Project 365 week 23

Back on track with this hub and week 23 ended yesterday. I am closing in on the half way point and it definitely does not seem as though I have been doing this for almost 6 months already.

I wanted to get a good photo of railroad tracks today. I have heard but I can not verify that photographers have actually been fined for taking photos on tracks since they are the private property of the railroad. So I was determined to find someplace that the tracks crossed a public roadway- but were also kind of on the remote side of things to limit my chances of getting in trouble. With a little bit of driving- I found a perfect spot and was able to grab the two photos of the day.

Our town used to have a concrete block factory, now we have some relics that remain on the side of the highway that remind us of the industry that has come and gone. Unfortunately there are many such sights in and around the area. To me it is fascinating and sort of a challenge to take these subjects and try to create something with them. It is not always and easy task, but I am hoping that some of my photos bring back good memories for the people in the area that spent part of their lives working for the companies that are no longer here. To some folks, they are eyesores that need to be dealt with, but for me it is a never ending supply of subjects.

My husband decided to go trout fishing, so I tagged along to see what I could see. Water proof bags and hip waders were on the packing list. Nervous about the current and wonderful sense of balance, I somehow managed to stay up right and keep my beloved camera dry. A large piece of drift wood served as a cool natural frame for this shot and so I chose it as the photo of the day.

When I think of old barns and tractors sitting in the fields, I also think of the old barbed wire fences that used to line the roads... You would think in rural Pa that a barbed wire fence would be an easy subject to find. This is actually not the case. This is not the first day that I have looked for such a fence, and this trip actually took about 35 miles to find the subject. Most of the fences that are still in operation have been converted to the non barbed variety. This just happened to be a portion of a fence from a field that has been abandoned for livestock a very long time ago.

Since this was not the first time that I had looked for a barbed wire fence, I also grabbed the chance to take a photo earlier that day as a backup. I did like the end result of this little bird pic, so I decided to make it an extra for the day.

Yes, you are seeing this correctly. There are grass and trees in this photo. This particular phone booth (possibly even in operation- since there seems to be a line of some sort emerging from the ground and connecting) is a yard decoration on a local home. My daughter and I were on a small road trip to see if we could find an interesting subject for today. I think that we accomplished our mission.

Before we found the telephone booth, my daughter was impressed with how much the barn wall was bowed out- yet the structure was still standing and apparently even still in use. She however decided that although it made for a good photo, she was not wanting to go inside something that looked like this.

It is a brisk day and they are making snow again on the tubing hill. This poor little tree is right in the path of the snow maker, and as I was driving past on an errand I decided to stop and grab a quick pick. I took several and this particular one had just the right amount of snow in the area to give it a cool effect. The B&W seemed to help the contract of the snow against the trees in the background. All and all I was happy with this pic.

Back up the hill to the old zipper factory for a shot to add to my industry portfolio. I am always on the look out for contrasting patterns and textures and I think this particular photo has almost every one imaginable. Brick, stone, pipe, peeling paint, leaves, glass, wood... the list goes on and on...

One more week down and several more to go... I am still going strong and this is becoming easier and easier to get the photo for the day complete. I hope you are enjoying the series, please be sure to check out the other Hubs so you can tell me if I am making any progress with my photography skills. I am very open to comments and critiques...

Until next time

"may you always have a seashell in your pocket and sand between your toes."