Thank You (365/365)

Thank You (365/365)

Originally uploaded by Brian Gudas Photography

(I Assume) Like many of my 365 classmates I have been laboring over what to do for my last shot of the project. There was this feeling like I needed to go out with a bang, something exceptional when compared with the rest of the collection. So the idea hatched… I would take a shot and then do more photoshop work than James Cameron had done on Avatar and I will cook up a masterpiece…I took the base shot and went to work… variations 1… 2… 5… 10… then I stepped away. They all looked good, and unique, but it just didnt feel right, not the way I wanted to close.

So this is the image I am going to leave you with… this is me (I was Nikon Man all along;-)… Nothing fancy here… 2 lights in the living room.

As far as goodbye’s I am going to make it short and sweet. First – I am very thankful for the folks I met in this project, we can all attest there are days when this feels hopeless and unachievable and when things are really dark someone pulls you up. A nice comment, an inspiring image or a kick in the butt to keep you going. You are awesome (and you know who you all are)… I look forward to watching you grow as photographers and people from here on out.

Second – The folks who follow along regularly, thank for all your support and kind words. Nothing makes me happier than talking about the project and sharing some images. Glad I could include some of you in the daily shots, it was a lot of fun.

Finally – Family, you guys have supported me through what was a long and tough road and I know some of that spills over to you. Thanks for understanding, modeling, cleaning up and tolerating. I love you

I am still not sure if I will continue the project or not… I guess I can deal with that tomorrow. At a minimum I am going to do 100 portraits in 2010, this being the first one (I am cheating one day). These will not be self portraits (because I dont have the pretty for that 😉 but I hope they will be strong shots full of emotion… but we will see where I can take it.

Thanks again for everything in 2009, I am sure I will never forget it. 365
Thanks bg

A Guy Walks into a Bar… (364-365)

A Guy Walks into a Bar… (364-365)

Originally uploaded by Brian Gudas Photography

Had lunch in a bar in Chicago today… walked in and immediately got sidetracked by the 30 foot black granite countertop… it is a 365 dream…. This was a quick grab but I could come up with 100 uses for this place… hope you had a great 364… wish I had some idea what I will do tomorrow… but I bet it has something to do with a 200mm f2 that arrived today;-) thx bg

Windy… (363/365)

Windy… (363/365)

Originally uploaded by Brian Gudas Photography

Spent 30 hours in Chciago, took the opportunity to go to the top of the John Hancock building and do some night shooting. I thought I would do portraits but I kind of like the colors in this shot so I went this way… some day soon I hope to have direction to my project but for now I will continue to wanter aimlessly… 363

Dina… For The Last Time (362/365)

Dina… For The Last Time (362/365)

Originally uploaded by Brian Gudas Photography

This is likely the last shot of Dina for the project, not that she is complaining about it being over. Nothing fancy here light wise, open door to a snow covered deck mid day, perfect fill for a portrait. 3 days left and the next couple will be in Chicago with the family. should be some good shooting in the city and at Brookfield Zoo.

I have seriously been considering adding a 200mm F2 to my prime collection for next year’s wedding and Sr season. Wed my 2 week rental will start so the odds of me taking even a minute of a break in the beginning of 10 are remote, at that point I will need to decide if I keep shooting daily or not… cant really remember what it was like to not shoot every day, have to believe I am better off because of it.

Hope you are enjoying time with your families, thx bg 362

Sadie… For The Last Time (361/365)

Sadie… For The Last Time (361/365)

Originally uploaded by Brian Gudas Photography

As I make the final approach I thought I should get one more of our girl Sadie in the stream. She has been a great subject and is 10x easier to pose now than she was a year ago. Hope you had a great 361

Connie… Finally (360/365)

Connie… Finally (360/365)

Originally uploaded by Brian Gudas Photography

This is Connie, she has followed my project from that start and we have spoken several times about getting her in before the end. Today was family christmas and out last chance to get her in… so we did. Glad we made it Connie… with 5 days to spare!! Happy 360 bg

Four Birds … with one POTD (359/365)

Four Birds … with one POTD (359-365)

Originally uploaded by Brian Gudas Photography

And so continues the parade of portraits to the end of my project. First, hope all had a wonderful and safe Christmas with your loved ones. Today I wanted to include a gift or two in the pic…I manage four. Included: A new Beatles T-Shirt, Drum Sticks from “Rockband”, a hand knit hat from Grandma… and camera right a beauty dish with Grid from Paul C Buff. The beauty dish is amazing directional light and I cant wait to use it in lots of situations.

Almost there now 359 … take care bg

Christmas Eve (358/365)

Christmas Eve (358/365)

Originally uploaded by Brian Gudas Photography

Just a quick shot on Christmas eve as the house was clearing out. Hope all is well and you have a great and safe holiday. 358

Me… Platon Style (357/365)

Me… Platon Style (357/365)

Originally uploaded by Brian Gudas Photography

There is a photographer named Platon that shoots the world leaders on a regular basis. He uses a very simple setup… one light on the person, and sometimes one on the background. I ran across a youtube video talking about his process. The you tube video suggested that Platon used a large soft box on his subjects to light them from above. After extensive testing I have concluded that Platon uses a beauty dish and not a softbox. The shot here is a softbox shot and I cannot replicate the directional nature of the light. There is a 22′ box from Paul C Buff under the tree with unknown contents that I suspect is a beauty dish but only Mrs Nikon Man knows the truth… If it happens to be a beauty dish and not a Nikon 200mm F2 VR… I will try this again in a couple of days.

Here is the great story of Platon and world leaders http://www.newyorker.com/online/multimedia/2009/12/07/091207_aud…

I will keep looking on this one as he has a great style that is worthy of tribute. Hope all is well… tomorrow is xmas eve… hope you have been good

Thx bg 357

The Dark Side (356/365)

The Dark Side (356/365)

Originally uploaded by Brian Gudas Photography

Was playing with a gridded AB800 today in one of the unfinished rooms and started working on shape, shade and texture. Really spent quite a while working this with various subjects. This turned out to be my favorite as it represents all those things… and color. Have a good 356