Twenty

This week's theme: One for the Road
Upcoming theme: Objects that tell something about me

Doesn't this just scream, "I'm ready for the road?" :) I wish it were technically better, but I only had a second, as Brad was literally about to leave with the girlies for a little Daddy date. :) Oh, and what you can't exactly see is that the rainbow around her neck is the strap of a Care Bears purse that was originally mine, then played with by many a cousin over the past 25 years. Natalie loves it, and usually ends up with it hanging this way. I think it makes her look like she just RAN in and it was flying behind her. ;)

Nineteen

This week's theme: One for the Road

Not the most exciting shot (again). :) On my way to get my third antibiotic shot. I didn't realize how ominous the sky looked. Sky is really tough to edit! If I increase the exposure at all, then the sky gets blown. I'm sure there is something I could do with layers, but I'm still a little too tired to play with this too long. Still lots to learn, as usual!

Eighteen

This week's theme: One for the Road

Annnnnnnnd still sick. Gray day, on my way to the doctor to get another antibiotic shot. Feeling better, but yep, still sick.

Seventeen

This week's theme: One for the Road

Stilllllllllllllllll sick. Nothing too exciting about this photo, but I was on my way to the doctor's office, so I thought I'd get one actually ON the road. I tried some different actions in post-processing this one. I think it made it a bit more interesting.

Sixteen

This week's theme: One for the Road

So I'm still sick. Sick with a sinus infection and tonsilitis, to be exact. BUT! I am now on antibiotics and Mucinex D and determined to feel better immediately! Unfortunately, I don't feel as good as I'd like to, but I'm hoping a dose or two more of the antibiotics will help that. So I took the girls to Katie's and I'm working from home today. I had this idea on my drive (yes, we got more SNOW, but thank goodness almost none and I'm sure it'll all melt by noon - YAY!), and found a perfect tire print right in our own driveway. Thanks, Brad! ;) I keep having to increase the exposure in ACR when I shoot in manual, so I think maybe I need to try to over-expose in-camera. Maybe my camera just underexposes by design, or maybe my eye just prefers a bit brighter photo. I'll try over-exposing manana!

Fifteen

This week's theme: One for the Road

So it's still way too cold and I'm too feverish (ugh!) to go too far, so I'm improvising. I've been lazy and have been shooting in Tv (shutter priority - 1/125 so as not to blur busy toddler & baby limbs), and so I'm determined to get good as shooting in manual. Here's my first attempt in a long time. I only had to brighten the exposure a *tiny* bit in ACR.

Fourteen

This Week's Theme: One for the Road

I'm not feeling too great today, so I thought I'd get out early and get a photo in case I'm not up to it later. Hopefully I'll be feeling better later, but you just never know. So here's our rainy, dreary street. It's a good day for staying in, staying warm, eating soup, and watching movies. Just thankful it's not SNOW!

Thirteen

Today's Theme: 5 Photos of the Same Object

So I told Natalie this morning that I had to take a picture of one certain thing and asked her what it should be. She suggested herself ;) and I told her I would do that, but that I also needed something else. She then suggested her table & chairs. I could see lots of potential there, so off we went!

And here's a bonus: The one of me & Nat.

Twelve

Today's theme: Botanical

Now this is what I'm talking about! When I saw the botanical theme, I knew just what I wanted to take a picture of. I looooove our hydrangea, but it looks incredibly sad at this point. I actually can't believe there are any blooms left on the poor thing. I was really excited to find a nice, large bloom with a cool gradient coloring. This is a photo that I was excited to take, upload, edit (didn't do much, just brightened a bit), and post! YAY! :)

lightbulb. {the list}

OK Here's what I'm thinking. I found this online:

If I had started this the first week of the year, it would match up better, so I'm going to skip weeks 1-5, do a botanical photo today for Week 6, then I'll do the 5 photos of one object tomorrow, and be caught up with week 8 starting Sunday. Sound good? Not sure who's approval I'm looking for here, but it sounds good to me. :)

