Pam's Project 365

Back?

2009-06-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess you can say I'm back, but obviously not back to my photo a day project. I've been away for quite a while! It's been an....eventful few months, to put it mildly. So rather than say I'm continuing my project 365, I'll say this will now be a place to post some photos on a "semi regular" basis and get back to enjoying my photography. So how better to begin anew, then a reminder to stop and smell the flowers! We don't know what life has in store for us---I have certainly been reminded of THAT recently! This is a quick shot of our Lucy from this evening on our deck, with the point and shoot Canon. (Man, I can never get that thing to focus where I want it to!) But isn't she a sweetheart?

Catching up--AGAIN

2009-02-07T17:03:00.000-08:00

Catching up seems to be the norm for me lately with the blog. Life has caught up with some of my fellow 365 bloggers as well, but we keep trying. This is my birthday weekend, so my sweet husband surprised me with a rose in a box on the car seat as we were leaving for dinner. I shot it in our kitchen-- The balloons in the mirror are conveniently still up from my daughter's birthday at the end of January!

Here's yet another one of our kitty, Lucy. My husband insists that she chose a birthday present for me, but I won't get it until tomorrow.

This one is actually from last weekend, because I am short this week. This was taken with my point and shoot at the hotel. Daughter and I love looking over the railing WAAAY down there. Staying at a hotel is the upside of going out of town for a doctor visit.

Another point and shoot hotel shot.... "Keep walking on that treadmill lady!" It looks like that's what he's saying, doesn't it? (Daughter is adjusting the volume for me.)

Sparkly

2009-02-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

Wandering around my daughter's room again. She has a collection of "sparkly" little animals. She would always pick one or two out when we went on vacation. Frogs are her favorite, so I focused on him. I'll take a photo of her frog collection one of these days. (I'm behind on posting again, but have been shooting every day--mostly mundane things! So I'll catch up posting later today. I'm so impressed with those of you who can keep up with your blogs!) P.S. I love having my lens back from repair, but it makes it more obvious that I should have dusted before I shot this! hee hee

Jennifer

2009-02-02T06:18:00.000-08:00

Yes, the cactus has a name--Jennifer. It's my daughter's cactus, and she always names them. (The one before this was named Vlad.) She keeps it in a little cup of water. (The water doesn't actually touch the bottom of the pot, so I guess it doesn't get too much. It's doing quite well!) I've been playing with depth of field and still don't have it quite right, but it's fun playing.

Friday and Saturday

2009-01-31T18:47:00.000-08:00

This my husband at the end of a long day on Friday. The dying plant doesn't enhance the picture too much! (Just ignore the pitiful thing.) Plus, my husband thinks he looks "scary" here. (I don't.)

My daughter and I headed out this weekend for a little road trip. She sees a specialist about 4 hours from where we live. We just go about 3 times a year, and we try to make it fun. We stopped at a Taco Bell out in the middle of I'm not sure where. (The Taco Bells around us do not look this good---We've noticed that the rural fast food restaurants always look nicer--why is that?!) I took this one with my little point and shoot, because I didn't bring the "good camera."

Here's another with the point and shoot, this time at the hotel. We always manage to spend some time in the fitness room (and she lasts longer than I do!)

Vanessa

2009-01-29T20:03:00.000-08:00

This is Vanessa, my daughter's almost 4 year old guinea pig. (Well, actually one of two guinea pigs. Molly will have her session another day!) Vanessa is such a hoot. (She's an Abyssinian guinea pig, by the way.) I admit, when my daughter came to me at age 11 and told me she wanted a guinea pig (or two), I went "Eewww." I had no idea that they would be such sweet, sociable pets. Educational too--my daughter created a guinea pig website on her own when she was 11. It's still up, if you'd like to have a look http://www.freewebs.com/juliagpq (Is it me, or does Vanessa look just a little like a camel?? I think that's part of her charm.) Anyway, I'm very happy today, because my 50mm 1.8 lens came back from repair this afternoon, and I was able to take some shots of Vanessa with it.

