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Ron Correia Photography

  2. Photo Challenges

Photo A Day 2012

This gallery represents a return to the Photo-a-Day challenge. The goal is to publish one photograph shot every day in 2012. There are no set themes, so the subjects will vary widely from day-to-day.
All images in this gallery are Copyright 2012 © Ronald Correia. CONTACT me for permission to use any image in this gallery.
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<center>A Cold End to 2012<br>31 December 2012<br>East Providence, Rhode Island<br><br>My 2012 "Photo a Day" Project comes to a close with this somewhat foreboding image. The mood I attempted to convey in this photo effectively sums up the year. The year started just two days after my mom's funeral. It was a year that saw my dad's health slowly decline to the point where there is sufficient concern for the new year. It was a year that saw our job security steadily decline as well. The threat of outsourcing looms larger than at any other point in our history, so we enter 2013 with the serious potential of a forced early retirement. While 2012 was a slight improvement over the previous year, there's little hope for a truly happy 2013. So, while the distant sky in this shot has a glimmer of light peeking through, the overarching pall casts doubt as to whether that light can truly emerge. It seems a fitting shot to the end of another very long year. <br><br> The Photo-a-Day Project will continue into 2013, marking the first time I've attempted this project for two consecutive years.<br><br>Post processing started with a brilliant warm filter in Topaz Adjust. I then adjusted the adaptive exposure, contrast, and protect highlights sliders. A light blue to dark grey gradient map in color blend mode was added in PSE. I applied a levels adjustment and topped it off with a deep blue photo filter.</center>
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A Cold End to 2012
31 December 2012
East Providence, Rhode Island

My 2012 "Photo a Day" Project comes to a close with this somewhat foreboding image. The mood I attempted to convey in this photo effectively sums up the year. The year started just two days after my mom's funeral. It was a year that saw my dad's health slowly decline to the point where there is sufficient concern for the new year. It was a year that saw our job security steadily decline as well. The threat of outsourcing looms larger than at any other point in our history, so we enter 2013 with the serious potential of a forced early retirement. While 2012 was a slight improvement over the previous year, there's little hope for a truly happy 2013. So, while the distant sky in this shot has a glimmer of light peeking through, the overarching pall casts doubt as to whether that light can truly emerge. It seems a fitting shot to the end of another very long year.

The Photo-a-Day Project will continue into 2013, marking the first time I've attempted this project for two consecutive years.

Post processing started with a brilliant warm filter in Topaz Adjust. I then adjusted the adaptive exposure, contrast, and protect highlights sliders. A light blue to dark grey gradient map in color blend mode was added in PSE. I applied a levels adjustment and topped it off with a deep blue photo filter.

photo a daydaily photoproject365benchsnoweast bay bike patheast providencerhode island

  • <center>A Cold End to 2012<br>31 December 2012<br>East Providence, Rhode Island<br><br>My 2012 "Photo a Day" Project comes to a close with this somewhat foreboding image. The mood I attempted to convey in this photo effectively sums up the year. The year started just two days after my mom's funeral. It was a year that saw my dad's health slowly decline to the point where there is sufficient concern for the new year. It was a year that saw our job security steadily decline as well. The threat of outsourcing looms larger than at any other point in our history, so we enter 2013 with the serious potential of a forced early retirement. While 2012 was a slight improvement over the previous year, there's little hope for a truly happy 2013. So, while the distant sky in this shot has a glimmer of light peeking through, the overarching pall casts doubt as to whether that light can truly emerge. It seems a fitting shot to the end of another very long year. <br><br> The Photo-a-Day Project will continue into 2013, marking the first time I've attempted this project for two consecutive years.<br><br>Post processing started with a brilliant warm filter in Topaz Adjust. I then adjusted the adaptive exposure, contrast, and protect highlights sliders. A light blue to dark grey gradient map in color blend mode was added in PSE. I applied a levels adjustment and topped it off with a deep blue photo filter.</center>
