Chicken or the Egg? - Day 104 #CY365

Today's prompt was "Chicken or the Egg?". So I pulled out an Easter PEZ Dispenser and set her in the middle of a basket of eggs. The picture is what it is but the circular cause and circumstance has been debated for all of written history.

Consider this - Macrobius, an early 5th century Roman philosopher, found the problem to be interesting: "You jest about what you suppose to be a triviality, in asking whether the hen came first from an egg or the egg from a hen, but the point should be regarded as one of importance, one worthy of discussion, and careful discussion at that."

Canon 5D Mark II, 1/1600 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens.

Target - Day 103 #CY365

The Target sign looked cool against the deep blue of the late civil twilight sky. iPhone 5s, Camera+ App.

Someone's Shadow - Day 102 #CY365

Canon G10, 1/125 of second at f/5.6, ISO 100, 32mm equivalent focal length post processed into B&W using Photoshop Elements and the Silver Efex Pro plug-in.

Cling - Day 101 #CY365

Water droplets cling to this yellow pansy near the old Victorian era fountain at Norfolk Virginia's St. Paul's Church. iPhone 5s, Camera+ App

A Perfect Duo - Day 100 #CY365

Today's challenge was food photography and the prompt was "a perfect duo". What's more perfect than pie and ice cream; getting to eat the pie and ice cream after photographing it. Had to work fast. Olympus OM-D E-M1, 1/60 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 800, 3 LED litepanels and one overhead room light.

Makes Me Smile - Day 99 #CY365

Sasha makes me smile. Our little Tonkinese gets between me and the TV when she wants undivided attention and she usually gets it. She's the number one diva in our house. iPhone 5s, Camera+ App.

Pull Over - Day 98 #CY365

Pulled over leaving work today to capture this picture of the flags along Waterside Drive in Norfolk Virginia backlit by the setting sun. Today the flags are commemorating the 50th anniversary of the General MacArthur Memorial located in downtown Norfolk. Olympus OM-D E-M1, 1/1250 sec @ f/11, ISO 100.

Fill the Frame - Day 97 #CY365

The little assassin bug nymph "Zelus" is stalking a tiny fly on this forsythia flower tonight. I went outside with my LED light panel and macro lens to look for an interesting macro photo to "fill my frame". The wet forsythia seemed like a good place to start. I was amazed at the tiny insects I saw - spiders, aphids, little flies and this cool Zelus. Seconds after taking this photo, the Zelus sprang and caught the fly below.

Canon 5D Mark II, 1/400 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 1600, one LED Litepanel and an LED Ring Light.

In the Window - Day 96 #CY365

Jars in the window. Canon 7D, 1/10 sec @ f/2, ISO 800.

Imperfect - Day 95 #CY365

Today was self portrait day and the prompt was - "Imperfect". Many photographers are uncomfortable being on the other side of the camera and I'm no exception, although the "selfie" trend is helping me get a little more comfortable. We were challenged to take a photo that captured you as you were, no special prep. I'm really good at imperfect and this is the result. Taken in the foyer mirror with the camera positioned down and to the left just outside of the reflected frame. Olympus OM-D E-M1, 1/50 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, existing room light.

Look Up - Day 94 # CY365

I always look up when taking the short cut through the Monticello Arcade and it never disappoints. One of Norfolk Virginia's coolest buildings. iPhone 5s, Camera+ app.

Where I Work - Day 93 #CY365

LED's glow blue and green in the coldest room in the place. Canon G15, 1/3 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

Framed - Day 92 #CY365

The morning sun rises behind a thin layer of clouds silhouetting a still bare tree. The entire scene was reflected in the window of Fitness Together Norfolk and nicely "framed". Olympus OM-D E-M1, 1/2000 sec @ f/13, ISO 800.

Focused - Day 91 #CY365

Today's picture is a new black and white conversion of a photo I took a few years ago at the Biltmore House in Ashville North Carolina. I have a large print of this photo in my office and I've often looked at the sharp detail that was captured by my point and shoot camera. It's hard to see on the scaled down resolution of a computer monitor, but there's a single cobweb stretched across the eye of lion. Canon G10, !/1000 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 80 converted to black and white using Silver Efex Pro 2.

In the Garden - Day 90 #CY365

In the garden at the Moses Myers House in Norfolk Virginia. Spring is finally here as the oak leaf hydrangea begins to open up. Canon G15, 1/1000 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400 in macro focusing mode.