The Hat

2009-01-28T07:22:00.000-08:00

This is a quick shot of my daughter in her new hat. The light was terrible, and she is too close to the wall, but it's my daughter being my daughter, so I kind of like it anyway. I had some fun playing with it to try and get a vintage effect.

Catching Up-- Iritis, A Birthday, and a Vicious(?) Cat

2009-01-27T04:41:00.000-08:00

Trying to catch up again, so I have posted several pics this time. No great shots that I am proud of--just bits of our week. Life has been unpredictable as always. I learned that the reason my eye has been red and tearing is not due to infection, but rather iritis--another annoying autoimmune by-product (inflammation of the iris.) Bought my first pair of glasses in years, as I can't wear my contacts for a while. I tried and tried to get a good shot of them, but didn't really. I have to snicker at the Vogue insignia on the frame--I've never been the most stylish of women, but my teen daughter has helped me with that. She, by the way, just turned 15 this week, and despite being ill herself, had a pleasant birthday. My cupcake "tree" was not quite as festive as I had seen it in my head (need to get some of those jazzy paper baking cups for the cupcakes next time), but it was fun anyway. And the cat isn't really vicious at all. She just yawns a lot.

Two today

2009-01-19T21:26:00.000-08:00

Trying to catch up, so one of these is yet another of the Big Shoe (taken on the same COLD day with the point and shoot-- just so you can get an idea of the scale, with my daughter in the photo. (This was the one I really wanted to post from that day, but didn't think she would want me to. Turns out she doesn't mind at all, so I thought I'd throw it on here today.) Hey, maybe I'll just post a different shot of the Big Shoe every day! (just kidding!)

Also, here's a bonus BAD camera phone photo of my two teens at the donut shop. A spontaneous, late night drive to satisfy donut cravings. Donuts are a special treat, as we suffer from multiple food allergies and sensitivities, including wheat and gluten. This was the first donut shop visit in about 2 1/2 years, so we REALLY enjoyed them. I like spending time with my kids anyway. They are hilarious.

The Big Shoe #2

2009-01-17T11:39:00.000-08:00

We had to make another doctor visit---which means another drive by the Big Shoe. This time I had my little point and shoot with me, but the temperature was at a -2 degrees with the windchill. So I ran out of the car, shot a REALLY quick one, and ran back to the car. So, no great photo, but I did want you to see a close up of the shoe (shoes!) I promise, one day I will get a super shot of this!

The Big Shoe

2009-01-14T20:34:00.000-08:00

We've been driving by this big shoe for years on the way to the ophthalmologist, pediatrician, and all kinds of other destinations. And for years, I've been saying I should take a picture of it. Well, I never have my camera when we drive by it, but today I remembered I did have my phone, so it's another phone camera shot that I have to post today. I took it while stopped at a stoplight. You can't really tell from this image, but the whole shoe is made from....shoes. Lots and lots of shoes. It's pretty cool. Some day I will get a shot of it with a REAL camera!

Sick

2009-01-13T09:08:00.000-08:00

Not much time for photography yesterday. My "baby" (who is almost 15) has a chronic illness, and yesterday was not a good day. She lay on the futon most of the evening, drinking water. I was just starting to play with the camera, wanting to get some different angles (and maybe focus on her cute feet!), but my camera battery died. So this is all I've got today.

Monk Monk

2009-01-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

I knew the day would come when I would post something completely weird (well, even weirder than some of my previous posts.) This is Monk Monk. My mom gave it to one of my kids years ago. Monk Monk shows up in various rooms of the house (thanks to my husband.) Last night I found him sitting on one of the hooks on the hall tree (yes, my Christmas decorations are still up. Instead of taking them down, I was taking pictures of a stuffed monkey.) I really need to get out of this house. AND, I need to borrow someone else's creativity.

P.S. See the cat hair? Even our kitty loves Monk Monk.

Babysitting

2009-01-10T22:56:00.001-08:00

We babysat for my niece and nephew, which is always very fun. They can both be hilarious. I got my camera out while my nephew was eating, and he said, "Do you want me to make an ornery face?" I said, "Sure," and this was the face he made. (I actually think it's a pretty sweet face.)

