Dreaming of Spring

Four more months of winter to go.  I'm so ready.

Pictures of Strangers II

It was a gorgeous fall day in the park when I spotted this little sweetheart.  She was just full of giggly little girl energy and she made me smile.  She made me smile much.  So I asked her mama if I could photograph her and, miracle of miracles, she said yes!!!

I'd love to spontaneously photograph more kids, but I am always concerned about the creeper factor.  Ya know?  People are very wisely cautious of strangers with cameras and their kids, and it makes me sad that they have to be.

I Hate Being Cold

More than just about anything, I hate being cold.  Chilly, I can handle.  But bone aching, shiver enducing cold, I cannot stand.  And lucky me, it's -20F tonight with a windchill that makes it feel much colder.  As if that wasn't quite enough, our furnace has decided to not work right tonight.  It runs, then stops and we have to manually rest it to get it to run, then it stops again.  We've already had a repairman here once today, and it looks as if he may be making a return visit.  I am so ready to not be cold anymore.  Please, dear Lord, make it warmer.  I'd settle for a nice solid 0 degrees.  5 would be better.  If this keeps up, I may just get in the car (praying the cold hasn't killed the battery) and drive south until I hit water.  Actually, that sounds better and better.  I've never been to Florida.  I think I should go.  Now.

And you know what the irony of the whole situation is?  Just this past week I was admiring the snow and taking pictures upon pictures of it for my Project 52.  The theme this past week was "Shades of Gray" and with the colorless landscape and deep shadows and snow, that's exactly what they were.  They don't have snow in southern Florida.  And I'd miss it, because I really do love snow.  It's the bitter, too cold to snow, subzero temperatures that I can't handle.  Blah.

On a brighter note, the Packers are going to the Super Bowl.  Make of it what you will.

I Need Some Inspiration

The theme for this week's Project 52 is "Shades of Gray".  I'm having a hard time coming up with anything.  I mean, it would be easy enough to take a picture and convert it to black and white and be done with it, but I'm really making an effort to be as creative as possible with these photo assignments, because otherwise, what's the point.

I tried to take some macro shots of snowflakes, but that didn't go very well, mostly because I don't yet have a true macro lens.  I may go for a creepy Alfred Hitchcock-esque kind of thing, with the crows that like to fly into the city at night.  We'll see.  In the mean time, here's a black and white portrait I took a few weeks ago. 

 

I like how on the right side of the picture, the shadows and light make one of those things that looks like a face from both perspectives.  Does that make sense?  What are those things called?

The Theater

 I may be auditioning for a show tonight.  I am not convinced.  I haven't done a show in a few years, the last being a comedy improve show I was a part of.  Funny story, that.  I broke my ankle the evening before the show opened, and did the whole run on crutches, because not taking advantage of the comic gold opportunities of a cast and crutches would have been irresponsible.  Of course, I can't tell you exactly how it went as there was a lot of pain, and more importantly, pain killers involved.  But the pictures are great.

Now you're expecting that I'll share them, which I won't, because those were my pre-digital days and I don't own a scanner.  You'll just have to take my word on it.

I can't seem to make up my mind about whether or not I really want to audition.  I mean, I do.  But I am hesitant to commit so much of my time.  I might miss my shows.  Or my evening nap.  And then there's the choir thing that I've already committed to which has two rehearsals a week itself.  I just don't know.  But there's probably no harm in going to the audition, right?  I could just, you know, watch.  Feel it out a little. 

I suck at making decisions.  Just like I couldn't decided which photo to share today, so you got this drivel instead.  Now, I have to choose one to share or I'll be disappointed in myself.

Here's me deciding.

  It's a charcoal chimney starter thingy for the grill.  And really, I only picked it to communicate to you how desperately I want grilled hamburgers right now.  And maybe a brat.  And macaroni salad.  With tuna.

I better go check on dinner. 

MCP Project 52, Update

The second week of Project 52 is wrapping up, and there were some incredible photos submitted this week.  I was so excited to see that one of my photos was featured on the website during the challenge wrap up!  I am on such a photography high at the moment.  Great shoot yesterday, featured photo today.  What will tomorrow bring?

Check out the other feature photos here: MCP Actions

And here's my photo that was featured, which was almost a discard for the challenge, but I decided to submit just yesterday morning.  Yay!

Ashley

I did a photo shoot yesterday afternoon with the daughter of a good friend of mine.  It was just for fun, and for me to practice my portrait photography, but the pictures turned out so well.  I really love them, and I hope you do too!  It's almost embarrassing how excited I get when I actually manage to do something right with my camera.  Have I mentioned how much I love this hobby of mine?  Here are a few of my favorites.