How a Question of the Day Turned Into a Project and Challenge
Hello Friends and welcome to the blog today!
I hope everyone is doing well this Wednesday and enjoying the Spring weather. Amidst some of the chaos, I hope everyone is staying safe. My daughter and I were able to get vaccinated last week and I can honestly say that it was the right choice and we feel good.
Today I’m talking about one of the rituals that we do for a fun evening activity. Since we moved we haven’t really gotten to some of the things we use to do during the first stages of quarantine and working from home. Monday I picked our Question of the Day (QOTD).
What do you need to stop doing to make space for bigger changes?
These always yield good results and conversations that lead to other things and what pulled from this exercise was Photography. It’s honestly my first love. I loved it in my youth, in my young adulthood, and pre-degree in Photography. I loved how it told stories of a different time, sparked conversations, and brought the family together.
Aside from being a guide to fashion and pop culture, photography was the thing that pulled me out of my adulthood funk. Critiquing pictures, studying other photographers,s and trying to pull out a story or meaning is what most of my courses were about.
Why did I stop taking pictures?
Well technically, I never stopped. I just starting using my phone (no shade) more. Cell phone pictures are beautiful and there are entire series done using a cell phone, but I like my camera. The weight, the bulk, and how conscious you are with it.
I was in such a funk that I just stopped. I think I probably used my BIG camera once in 2020, which is sad. Is this how you treat what you love...clearly no. However, there was nothing motivating me to take pictures. I use to have that drive, that gasoline, that fire. I carried my camera to work every day, and having that extra 5 lbs in my bag meant dedication.
What are You Going to Do Now?
Like I mentioned some very good dialogue comes from our QOTD day talks, and I pledge to myself and myself only that I would take more pictures. I’ve always said that but never pushed myself, and never followed through. Going through old pictures and older blog posts gave me the fire that I needed.
Get the molasses out-cha ass!… The Color Purple
Baby Steps
I don’t need to go full monty just something small. Taking pictures is kinda like riding a bike. You don’t forget your foundations, but you do lose some of that muscle memory. This means those tricks, lighting techniques, and remembering the right lenses is going to take some time. The good thing is that I have everything right here.
The Challenge
It’s simple (or so it is in my head). Take 10 pictures every week until the end of the month. This should produce about 30-40 pictures. No pressure, no subject matter, don’t worry about the rule of thirds, lighting, juxtaposition, or anything. Just snap 10 pics this week and every week until the end of the month.
This project is identical to Photography 101 and (somewhat) mirrors one of my very first assignments. My instructor was trying to get a feel on our individual styles, and where we were strong or weak. After that point came the assignments where we had a directive, but I’ll get to that later. I will do this until I feel comfortable again.
Show and Tell
I’ve talked about all the pictures that I’ve taken but I haven’t shown my blog family most of those pictures. So it’s showtime. I picked out 10 photo’s. Some from early courses, some that are hobby based, and some random ones. This Youtube slide show highlights so of my work. I’ve also included a link for an older portfolio…wl photography (good times down memory lane).
While creating this slideshow video, it took me back to how hard I worked on these images. I know this post is completely random, as I haven’t done any challenges in a LONG time. I do really well for the first few months and then fall off. If this project challenge does nothing else but reacquaints me with my camera for a short time I’ll take it. I want to get back to the hobbies that I love and enjoy.
Thanks so much for visiting the blog today, stay tuned for more photo challenges, project around the house, and my staples for the Spring season. Don’t forget to follow the blog for all the content. — Peace —
