Days 38 & 39

Ok, so it's not really Day 38. But I'm going to stop counting days I didn't post. It's too confusing to remember. And, yes, I know I've been very, very bad about blogging lately. Been bad about taking my photos, too.

I started a new journey a few weeks ago and I just haven't been able to make this a priority for a while. I joined Weight Watchers and have been kicking some serious a**, if I do say so myself. Well, on with the photos...

I spent a wonderful weekend in Nashville with some even more wonderful friends. The weekend included live music and photography — two of my favorite things. On Saturday, we wandered around the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. Took many, many photos of nature. Here is my favorite of the day:



On Sunday, we stopped by Music Row to photograph a statue that has caused a bit of controversy. It's called the Venus de Milo, but has a nickname that isn't so nice. LOL! I decided on the following photo because you actually can't see the body parts that are the inspiration for the nickname.



I also got a bunch of photos of some live music. But the purpose of this blog is to learn more about what I can do that I haven't done before. So you'll have to see those photos elsewhere.

Days 23, 25, 28 and 37

I have been really bad. I have not been taking a picture every day. I have taken some, though, and just never got around to uploading them. To make up for missing so many days, I'm posting more than one photo from some days. Hope you enjoy!

Day 23

I walk the same path every day to and from work and for some reason on this day things were more interesting. I think I was just in an inspired mood. Here's a couple of rusty shots of things I pass by everyday:





For this one I intentionally stood in front of the office as it was getting dark and opened my shutter speed way up to get the blur of passing cars. It would be better on a tripod, but came out interesting anyways.



Day 25

I joined Weight Watchers a few weeks ago and have been trying to eat better. My boyfriend and I decided to try our hand at making our own pizzas using healthier ingredients. They both have whole wheat dough. Mine, in the foreground, had shrimp, spinach and turkey bacon... mmmm. Jim's had olives, spinach, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. It was actually fun to make these... both the shopping and the actual cooking. We were so excited by how good they looked coming out of the oven, I had to take a photo.



Day 28

This was another day that I saw things differently while walking the 2 blocks to work. And the sun was casting some beautiful light as well. This first one was all about light and shadow:



Just thought the tree looked cool:



More light and shadow:



This is the building I work in. It's really quite funky with all of its sharp edges. And I really liked the reflection.



Day 37 (yes... many, many days without a photo)

So today I got to work late and had to park on the 6th floor roof of my parking garage. Made for some great photos after work. I liked the sunlight hitting the side of this building.

Days 15, 17 & 20

Ok, I suck! got really busy recently and forgot my photos completely. I do have pics for last Wednesday, Friday and today.

Wednesday (Day 15):


This is some thread left over from a cross-stitch project I'm working on.

Friday (Day 17):


This one is kinda fun. We had a western-inspired party at work and our photographer graciously posed on the makeshift horse for a photo.

Today (Day 20):


Another photo of my kitty, Max. Get used to seeing them. I live alone and the cats are my only living subjects when I'm under a last minute deadline.

Days 9-14

Ok, so I have been slipping up seriously lately. I didn't shoot anything for Day 9, 11 or 13! Bad, right? But I do have photos for:
Day 10:


A co-worker received flowers for her birthday.

Day 12:


Another snack-time closeup.

and Day 14 (today):


A common office item seen a bit differently.

So now I'm caught up. YAY!

Day 8

Thought I'd try to get a nice winter shot with the new snow looking so pretty.

Days 6 & 7

I did take pictures yesterday, I really did! But it was 11:30 at night. I was struggling to come up with something interesting. I read on someone's blog that when you're at a loss, shoot shoes. So that's what I did. Here are my sneakers:


Today I decided that Max deserved an appearance here since Merlin was already featured. So here's a photo of my Max. The lighting was kinda cool in this one:

Day 5

Happy Valentine's Day! No, didn't take pictures of hearts or candy. I'm not sure the following photo is all that great... But I couldn't find anything else. Guess I'm not all that inspired tonight. Here's a shrub outside my back door.

Day 4

Took a bunch of pictures of my cats today. I read that portraits are best when the eye is in perfect focus, whether the rest of the face is or not. So true. My 50mm has such a narrow depth of field that when taking photos of cats, if the eye is in focus, the nose is not and vice versa. Definitely better when it's the eye in focus. Gives it a sparkle. Here's my Merlin. He's an orange tabby. Thought the mood was better in black and white...

Day 3

Ok, so it's really Day 4, but I didn't get in til 2 am this morning. I'll just post yesterday's pic now and repost later today with the Day 4 photo.

There's a jewelry store on the first floor of my office building and I wandered around shooting random sparkly things. Here's the top choice:

Day 2

Today was tough. Didn't take any pictures during the day. When I got home, I pulled out my camera and played with my food...


The M&M is standing out in the crowd of cashews.

Day 1

This challenge is quite interesting. Today, as I got ready for work, drove to work and walked the two blocks from my parking garage to work, I noticed something different. Knowing I would have to find something to photograph every single day, I found interest in things I see all the time and never really notice. The stairs in the parking garage, the covered path between buildings, even the change oil light on my dashboard...

I took about 50 pictures throughout the day, most just boring. Below is the photo I chose for Day 1:


This is my G5 at work dressed up a bit with Mardi Gras beads.

The Decision

Ok. So I've decided to just do it. I'm committing to a 365 Photography Project. It will begin tomorrow. Strange day to start, right? What's February 10th? Well, nothing really... But if I keep putting it off, I will never do it. So here goes nothing!

A little background on me:

I've been a graphic designer for over 17 years. My mother is a crazy Bo Bice fan. (To all the Peeps: I say that with love.) I've been traveling all over the Northeast (and a little Southeast) with her for the past few years to catch him in concert. I've probably seen him 20-30 times. I started off taking pictures at these concerts with her point-and-shoot so she could enjoy the show. It slowly became something I wanted to do.

Eventually, last May, I purchased my first SLR camera. It's a Canon Rebel Xsi with a 50mm f/1.8 lens. I love that lens. I've also been shooting more than Bo Bice. I pretty much can't go to a concert without my camera. If I have to, I feel like I'm missing something. This is my fave photo so far:


So now, I'm pretty good when I'm at a concert or somewhere that has low or no light. Now my problem is that I don't know what to do when I HAVE light. I'm hoping this project will force me to learn more about both my camera and different lighting situations.