Tight - Day 89 #CY365

The Kikkerland Camera Pencil Sharpener is "Tight". Not only does it look cool, it's actually a really good pencil sharpener. It grips the pencil shaft and spring tension pulls the pencil in as you crank the handle. You can also adjust it from more to less sharp. All in all - it's "tight"! Canon 5D Mark II, 1/13 sec @ f/8, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens and an LED ring light.

Luck - Day 88 #CY365

Lucky Cat makes an appearance for today's photo. iPhone 5s, Camera+ app.

Foreground - Day 87 #CY365

My Twitter handle is @CIOPhoto and I tweet my daily photos, about photography and about technology. The #tech hashtag can often be found in my tweets and on my conference table. Today's photo prompt was "foreground". With the early morning sun casting a nice hard shadow from the metal letters in the foreground, it was the perfect subject. Canon G15, 1/1250 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 200.

Where I Stand - Day 86 #CY365

Today I stand over a 20lb slam ball out of breath and sweating hard. Got another 60 seconds of slams coming up as soon I can get this picture taken. My trainer Ryane and the crew at Fitness Together Ghent and I get together four early mornings every week. Canon G15 1/13 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

Arched - Day 85 #CY365

This stained glass window featuring Gabriel's Horn in the center is framed by an arched casing. The bright gold horn is also found atop the church's steeple which was the tallest point in the City in the later half of the 19th century. The Freemason Street Baptist Church is one of three buildings in Norfolk Virginia designed by Thomas U. Walter who was famous for his design of the dome for the U.S. Capital Building. The church was completed in May 1850 in a revival of the style known as "Perpendicular Gothic." This Victorian period revival style was characterized by its reliance on decoration and ornamentation rather than structure. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/250 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400, 50mm prime lens.

Aromatic - Day 84 #CY365

I have a bunch of hyacinths planted near our front door. The smell provides a nice welcome home. Here I tried to capture the fine texture of the blooms with a little loose pollen in an attempt to invoke the wonderful feeling you get from the aroma. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/200 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 1600.

Lineup - Day 83 #CY365 #Tech

The back of the network patch panels in one of the intermediate distribution frame (IDF) rooms, a.k.a wiring closets, at Norfolk Virginia's new Slover Library. I see orderly beauty in this perfect job by our cabling contractor Secured Network Solutions. iPhone 5s, Camera+ App, Clarity scene mode, Hollywood Amélie filter.

Phone Art - Day 82 #CY365

Calla lily. iPhone 5s, Olliclip macro lens, Camera+ App with an LED flashlight for added illumination.

On His Terms - Day 81 #CY365

Our grandson Robert is spending the weekend with us. We spent the afternoon decorating a 'Bunny House' for Easter. He was more than happy to pose with his masterpiece. iPhone 5s, Camera+ App.

Spring - Day 80 #CY365

The Pieris japonica 'Valley Rose' are in full bloom for the first time. These wonderful bushes are flanking either side of our front porch and were recommended and installed last summer with our new front yard landscaping design from Bill Maxwell of Maxwell Landscaping Services. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/250th sec @ f/11.0, ISO 1600.

Diptych - Day 79

Diptych - "a work made up of two matching parts". This is my shadow of shadow diptych. This sharp shadow of a bike leaning against a rail was taken with my iPhone on a walk back from a meeting this morning. The bright morning sun was casting great shadows everywhere. I combined two images using photoshop, flipping the black & white image to make it a mirror of the color image.

365 - Day 78 #CY365

If you want people to look at you strangely, just hop on an elevator press the buttons for three different floors and pull out your camera and take a picture of the button panel. Works every time, guaranteed. Canon G15, 1/40 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

Duplicate - Day 77 #CY365

Batman and his twin. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/50 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro lens.

A Shamrock - Day 76 #CY365

The tiny white flowers of the shamrock. Happy St. Patrick's Day. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/25 sec @ f/16, ISO 1600, 100mm macro lens with LED ring light.

Cheers - Day 75 #CY365

Resurrecting a photo idea from 2009 for today's prompt of "Cheers". Playing off the diagonal. Can you guess how it's done? Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 100.

Hard - Day 74 #CY365

Hard silhouettes of power line towers over the southern branch of the Elizabeth River in Chesapeake Virginia. Canon G15, 1/100 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

Mark the Spot - Day 73 #CY365

Fill the frame, use the rule of thirds, blur the background and leave the viewer with no doubt as to what the photographer intended the photo to be about. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/200 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400, one LED flash light with the beam focused narrowly on the cup.

