Ready, Set, GO!

I know! I'm doing awful at this project!

I have excuses.

I'm in my January no-energy funk.

My Grandma passed away.

My kids have been taking turns with the stomach flu and they were kind enough to share it with me. (I spent a night last week sleeping in the bathroom so that I could throw up every 20 minutes. Good times.)

However. I realize that the only way to pull myself out of my pity party is to just force myself to do stuff.

So...

Drum roll!

Our topic this week is:

WINDOW LIGHT!

The way I'll do this is by youtubing, reading, practicing with my camera, and then posting my favorite pictures at the end of the week.

Until then, Happy Shooting!

Project 52

I was going to do the same project 365 that I did last year but after just one week of it...

I'm bored.

The first 365 project, I was motivated by wanting to see if I could actually take a picture every day for a year.

Well. I can.

I did.

And I feel like I'm taking the same exact pictures that I did a year ago... Only with different editing.

Which I'll probably hate in a year again.

The new plan?

Project 52!

This is how I'm going to do it.

At the beginning of every week I'll pick a paper out of this super cute jar...

(It's cute because who wants to pick inspiration out of an ugly jar?)

On each piece of paper is a topic/theme that I will keep in mind as I take pictures during the week.

The way I chose the themes was by sitting down and writing down all the topics that I wanted to work on or themes that I thought would make good pictures. I was surprised that I didn't even have to go Googleing (totally a word) for ideas.

I had plenty in my head that I want to work on. :)

So.

Sunday I will draw my first one!

I'm so excited!

Oh!

And if you want, you can totally play too! Just share if you do so that I can have a look-see.

Baby G

Just so we're all on the same page...

Every day of this project isn't going to be pictures that are huge challenges for me.

I will try to be creative and push my comfort limits but alot of days will just be pictures in the middle of our normal day.

Model Michael

Taking a little break at a rest stop during a long road trip.

Happy 2012!

This project is definitely starting out with one of my biggest challenges...

Photographing a HUGE group and if that's not hard enough, the group also happens to be my own family.

Challenge? Yes... But I think we pulled it off!

Look who's back!

Back again!

I've been needing another photography challenge and apparently Im not very original because all I can think to do is another 365 project.

Then I came to look at this one and as I was looking through my 2010 pictures...

I hate them.

Hopefully that means my photography skills have improved.

If they haven't, hopefully doing another 365 challenge will improve them.

But just to be sure... I'm going to have some new rules.

I'm not sure what ALL those rules are yet but a few that I do know...

I have to take one self-portrait each week.

I have to take one family picture each month.

I have to take at least one picture with flash each week.

I'll work out the details of it all as I go but my point is to practice things with my camera that I'm NOT comfortable with right now. And hopefully at this time next year, I will be comfortable with them.

Now all you need to do is sit back, relax and anticipate Jan. 1st, otherwise known as begin-project365-part 2!

Or just sit back and relax...

Hope everyone is having as good of a Christmas Eve as I am!

Complete!

I can't believe I did this whole project!

Does it sound like I'm bragging if I say that I'm proud of myself.

Well. I am.

What did I learn?

First of all... I am so much more comfortable with my camera and much more confident of myself be able to use it. I feel like I actually know what I need to do when I want to achieve a certain effect in a picture!

Second... I tried several different programs to edit all these (and more) pictures this year and I learned alot about what editing programs I like and the ones that I don't like. I still have miles to go in this area but I feel like I've started and sometimes that's the hardest part!

So. To recap.

Project365 is complete and considered to be a success!

Welcome 2011!

1st Snow

Ready to play in the snow

Natural light test

He's getting the hang of the posing-for-mommy-thing! :)

Actions speak louder than words

Gift Wrap for next Christmas

Christmas Morning...

Waiting for permission to go see if Santa came and more importantly...
If he left any presents!

The stockings were hung...

Presents

Santa (aka Grandpa)

When I lived in AK, Santa used to come to Craig on a float plane to see the kids in town. He had come several times but when I was about six I remember looking up into the face of Santa and realizing that Santa looked alot like Grandpa!!

My aunt heard that I remembered that and a couple of years ago, sent me this newspaper picture that she'd had framed.

Love it and have it hung in my office all year.

Christmas Party

Ugly weater party...

Sam won the 'ugliest sweater' prize. I think the shoulder pads helped... :)

Naughty or Nice?

Naughty or Nice?