The horses from the first Breyer treasure hunt I ever participated in. (To my knowledge, it was the second the company ever ran.) To this day, these remain my favorite treasure hunt models.
Monday, January 31, 2011
31 January, 2011
Make a photograph that features repetition.
The horses from the first Breyer treasure hunt I ever participated in. (To my knowledge, it was the second the company ever ran.) To this day, these remain my favorite treasure hunt models.
The horses from the first Breyer treasure hunt I ever participated in. (To my knowledge, it was the second the company ever ran.) To this day, these remain my favorite treasure hunt models.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
30 January, 2011
My grandparents took us to a jazz concert this afternoon. I'm not actually a fan of jazz, but it was a pretty decent show and another experience to add to my list of "things I've done in my lifetime".
Saturday, January 29, 2011
29 January, 2011
Make a photograph that illustrates an aspect of communication.
When my alarm went off this morning, I woke up, walked over to it and turned the blasted thing off... and then proceeded to sleep until about ten-thirty. Shortly after I (finally) got out of bed, my good friend from Florida gave me a call. He and I haven't had a decent chat for a couple of weeks (due to illness on his part and busyness on mine), so we spent the next two hours talking. Catching up with a good friend is always a nice way to occupy one's time.
When my alarm went off this morning, I woke up, walked over to it and turned the blasted thing off... and then proceeded to sleep until about ten-thirty. Shortly after I (finally) got out of bed, my good friend from Florida gave me a call. He and I haven't had a decent chat for a couple of weeks (due to illness on his part and busyness on mine), so we spent the next two hours talking. Catching up with a good friend is always a nice way to occupy one's time.
28 January, 2011
The day of the much anticipated Sock Hop. I was rather thrilled when I saw the daily assignment at "The Daily Shoot". Red was the underlying theme of my sisters' outfits. Red lipstick. Red nail polish. Red shirts. Red neck scarfs. Red, red, red.
I had hoped to get some photos at the Sock Hop, but the lighting was awful, so the shots that I did get are blurred and discolored. Fortunately, I'd taken this photo earlier that day.
Today's theme is red. Red hot? Red paint? Or something else? You decide.
I had hoped to get some photos at the Sock Hop, but the lighting was awful, so the shots that I did get are blurred and discolored. Fortunately, I'd taken this photo earlier that day.
Today's theme is red. Red hot? Red paint? Or something else? You decide.
Friday, January 28, 2011
27 January, 2011
Make a photograph that features a very distinct curved line or surface today.
I finally got back to the gym yesterday. I had a great time on the track again; running is such a very nice way to exercise!
I finally got back to the gym yesterday. I had a great time on the track again; running is such a very nice way to exercise!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
26 January, 2011
Make a photograph today with a central point of interest in it.
Photographic proof that acrylics magnify light.
Photographic proof that acrylics magnify light.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
25 January, 2011
Make a photograph today that illustrates attraction. Pick whatever definition of the word you'd like.
For this challenge, I decided to photograph something that attracts me. As a juggler, I'm drawn to balls like moths are to light. It's a strange claim, perhaps, but the random folks in stores that have caught me doing chest rolls with giant styrofoam balls can vouch for me here--if it's round, I juggle it.
This beauty here is a ball that my friend LH purchased and had shipped to me as a surprise last week. The coveted 100mm Sil-X was nigh impossible to catch in-stock back during the fall. It's no wonder that this ball is so popular amongst contact jugglers, for it's amazing!
Though it has nothing to do with the daily assignment, I am sharing a bonus photo with y'all today. Our lovely leaky spigot has left an icicle, of a variety, trailing from the opening to the ground below. Weird, yes. Frustrating, certainly. But it looks rather neat in black and white, if I do say so myself.
For this challenge, I decided to photograph something that attracts me. As a juggler, I'm drawn to balls like moths are to light. It's a strange claim, perhaps, but the random folks in stores that have caught me doing chest rolls with giant styrofoam balls can vouch for me here--if it's round, I juggle it.
This beauty here is a ball that my friend LH purchased and had shipped to me as a surprise last week. The coveted 100mm Sil-X was nigh impossible to catch in-stock back during the fall. It's no wonder that this ball is so popular amongst contact jugglers, for it's amazing!
Though it has nothing to do with the daily assignment, I am sharing a bonus photo with y'all today. Our lovely leaky spigot has left an icicle, of a variety, trailing from the opening to the ground below. Weird, yes. Frustrating, certainly. But it looks rather neat in black and white, if I do say so myself.
