28 February, 2011

Make a photograph illustrating a sound that catches your ear today.

Using music wasn't a particularly creative move, I know, but it was the best I could do. I adore these headphones because they do beautifully at canceling out background noise and surrounding you with the music. I've had a lot of new artists to discover recently, so I've been using my various headphones and earbuds a fair bit.

27 February, 2011

Make a photograph of something that is glowing today. Use any meaning of the word you like.

My first rock concert. Let's see, what's the best way to describe the experience... Awesome? Epic? Fantastic? Hmm... I'm not sure that the English language can properly convey the fun to be had at a rock show. Suffice it to say that my sisters and I walked out of that stadium positively giddy with glee and already looking forward to the next time we have a chance to go to one of these concerts.


I found it amazing to take a look at The Daily Shoot and discover an assignment that would be doable at a rock concert. Even from the nosebleed section.

26 February, 2011

Not a very productive day, to be honest. A raging headache left me feeling pretty disabled for the majority of the day. The parents, however, put up some new mini blinds in my siblings' bedroom.

25 February, 2011

LH and I had a chance to meet up for lunch at Panera. Being my blog designer, she fixed a few glitches on this here blog while she had the chance.


We then headed to a park to hang out and talk a little while longer. The snow storm that blew in yesterday left the trees looking flocked, so I indulged my artistic side a bit and got a few shots.

The park contains a skateboard park, which I've spotted on many an occasion. The lamppost nearest the aforementioned skateboard park has been claimed by the skateboarders via a plastering of miscellaneous stickers. I've wanted to get a closer look and some shots for a while, but only finally got the chance yesterday.

24 February, 2010

As I read the Daily Shoot assignment to "illustrate peace and harmony with a photo", construction equipment roared and clanked as a building in our neighborhood crashed to the ground. Those particular noises remained the soundtrack for the entire day. Peaceful? No. Deciding to forgo that particular challenge, my camera and I headed out to my sister's Jeep. This Jeep has been in the family since it was brand new in the eighties. It is well-loved, though not the most well-oiled machine. It has its quirks (ie: not always wanting to start), but my sister loves it to pieces. And hey, what fun is a first car if you don't have to hold it together with chewing gum, kite string, and prayers?

23 February, 2011

Beauty is all around us. Make a photo of some naturally occurring beauty in your area today.

Natural beauty is a bit hard to find in one's backyard during a sunny, but snow-less winter day. However, if one looks very close, one can find beauty in details. So here again is the little maple tree that has starred on my blog many a time.

22 February, 2011

Make a photograph today that illustrates of the act of waiting.

Today is a gloriously warm day. I don't know what kind of joke the weather is playing, but I can't honestly complain right now. It feels very much like spring outside, which always gets me in a mood for gardening. My thumb isn't particularly green, but my mother and I have learned a great deal about keeping sunflowers over the year, making them our most successful projects. This year, I'm going to try starting some of my sunflower plants indoors a few weeks before planting season begins at our house (the end of May, usually). Until that time comes, I shall wait and my little seeds will remain in their dormant state.

21 February, 2011

Who are you? Make a self portrait today and show the rest of us what you look like.

I decided to make this challenge an excuse to play with photographing shadows some more. Since my dog was outside with me, I decided to have her join me for my last few shots and wound up liking this one the best. This was one of those pictures that just falls into place and happens completely by accident.

20 February, 2011

Culver's frozen custard. It's addictive.

19 February, 2011

Today has been one of those days that you inevitably decide to write off as a loss as it draws to an end. The morning started with a broken shower head. It continued with a neighborhood power outage. The day proceeded to be unproductive as we all wound up in a holding pattern. It then frustrated us further when my father got paged by his employer while picking up some ingredients for supper at the store and then accidentally forgot to give a few of them to us. Eventually, you reach a point where you just sit back and say "Oh well, I tried."

On the bright side, I did remember to get a daily shot. Of tree branches. It's something, right?

18 February, 2011

We started putting our St. Patrick's Day decorations up yesterday. We like to do it up big for this holiday. I'm not real sure why it's always been a family favorite, I just know that it has. (I'd say it's because we're Irish, but just about everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day, so I'm not sure that counts.)

For some reason, I chose to photograph the Irish flag backwards... Perhaps that is because I find the orange is oft times neglected in favor of the green. But it's more likely that I was so focused on getting a (decent) daily photo that I just didn't think about what I was doing.

17 February, 2011

I spotted this kitty--Coraline--at our vet's office as we were picking up medication for our eldest dog. She had herself crammed into a basket that was about one foot long by six inches wide and five or six inches deep. She was so comfy (or perhaps so stuck) that she only flicked an ear when touched.

16 February, 2011

During our 2010 summer adventures, a couple friends and I exchanged a few postcards. As each card came in, I pinned it to my closet with magnets so that I could look at them every day. Having no other ideas for my daily shot, I decided to take some of the postcards down and get a photo of 'em.

(The centerpiece is actually a souvenir postcard that I purchased for myself while we were visiting the Great Sand Dunes last June. The picture is just so pretty that I felt it couldn't be excluded.)

15 February, 2011

Make a photograph of something old.

Feeling that I only fulfilled the first part of today's challenge, that's the only part that I'm quoting.