  • <center>A Touch of Snow<br>30 December 2012<br>Providence, Rhode Island<br><br>We received about six inches of snow overnight. It was wet enough to cling to trees and railings despite very stiff wind gusts. I decided to try for a photo at the Roger Williams National Memorial, and was pleased to find the scene you see before you. The fence encloses the original water source - a spring - of the Providence settlement under Roger Williams. The large church in the background is the Episcopal Cathedral of Saint John which closed last February.<br><br>Post processing started with a classic filter with grain in Topaz B&W FX. (I used the grain option to add a bit of texture to the sky.) I then adjusted the color sensitivity sliders followed by adaptive exposure, contrast, boost black, boost white, and protect highlights. In PSE I added a levels adjustment followed by a brightness and contrast adjustment. A sepia photo filter is the top layer.</center>
  • <center>Hayrides of the Past<br>29 December 2012<br>Scituate, Rhode Island<br><br>While setting out to photograph one of the farms and barns in Scituate, I spotted this interesting scene of a broken down hay wagon near a crumbling shed. The light dusting of snow on the ground provided just the right contrast for the overall image. The decision to process in black and white was an easy one, given the inherent contrast in the scene. <br><br>Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz Adjust. I then adjusted the color sensitivity sliders followed by adaptive exposure, contrast, regions, protect highlights, boost black, and boost white. A levels adjustment followed by a brightness / contrast adjustment was added in PSE. A sepia photo filter is the top layer.</center>
  • <center>Product Placement<br>28 December 2012<br>Providence, Rhode Island<br><br>I get a chuckle out of the placement of this sign every day on my way home from work. You can count on one-hand the number of public pay phones in the city, and the one in this photo actually still works. That a "Free phone" sign is always next to it strikes me as hilarious. Of course, I do have a warped sense of humor...<br><br>Post processing started with a brilliant warm filter in Topaz Adjust. I then adjusted adaptive exposure, contrast, protect highlights, and adaptive saturation. No adjustments were made in PSE.</center>
  • <center>Still Standing<br>27 December 2012<br>Barrington, Rhode Island<br><br>I featured this set of decaying barns very early in my project. I thought I'd return today and present them in black and white. They've decayed a bit since I photographed them almost a year ago, but I'd say they still have a few years left before they turn into crumbled ruins.<br><br>Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted the color sensitivity sliders and then adjusted adaptive exposure, contrast, boost black, boost white, and protect highlights. A levels adjustment and a sepia photo filter were added in PSE.</center>
  • <center>Path's End<br>26 December 2012<br>Barrington, Rhode Island<br><br>More often than not, I see this bike changed to a stand along the East Bay Bike Path in Barrington. It's next to a bus stop on a main highway, so my assumption is that someone uses the bike (and the path) for the first stage of a commute, taking a bus to his destination. I finally decided to shoot the scene today, using the bike path as the background for the shot. There are a surprising number of commuters using bikes in Rhode Island these days, although most of the ones I see frequently are on the west side of the bay, not the east. Equally surprising are the number of bike commuters that continue through the winter months.<br><br>Post processing started with a Vintage Grunge IV filter in Topaz Adjust. I then adjusted adaptive exposure, contrast, and protect highlights. A levels adjustment and the black frame border were added in PSE.</center>
  • <center>In The Footsteps of Roger Williams<br>25 December 2012<br>Providence, Rhode Island<br><br>Merry Christmas! Today seemed the perfect day to attempt a photograph of the First Baptist Church in America. The church was founded by Roger Williams - the founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations - in 1638. The beautiful white church in today's photo is the third one built on this site by Williams' congregation. This one was erected in 1775 as Providence and the rest of the colonies prepared for war. In addition to being the first Baptist Church gathered in the Americas, this Georgian style structure is also the first Baptist Meetinghouse to be built with this tall steep style more commonly associated with Anglican and Congregational Churches. Weekly services continue to be held here some 374 years after Roger Williams first gathered his congregation.<br><br>Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted color sensitivity sliders as well as adaptive exposure, contrast, boost black, boost white, and protect highlights. A brightness and contrast adjustment was added in PSE followed by a sepia photo filter.</center>
  • <center>Multi-Layer Graffiti<br>24 December 2012<br>Providence, Rhode Island<br><br>There is a large sheltered bus stop at the entrance to the old trolley tunnel that connects South Main Street in Providence with Thayer Street on the East Side. The purpose of the tunnel was to prevent trains, then trolleys, and now buses from having to climb the steep hills that extend east from downcity Providence. The wall of the bus stop is tiled with this abstract shades-of-brown pattern. There are now several layers of graffiti - some quite ornate and others little more than scribble - sprayed atop the tiles. If nothing else, it does give the bus stop an urban mood.<br><br>Post processing started with a warm filter in Topaz Adjust. I then adjusted regions, adaptive exposure, contrast, and protect highlights. A slight levels adjustment was made in PSE.</center>
  • <center>Dormant<br>23 December 2012<br>Cumberland, Rhode Island<br><br>Rhode Island has many fine apple orchards, most often photographed either sporting their beautiful blossoms in the spring or adorned with bright red fruit in the fall. I find them to be especially photogenic in the winter, however. Here, in their dormancy, they display their rugged beauty without any of the trimmings that mark their growing season. The setting for today's shot is Phantom Farms in Cumberland, one of the premier apple growers in the state.<br><br>Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted the color sensitivity sliders to improve contrast in the sky and to deepen the grass. Adaptive exposure, contrast, boost black, boost white, and protect highlights were adjusted. In PSE I applied a cyan filter to the sky and then desaturated that layer's color. A levels adjustment was also applied to the sky. I then adjusted overall levels and applied a sepia photo filter as the top layer.</center>
  • <center>America's First Public Library<br>22 December 2012<br>Franklin, Massachusetts<br><br>The Franklin Public Library, on Main Street in Franklin, MA, is listed as the first public library in the United States. The library is appropriately named after Benjamin Franklin who, in 1731, composed the charter of the Library Company of Philadelphia. It was this charter that introduced the concept of a subscription service for members of a library to pool funds, purchase books, and lend them to one another. It is amusing to note that it's Franklin who, quoting Shakespeare's "Hamlet" wrote in his Poor Richard's Almanac, "Neither a lender nor a borrower be." He was talking about money, of course, but it's an amusing thought in the context of a library.<br><br> Popular folklore attributes the concept of a library to Franklin, however that is clearly not historically accurate. In point of fact, the Royal Library of Alexandria was built before 283 BC and was, at the time, the largest collection of books in the world. While open to scholars from around the world for on-site research, that library did not permit the borrowing of scrolls (or books), however it does serve as the model for modern mega-repositories such as the Library of Congress or the Vatican Library. Thus, while Ben certainly brought the concept to the American Colonies, the overarching concept of a library pre-dated him by at least 2000 years.<br><br>Post processing today started with a brilliant warm filter in Topaz Adjust. I then adjusted adaptive exposure, contrast, protect highlights, and strength. A deep blue filter and a slight levels adjustment was added in PSE.</center>
  • <center>Passage of Time<br>21 December 2012<br>North Providence, Rhode Island<br><br>Here's a completely new twist on my photographic style. This came about when I poked my head out the door to check the weather. It was raining steadily, and I noticed a number of leaves had settled in my driveway. This little cluster was in a shallow puddle so I decided to see what I could make of it. This was shot using a 50 mm f2.8L with an EF12 II extension tube. I liked the death and decay feel, certainly appropriate symbolism as we pass from autumn to winter today, and the speckled texture of my asphalt driveway provided a nice background. Still, there was more I wanted to do to change it from a simple shot of some leaves on the driveway.<br><br>In post processing, I opted to go with a low key II filter. This effectively lifted the leaves off the driveway and added a very interesting dramatic effect to the background texture. I then adjusted adaptive exposure, contrast, and protect highlights. A slight levels adjustment was added in PSE. It's by far one of my more abstract studies, but I find the effect rather pleasing.</center>
