Project Life 365-day 11

"signature"

My signature photo for 2012 was the sunrise with my cell phone.  Since so many people enjoyed seeing the sunrise without actually having to leave their houses, or beds for that matter, I thought I would continue the trend in 2013.


Project Life 365-day two

Today's inspiration is "you today."

I tried for something just a bit different than a self-portrait.  Instead I chose a few words that describe who I am.  When you thing about it though, these words only make up a small part of me.


Project Life 365-day one

It's a new year and time for a new challenge.  A few friends of mine have decided to participate in a 365 day project called
 Project Life 365. 
You can read more about it here if you wish.  There are broad guidelines to give us inspiration and I intend to try to follow them, if time allows.  We are still in the process of ironing out the details.  It'll be different than my blog circle, but I may still try to link to the images of the other photographers if they want to share. Bear with me, please!
Of course, the first suggestion for inspiration was resolutions.
I gave up making resolutions a long time ago.
This project is a resolutions of sorts though and since it's about my photography, I thought I'd include a few things that I am resolved to spend more time learning about as the year progresses!


Fifty-two on Friday-Week Fifty-two!

A blog circle of photographers from all over the world, both amateur and professional alike, sharing their interpretations of a common theme.  At the bottom of each post, click the link for the next photographer until you come full circle, back here to my blog.

"light"

As 2012 comes to a close, so does my Fifty-two on Friday project. After completing a 365-day project two years ago, I didn't think that one image a week would be hard, but at times I struggled.  I struggled to be more creative.  
I struggled to learn new techniques.  
I struggled to learn to ways of processing. 
 I struggled to learn how to use new lenses. 
All of that struggling, though, has made me a better photographer who is learning to think outside the box, to be more creative, to understand that there will always be something to learn, to be patient with myself as I continue to improve.
For this week's image, I'm choosing to share our Christmas tree.  With a solid foundation this tree would continue to grow and branch out in different directions...a little taller, a little fuller...with each day of nature's nutrients.
And now, filled with lights, it's the promise of new a beginning.
It's, kind of, a metaphor of my journey into seeing the light.  


 To continue around the circle and see the light the other two photograhers saw, start with  photographer

Fifty-two on Friday-Week Fifty-one

A blog circle of photographers from all over the world, both amateur and professional alike, sharing their interpretations of a common theme.  At the bottom of each post, click the link for the next photographer until you come full circle, back here to my blog.

"peaceful"

  As I was decorating the tree earlier this week, I came across this guy.  It's something that my husband has had since he was a kid.  It's kind of funny how things get reinvented.
The elf-on-the-shelf shenanigans have been posted on just about every social website I use.
This elf though has been sitting peacefully in my tree every year for the past thirty years and hasn't done a mischievous thing yet this year, either.  




 
And, just because one of my most favorite times of the day brings me the most peaceful moments, I thought I'd share a picture taken with my cell phone a little bit before 7AM this morning (Thursday).  I haven't processed this at all.  Well, with the exception of my watermark!


Now to see what kind of  peaceful images the other two photographers in my group found, start here with Faye Kingston, Miramichi, NB Photographer 

Fifty-two on Friday-Week Fifty!


 A blog circle of photographers from all over the world, both amateur and professional alike, sharing their interpretations of a common theme.  At the bottom of each post, click the link for the next photographer until you come full circle, back here to my blog.

"freshly baked"

The weeks leading up to Christmas always bring an increased desire to be in the kitchen.  Truth be told, it's not my favorite place to be!  For weeks, though, I've been scouring magazines and recipe books for new ideas, but to get started on my holiday baking I go back to a couple of old favorites. 
Way back in 2003 I started baking a batch of cookies for the boys to enjoy during "finals week" while they were in college.  I have done it every year since then.  This will be the last year I will be baking that batch of cookies, or at least sending it off to one of my boys in college. 
 I bake two different kinds of cookies.  The usual chocolate chip and then the cream cheese press cookie that was a recipe of my moms.   
I actually, double the double recipe and make an insane amount of cream cheese cookies.  Since I was baking by myself and at 5AM before I had to go to work, I just made the double batch. Two hours later, the cookies were baked, the cookie sheets and cooling racks piled high on the counter, the rest of the mixing utensils lay in the sink, and I was off to work, but not before enjoying a a couple of these cookies for breakfast!
 And, yes Kevin, yours are in the mail!  





We have five photographers participating this week.  To see what the other girls are baking
 start here with  
Christa Paustenbaugh of  Okinawa, Japan 

Fifty-two on Friday-Week Forty-nine


 A blog circle of photographers from all over the world, both amateur and professional alike, sharing their interpretations of a common theme.  At the bottom of each post, click the link for the next photographer until you come full circle, back here to my blog.

"red"

For this week's post I am sharing some of the images I captured on Tuesday while visiting Longwood Gardens.
Longwood is a personal favorite of mine and I'm so fortunate that I am able to visit frequently. 
With no further adieu...