At the front of almost every residence in our neighborhood, one can spot lampposts like this one. Although they were originally installed as gas powered lights, many homeowners have converted theirs to run on electricity. Ours is not one such lamp, but it remains in the yard, a centerpiece of sorts. Back in 2009, my mother and I repainted our light to hide the rust, but that couldn't erase its age.

14 February, 2011 - Valentine's Day

Make a photograph featuring strong vertical lines today.

My mom and I went to our favorite regional park as the sun began it's descent. As we pulled into one of the parking lots, I spotted this cute little snowman. Backed by tree trunks and shadows, he made a good addition to my daily photo.

When I saw LH last Thursday, she gave me a pair of her old shoes and the commission to get the best shots I could. Thus, I spent an hour or so getting the best shots I could of the shoes. The cold and dying light drove me to the car just as I hit my peak. I'm quite satisfied with the progress I made today and look forward to working with the subjects in a few different settings some other time.

13 February, 2010

We attended a local rendition of "The Producers" with my grandparents yesterday. We've actually spent way more time than usual at theatrical and musical productions in the past few months. It's been rather nice.

12 February, 2011

As we were headed to meet up with a friend for lunch, we passed this statue. I remember it from my childhood and have always loved it. (As a horse lover, how could I not?) This is just one member of the inanimate herd that resides on the side of one of our roads, watching the traffic go by.

11 February, 2011

Sometimes what’s out of focus can make the shot. Create a photograph today where some/all of your subject isn't in focus.

Most of my day was consumed with laundry. Since I didn't feel particularly creative, y'all get a lineup of the household acrylics.

10 February, 2011

Change your point of view. Make a photograph from an unusual point of view today.

This photo was actually a variety of insurance, since I had plans to go to an event with LH last night. When I'm hanging out with friends, I often forget to pull out the camera. Good thing I got this shot in the afternoon, since I did wind up forgetting to find a daily photo while out and about.

9 February, 2011

I've seen several other folks play with sunglasses as photo subjects and decided that I wanted to do some experiments of my own. Since I had nothing better to photograph for the day, I'm posting one of the results.

8 February, 2011

We all prepare for things every day. Illustrate preparedness in a photograph today.

I must admit that this one had me stumped for a little while. Sure, I could think of plenty ways to illustrate preparedness, but how to do it artistically? All of our cars are equipped with emergency kits, toolboxes, etc., but I didn't think I could successfully portray them creatively. As I looked at the snow-covered streets, I thought of tire chains, but knew of no one in our neighborhood that kept them on their trucks. So what, I thought, could successfully demonstrate preparedness and give a little insight to my day? Then it dawned on me: firewood! On a cold, snowy day like today, there is much comfort in knowing that you have a large pile of firewood stored next to the fireplace--just in case.

7 February, 2011

While searching for a decent window/subject combination to complete today's assignment, I caught this sight out of the corner of my eye. I'll be the first to admit that this photograph is not the most skillfully done, but I still think it's rather neat.

6 February, 2011

Today is Superbowl Sunday, but I'm honestly not a real fan of football. I prefer other games. Like chess--which I recently started relearning--and checkers. A good portion of my morning has been spent watching snow fall and playing chess and online checkers. I have yet to see what my evening has in store for me, but I know it entails spending time with my family at my grandparents' house.

5 February, 2011

Go abstract today and make a photograph that focuses on form and color rather than detail.

The entire family took a trip to Big R today. I had a good time viewing their products as potential photos of the day. I wound up settling for a shot of one of their model horses. Well, part of the horse at least. There's nothing quite as abstract as the patterns on an appaloosa's coat--real or fake.

4 February, 2011

Create a photo today that gives a sense of depth or dimension.

We took a trip to the bookstore to find the newest addition to a series that LH has me hooked on. Unfortunately, they didn't have that particular book in stock, though they seemed to have just about every other novel the author has published.

(Brownie points to whoever knows the author based on the titles.)

3 February, 2011

In vain, I tried to get a macro shot of snowflakes on my dog's fur. It's hard to convince a dog to hold still long enough to get a few decent shots of snow. (Before the flakes melt, at least.) So that particular quest is unfulfilled.

However, while out in the snow, I did photograph the mutt using some creative angles. I accidentally got this shot of her nose (You try telling a dog to pose for the camera), but am actually quite happy with how it turned out.

2 February, 2011 - Hedgehog Day

Pretend you're a stringer for your local newspaper today. Make a photo that captures something newsworthy to you.

Happy Hedgehog Day, everyone!

Since I've only added a couple hedgehogs to my extensive collection (and there's snow and subzero temps outside) I decided to forgo photographing all of my little critters like I did last year. However, Hedgehog Day may not pass without me photographing a hedgie, real or fake! So I did brave the cold weather long enough to snap a shot of my little hedgehog family. (The majority of this group was provided by my friend Bree, who has enjoyed sending hedgie items my way. Thanks Bree!)


Given that the hedgehogs saw their shadows and snow, I'm thinking the forecast is pretty clear.

1 February, 2011

Fill the frame of a photograph with a single subject today.

Not much to report, except errands. Outside, we have a small layer of snow and subzero temperatures. Alas, I pretty much ran out of creative ways to photograph snow from home last year, so I settled for a shot of the newest addition to our dog toy collection.