Monday, January 24, 2011
23 January, 2011
On Friday, my friend LH lent me four of her books to borrow. So, after getting a few things done, I decided to sit down and get started on the first. "Just one chapter," I thought. I then proceeded to spend my entire evening reading... To the point of staying up until one in the morning. Ah yes, this is what being obsessed with a book is like. I'd forgotten.
"Celebrate the pretty things in life. Make a photograph of the most beautiful thing you see today."
Try two at photographing our lovely little Dwarf Alberta Spruce. The new needles that it is growing are positively adorable and a reminder of the wonders of Creation.
"Celebrate the pretty things in life. Make a photograph of the most beautiful thing you see today."
Try two at photographing our lovely little Dwarf Alberta Spruce. The new needles that it is growing are positively adorable and a reminder of the wonders of Creation.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
22 January, 2011
Though I did remember to check into The Daily Shoot, I already had an idea of the photo I wanted to take, so I opted out of yesterday's challenge.
We had a lazy Saturday. I think we all needed a chance to recover from the week.
Below are the adorable shoes that my sister bought for an event we're going to with a friend next Friday. I love the retro look.
We had a lazy Saturday. I think we all needed a chance to recover from the week.
Below are the adorable shoes that my sister bought for an event we're going to with a friend next Friday. I love the retro look.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
21 January, 2011
We met LH and MOTS at Panera for lunch yesterday. All of us had a great time hanging out and chatting! My family had to take off for my grandparents' house after a bit, leaving MOTS, LH and I to hang out for the remaining portion of the afternoon.
I plum forgot to check The Daily Shoot for their daily assignment, so I went my own way and took a picture of MOTS' drink.
I plum forgot to check The Daily Shoot for their daily assignment, so I went my own way and took a picture of MOTS' drink.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
20 January, 2011
Whilst the family was out shopping this afternoon, I did a deep cleaning of the kitchen.
Today's assignment: "How low can you go? Make a photograph today from a low point of view."
Today's assignment: "How low can you go? Make a photograph today from a low point of view."
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
19 January, 2011
The neat thing about the indoor track at our Y is that it circulates the basketball courts (on the level above the courts.) It seems the courts are always in use, meaning that one can watch the antics of the oft times entertaining basketball players.
Though I considered taking today's challenge to "make a photograph featuring a path, road, or trail that leads the eye through the photograph" literally, I ultimately decided that following the "path" of the lines on the court would best describe my day whilst simultaneously meeting the challenge.
Though I considered taking today's challenge to "make a photograph featuring a path, road, or trail that leads the eye through the photograph" literally, I ultimately decided that following the "path" of the lines on the court would best describe my day whilst simultaneously meeting the challenge.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
18 January, 2011
While browsing a fellow Project 365er's blog yesterday, my attention was directed to a website called The Daily Shoot. This handy site--run by photographers--issues daily assignments to its followers. Though I doubt I will always be able to meet the daily challenge, I have decided to join the ranks of the other photographers that are using this as a way to improve their skills.
The first assignment that I chose to undertake was to "make a photograph with a triangular composition."
(And yes, I did see the world in triangles for the entire day. It's truly an interesting way to view your surroundings.)
The first assignment that I chose to undertake was to "make a photograph with a triangular composition."
(And yes, I did see the world in triangles for the entire day. It's truly an interesting way to view your surroundings.)
Monday, January 17, 2011
17 January, 2011
First thing this morning, we hit the Y for our inaugural workout. I had a good time getting back to running (for the first time in about a year.) Looking forward to hitting the track again tomorrow!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
16 January, 2011 - Dragon Appreciation Day
For those of you that don't know, Appreciate A Dragon Day is a holiday that was founded by Mrs. Donita K. Paul to celebrate the release of her amazing book, DragonSpell. As a fan of the author and a lover of the mighty mystical animals, I have celebrated the holiday for the past three years with a creation of my own. This year, in addition to my daily photo, I chose to piece together my own wallpaper.
I wound up having so much fun that I made two wallpapers (of essentially the same design): one for myself and one for my Texan brother. Both wallpapers can be viewed in larger sizes (just follow the links.)
"Hic sunt dracones" is thought to be the phrase cartographers used to inscribe on unmapped territories. It is the Latin phrase for "here be dragons."
(Larger)
(Larger)
I wound up having so much fun that I made two wallpapers (of essentially the same design): one for myself and one for my Texan brother. Both wallpapers can be viewed in larger sizes (just follow the links.)
"Hic sunt dracones" is thought to be the phrase cartographers used to inscribe on unmapped territories. It is the Latin phrase for "here be dragons."
