Introducing Year of the Alpha – 365 Days of Sony Alpha

[Kalainen]

I'm totally new to this forum, but I would like to introduce my new photo blog Year of the Alpha – 365 Days of Sony Alpha Photography, which I am starting today 1st of Jan and will last whole year. Idea of this photo blog is to share every day a new photograph taken with Sony Alpha camera system (currently a Nex-5N) and a small diary like description go with it. Essentially I'm trying to find other Alpha-crowd, who might be interested to follow my blog. In practice it means I'll post on this thread daily, providing also the link to the blog. I hope my photographs will add to this forum as well.

You can read more about my blog here: http://www.yearofthealpha.com
For me this photo blog will work as a canvas for my photographic development, but I sincerely hope that it will also serve as source of inspiration for other Alpha-photographers here too.

I hope you will enjoy this little adventure,
Toni Ahvenainen.

[Kalainen]

So here is my first shot



Seeking new angles

"I don't know where this photo blog will take me, but I do know it gives me new kind approach to photography where I can’t just take photographs, I also have to learn to make them. I want to find new angles for my photography and develop my photographic eye to see things differently. To have a little bit structure in my photo blog, I’ve decided to divide it to 5 seasons, which all carry an individual abstract theme. My first season is about blackness (first 73 days). It can mean all sorts of things, but in practice I’d like to think I’m trying to find different ways of using black in photography. It’s my first love in photography and it’s what I want to do right now."

Read full post on my blog: http://www.yearofthealpha.com

[sury]

Good one. You started with a bang. Look forward to the rest.
Welcome to the forum.

Sury

[Kalainen]

Good one. You started with a bang. Look forward to the rest.
Welcome to the forum.

Thank you for your kind words Sury.
I look forward to familiarize myself with the new forum & community.

Toni

[mvanrheenen]

Welcome and well met Toni!

I've always admired people who do a 365 project, whatever the drive. What's your drive for doing this?

I simply don't have the time to PP and post every day.

Will be following it with interest.

Have fun and good luck!

Mark

[sury]

Good one. You started with a bang. Look forward to the rest.
Welcome to the forum.

Thank you for your kind words Sury.
I look forward to familiarize myself with the new forum & community.

Toni

Toni,
You are welcome and you will find members here most supportive and even indulging (in my case )
you can find on any fora. Trust me.

With best regards,
Sury

[Kalainen]

Welcome and well met Toni!
I've always admired people who do a 365 project, whatever the drive. What's your drive for doing this?
I simply don't have the time to PP and post every day.
Will be following it with interest.
Have fun and good luck!
Mark

Thank you for your reply Mark.
I like photography, pp and everything, but I feel I need to develop my photographic eye and find my own style regarding photography. My photo blog serves this purpose and with the aid of social media I believe I will find new ways to understand my own photography and influences behind it.

As for the time to PP and post every day, I'm not sure of that myself either! I've set myself loose rules (see: http://www.yearofthealpha.com/abouttheblog/), but we'll see what happens..

-Toni

[Kalainen]

Trying out my new freedom

"So, today I have an abstract picture which I like for reason that is unknown for me. With this picture I follow the expectations I’ve set myself: blackness. I like it, but setting out for unknown paths easily introduces a problem where one has difficulties to decide how it should be looked at."

Read full post on my blog: http://www.yearofthealpha.com

[mvanrheenen]

You like it for a reason, that reason will hold the meaning the image has for you. Don't worry about what others think about it.

I for one like it for the mood and the tekst you've written about what it means to you. Do continue on this path of exploration!

Mark

[jbtaylor]

Will follow with interest.
Best of luck.

[Kalainen]

You like it for a reason, that reason will hold the meaning the image has for you. Don't worry about what others think about it.
I for one like it for the mood and the tekst you've written about what it means to you. Do continue on this path of exploration!
Mark

Thank you for your encouraging words, Mark!

[Kalainen]

Will follow with interest.
Best of luck.

Yikes, looks like I've got a follower! Thanks Taylor!

[Kalainen]

Ambiguity of blackness

"One reason I like blackness in photography is because it often changes mood of the picture. In darkness things become more ambiguous and not so easily defined. When we don't see everything, our mind fulfills hidden details and bends the interpretation. If you ever walked alone in forest at night you know it's a short cut to our subconscious. Everyday things, which are boringly ordinary, change to something else."

Read full post at: http://www.yearofthealpha.com

[Kalainen]

Being away

“Natural mobility of life creates problems when you have a photo blog with ambitious plan to post one photo every day for full year. When I’m home it’s easy to edit photos, write journal and publish them – if I’ve managed to get the picture of the day; but I take that for granted here. When I’m away things get different. I can always shoot, if not prevented by some special reason, but I need computers, software, connections, electricity etc. to work on my photos and get them to you. Having a blog for full year definitely introduces situations where I’m away and don’t have all this available, even in a world where mobility is global trend and networks are expanding to everywhere.”

Read full post on my blog: http://www.yearofthealpha.com

Toni
--

Year of the Alpha - 365 Days of Sony Alpha Photography: http://www.yearofthealpha.com
My Flickr-account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/109262328@N06/

[jbtaylor]

Off to a great start. I have always been a fan of darkness. When it comes to darkness, my sense of humor gets me in more trouble than my photography.