365 Photo Project: Weeks 44 and 45

This capture of a gift bag really isn't just a picture of a gift bag to me.

Rather, t's a time stamp making it known that I've been at this 365 Photo Project for an entire year.

I'm tempted to let it mean more. I'm fighting in my head labeling this project as a failure.

I mean, it has been 365 days ...

... and I have 310 pictures.

I'm sure you can do that math.

But I'm trying to rewire the perfectionist tendencies of brain.

I'm trying to embrace the imperfection that sometimes accompanies creativity and works of growth.

Because there has been growth in this journey -- growth in knowledge and skill, creativity and inspiration.

And where there is growth, where there is learning, maybe the word failure shouldn't come into play.

And maybe that lesson, should I get it through my thick head, was the intended one all along.

So I'd better not miss it. {Tell me not to miss it.}

365 Photo Project: Weeks 42 and 43

Funny how this post is a pretty much a refection of my current life:
There have been a lot of these "oh, my goodness my child[ren} are trying to drive me to the loony bin" moments, like this one here while we were dining on Pig and Pinot at Melissa's last weekend.

But there have been a lot of those moments, too, lately, where I look at my little ones running around and swear they are almost cherubic {word?}.

But, also,this post is honestly a a metaphorical reflection of my everyday life because this project is really, really behind, considering my start date for it was just about a year ago, and I'm currently on day 300 -- much like I'm really behind on completing the tasks markered into my planner.

This summer, well, it keeps distracting me from doing much of my normal stuff other than mothering and wifing {again, word??} -- all of the extras of writing, cleaning, organizing, photographing have taken a back seat.

So I've kind of just gone with it, and I've done a lot more of this when the children actually decide to go to bed and sleep before 10 p.m.

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{Also, really, when it's 90 degrees outside, sometimes you just have to call it a day and make {non-sunned}sun tea ...

or drown yourself in watermelon gazpacho.}

And now? I'm half way through this post, and I don't even have the slightest clue about where I was going with the text portion.

And that's also been very much like real life lately, too -- I feel totally scatter brained without some sort of routine.

I'm not one to hurry summer along or most any time really when there isn't five feet of snow coating the ground, but I'm sort of looking forward to the more structured days of fall.

Although, I know, I know -- I'll be missing the sweetness of a really good summer that seemed to pass just a little too quickly.

But such is life {and such is this post} -- quickly fleeting and simply being whatever you can take from it.

365 Photo Project: Weeks 40 and 41

Part of the secret to continuing with my 365 project, inspired by the fabulous Maegan at Life Set to Words, has been to get out of the box that is my house.



So I've been taking to the beautiful streets of my neighborhood and capturing the goodness that surrounds our home.

And I've been pointing my lens toward the sky whenever G cries, "Look, mom, God painted the sky again tonight! Pretty!"



Of course, I pounce on photo opportunities from the boys when they present themselves, too.



I never pass up a willing model.



These past few weeks I've had a cooperative toddler ham it up before my lens, so I've totally been jumping all over those photo ops.



Another way I try to capture unique shots revolves around framing my subjects. Sometimes just slightly turning the camera gives me a different, fresh perspective on scenes I feel like I've seen before.



And I have to admit, I love me some Instagram. Some days I just want to simply capture without adjusting light meter or focus.



Sometimes I want to be creative in the most simple of ways. Because I use my phone to capture shots with Instagram, I feel kind of bare bones and basic in my capture attems -- often having to rely on simple framing {no zoom!} and the natural lighting of the moment.



Speaking of simplicity, I've been realizing lately how often I neglect the most basic of beauties that are actually chalked full of interesting details. Sometimes simply pressing my body to the ground gives me a new perspective and new ideas for shots.



Various forms of portrait, self and otherwise, have lent quite a few opportunities to further my camera skills and capture images I might otherwise ignore ... like wrists and arms adorned with pretty, handmade button bracelets ...



and big and little hands contrasting against the smallness of pebbles.



And sometimes -- when you're editing and organizing pictures, you find an entire card of pictures from your project that you thought you lost! Here's a shot from the last week in May I thought was long gone. In the sorting, though, I was inspired by those pictures to maybe try some retakes from those lost shots instead of working all of the images in this far in the game.

I couldn't resist this one because it really speaks to my heart about where I want to go creatively with photography. Three months ago, when I originally shot it, it likely wouldn't have stuck out so much, but after these extra weeks of trying to find my photography voice, this shot speaks to me. So here it is ... three months later.


Fashionably but perfectly late.

365 Photo Project: Week 39

Summer is my favorite season for capturing pictures.
The wardrobe {or lack thereof!}


the activities






the lingering light




the lucious, vibrant landscape


and the feel, the attitude of this season




It just all spells out photo magic.

365 Photo Project: Week 38

The creative crisis has seemingly come to close. {Well, I think -- I'm an artist, and I might stumble unintentionally into another one tomorrow or the next day, if I'm being honest.}



But this latest one is stick-a-fork-in-it done.

During my much-needed break, I spent some time trying to reconnect with my passion for photography by journaling and doodling and casually snapping pictures and reflecting {thank you, Creativity Boot Camp!}.



I found that without the self-imposed pressure and rules, I really actually still do love gathering all of my captures every week.

I really enjoy the harvest reaped from the project.



And I really like learning more about my camera.

But I don't like feeling like I've failed when I miss a day -- and I seem to miss at least one day every week or two because of one thing or another.



So I've had to jump over some internal perfectionist obstacles in order to come to a place where I want to continue in this endeavor.



All in all, I've jumped and cleared the bar {just barely}, which means that I'm forging on until I capture all 365 days {even if it takes 400}.

However, if I miss a day, I'm just going to move on mentally and with the project.



That means that my captures might have a day or two in between them but still be numbered consecutively.



And that's just life right now with a husband, two small kids, a business, a side project and, well, a summer that really needs to be filled with enjoyment and activity and movement and, you know, living.