  • <center>Not To Scale<br>20 December 2012<br>East Providence, Rhode Island<br><br>I mentioned some time ago that I maintain a list of "safety shot" locations for days when my work schedule leaves extremely limited time for a photo. This is one of those locations. I was originally drawn to the "S" curves on the bike path, and the industrial scene across the bay added suitable compositional contrast. With my warped sense of humor, though, I had to include the stenciled "Cyclist Chasing Giant", though. The sun peeking through the clouds was an added bonus.<br><br>Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted the color sensitivity sliders followed by adaptive exposure, protect highlights, boost black, and boost white. A contrast adjustment was added in PSE followed by a sepia photo filter.</center>
  • <center>When Tomorrow Comes<br>19 December 2012<br>Providence, Rhode Island<br><br>A day of non-stop meetings, all in 1/2 hour increments and flowing right through lunch, meant stopping on my way into work for today's photo. I had several ideas in mind, including one of the early morning lights in downcity Providence, but the beautiful sunrise this morning forced a quick change in plans. This shot is from India Point Park, looking across the Seekonk River at Bold Point in East Providence. I wanted the silhouettes of the pilings and the bare trees to accent the morning glow, and the jagged tips of the old docks provided just the right amount of hidden drama. I tend to avoid the sunrise/sunset shots for the Photo-a-Day project, but this one worked out perfectly given the day's schedule.<br><br>Post processing started with a brilliant warm filter in Topaz Adjust. I then applied very slight adjustments to adaptive exposure and contrast. A slight levels adjustment was added in PSE.</center>
  • <center>Life's a Birch<br>18 December 2012<br>Lincoln, Rhode Island<br><br>I absolutely adore birch trees. I find them to be beautiful trees year round, but they are especially magnificent in the winter. There is a very nice stand of birch near this foot bridge in Lincoln Woods State Park. The bridge itself is a very nice subject, but I can never quite take my eyes off the trees.<br><br>Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz BW FX. I then adjusted contrast, adaptive exposure, protect highlights, boost black, and boost whites. Color sensitivity sliders were also adjusted. A levels adjustment was added in PSE, followed by a brightness and contrast adjustment. A sepia photo filter tops it off.</center>
  • <center>A Good Day For Ducks<br>17 December 2012<br>Barrington, Rhode Island<br><br>Or, at least a good day for gulls and geese. This lone Brant's Goose was perched at the edge of this dock, looking a bit weathered in the steady drizzle and thickening fog. The mist on the far shore captured the feel of the day, and the goose posed long enough for me to get the shot.<br><br>Post processing started with a light contrast filter in Topaz Adjust. I then adjusted adaptive exposure, contrast, and protect highlights. In PSE, a warming filter was added to the foreground, and a cyan filter was added to the background fog.</center>
  • <center>Boarding the Polar Express<br>16 December 2012<br>Woonsocket, Rhode Island<br><br>The Engineer greets a family arriving at the Polar Express Train Station for today's magical journey to the North Pole. The trip to visit Santa and Mrs. Claus takes 90-minutes and includes a full reading of Chris Van Allsburg's classic. Every child on board receives a coloring book with crayons and a special gift presented by Santa himself. The Chef makes his way through the passenger cars, delivering hot chocolate, and The Conductor punches each child's ticket aboard the train. The Polar Express is operated by the Providence and Worcester Railroad.<br><br>I decided to do something a bit different with the post processing in light of the subject. I wanted to give it a timeless feel, especially with characters in the scene from various time periods from the 19th to the 21st centuries. I started with a brilliant warm filter in Topaz Adjust, and then adjusted adaptive exposure, contrast, and protect highlights. In PSE I added a levels adjustment, followed by a deep blue photo filter. I then applied a smoke grey gradient map in darker color blend mode at 50% opacity. A hue and saturation adjustment was added where I significantly desaturated the image while adjusting the hue to keep to the original colors. A grain texture was added as the final touch.</center>
  • <center>Providence Holiday Market<br>15 December 2012<br>Providence, Rhode Island<br><br>Grant's Block in Downcity Providence is home to the 2nd annual outdoor market every Saturday from November 24 to December 22. The weather was chilly but sunny this morning when I stopped by for some photos. They had vendors selling everything from these seasonal terrariums to jewelry to native goat milk soap. (Reynolds Farm even had one of their goats on-hand to greet the folks that stopped by their booth.)<br><br>Post processing started with a brilliant warm filter in Topaz Adjust. I then adjusted adaptive exposure, contrast, protect highlights, and adaptive saturation. A levels adjustment was made in PSE.</center>