(Larger)
(Larger)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
15 January, 2011
We decided to attend the ice sculpture festival again this year. For the second year in a row, we were rather disappointed at the lack of sculptures. We technically only saw three sculptures (not including the ice checkerboard and the tic-tac-toe game). Though I didn't get as many shots as I had hoped, I managed to capture enough photographs that I can't seem to decide on just one.
One of the giant checker pieces. Unfortunately, the checkerboard had been turned into a giant skating rink by practically every child that attended the festival, so this was the only good shot I could get of the board.
An antique Charlie Chaplin poster at the most popular restaurant on the street. (They also have antique buckboard wagons hanging from the ceiling, a stuffed bison that was--supposedly--poached at our local zoo and a number of other strange artifacts.)
This next shot has actually been cropped a fair bit. Firstly, because the nose of a car managed to sneak into the bottom of the picture and, secondly, because my camera's zoom is not particularly impressive. Fortunately, I have it set to take massive photos, so I can usually crop them up a good bit without a single problem.
Anyhow, the horse on the near side of the wagon was being something of a rascal, as you can see. He kept tossing his head, stamping his hoof, rearing up, doing everything he could to try to convince his driver to let him go forward. The folks on the ride looked a bit concerned at his behavior. They had a good driver, though, so they had no need for worry.
One of the giant checker pieces. Unfortunately, the checkerboard had been turned into a giant skating rink by practically every child that attended the festival, so this was the only good shot I could get of the board.
An antique Charlie Chaplin poster at the most popular restaurant on the street. (They also have antique buckboard wagons hanging from the ceiling, a stuffed bison that was--supposedly--poached at our local zoo and a number of other strange artifacts.)
This next shot has actually been cropped a fair bit. Firstly, because the nose of a car managed to sneak into the bottom of the picture and, secondly, because my camera's zoom is not particularly impressive. Fortunately, I have it set to take massive photos, so I can usually crop them up a good bit without a single problem.
Anyhow, the horse on the near side of the wagon was being something of a rascal, as you can see. He kept tossing his head, stamping his hoof, rearing up, doing everything he could to try to convince his driver to let him go forward. The folks on the ride looked a bit concerned at his behavior. They had a good driver, though, so they had no need for worry.
Friday, January 14, 2011
14 January, 2011
As planned, my family and I went to the YMCA today to apply for a membership. We took a self-guided tour through the establishment to get an idea of the layout and equipment.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
13 January, 2011
Basically, this shot looked better in my mind than it turned out. My camera doesn't like artificial lighting.
On Christmas Eve, my grandfather showed up at my family's doorstep with a cute little Dwarf Alberta Spruce. I fell in love with it from the off and have enjoyed it since.
On Christmas Eve, my grandfather showed up at my family's doorstep with a cute little Dwarf Alberta Spruce. I fell in love with it from the off and have enjoyed it since.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
12 January, 2011
I've been wanting to experiment with photographing fire for a few days now. I finally gave it a try today and boy was it fun! Surprisingly, my camera handled the dark rather well and gave me several shots that I'm happy with.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
11 January, 2011
We grabbed lunch at Sonic and then ran some errands this afternoon. On our way out, I spotted some icicles hanging from the undercarriage of one of the cars. The contrast on this turned out rather nicely, I thought.
10 January, 2011
Our snow was kind enough to stick around longer than I expected it to. As you can tell by this snow-covered tire, we elected to stay in the house and enjoy the weather from the comfort of our heated home.
For some reason, my snow setting did not work on this particular shot, thus rendering this photograph blue. Needless to say, next time we get a decent storm, I will be doing some experimenting to find out what caused the bluing.
For some reason, my snow setting did not work on this particular shot, thus rendering this photograph blue. Needless to say, next time we get a decent storm, I will be doing some experimenting to find out what caused the bluing.
Sunday, January 09, 2011
9 January, 2011
I've been wanting to get some good shots of my fiery acrylic in the snow for a few days now. Alas, we haven't had any good snow until today. I was not able to get the photos that I was hoping for, but I did get a couple closeups of the ball in my left hand's cradle.
(Don't you love all of the dings and cracks in my poor ball? It's been through so much.)
This morning, I decided that it was time to bring my three month hiatus from contact juggling to a close. I can hardly expect to master the art if I don't practice!
(Don't you love all of the dings and cracks in my poor ball? It's been through so much.)
This morning, I decided that it was time to bring my three month hiatus from contact juggling to a close. I can hardly expect to master the art if I don't practice!