Just for Fun

2009-01-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

It's funny how this project is revealing all kinds of creative opportunities! We went out to dinner at Cracker Barrel, and I used my phone to take this silly shot at the table. (I had never uploaded any phone pics before, so I learned something new in the process. ) We've played the peg game at this restaurant for years. Just for fun, I used a cartoon effect on it (I mean, the photo was of such terrible quality, I felt compelled to do something with it!) Hmm, now I'm considering a camera phone upgrade.

Day 7

2009-01-08T22:07:00.000-08:00

This was shot at 1000 ISO as I played with settings in low light with the kit lens. I love the items. Most of them are treasures from my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. I will try this shot again, with a better low light lens, when the lens comes back from repair.

Another kitty...

2009-01-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

This time it's my own kitty. I had several other shots of her that I could have used that had much nicer, shallower depth of field, and a less cluttered background (husband works in the living room--hence the laptop cord and strap), but I love her elegant pose in this one. She is such a princess. I also cropped off her tail to manage a little more of the background clutter. Too bad these details weren't better, as she deserves the perfect portrait (I'm sure SHE thinks so too.)

5/365

2009-01-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

My son has avoidance issues with my camera (I don't blame him--I can be annoying with it!) I was trying to be sneaky, and shot into a mirror to get this shot. He lounged back onto the sofa at the last minute. I love how he's hiding without realizing it.

4/365

2009-01-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

Just a few days into the project, and I am already behind in posting. I have been shooting every day though! Here's a shot of the table in my basement craft studio, still a mess from my Christmas gift and tag making frenzy. (Creative, not messy, right?) The tags for the little kids' packages never did get finished (which means I am ahead for next year. Silver lining/half full comment.)

3/365

2009-01-04T09:20:00.000-08:00

Well, the challenges of this project are becoming very apparent to me! I typically enjoy taking photos of people almost exclusively. People in close proximity, mind you, and mainly children (family members mostly.) So this project is really taking me out of my comfort zone, and I think I'm going to learn a lot. For lack of a better photo to post, here is a shot of the electronic holiday skaters that have been pulled from our basement for the last ten years (at least) at Christmas time. I'm having trouble putting them away (as always, we have trouble letting go of Christmas around here), so I thought I'd play around with angles and settings. I never did get a shot that I was thrilled with, but since I have to post SOMETHING, here it is!

2/365

2009-01-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

This is a photo that is more about documenting the day than it is about great photography. My husband and son play wiffle ball A LOT in our big backyard, and have for years (and will continue to do so for years, I'm sure.) It's rare, though, in January. So a warm enough day for wiffle ball is a good thing. The beauty of this 365 project is that it will keep the camera in my hands, for learning and for documenting our days. This photo would have been better had I used a higher ISO setting(because the light was fading.) I should probably crop it more too (that back fence sure cuts this photo in half), but I kind of like how they are lost in the middle of that big old yard. It warms my heart to have this photo, though, even if it is of poor quality (and as the benefits of doing this project are becoming clear!)

New year, new "family member"

2009-01-01T17:47:00.000-08:00

This is Mia, the new member of my parents-in-law's household. She is a flame-point Siamese, and a typical Siamese she is (if there is such a thing!) Playful, intelligent, and so young and fun. So this is Day 1 of my 365 photos. It would have been a much nicer portrait if I had used a wider aperture to blur out the background a bit, but I've decided I kind of like the zig zaggy chair legs "frame" back there!

Get Ready....

2008-12-30T20:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm getting ready--to take a picture a day for the next year, starting on January 1st. Why? Hopefully it will improve my photography and document the year in a fun, unique way. Things I do, things I learn, people I know, what I eat (!), (among other things,) will be presented photographically. Kind of a visual journal of 2009. I hope you'll follow or come have a look now and then! I'll also be listing some blog links of fellow photographers from one of my photo lists, so that you can enjoy their "projects 365" too.