52 Week Photo Project [Week 13]

Last week's Paint the Moon theme was "Look out for curves."

Sorry I'm falling behind so much on this project. I took this photo during the appropriate week and then waited almost a week and a half before processing it. I started out motivated and inspired by the themes and now find myself struggling to come up with anything good. I'll keep plugging away but it's become quite a chore for me.

52 Week Photo Project [Weeks 10-12]

I've been lax in posting lately. My apologies! Between my dad's visit last week and the lovely warm weather we've been having I've been spending less time on my computer and more time out and about. I'm three weeks behind in posting my photographs, which is just as well since I only got around to taking last week's photo today. Oops!

Week 10 Theme: Monochrome

Week 11 Theme: Teeny Tiny

We just so happen to call Loofy "Teeny Tiny" on account of her small size. I mean, all of our cats are unnaturally thin but she takes the cake at only seven pounds. We do feed her, I swear!

Week 12 Theme: Vintage

I know I've already taken pictures of the Ford Galaxie 500 from every imaginable angle, so instead I tried something a little different with the processing. Hope you like it.

By the way, word verification for comments is back on after another slew of spam comments. Not sure that'll cure the problem but I'll try whatever I can to keep that crap off of my blog.

52 Week Photo Project [Week 9]

Now I remember why I was so glad to finish my 365 project. The pressure of getting a good shot for the theme can really get you down.

Last week's Paint the Moon theme was "framed." I had a few good ideas but they all required lots of natural light. Of course, the only time I'm home when there's light coming through the windows is on the weekend, so I had to wait until then. I was pretty busy so by the time I settled down to try out my ideas it was already late Sunday afternoon, the last day to post my photo. Turns out all of my ideas were horrible failures so I found myself rushing around in the rapidly dying light trying to come up with another idea. Any idea would do, really. So this is what I came up with at the last minute. I don't think poor little Punky will ever forgive me for this indignity.

And before you go thinking she's an unnaturally patient and willing model, I will confess that there was a little Photoshop magic involved. I actually took the picture holding the glasses up a few inches in front of her face, then put the glasses down and took a few pictures so I could edit my hand out. I know from the time I tried to make her wear a chicken hat that she is not at all cooperative about wearing a costume. I do still feel a little guilty about this:

52 Week Photo Project [Week 8]

This week's Paint the Moon theme is "simplicity." Earlier in the week I came up with the below photo but wasn't 100% happy with it. I mean, I like how it turned out but it wasn't very original and certainly didn't tell a story. So today I played around and came up with one that reflects the simple pleasures of life for me. None better than curling up with a good book and a cup of hot tea on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Poor rejected photo

52 Week Photo Project [Week 7]

Smooth Criminal

This week's Paint the Moon theme is "smooth." Just like this smooth hunk of white chocolate. Oh yeah, baby.

Alright, I did not steal this chocolate. No criminal activity involved here. But the post-Valentine's Day sale price was a bit of a steal. :)

52 Week Photo Project [Week 6]

This week's Paint the Moon themes were "topsy turvy" and "linear." I couldn't think of a thing to do for the topsy turvy theme but the linear one seemed wide open to me. I've been looking for lines everywhere I've been the past week. I've noticed them everywhere from the aerial tower on my way to work to the fence in front of the old folks' community up the road. Ultimately I decided to go for something abstract and I actually like how it turned out. So here's my entry for week 6.

Alright, yes, it's a fork taped to the window. And yes, I accidentally left it there all day so any neighbors walking by probably wondered what the heck is wrong with me.

52 Week Photo Project [Week 5]

All by myself...

This week's Paint the Moon theme was inspired by Annie's realization that she doesn't come out from behind the camera often enough. All of her family photos are missing one important thing: her. I was touched by her story about losing her brother and regretting not taking more pictures of him on the sly. He was so camera shy she was left with very few pictures of someone she'd cherished and lost. I adore my family and spend lots of time flipping through old photos of us all.

That said, while I liked the idea behind the theme I also struggled with it. It only served to remind me that I'm all alone without close family or friends near me. All I have are oodles and oodles of pictures of those I love. At least I could get those photographs to pose with me without complaint. Not one complained about looking fat or having a bad hair day!

52 Week Photo Project [Week 4]

Alas, poor Yorick!

This week's Paint the Moon theme is "sparkle." I just so happen to own a glitter-covered skull that I thought would fit the theme. Of course, I suspect there are all sorts of tricks to capturing sparkly stuff in low light that I don't know. At least I got a chance to play around with my Bokeh Masters Kit.

52 Week Photo Project [Week 3]

So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.

I so need to buy myself more shoes. I only own one pair of real heels so I had to work with what I got.

This week's Paint the Moon theme is "white space." I had so much success with the "overexposed" theme last year that I wanted to tie the two together. And, uh, I wanted to do something a little different from the perfect photos of cute kids that seem to dominate the Paint the Moon Flickr group. I think we can agree this is pretty much the polar opposite of showing off one's adorable offspring. I so don't fit in there but I'm going to plow on with the project for my own sake, not because I think I'll ever get recognition there.

52 Week Photo Project [Week 2]

This week's Paint the Moon theme is "open." I'd originally planned to do something involving a book (super original, I know) but then yesterday we had a little change around here that fit the theme perfectly. We've opened our home and our hearts to a foster dog. I'm still not convinced this is a good idea as two out of our three cats seem petrified but I'm hoping they'll adjust.

Major's a rambunctious lab and terrier mix who's still got a lot of puppy in him at only seven months. But he's a real sweetheart and adorable to boot. It's fun having a dog in the house and a walking partner who can keep up with my pace. Even if we have to stop for frequent bathroom breaks in the neighbors' yards along the way. Mostly for his sake, of course.

52 Week Photo Project [Week 1]

I am officially back in business! As you may have noticed, my photography adventures have been rather sporadic and sparse since the blissful day when I completed my 365 project. Now, I'm not big on making resolutions or huge goals for myself at the start of the year as I think I'm pretty disciplined and in tune with what needs to be fixed in my life throughout the year. Still, there's something nice about starting a new project with the new year. I've decided to join in the 52 week photography challenge at Paint the Moon. She'll have weekly themes to guide us and a Flickr group to share our pictures. I'm excited to have another project to work on and am looking forward to joining another photography community even though I can already tell I'm outclassed by many others in the group.

Feel free to join in yourself! Fifty-two photos for the year should be much more doable and less of a strain than 365.

This week we've been given two themes to choose from, "sharing" or "natural." I chose "natural," as in my fluffy 100% cotton towel and the strange figure in the background, presumably posing au natural. :)