday, I didn’t. I have decided to stop making daily photoblog postings and go of the radar for a while.  When the photoblog started it was fun, but at the same time I only had two classes and it wasn’t had to find time to do it. Last night, on the other hand, I was rolling into my 3^rd hour of Arabic homework and the prospect of a daily photo became more of a burden and less of something that I enjoyed doing.

I think it is a lot like quitting smoking, you’ve have to try it a few times before it sticks. Hopefully the next time I start I’m not 16 credit hours deep with one and a half part time jobs.

Thank you for supporting my first attempt at this slightly ridiculous project.  I really appreciate all the kind words and encouragement.

Andy

Day 35

Day 34

The outside of a dorm.

I was walking around at ISU today and saw some windows.  I need to start shooting earlier in the day, too much night stalking lately.

Day 33

The view from my porch. 

Day 31

Nothing to say

Video from the Daily today.  A little bit of coaching, and I think these guys will be on track. 

Day 31

Editor-in-chief Jessica Opoien takes a meeting in her office at the Iowa State Daily.

Busy day at the Iowa State Daily, tomorrow could be interesting.  Trying to get the video section rocking and rolling is going to be a challenge for sure, however on the plus side the people in video class on Tuesday seemed really into it. 

Oats frosts a cake.

I shot this last night after my photo deadline, but though I should put it up anyway. I really want an off camera flash.

Day 30, one month down

A man has a smoke against a stoplight pole in Ames.

Today was move-in day. What a zoo.

Day 29

Heelys in the suburbs.

My buddy Oats tries out some Heelys.  Also Heeb made me a logo.  THANKS HEEB!

Day 28

The suburban wave.

Day 27

The fire at the lake.

Not much of an image, I’ll give you that and two days at the cabin deserves a far better photo, but it didn’t happen.  Tuesday I’ll put full effort back into it.  The crazy Thanks for checking out the blog, I’ll see you tomorrow. 

Day 26, motorboating

Lowell drives the boat at the cabin.

I took a photo on a boat, cross that off the list; one step closer to being a Navy photographer.  On a separate note, this was Lowell’s third time driving a boat.  The first and second times he was pulling me in a tube.  

Day 25, I think this might be habit forming

A frog chills out near a weed near lake Minnewawa on Friday August 13, 2010.

I’m up at the lake now. Life is good. Probably going to be a couple of days of nature photography.  That frog is going to have a hell of a story to tell his frog wife when he gets home. 

24

Lowell shoots at a game of pool.

Day 23, did you hear there is a flood?

Ames is flooded. Just thought I’d jump on the bandwagon.  Flooding, what a waste of time. Guess what? It’s wet.

Day 22

Hot sauce on the table at the post fair judging celebratory dinner.

Went to the Iowa State Fair photo judging this evening to see if I had anything place.  The answer? A big no.  I had two photos on display among a sea of flower macros and shots very similar, but better than mine.  I clearly need to step up my game.  Disheartening, but still better than having nothing displayed. Next year’s a comin’ I better keep cycling my shutter. 

Day 21

A woman sits at Ames’s old train depot and has lunch.

Today was an exercise in photographing something that isn’t going on.  I like shooting stuff that’s happening, I don’t like shooting the every day. I know there are moments out there, but I can rarely find them. 

Day 20

Semi trucks jockey for position in a thunderstorm on I-35 headed north.  

Midwest weather conspired with my A/C-less car to get in the way of the photo of the day really taking shape today.  Tomorrow is a day off; hopefully I can go find something good.

Day 19

I’m back in South Dakota for the weekend, and Tuesday I start my summer vacation.  Easy photo weekend.

Day 18

The last day of the semester, drinking started early, a photo of my new favorite Ames bartender seemed appropriate. 

Day 17, this isn't just a skateboard blog

Kyle Underberg kicks, sticks and lands a grab trick at the Ankeny Skate Park.

Not a flawless image, but I really did learn a lot today.  Next time I try something like this the tripod is clutch.  Having to go in and mess with masks to make an image pass isn’t worth the time when I could’ve shot it right at the start, but it happens.  I’ll get it next time. No more skate park without a tripod handy.  Also I got a little lazy with trick names, I should probably bring my laptop so I can get the information tied to the photo on the spot.  The two images below are a couple other keepers from the day. 

Royce Martin rides a 5-0 grind at the Ankeny Skate Park

Kyle Underberg pops a stall at the near the edge on the big quarter at the Ankeny Skate Park.  

Day 16... already

Ames’s Bubba Loucks does an aerial grab off of a quarter pipe on August 4, 2010 at the Ames’s Skate Park.

This was really my best picture from the time I spent at the skate park, but I did get some other nice stuff too. This guy was way up there. I also got the images below of Tony Lecount and one more of Loucks.

I am probably headed out tonight to shoot street skating. I really like shooting skateboarding; maybe I can talk somebody into writing something about it for the paper. I don’t know what I’m going to shot when it snows? Maybe snowboarding.

Day 15

Jacob Howe cooks onions as part of a photo experiment.  

This was a little crazy, but I am trying to figure out how to catch the blast of flame with the face tack sharp.  Every time he lit it up there was a blast of heat and I was standing four feet away, in a couple of the runs flames kissed the cupboards.  Tomorrow I’m getting renter’s insurance.

Cook and Corn

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Page 11 | Business

Busy week this week. 
Two finals.
Time to get to it.

Day 14/The Bear

Scenes from Café Bou. 

“Some days you get the bear some days the bear gets you” wise words spoken by a wise man.   I really feel like the bear got me today.  It seems about fitting the wiely old bear would catch up about the end of week two.  It has been a struggle to get imagery I feel like I should put out there for the world to see, and today it didn’t happen.  I know I missed the mark today, I went out and I defeated myself.  Tomorrow is a new day and the bear better watch out. 

Movin' on Up

The Tribune | A4 | Databank

Movin' on up. The Ames Trib ran my post-stabbing photo Friday after all, and to think I spent the whole weekend thinking they didn't because it wasn't on their website. I believe newspapers pay a lot of lip service to the idea that the web is important, but in reality they are all still paper copy driven. It would be interesting to see the profit data for a web view of a papers site versus a subscriber. If papers are moving online they should make the leap head first, either grace or paralysis, but nothing in between.


I also stopped by today to pick up my check, I half have the feeling that I may never see that money. Oh well. Off to shoot at another bar.

Day 13

Antonio Rivera, a Mongolian style chef, hands a customer dinner on Sunday August 1st, 2010 at Mongolian Buffet.

I shot this for an assignment about a new restaurant that opened in Ames.  On a non-photo note, school is over in five days.  I can’t wait for the new semester.