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Friday, January 07, 2011
7 January, 2011
Had to take my dog to the vet for the ear problem she's been having the past few days. Experiences at the vet's office are always traumatic for my mutt; this time was certainly no exception. Which is why this photo is not spectacularly creative. (The glaring sun that prevented me from seeing the screen is the reason it's accidentally in black and white. Still, I think it turned out alright.)
Fortunately, the dog's condition should clear up with treatment (yeast infection in the year). Me, the vet, and the mutt all made it out of the visit intact, so I call today a success.
I am, however, a bit worried for my camera. I accidentally slipped on some ice as I was headed for the sign and instinctively chose to save myself and drop the camera. The camera is showing no signs of trauma, but I've seen technology develop problems months after the initial drop. Hopefully my little companion is alright.
Fortunately, the dog's condition should clear up with treatment (yeast infection in the year). Me, the vet, and the mutt all made it out of the visit intact, so I call today a success.
I am, however, a bit worried for my camera. I accidentally slipped on some ice as I was headed for the sign and instinctively chose to save myself and drop the camera. The camera is showing no signs of trauma, but I've seen technology develop problems months after the initial drop. Hopefully my little companion is alright.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
6 January, 2011
Ran a few errands today. My sister and I spotted a display of magnifying glasses at Barnes and Noble. Picking up two magnifying glasses, we decided to see what it would look like if we looked through a magnifying glass at a point that was already magnified. The results are below.
(Click here for a larger version.)
(Click here for a larger version.)
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
5 January, 2011
I basically just felt like trying some bokeh for today. Alas, I cannot manually set my focus, so I just have to go with whatever my little camera can do. Someday, I'll get a nicer camera.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
4 January, 2011
We ran several errands today, including a trip to Bath and Body Works for their shampoos.
Monday, January 03, 2011
3 January, 2011
The highlight of my day was getting to take my dog on a car ride this afternoon. It was a good training opportunity and a spectacular time to refresh her emergency recall word.
Sunday, January 02, 2011
2 January, 2011
Took down my Christmas lights, switched my dog back to her everyday collar (in place of her Christmas one), threw away some outdated catalogs... In short, I managed to be semi-productive.
1 January, 2011
I spent the evening of the first at Mangy's house. There's nothing like an evening of playing games and chatting with friends to start your year off right.
Accidentally keeping with the "theme" of last year, I photographed one of the games we played together. I got the privilege of finally learning "Yahtzee" from my group of friends. My final score would have been much better if I could have just rolled the large straight that I needed. (Unfortunately, someone kept stealing all of the large straights. Not gonna mention names, of course.)
Accidentally keeping with the "theme" of last year, I photographed one of the games we played together. I got the privilege of finally learning "Yahtzee" from my group of friends. My final score would have been much better if I could have just rolled the large straight that I needed. (Unfortunately, someone kept stealing all of the large straights. Not gonna mention names, of course.)
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Highlights of 2010
Now that I have successfully completed a year of Project 365, I feel like giving something of a recap of the year. Over 365 pictures and so many memories later, I still find it positively thrilling to be able to look back at my year. To see all the things my family, friends and I did. So, without further ado, I give you my favorite shot from each month.
January, being the beginning of the year, was not exactly my most artistic month. My little camera and I were still becoming acquainted. Though I had owned it for about six months, I hadn't much of a reason to constantly use it before Project 365. Also, I had never had a reason to get extremely creative and artistic with my photos before 2010. Nevertheless, my photo from
January 31st was definitely the most skillfully done during my inaugural month:
February was actually rather full of archery photos. It's obvious from looking at my pictures, though, that I hadn't quite gotten into the swing of things yet. However, I was still able to choose a photo from February 12th to star in this post:
March was obviously when the creative juices actually started to flow. I had a tough time deciding on only one photo for this month. Ultimately I wound up opting for the photo from my March 3rd post:
Much of April was spent at home, so there certainly was not an abundance of photo opportunities. Though I must say, the picture I took on April 28th is still one of my favorite pictures of my mom's dog, She-Luv:
May proved to be the second challenge of the year. Two of my favorite photos from this year were taken that month. After some debate, I chose my May 15th shot:
(In case you are interested in seeing my other favorite, click here. I'd like to justify my choice by saying that the "reject" was completely accidental, so I've never been quite as attached to it as my black and white, which was completely intentional and even required a couple shots to get it just right.)
June was a month of many good photos. We were very busy with special events, hikes, gardening and the trip to the Sand Dunes. It was a pleasure to look back over the month and see all of the wonderful things we did and the fun ways that I captured them with my camera. However, despite all of the photos there that have made it onto my highlights list, one photo stands head and shoulders above the rest. And that picture is one from my June 27th post:
Though we went to the Renaissance festival twice during the month of July and got so many fantastic photos, the picture I took on July 16th remains my favorite of the month. I love the peace and beauty that it conveys--especially considering how annoyed I was at myself for my unsuccessful attempt at getting the router up and running.