Irish - Day 72 #CY365

Having a little "Irish" getting ready for St. Patrick's Day. First post with my newest camera an Olympus OM-D E-M1. The first new SLR I ever bought was an Olympus OM-2. In 1977 it was revolutionary for it's small size and high quality. I still have it and it still takes a great pictures.

Olympus OM-D E-M1, 1/1000 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

Arranged - Day 71 #CY365

Today's challenge was to arrange something in a stack and use a shallow depth of field to create a blurred effect. I love photography books, well to be truthful, I love everything about photography. Anyway, I stacked some of my recent favorites, used a couple of LED litepanels, a macro lens and voila - we have a photo of the day. But back to the photography books - someone once said the two most important things you can do to improve your photography are: 1) take lots of pictures, hence the 365 project and 2) look at lots of photographs with a critical eye. While digital photos on a computer screen are pretty cool, in my opinion nothing beats the printed photograph for appreciating the work. Photography books are a great place to both see good photographs and understand how they were made.

Canon 5D Mark II, 1/250 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400.

From Down Under - Day 70 #CY365

From down under my Mother's dining room chandelier. Mom invited us over for dinner tonight and while we were sitting around talking afterward I noticed the chandelier. I opened up the Camera+ app on my iPhone, switched to the forward facing camera, and laid the phone below the chandelier on the table and snapped a pic. Got home and processed it using the Clarity effect and the Silent Movie filter in Camera+.

Asymmetrical - Day 69 #CY365

Asymmetrical - my Transformer cufflinks a gift from my grandson Robert were the perfect solution for today's photo prompt. I love asymmetrical cufflinks and have several pair from Würkin Stiffs and a few others. The first time I wore these to work last year I was sitting in a meeting and the guy sitting to my right asked me if that was an "Autobot" on my cufflink. I said yes, then showed him the "Decepticon" on the left cuff and he laughed out loud. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/1000 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens.

Emerging - Day 68 #CY365

The cold winter has made all the flowers emerge later this year. These daffodils are just getting ready to open up. With warmer temperature forecast for this week, I expect flowers will be opening up everywhere. Canon 5D Mark II 1/250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro with LED ring light.

Drive - Day 67 #CY365

Night drive heading to dinner. I don't get to back seat drive much, so I took the opportunity to take some photos. Canon G15, 1/15 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 1600.

Frustrated - Day 66 #CY365

We still have a copper POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) line at our house. I know, I know - dinosaurs are we. We a few weeks back Verizon called us and wanted to shift us over to the fiber optic network. We scheduled an appointment for this Saturday to have the work done. So we think we'll all set. But Nooooo! Earlier this week the confirmation calls started. Automated calls requesting us to confirm the appointment, again and again and again. I guess most people stand them up for appointments. Each call was a pleasant recorded female voice asking to confirm our appointment and then quickly rattling off an 866 number to call and a 10 digit confirmation code. The code number is not repeated and its required when you call back. You would think they could track this by your home phone number but not so. No confirmation code and no where else to go on the automated menu. So I was popping through the caller ID and decided this was prefect for today's 365 prompt. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/50 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 1600, first use of my new LED macro ring light and post-processed in Picasa using the Lomo-ish effect.

Muse - Day 65 #CY365

I had to find my muse on the Capture Your 365 project gallery today. It was easy because I have been admiring the work of contributor Pam Scott since joining the project in January. She has a great closeup eye for photos. I choose her Day 49 "In the Front Yard" photo of a pink camellia as my inspiration. Here's my pink camellia completely desaturated and presented in black and white. I was looking to capture the same texture and feel as Pam did but with my own view. Canon 7D, 1/125 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, converted to black and white using Silver Efex Pro.

A Story in Three - Day 64 #CY365

Today's challenge was to tell a story with three pictures. This has been a cold and gray winter making me long for the beach and warm weather. I created this story in three with the beach in mind from photos I made last year. The first photo is a Florida coast sunrise with a lone shore bird in the surf, the second is my grandson Robert enjoying the mid afternoon sunshine in Virginia Beach, and the final shot is a sunset of shore birds at the Boneyards in Encinitas California. This weekend's forecast is for sun and temperatures in the 60's, so I think a walk on the beach is just what the doctor ordered.

