escrow papers (photo tip #3)

originally uploaded by billaday.

Photo tip #3:
Keep track of your extra battery.

It turns out, that extra battery does you no good if you don't know where it is. My point-and-shoot camera's battery died this week (as it often does). My extra battery was in the charger, which is a good place to put it btw. However, I couldn't find that extra battery. So, guess what? My camera stayed at home all week.

Year 3, Day 268

the cup is completely empty

originally uploaded by billaday.

Sometimes the glass is half empty.
Sometimes the glass is half full.
Sometimes the glass is completely empty, but that's just because I haven't put any liquid in it.

Year 3, Day 267

Lady Love

originally uploaded by billaday.

I'm not sure why, but when we visited this establishment, one of my friends always said hello to "Lady Love." Perhaps she is the bearer of caffeine.

I've been noticing that I've been noticing environmental print more often. I think it's because I'm working on music forms for work, a web site for work, and a syllabus. Whatever it may be, letters/text/type is catching my eye often now. I admire good type. In fact, I even have a set for photos with type.

Year 3, Day 266

three valves

originally uploaded by billaday.

I started a web page for my new teaching job. This year, I'm teaching 4th and 5th grade music. I'll be teaching students how to play the trumpet, trombone, flute, clarinet, and saxophone.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again… one of the reasons I love the photo-a-day project is that I'm forced to take at least one photo every day. Aside from a few portraits for work, I hadn't taken any shots, and it was already 9pm. I decided to take 10 pictures. Before I knew it, 70 shots were on my memory card. As a result, I got this cool stock photo of a trumpet. I also got the idea to take one interesting shot of all the instruments I'm teaching. I'll put them on the web site and have them for other occasions. So, look forward to some more band instrument photos coming.

On a photo-a-day note, this is photo 265. That means I'm at T-minus: 100. In 100 days, I will have completed photo-a-day year 3.

Year 3, Day 265

Them thar's hills be burnin

originally uploaded by billaday.

Here's to a nice ending of August. I hope your house has not burned down. Some friends' homes are quite close to flames.

I knew this fire helicopter was too far away for an interesting close up (with my wide angle point-and-shoot), so I added the telephone wires into the shot and framed it with the plan of photoshopping it.

Year 3, Day 264

You are two

originally uploaded by billaday.

Landon turned two. For a while, he was laying down on the tile floor. It was pretty dark, so I used my point-and-shoot's flash. I knew it wouldn't light home evenly. However, I do like how the flash left a radial gradient on the tile floor. I added a channel mixer adjustment layer (red +100), and changed the blending mode to vivid light. That made pop out from the tile. Then, I masked him out so the skin tones looked natural (with another adjustment layer, red +100, mode: soft light).

Year 3, Day 263

faster phone

originally uploaded by billaday.

I spent most of the day rooting (or hacking) my G1 phone. Now, it's way faster, and I can use it for tethering (as a wireless router). In fact, that's how I uploaded the photo--my internet at home is beyond slow now, so I used my phone's 3G connection to get online. Stoked, no choice.

Year 3, Day 262

What the H?

originally uploaded by billaday.

My wife's now a high school librarian. I surprised her with a visit today, and got a tour of the library. They have an old, unused card catalog in the middle of the library.

Year 3, Day 261

Back up your hard drives

originally uploaded by billaday.

If you haven't backed up your computer in the last 30 days, go do it. If you haven't backed up your external hard drives in the last 30, go do that too. I have 5 external hard drives, and I've backed up 4 of them. Guess what? The one without a backup crashed. Fortunately, it was a bunch of stuff from my second grade classroom, and I shared it all with a friend. So I guess I really did have a backup. Yay.

Year 3, Day 260

Day 1,000

originally uploaded by billaday.

Yay! Post #1000. I've taken and published one photo every day for the last 1000 days.

If you haven't been in a while, go check out my official blog at http://billaday.blogspot.com/ and leave a comment over there.

If you've recently begun a photo-a-day project, keep at it. I've learned a lot by simply posting one photo every day.

Year 3, Day 259

Out at Home

originally uploaded by billaday.

This is the first time I've been to two baseball games in a row. I'm glad we were closer to the field. This shot is captured as Abreu was getting tagged out by the pitcher. It's one of the many times the Angels had the opportunity to win the game... but didn't.

Year 3, Day 258

Photo Tip #2

originally uploaded by billaday.

Photo tip #2:
Double check it.

Don't make the silly mistake. I've done it more than once. Make sure to double check. That means: check it twice!

• charge the camera battery


• extra batteries for the flash


• lens is smudge-free


• don't leave the camera in the car


• make sure cameras are allowed


• the date of the event is correct

We have great tickets to the Angel game for tomorrow night. We discovered this... as we were pulling into the parking lot tonight. Don't forget to double check! (btw, we still have tomorrow's tickets, so I'll be ready!) Simple, but important.

Year 3, Day 257

How do you see the world?

originally uploaded by billaday.

When we go out with good friends, I try to take a picture... to remember the times, to have something for Isabelle's yearly book of our lives, for my photo-a-day. Rather than taken the typical "everybody look at the camera and smile" picture, I mixed it up. Personally, I think this is more fun than us standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a static pose.

Year 3, Day 256

Letterman Jackets

originally uploaded by billaday.

I made a joke about wearing my old letterman's jacket. My wife though I was silly and ridiculous (she's right), and said no adults wear those jackets. Moments later, my dad and sister were wearing these.

Year 3, Day 255

A box of chai

originally uploaded by billaday.

I'm a big fan of the iced venti soy chai. Yum. This is the box it comes in.

Year 3, Day 254

Photo Tip #1

originally uploaded by billaday.

983 days of taking a photo every day have taught me a lot. So here's the part in the program where I give back. You'll get a weekly photo tip from me for the next 30 weeks (or something vaguely like that (I really haven't spent too much time thinking this photo tip thing up (yet))). By the time you get to photo tip #30, you'll be an expert photographer. And you'll have me to thank for it (except for not really at all).

So here ya go, photo tip #1:
Bring your camera with you.

You can't take a good picture if you don't have a camera. You could see Bigfoot waterskiing, and it won't matter, cuz you can't take a picture of it. Bring your camera with you everywhere you go. I like the Canon Powershot SD 870 IS (really, any canon point-and shoot is amazing). Oh yeah, and you'll take way more photos when you always have a camera with you. That makes you a better photographer, too.

Year 3, Day 253

A Big Kid Joke

originally uploaded by billaday.

What's funny to a 30 year old is usually not funny to a 3 year old.

Year 3, Day 252

wilted roses for you

originally uploaded by billaday.

Finally caught up (again) on my photo-a-day. Being in Michigan for a week internet-less put a damper on the idea of keeping up.

I haven't decided yet if I really like this shot or really dislike it.

Year 3, Day 251

birthday dinner, dark light, funny moment

originally uploaded by billaday.

I don't remember the circumstances of this moment, except that it was really, really funny. Everyone at the table was laughing at the birthday girl being silly. If it wasn't so darn funny, I might have taken a sharper photograph.

Year 3, Day 250

blinds, but now I sees

originally uploaded by billaday.

I've found that when I come back from a vacation, I take far less pictures. Partly because I'm tired of taking non-stop photos; partly because I have so many photos to sort through and edit. I took just a couple pictures on this lazy Sunday. I like how the fabric slowly falls out of focus.

Did I make an Amazing Grace joke with this title? Yes, I did.

Year 3, Day 249