Though August was not a particularly eventful month, I did find a several shots that were easy on the eyes. During that month, our sunflowers were in full bloom, which afforded us so many photographic opportunities. A couple noteworthy events occurred during that time, also. However, my favorite photo from the month is from the rather ordinary day of August 15th:
Something remarkably interesting would have to occur during September for me to post a photo of something other than the Balloon Classic. Though I admittedly took a couple artistic shots of random bits of my day throughout the rest of the month, the hot air balloons remain the most exciting portion of the month. All of the photos that I took on September 4th turned out rather well, but this one took first place in my mind:
October doesn't seem all that long ago and I suppose it really wasn't. Again, I found many photos that I thought deserved recognition, but my photo from my October 22nd post eventually won the place of honor:
Picking a favorite from the month of November was a bit different, since the month is still rather fresh. As has been the case with a couple months, I found myself debating between two photos. This particular photo of a dog toy backed by the playful paws of Joy-ful from my November 18th post won out, though.
Another tough choice. Especially since the month has just ended. However, artistically, I find this shot from my December 28th outing with Telpe, Flynn and LH most appealing:
Thank you all for tuning into my blog for 2010! If you have any favorites, I would absolutely love to hear about them. Hopefully you will be willing to join me again for this year.
January, being the beginning of the year, was not exactly my most artistic month. My little camera and I were still becoming acquainted. Though I had owned it for about six months, I hadn't much of a reason to constantly use it before Project 365. Also, I had never had a reason to get extremely creative and artistic with my photos before 2010. Nevertheless, my photo from
January 31st was definitely the most skillfully done during my inaugural month:
February was actually rather full of archery photos. It's obvious from looking at my pictures, though, that I hadn't quite gotten into the swing of things yet. However, I was still able to choose a photo from February 12th to star in this post:
March was obviously when the creative juices actually started to flow. I had a tough time deciding on only one photo for this month. Ultimately I wound up opting for the photo from my March 3rd post:
Much of April was spent at home, so there certainly was not an abundance of photo opportunities. Though I must say, the picture I took on April 28th is still one of my favorite pictures of my mom's dog, She-Luv:
May proved to be the second challenge of the year. Two of my favorite photos from this year were taken that month. After some debate, I chose my May 15th shot:
(In case you are interested in seeing my other favorite, click here. I'd like to justify my choice by saying that the "reject" was completely accidental, so I've never been quite as attached to it as my black and white, which was completely intentional and even required a couple shots to get it just right.)
June was a month of many good photos. We were very busy with special events, hikes, gardening and the trip to the Sand Dunes. It was a pleasure to look back over the month and see all of the wonderful things we did and the fun ways that I captured them with my camera. However, despite all of the photos there that have made it onto my highlights list, one photo stands head and shoulders above the rest. And that picture is one from my June 27th post:
Though we went to the Renaissance festival twice during the month of July and got so many fantastic photos, the picture I took on July 16th remains my favorite of the month. I love the peace and beauty that it conveys--especially considering how annoyed I was at myself for my unsuccessful attempt at getting the router up and running.
Though August was not a particularly eventful month, I did find a several shots that were easy on the eyes. During that month, our sunflowers were in full bloom, which afforded us so many photographic opportunities. A couple noteworthy events occurred during that time, also. However, my favorite photo from the month is from the rather ordinary day of August 15th:
Something remarkably interesting would have to occur during September for me to post a photo of something other than the Balloon Classic. Though I admittedly took a couple artistic shots of random bits of my day throughout the rest of the month, the hot air balloons remain the most exciting portion of the month. All of the photos that I took on September 4th turned out rather well, but this one took first place in my mind:
October doesn't seem all that long ago and I suppose it really wasn't. Again, I found many photos that I thought deserved recognition, but my photo from my October 22nd post eventually won the place of honor:
Picking a favorite from the month of November was a bit different, since the month is still rather fresh. As has been the case with a couple months, I found myself debating between two photos. This particular photo of a dog toy backed by the playful paws of Joy-ful from my November 18th post won out, though.
Another tough choice. Especially since the month has just ended. However, artistically, I find this shot from my December 28th outing with Telpe, Flynn and LH most appealing:
Thank you all for tuning into my blog for 2010! If you have any favorites, I would absolutely love to hear about them. Hopefully you will be willing to join me again for this year.
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