Downtown's Soul Searching: Basic Photography

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a professional photographer.
My love for the camera and my desire to capture moments in time and create art from life began as a freshman in high school.
John Martin, an upper classman and classmate of my older, wiser, beautiful, and more popular sister, took me under his wing.
He taught me how to use an SLR 35 mm camera.
He also taught me how to get over my fear of the dark so I could develop and process my own film.

I still hate not being able to see, partly due to my poor eyesight and partly due to poor lighting.
But I am no longer afraid.

Several years later I spent a full semester of my senior year job shadowing a commercial photographer, Jim Meyer. It was during this time that I learned the nuances and fun of shooting, developing and processing black and white photos.
I knew after that experience, photojournalism was the direction I wanted to head.

And I had set my sights on working for National Geographic.

But that was a long time ago....

Here I am 32 years later, re-learning the nuances of photography and in particular the nuances of Digital Photography.
And...
I am having fun!

The assignments are fairly easy and get me out of the house.
My latest assignment was to simply photograph one color, any color.

For some reason I chose yellow.
It is not my favorite color, but it just seemed as though I was supposed to shoot yellow.
Maybe because I think of it as a 'happy' color and the day we got the assignment it was overcast and gray.
The first thing I spotted was a bright yellow fire hydrant, then another, and another.
But they were all different.
And their settings seemed to give them character and a bit of charm.

I have started to see them a bit like little men, or sentinels.
Each one is unique and stands guard over their domain waiting for their opportunity to protect.

A few days after spotting fire hydrants close to home I wondered what the fire hydrants were like throughout Salem, and even in other cities.
I learned most of the fire hydrants in Portland are Orange!

I can't wait to go to the coast this weekend. We get to go the the Brewer's dinner at Pelican Pub, walk the beach, maybe climb the big sandhill, but mostly I am anxious to see what the fire hydrants are like there.

I know....
I am a dork!

But if you want...
send me a picture of the fire hydrant closest to where you live or work.
I am curious!

P.S. When I was out running errands today I took my camera along and found a few more fire hydrants to add to my collection. Some appear to be kings with tall crowns, while others are just knights, and some are left to be pawns.