Day 273 — Adler on Arad

I love this little bud vase by Jonathan Adler. I placed it on a similarly ribbed Tom Vac chair by Ron Arad.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/200, f11, ISO 100

Day 272 — A Bunch of Bananas

These bananas are delicious.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/100, f6.3, ISO 100

Day 271 — Dried Protea

Although long dead, this dried protea still makes a striking pose.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/100, f3.2, ISO 100

Day 270 — Mouth

This is a closeup view of a lamp by Jonathan Adler called "Gala" after Dali's infamous wife. The shadows helped flesh out a realistic face image from the pure ovoid form. The whole lamp can be seen in the link above.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/100, f10, ISO 100, + screw on close-up filter

Day 269 — Cement Pedestal

I photographed this once before on Day 202 but not in direct sunlight.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 18-200mm) 1/200, f8, ISO 100, 18mm

Day 268 — Morning Sunlight

This is just the white back door but the rising sun from the opposite window creates a cacophony of shadows through the spiral staircase.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 18-200mm) 1/200, f5, ISO 100, 18mm

Day 267 — Butt Ugly Vase II

I don't often get around to venturing downstairs early in the morning, but today I had to get ready early for a doctor's appointment and I'm glad I did. A slender sword of sunlight was shining the length of the apartment and finished in a blaze of light on the bottom of the vase.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 18-200mm) 1/200, f5, ISO 100, 80mm

Day 266 — Mums

Final chrysanthemum shot.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/320, f11, ISO 100

Day 265 — Wanton Lascivious Petal

A single petal droops down from the chrysanthemum.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/320, f11, ISO 100

Day 264 — Blue Train

Another record cover of a classic that should be in everyone's collection, John Coltrane's Blue Train.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/320, f11, ISO 100

Day 263 — Final Days

This chrysanthemum has almost come to the end of its blooming cycle, yet still cuts a striking image against the cement floor.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/320, f11, ISO 100

Day 262 — Tracks of Miles

One of my favorite albums of all time. The soundtrack to Louis Malle's 1957 movie "Elevator To the Gallows." Remember when we just had a sliver of an album sleeve to rummage through titles of records in our collections?

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/320, f11, ISO 100 + screw on close up lens

Day 261 — Golden

Chrysanthemum is derived from the Greek words chrysos (gold) and anthemon (flower). A symbol of the sun, the Japanese consider the orderly unfolding of the chrysanthemum’s petals to represent perfection, and Confucius once suggested they be used as an object of meditation. 

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/1000, f11, ISO 100

Day 260 — Protea

Proteas are like individual pieces of complex architecture.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/250, f4, ISO 100

Day 259 — Web of Life

Web of Life was my high school biology textbook. This is a actually a shot of the frying pan this morning. I must have used a lot of butter when frying the tilapia last night.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/160, f4.5, ISO 100

Day 258 — Work Boots

My well-worn boots are comfy as all get out!

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/640, f1.4, ISO 100

Day 257 — Blunnies

Anyone who knows me knows that I am dedicated to one particular pair of footwear, the traditional Taswegian Blundstone boot. I have worn the same style for 20 years; day in, day out. This shot features their telltale bootstraps. My current pair have been in daily service for over two years now and have developed quite the rustic patina since I never polish them.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/125, f1.4, ISO 100

Day 256 — Fake

I received a humorous birthday card in the mail that had fake fur on it, so why not photograph it?

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/160, f16, ISO 100 + screw on close up filter 

Day 255 — Shot Glass

Refractions on a table from a shot glass with engraved designs.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/1250, f9, ISO 100

Day 254 — Fragment in Time

A small thumb-sized fragment of a Pre-Columbian ceramic head which retains, not only some original paint decoration, but the imprint of the artist's fingerprint can be seen near the mouth. I didn't notice the fingerprint until I'd processed the photograph.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/100, f10, ISO 100, + screw on close up filter

Day 253 — Easter Island Loaf

I just pulled some bread out of the freezer for lunch and was struck by it's characteristic profile. This is a loaf of Acme "Epi" bread from the Ferry Building in San Francisco.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/160, f13, ISO 100

Day 252 — Why I Oughta!

Jonathan Adler's Aorta vase. For about a month now I have foregone my 18-200mm zoom for the 1.4 50mm prime lens and I'm loving it.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/160, f10, ISO 100

Day 251 — San Ildefonso

As a ceramics major in Melbourne, Australia (Hey! It was the 70s!) I discovered the work of Maria Martinez in the pueblo of San Ildsefonso in Santa Fe. One day in 1908 Julian Martinez excavated some very old shards of pottery from his pueblo area while assisting an archeological group. They were pieces of pottery that had been highly burnished to an almost glaze-like level then painting a clay slip decoration before firing them in a pit to produce a heavy reduction firing (no oxygen), which turned the local clay black. The black on black ceramics from hundreds of years ago had been resurrected and handsomely continued by the Martinez family to this day. Maria's work is in most museums containing native american collections. These, from left to right are by Maria and her husband Julian,  The middle dish is by Maria and her daughter-in-law Santana; as is the dish on the right. The bottom two stylized seed pots are by her great grandchild Marvin Martinez and his wife Frances. I consider them to be the greatest exponents of the technique and they deliver a very high degree of execution. I purchased all of these gems on my first trip to Santa Fe in the 90s. I was in heaven and continue to admire their innovative design and techniques.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/1250, f5.6, ISO 100

Day 250 — Jalisco Tomb Figure

A male terracotta jalisco flat tomb figure from Pre-Columbian Mexico casts a very long shadow.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/160, f10, ISO 100

Day 249 — Priapic Rivets

These are three original 1930s rivets from the Golden Gate Bridge replaced in a retrofit after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Each of the two towers is held together with 600,000 rivets.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/100, f6.3, ISO 100

Day 248 — Plump

Bursting at the seams and almost three tomatoes in one, the local farmer's market served up this noble heirloom today.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/80, f4, ISO 100

Day 247 — Baguette

This is a staple in our house. I usually buy one a day. I hope they are healthy. I love the crust. The word "baguette" was not used to refer to a type of bread until apparently 1920, but what is now known as a baguette may have existed well before that. The word simply means "wand" or "baton", as in baguette magique (magic wand), baguettes chinoises (chopsticks), or baguette de direction (conductor's baton).

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/250, f8, ISO 100

Day 246 — Refractions

So much design and form springs forth just from the sunlight passing through clear glass.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/400, f14, ISO 100

Day 245 — Gehry's Pito

 Not content with creating dramatic buildings for us, Frank Gehry transforms the humble kettle (Pito) into a masterpiece of form. Here it is is seen from above.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/200, f7.1, ISO 100

Day 244 — Wandjina Figures

These eerie looking figures were the shadows formed from three shot glasses in very early morning light. In Aboriginal mythology, the Wandjina were cloud and rain spirits who, during the Dream time, created or influenced the landscape and its inhabitants.

Nikon D7000 (Nikkor 50mm, 1.4) 1/200, f7.1, ISO 100