  • <center>Self Portrait<br>14 December 2012<br>North Providence, Rhode Island<br><br>The composition and dark style of this shot was inspired by a series of self-portraits I've seen on other sites. It's close to what I was trying to achieve, but there's still a lot of work needed. Now, this was not what I planned to shoot today, but I'm currently leashed to the house waiting on the mercy of a plumber. Since I've been planning to do a self-portrait at some point before this first year's project ends - and yes, there will be a continuation of the project into 2013 - I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give it a shot.<br><br>Post processing was all about contrast and darkening the tone. I started in Topaz B&W FX using a classic filter. (I planned to do low key, but the result was almost a pure black image.) I adjusted color sensitivity sliders, then adaptive exposure, contrast, boost black, boost white, protect highlights, and protect shadows. I then ran it through Neat Image to soften the image a bit. A lot of adjustment was done in PSE. A series of levels adjustments were added for proper contrast. A black and white gradient map in soft light blend mode was added to really enhance the shadows. I selected just the background and added a gaussian blur at a 30 pixel radius. I then adjusted the levels on just the background. A blue photo filter was added to the background as well. A brightness and contrast adjustment was added to the overall image followed by a deep blue photo filter. The top layer is a sepia photo filter.</center>
  • <center>Sri Chinmoy<br>13 December 2012<br>Providence, Rhode Island<br><br>This is another photo from the same location in Roger Williams Park as that of the last two days. The statue is of Sri Chinmoy, an artist, poet, spiritual leader, and athlete from what is now Bangladesh. (It was part of India when he was born in 1931.) The location of the statue near the Park Avenue entrance is appropriate given the solitude and peaceful setting, away from the hustle and bustle of the opposite end near the zoo and carousel.<br><br>Whether or not these statistics are accurate - and some are hard to believe - remains unproven, but Chinmoy's followers state that he wrote over 1500 book, and composed 115,000 poems and 20,000 songs. He is also said to have created over 200,000 paintings. If these statistics are true, he would likely have had little time to do anything else in life, so it's highly likely that there is excessive exaggeration in the numbers. Regardless, he was noted for a deep spirituality that transcended many religious beliefs, and for 37 years he directed spiritual meditations for the staffers and ambassadors of the United Nations in New York. That he now has a memorial in a park named after founder of religious freedom in Rhode Island is most appropriate.<br><br>Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz Adjust. From there I adjusted the color sensativity sliders, as well as adaptive exposure, contrast, boost black, boost white, and protect highlights. In PSE I added an overall levels adjustment, then adjusted the levels of just the sky. A deep blue filter was also added to the sky and the layer was then desaturated. A sepia photo filter is the top layer.</center>
  • <center>Steps<br>12 December 2012<br>Providence, Rhode Island<br><br>I returned to the same location in Roger Williams Park as yesterday's photo for a long exposure (10-seconds) shot of these artificial cascades. The small series of steps look like they'd make an interesting fish ladder, but it's doubtful any spawning fish make it this far from the Bay. The area is quiet and very scenic, and I expect to do several more shots from this location. One interesting item to note. There's an interesting phenomenon associated with long exposure photography, in that moving objects - unless extremely bright - do not appear in the photo. That is the case here. While I was photographing this scene, a landscaper driving a large leaf blowing tractor kept circling in and out of the scene around the statue on the right. I was quite pleased to find that, thanks to long-exposure magic, he and his tractor are completely invisible! They were not edited out in Photoshop, they simply don't appear in the shot.<br><br>Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I then adjusted color sensitivity, adaptive exposure, contrast, boost black, and boost white. A levels adjustment was added in PSE followed by a sepia photo filter.</center>
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