Week 1 Free for All...
Week 2 Introduction of yourself
Week 3 Show us your Hometown
Week 4 Water
Week 5 Sports (anything related, teams, players, equipment, etc,)
Week 6 Botanical
Week 7 ONE object shot at 5 different angels/distances
Week 8 One for the road
Week 9 Objects that tell something about you
Week 10 Things that make your life easier
Week 11 Your favorite color
Week 12 Household items
Week 13 Foods
Week 14 Uncategorized (used to be "Something Slimy")
Week 15 Sun (sunlight, sunset, sunrise, etc)
Week 16 Emotions
Week 17 Something old
Week 18 What you do outside the world of photography
Week 19 Weather
Week 20 Emotional attachment
Week 21 Pets
Week 22 Things you couldn't live without
Week 23 Habits
Week 24 Fire
Week 25 Scrapbooking (stash, room, lo's, etc)
Week 26 Textures
Week 27 Hands
Week 28 Shoes
Week 29 Favorite Jewerly
Week 30 Generations
Week 31 Hot
Week 32 Fill the Frame (close ups)
Week 33 A week in our lives
Week 34 Faith (what you believe)
Week 35 Dance (body in motion)
Week 36 Family & Friends
Week 37 SOOC...from that to this...before & afters
Week 38 Patriotic
Week 39 Object: straight up shots and then straight down shots
Week 40 Nighttime
Week 41 Something that gives you the feeling of warmth or cold
Week 42 Pictures of words
Week 43 Chores I hate
Week 44 Animals
Week 45 Music
Week 46 Reflections/Shadows
Week 47 Flowers
Week 48 Sleep
Week 49 Action Shots
Week 50 Wheels
Week 51 Wrapping
Week 52 Guilty pleasures

Change is in the Air!

So I am getting kind of bored (and not-so-creative) with the self-portrait thing, and I am figuring out that it's not so much helping me to take better photos, but to learn how to use my timer or take photos in awkward positions. And let's face it, those things aren't completely un-useful, but do I really need to PERFECT those skills - and will it really take me 365 days? I hope not! Soooo . . . I've been looking at some other people's 365-project blogs, and here is what I'm finding:

• some just take and edit one photo a day, no particular rhyme or reason
• some have a theme for each day of the week - for example, Mondays - Natalie, Tuesdays - family, Wednesdays - outdoors, Thursdays, Mollie, etc
• some have a them for each week, and they get pretty creative with it after a while - for example, one I saw was "The Little Things" and it was different toys and "little" aspects of her son's life every day
• some follow the ideas of someone else every day, using an "assignment," from a website like http://dailyshoot.com/, whose assignment today, for example, is: "Symbols can be simple, ornate, plain, or colorful. Make a photo of a symbol that represents or stands for something else."

Think, think, think. What should I do?

Eleven

Me & Mollie watching Natalie play on the slide at the park this afternoon. :) This was actually taken with my point & shoot.

Ten

Bedtime stories . . .
Can't decide if I like it in color
Or black & white?

Nine

Long story, but if Mollie would look at the camera, I wouldn't have to try to make this one look kind of vintage. I almost used something else, but I decided to work with what I have here. :) Natalie insists on looking UP, but it's kinda cute. At least I finally got Mollie's attention!

Eight

So I have not forgotten to take a picture yet, just got a little too busy to upload them . . . and sometimes it is right before bed, so you're really getting a good look at my before-bed routine. Here's a little reading before bed . . .

Seven

Here's my first real attempt at skin softening. Looking at my dry, blotchy skin right next to Natalie's gorgeous skin really made me feel old! I didn't do a very good job, and the (free) program that everyone uses didn't work for me at all, so I had to resort to something else. I guess I can honestly say I didn't overdo it. I wanted my skin to look a little better though. But, that's me - no makeup, no nothing.

Six

I am not at all excited about this photo, but here it is. :) I didn't take one all day, and I remembered right as I was getting into bed. So that's what I decided to take a picture of. :) Not exciting or well-thought-out, but I was tired (I had already fallen asleep on the couch - twice!). So at least I took one - I took only one, and it's in focus, so that's good. :)

Five

Looking at this tiny little land grabbing my finger makes my heart smile. :)

Four

Is it just me, or do Mollie and I seem to have the same (not-so-thrilled) expression here?  Maybe it's because we both woke up a little too early (her fault, not mine!). :)  As I said, still getting the hang of taking photos of myself - aaaaand my bathroom mirror needs to be cleaned. ;)  Anyway, here's a play using the B&W action I tend to like.  I think I might play with it some more later.

Three

So much to do, so little time! 
Today I learned how difficult it can be to actually just push the button without the use of your right hand.  Also, this is really interesting regarding depth of field - it really illustrates just how much of a photo is in focus at this aperture.

Two

So this is "two" literally - my hand and Brad's.

Not too creative, still getting the hang of taking a photo every day . . .

Next Day Edit:  The background was way too distracting, so I "burned" it. 

One

Today I decided to begin a 365 photo blog. It's self-portraits, one taken every day for a year. I feel like this will help me grow as a photographer!

Here's the beginning . . . this is how I look pretty often from my girls' perspective - ponytail, t-shirt, camera. ;)

And here's my next-day edit.  I think it is a much stronger photo this way: