 |
Category: Project 365 (2009) | View all recent posts
Day 365 ~ Happy Birthday, Mia!
WHAT: Dogs, Project 365 (2009) | WHEN: December 31, 2009
| One year ago tonight on New Year's Eve, a little ball of fur was born - unbeknownst to us - just for us. 3 months later we found each other and she's been our little girl every since. Happy birthday, Mia! |
2009 Project 365 ~ The Year In Photos
WHAT: Project 365 (2009) | WHEN: December 29, 2009
As we wrap up 2009, I
started looking back on my Project 365 effort. The goal was to take at
least one photo a day and post it on the blog. Admittedly this was
going to be a stretch goal for me knowing I don't even remember to zip
up my pants most days. TMI? Okay, sorry. (btw, shame on you if you've
noticed the barn door open and didn't tell me). I managed to start off
like a photographer-possessed, though, posting at least an image a day
for almost all of January until I got married on the 24th. I lot of
things stopped happening that day. < Kidding, honey! Totally
kidding... it was an easy joke, so at the risk of discretion I ran with
it.>
Then I posted almost everyday in
February that I was in the country after returning from Italy from our
honeymoon. And in my defense, I took over 3600 photos in Italy, so I
think that buys me a little slack for the days I missed. March and
April were stellar as well with the consistency meter giving
off-the-chart readings.
And... then the wheels
fell off the proverbial wagon. Life got in the way, and frankly I got
bored. Maybe bored is not the right word... beat down might be a better
description. Let's face it, it's easier memorizing the phone book than
it is coming up with something interesting to photograph and post every
single day, especially in the middle of a busy spring photography
season. To those who have done it successfully, you cheated. I don't
know how, but you did.
After the first
quarter, my posts began to be every other day, and then eventually
every other every other day. In the final analysis, my Project
ended up falling just shy of 365 days... more like Project 213. And for
anyone who was paying attention - 'cause I obviously wasn't - there
were two 'Day 180's' and two 'Day 105's'. And in some cases where I got
a little smarter I combined multiple days of images into a single post,
so I guess that means I squeezed a few more than 213 days in there.
Anyway,
I started looking back at my year's worth of images the other day, and
couldn't help but smile a couple times. Although I thought on more than
one occasion along the way that doing a Project 365 was a pain in the
you-know-what, in hindsight it's provided me with a visual journal of my
year, and it's pretty freakin' cool to have that now.
So,
all in all, I give myself a B- on this year's effort. Now you may be
thinking 'B-?? You only posted on 213 out of 365 days. That's like
58%, which is a failing grade in any other scenario.' First off,
simmer down. No need to get snippy here. Secondly, I graded on a
curve. That's one of the benefits of being the pupil and
teacher. Sure, I could've done better, especially in regards to
frequency, but I'm pretty happy with the content for most days I did
post, so I cut myself some slack and gave myself an 'attaboy' for 2009.
I
thought it would be fun to provide a quick slideshow recap of my
Project 365 images. And when I say quick, I mean don't blink or you'll
miss a few days. There's 604 images covered in just a couple minutes.
I didn't include images from client shoots because the number of images
would've been too many to make this manageable. And for the same
reason in some cases I didn't include all the images from my travels
from a given day. So, without any more delay (is it just me or has this
post gone one forever already?), hold on to your hat and enjoy the
ride.
See you next year.
|
Day 363 ~ Indianahhh...
I'm pretty sure I couldn't have possibly napped more than I did during Kylie and I's 3 day visit to Indiana over Christmas to visit her family. I mean, I think her parents are still waiting for my body imprint to come out of their La-Z-Boy. This was pretty much how my schedule went while we were there. Eat - nap - snack - watch some TV - eat more - snack - watch TV - put a few pieces of the 1000 piece puzzle together - graze - snack (if I wasn't napping) - nap - go to bed. Get up next day and repeat. It was the best 3 days of the year. I seriously haven't felt as relaxed and rested for as long as I can remember as I did after our trip.
I did manage to squeeze in a little walk in between naps on Christmas Eve day, if only to prove I didn't sleep the whole time I was in Indiana.
Funny little story about this first image. Who says photography's not a contact sport? I was inspired recently by friend and super-talented fellow Dallas photogapher Jen Weintraub and her photo of an adorable little girl on a spinning merry-go-round, and when I spied one near the police station in downtown Princeton, I thought I'd give it a try.
Now, I was the only one around, so no cute little models in fun clothes were available to spruce up this image, so I'm already -3 points. Anyway, let me paint you a visual. Close your eyes and imagine me leaned in holding my camera in the center of the merry-go-round with the other hand on one of the outer rails. I've got one foot on the merry-go-round (so I can reach the center with my camera) while the other is pushing on the wet stone/grass around this death wheel to generate the motion that will give this pullitzer the motion blur. Got that in your head? Good. Well, it lasted about 3/4 of a revolution before my wet shoe slipped off the merry-go-round. Now I was faced with a dllemna... I've got a rather expensive camera & lens in one hand, and my other is precariously still holding on to the rail. I'm starting to go down and I can either A) let the camera go to help brace my fall with that hand and probably come out unscathed, B) take my non-camera hand off the rail it was on and try and break my fall on the merry-go-round platform while my knees likely drag in the wet grass and stone or C) keep my camera hand on the camera and my other hand on the rail and break my fall with my shin on the edge of the platform and my chin on the next rail over. I ask you, what would you have done? I chose C... and all the ungraceful glory that came with it.
I'm just glad there wasn't anyone around to see my merry-go-round fail. I popped right back up (biting my lip and shedding a tear on the inside because of the sharp pains in my knee and chin) and went about my business like nothing happened just in case someone might've seen the debacle from a nearby window. In any case, was it worth it for the image below? I say yes.
|
Here's the courthouse in the quaint little downtown square.
|
Day 359 ~ Ho Ho Ho
WHAT: Dogs, Project 365 (2009) | WHEN: December 25, 2009
| Merry Christmas from Indiana. I've been enjoying my time with the in-laws in the Hoosier state, and I'm about to settle n for another long winter's nap. In fact, I think I've napped more in the last 2 days than I have all year. Not sure what the deal, is but anytime I get close to horizontal, whether it's on the couch, in the La-Z-Boy, or on the floor, it's only a matter of time until the Z's succeed in a takeover bid. I'm not complaining, though. I haven't felt this rested in a looong time.
Here's a quick image from everyone's new best friend, Phyllis. She's my brother-in-law Bryce's new Boston Terrier, and my new leg warmer while I work on my laptop. |
Day 358 ~ Merry Christmas
WHAT: Personal, Project 365 (2009) | WHEN: December 22, 2009
| I'll be in Indiana the next couple days for Christmas, but before I leave I wanted to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas rich in His blessings and favor.
I personally have been exceedingly blessed this year with much to be thankful for including a marriage to a truly wonderful woman who loves me equally in times of celebration and tribulation, family and friends that I cherish my time of fellowship with, a new puppy that [usually] lights up my face (or licks it) every time I see her, a nice home in a peaceful neighborhood, a new (to us) car that's paid for <wohoo!>, my best photography year yet in spite of the economy... I could go on, but the point is He has always taken care of me, even in the time when I've turned my back on Him. My walk with Christ has been far from perfect, sometimes very far, but He has always been perfect, and through His grace He's given me more than I deserve. Thank you, Jesus.
Blessings to all! |
|
|
