Each year since about 2007 I’ve been making calendars for my family. Last year because of Laura’s illness I didn’t get around to making any, until my Mom said that she really missed having one. I hastily threw one together after Christmas and only printed a very few of them. This year I made enough for immediate family, but have also made the calendar available online for purchase.
When I first started this I tried to select my favorite photos from the past year. However, some years were better than others for photography, and I had to resort to another strategy. I created a Flickr group called “Calendar Potentials” where I would keep photos that might work. I draw images from that collection, and remove them from that group once they are used in a calendar.
The first calendars I created were printed using qoop.com. That service discontinued last year, so I had to use snapfish.com. This year the calendar was printed using lulu.com. The process was much smoother, there were more options for design, and overall it was less expensive. I think I’ll stick with them for future calendars.
Each year my family asks about the photos that appear in the calendar, so I do a blog post describing that year’s calendar shots. This year is no different. Here are the images for 2014:
Cover
The image, seen at the top of this post, is of exposed tree roots on the old Furman University, now Governor’s School campus. It was taken in Falls Park in Greenville in November of 2012 while on a photowalk with Fred Graham.
The roots are badly eroded, and there are signs asking folks not to climb on the roots. However, I still see people climbing these. One of these days, the tree will succumb to the erosion. However, for now it’s a great subject for photography.
January
In 2008 Houston and I took a photo trek across Abbeville and McCormick Counties that finally ended in Mount Carmel. Along the way we stopped at the old Calhoun Mill along Little River. In January of 2012 we repeated that trip, this time with Houston’s wife Lynda and our sister Glynda coming along. This photo is of the old store on the Calhoun Mill site. It was processed using a fake Lomography routine in Photoshop.
February
Laura entitled this shot “Angry Bluebird” because it looked mad to her. The photograph was taken in January of 2008 in our back yard. I used a Celestron C90 telescope attached to my Nikon D50 using a t-mount.
March
The photo for March is another throwback, this time all the way to May of 2005. I had gotten up very early that morning before things had gotten very light. I was hoping to get some water blur on the Reedy Falls and various fountains in the area. Here’s a shot of Reedy Falls from that morning:
The March shot is right at the Swamp Rabbit bridge at the site of an old dam across the river. It is just upstream from the main falls.
April
This is one of the few photos actually taken this past year. Back in September my niece Lauren got married. Houston and I stayed in a nice little cottage in Hendersonville that was furnished with antiques. These old Ball jars were sitting on a high shelf, and caught my eye.
May
May’s photo was taken in July of 2012. I had just gotten my Nikon D7000 and got up early to take some photos. I had headed up toward Landrum, and paused as the sun was rising over a pasture. Unfortunately, this shot was NOT taken with the big, new DSLR, but with my trusty Pansonic Lumix. I was still learning how to use the D7000, and had all of the settings wrong. This is how the shot with the new camera turned out:
Oh well, I’ve since learned how to use the camera.
June
In July of 2012 I join the Upstate Photo Walks Meetup for an expedition to Furman University. As it turned out, I was the only one who knew anything about the campus, and wound up leading the walk. Along a bank across from the Student Center were these yellow flowers. I had labeled them “Cone Flowers” on the calendar, but have since learned from Laura that they are rudbeckia.
July
July’s photo was a case of the month not matching the time of year that the photo was taken. This photograph of and island in the Indian River near Fort Pierce, Florida, was actually taken on the Winter Solstice in 2011. I got up early that morning and paddled out to meet the rising sun. This shot was taken later in the day after the sun had come up a bit.
August
This photo was taken in October of this past year. The shot is of Reedy Falls, taken from the Liberty Bridge. I used my Panasonic Lumix camera because it has a bit wider field than any lens I have for my Nikon. One of the best things about this photo is that it was taken in the middle of the week. I was out and about enjoying retirement.
September
September’s photo was taken on a trip to Washington State in June of 2011. In the reclaimed farmland on the way out to Samish Island is a wetlands area where herons come to feed. Several were out one day when we were driving past, and we stopped to watch them frolic, and to take some photos. This reflection in the water caught my eye.
October
This one just barely missed matching the correct month. The photo was taken November 2 of this past year. We had taken a paddling trip up to Lake Oolenoy, and the autumn colors on Table Rock were spectacular.
November
This photograph was taken on the same trip to Washington State in 2011 as the Heron photo from September. Deception Pass is a narrow channel between Whidby and Fidalgo Islands. The tidal currents coming through the channel are very strong, and the bridge crossing the pass is spectacular. We usually drive across, then walk back across the pass. On this particular trip, I decided to follow the trails on down to the water and walk out to the point to look out over the big water.
December
The last photo of the calendar is a photo of a loom at Hagood Mill in Pickens County. I was out and about rambling with Stephen when we stopped to take a few photos of the old mill.
So, that’s the 2014 calendar. As I mentioned earlier, these are on sale online for a mere $15 from Lulu.com.
Good stuff. Gonna order me one. My favorite photo that I specifically recall (not sure it was this year’s) was the Cedar Falls picture that the yellow thingy group wanted to publish.