Party! - Day 63 #CY365

Well it not exactly a party per se, it's lunch at the Chartreuse Bistro in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. It's one of my favorite places to eat. The food is wonderful, the tableware and decor are inspiring and the whole team make it a wonderful place for a relaxing break in the middle of the day. Chartreuse is locally owned by husband and wife team - general manager Karine Varga and executive chef Christopher Corrie. Just in case you're interested today's lunch was fish stew; a kale salad with goat cheese dressing, almonds, apricot, and onion; and an amazing mushroom & fontina focaccia. The menu is different everyday, you must try when in Norfolk.

iPhone 5 - with a newly cracked screen, Camera+ app.

Choose a Favorite - Day 62 #CY365

Today's challenge was to choose a favorite color. My favorite color is red but I thought I try a little color theory with today's photo. I formed a color wheel using my grandson's crayons. The arrangement of the colors around the wheel help define both complimentary and analogous colors. Complementary colors can be found by choosing any color around the wheel and then looking straight across the wheel. For red the complimentary color is green, think Christmas. Yellow's complimentary color is violet and blue's is orange. Analogous colors are those on either side of main color. In the case of red, it's red orange and red violet. A color wheel is a very useful tool for decorators, artists, photographers and even a guy when picking a tie or socks to match that shirt. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/500 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro, LED ring light and two LED litepanels.

Cattus Petasatus - Day 61 #CY365

Happy Birthday Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, who was born on March 2, 1904. This is a Latin translation of the children's classic first published in 1957. It belongs to my son Michael who teaches high school Latin and it's looked over by my prized Lucky Cat. iPhone 5, one LED Litepanel and the Camera+.

Step Outside - Day 60 #CY365

Today challenge was "Step Outside" and the first day of month is always a self portrait. So here's my selfie taken in the front yard with my neighbor's bare pecan trees in the background. I captured the late afternoon sun which appeared briefly on an otherwise cloudy and gray day. Used the camera's popup flash to add just a little fill light with the flash compensation set at -2 stops. The camera's self timer was used, manual focus using the distance gauge on the lens, and of course, the camera was tripod mounted. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/8, ISO 200, 35mm prime lens.

Keep Going - Day 59 #CY365

Moving up the kettlebell train. Got to keep going because as they say, "no pain - no gain". Canon 5D Mark II, 1/20 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 1600.

Seize the Moment - Day 58 #CY365

This is "Team Norfolk" following today's Resilient Cities Workshop at Norfolk's Half Moone Cruise & Celebration Center. The team which includes many of my coworkers from the City of Norfolk government and dedicated partners from community groups, non-profits, businesses and other agencies. We are proud to be included as one of the first 33 cities in the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge. We are creating a strategy to make Norfolk more resilient in the way it faces socks and stresses including flooding, sea level rise, poverty and others.

Canon G15, 1/1250 sec @ f/28, ISO 160.

Admire - Day 57 #CY365

General Douglas MacArthur was one of only five men ever to rise to the rank of 5 Star General of the U.S. Army, and the only man ever to become a field marshal in the Philippine Army. A hero of World War II, he received the Medal of Honor for his service in the Philippines Campaign, which made him and his father Arthur MacArthur, Jr., the first father and son to be awarded the medal. He officially accepted Japan's surrender on September 2, 1945, and oversaw the occupation of Japan and its rebuilding from 1945 to 1951. He led the United Nations Command in the Korean War until he was removed from command by President Harry S. Truman. The relief of the famous general by the unpopular politician for communicating with Congress led to a constitutional crisis, and a storm of public controversy. Polls showed that the majority of the public disapproved of the decision to relieve MacArthur. Truman's approval rating fell to 22 percent, it remains the lowest Gallup Poll approval rating recorded by any serving president.

This is the Douglas MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia. The statue is a duplicate of the one at West Point where he recorded the third highest academic score ever and graduated first in his 93-man class in 1903. Following World War he served as Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy leading a wave of academic reform and modernization. While his military career is also noted for controversy, his admirers continue to come to the memorial every day, many of them Philippine Americans and visitors from the Philippines. Source - Wikipedia.

iPhone 5, Camera+ app.

Bittersweet - Day 56 #CY365

Today's prompt - Bittersweet. I eschewed the obvious, chocolate, and went for liquor instead. Here my friends is a Rob Roy, a cocktail created in 1894 by a bartender at the Waldorf Astoria New York. Similar to a Manhattan, it is basically Scotch whiskey, sweet vermouth, a dash of bitters garnished with a maraschino cherry. The best part of today's project, drinking the prop. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/60sec @ f/4.5, ISO 400, illuminated with three LED Litepanels.