 To see what the rest of the circle found that was red, start here with photographer 



Fifty-two on Friday Week Forty-seven

A blog circle of photographers from all over the world, both amateur and professional alike, sharing their interpretations of a common theme.  At the bottom of each post, click the link for the next photographer until you come full circle, back here to my blog.
 
"sleep"
 
This week's theme should have been really easy. It wasn't. 
 I resorted to sneaking up my boys after we ate our Thanksgiving dinner tonight.  I got caught.
My oldest tried to pretend he was asleep, but laughed the whole time.  He's a good poker player, but not a serious model.  
My youngest pulled the pillow over his head and turned his back to hide from me and my camera. After he fell asleep like that, he was fair game.
The middle son was unaware of my need for a picture tonight.  I managed to catch him, 
sound asleep.
Even the dog turns his head from me when he hears the beep as my camera focuses.
So, for sleep, I have nothing creative, but I do have my sons, all sleeping or pretending to be!
 I think that they all must have PCS (photographer's child syndrome)!
 


     
Now to see what/who the rest of the circle caught sleeping, start here with  

52 on Friday-Week Forty-six

A blog circle of photographers from all over the world, both amateur and professional alike, sharing their interpretations of a common theme.  At the bottom of each post, click the link for the next photographer until you come full circle, back here to my blog.

"routine"

There was a time in my life when pretty much everything was a routine, well as routine as they can be when you're raising kids.  I relied on that routine to get me through the day.  Routines make life easy, or easier, anyway. At least, I thought so once upon a time. 
Once my youngest son, Kevin, went to college, my routine sort of fell apart. There were no more school events to attend, no more sporting events to attend, no more music concerts to attend and about the same time my husband's work schedule changed, hence so did our routine of eating together every night.  I've had kids move out and back in and who are now getting ready to leave again.  There is no longer much that's routine in our daily lives, except that things change, constantly.
In these last couple of years I've come to enjoy the lack of routine.  Where I once loved working with the same teacher every day year after year, I now enjoy wondering which teacher's classroom I'll be in on any given day.  Where I once swore that I was a traditionalist as far as my photography ideals were concerned, I know have a more open mind.   Every once in while I look at one of my images and think that it's boring, it's routine.  
How many ways can I make a flower look interesting?
So this week I decided to take an image and break with my usual editing routine.  I'll post both the before and the after.  I'm not exactly sure how much I like the processed image, but it's fun, if only because it allows me to be creative and break with my normal routine!  

      

To see what the other three photographer's impressions, of routine, are, start here with 

Fifty-two on Friday-Week Forty-five

A blog circle of photographers from all over the world, both amateur and professional alike, sharing their interpretations of a common theme.  At the bottom of each post, click the link for the next photographer until you come full circle, back here to my blog.

"texture"

We've probably had a much warmer fall than usual. Earlier this week we had our second frost of the season.  I had to go outside just after sunrise, into the shade of the backyard for this.  As soon as the sun hit the grass, the frost melted. My timing was perfect for this frosty leaf and the grass!
 


We should have at least six photographers participating this week.  To start around the circle 
 to see what photographer Christa Paustenbaugh of Okinawa, Japan has to share.

 

Fifty-two on Friday-Week Forty-four!

A blog circle of photographers from all over the world, both amateur and professional alike, sharing their interpretations of a common theme.  At the bottom of each post, click the link for the next photographer until you come full circle, back here to my blog.

"pastime"

This time of year, one of my favorite pastimes is driving around looking at the fall foliage.  I had a chance to do this one afternoon earlier this week after Hurricane Sandy passed through.  I had expected most of the leaves to be off the trees, and while there were many on the ground, there were still enough on the trees to make it colorful.  I love driving through narrow sections of roadway where the trees are like canopies overhead.  The only thing that would have made this drive better was some sunshine.  I'm not going to complain though because we were extremely fortunate compared to our neighbors to the north, the ones to the south, and especially compared to the ones to our east. Hurricane Sandy left unprecedented destruction in her wake.  


 
There are two other photographers sharing in the circle this week.  To see what pastimes amuse them start with Emily Remmick, ND Photography 

Fifty-two on Friday-Week Forty three!

 A blog circle of photographers from all over the world, both amateur and professional alike, sharing their interpretations of a common theme.  At the bottom of each post, click the link for the next photographer until you come full circle, back here to my blog.

"darkness"

I try to start every day with a walk.  I get out of bed, put my sweats and sneakers on, grab the dog, his leash, my pepper spray (for both my protection and in case of another dog that mine may not like) and, of course, my cell phone.  I really like to walk before work, which means leaving the house by 6:30.  The problem with walking at 6:30 during the fall, winter and early spring months, is that it's dark when I start out.  The one truly good thing about starting out in the dark is that I get to watch the sunrise.  We've had some gorgeous sunrises in the last few weeks.  I love  when the sky is full of color...pinks, oranges, blues and the whites of the clouds and just before you actually get to see the rays of the sun. It's what I like to call, the edge of darkness.  Both of these are taken with my cell phone and are unedited.  
Sometimes the best camera is the one you have with you!




  To see what the rest of the circle found for "darkness" start here with Stacy Vitallo of D'Lara Photography, Downer's Grove, IL