June and July 2017 were overflowing with life and more blessings than we could count. While I continued shooting every day, I was mindful to put my camera down a lot in order to be present in the moment. When we make this choice, we must also be more selective about when we do choose to shoot.
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Here comes April, and there it goes! I'm a third of the way through my 2017 365 stories project (what?!) and less than a half a month from now my Click Photo School breakout is DUE! So far, my main PDF is over 100 pages, my videos total around an hour and I've made two bonus PDFs. I'm ready to share! (And to put my feet up!)
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I spent so much of March chained to my computer working on my upcoming Click Photo School breakout, that I didn't even notice how beautiful life was this month until I put this post together. Makes me a little sad that my attention was divided, but none of us are perfect and the best we can do is march on, with open hearts and eyes! So here's to living in the moment, and here's to APRIL!
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Let's face it- photographers and February usually just don't mix (especially where I live). It's a fragile time for those doing a new 365 project: every day it's touch and go, trying to just make one good picture while being light-starved and inundated by brown, gray, and more brown. In Februrarys with little to no snow, it's even worse. There is no pretty cover for all that mud and dead plants. No bright white light entering the windows or chance of snow day inspiration. It's all as dreary as it sounds...
Except....
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It's here! My monthly round up of January stories. This year, I aim to complete my 3rd 365 project in a row... this one, in full color. Already my choice to only edit my daily picture in color is vexing me. Especially with low light photography, it is often so much easier to fiddle around with a color picture for a few minutes and then throw up your hands and say, "to heck with it! black and white it is!" Without that option to fall back on, I've already had to think carefully while shooting. (Which is never a bad thing, of course!)
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....Because I couldn't let 2016 go without seeing them all in one place. ;-)
My 2016 daily 366 project wasn't as strict as my 2015 project. I allowed myself to shoot with my phone for a month straight in the summer. When choosing which photos to include in my final set, I chose 2 or 3 from some days and zero from other days. In short, I shot and shared what made me happy.
Are you shooting a daily project with me in 2017? If so, I recommend the following:
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2016 is coming to a close, and all over social media it's getting pretty grim reviews and hearty good-riddances. I acknowledge that, for the world as a whole, 2016 pretty much stunk. But if I tried to shoulder all the hate and killings and bickering, I'd be a shadow of myself. So I choose to stay informed, speak out when I feel it matters, and focus on raising two little boys who will someday face the world with love, understanding, and bravery.
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From trees bursting with vibrant leaves to bare branches and the first snow, November lived up to its name. I know many dread this slow march toward winter, but November is one of my favorite months for its direct shafts of fall light, warm colors, indoor coziness, and quiet anticipation of the approaching season.
It's also the official month of gratitude, and focusing on that never fails to make my heart full. At the end of this post, I'll share with you a little about how shooting from a place of gratitude can free you up to create images that mean something to you.
Here's my November gratitude list, in pictures...
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Usually by this time in early November, I'm mourning the last of autumn's big show. Typically, at the beginning of November, the only leaves left to fall are our brown crunchy oak leaves. But not this year! We've enjoyed fall's vibrant colors throughout October and still have plenty on the branches to be thankful for now. As I culled through October's memories looking for my favorites, I told myself a story about this past month....
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I thought I might make a quick and easy blog post to give you a peek at some of my favorite shots from September. I wanted to choose 30 images for each day in September. But as I was searching among all my September photos for the diamonds in the rough, I felt sad I couldn't show you all of it.
Every mistake.
Every missed focus.
Ever blah composition.
Because there were a lot of them. These are some of my best:
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No one is immune. Even as someone who has shot every day solid for upwards of 500 days in a row, I was still susceptible to falling into the dreaded artist rut. It happened at my least inspired time of year: the beginning of summer. No dreamy snow, twinkle lights, autumn leaves, warm fire, moody indoor scenes. When summer hit this year, I took a big hit. I stopped bringing my camera to family events and outings. I admired the breathtaking golden light of summer evenings, but I didn't run for my camera.
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"we are what we repeatedly do. excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." - aristotle
If you can believe it, we are already a third of the way through 2016! Because this is my second consecutive year of shooting daily, getting "The Shot" has finally become an ingrained habit and a natural part of my everyday life. Would you believe me if I told you it took me about one full year to really make that habit feel easy and unforced? It has!
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The darkest months of the year are now offically behind us! To anyone in the midst of a 366 project: you've done the hardest part!
Our February wasn't filled with lots of sun, but it WAS full of pretending and snuggling, building and celebrating. My youngest turned 3, my oldest discovered the addictive nature of photography and video making. I spent the month feeling rather "blah" about shooting, but looking back at some of my favorite shots makes me realize it wasn't so bad. If I can do February, I can do any month! Last year March brought some of the best light of the year, and this year, I'll be embarking on a new adventure: film making! Bring it on!
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