Project 365: Week 3, January 16-January 22

Three weeks into this project, I'm starting to feel a little challenged.  I know, I know, that's the whole point of doing a 365, isn't it?  I have always loved photography, as long as I can remember.  I bought my first camera with my own money when I was six, maybe seven.  It's always come pretty naturally to me,  but this project is pushing me to really look at the world around me, and find something interesting about it.   One part of me feels like I should "go out" and take pictures, but it's unrealistic to think I can turn every day into a photo shoot.  Every picture this week was either taken in our home or within walking distance.  Some photos I'm really happy with... a couple of them... Eh.

I am loving the linky's and exploring everyone else's blogs and photos.  I love that people from all walks of life and all parts of the world are participating, and I love seeing just a bit into their lives.  I love that amateurs and professional photographers are participating, and I'm learning a little bit from everybody.  

Are you starting to feel the challenge?  What are your sources of inspiration?  What's your favorite thing so far about doing a 365 Project?

I'm so glad you stopped by!  If you're doing your own project, please be sure to leave a comment so I can visit you, too!

And on to week 3...

 Day 23: January 22

Me and my girls!  I seem to remember Older Daughter saying "let's pretend to be asleep!" She looks very convincing, doesn't she? 

Day 22: January 21

I'm starting to beg myself the question, "how much is too much?"  While most of my photos are just fine SOOC, I find myself wanting to edit... a lot.  I'm an amateur, and I'm not ready to invest in photoshop, but I do love picnik, and find myself adding lots of effects.  (I should say, that's what happened with my daughter's eyes in the picture below.  They were bright and sparkly, and ended up... not quite natural.)  Anyway, we came upon this tree in a clearing in our woods out back, and I was really attracted to it.  It is huge, and cracked with lots of hollow critter holes, yet it keeps growing more live branches.  

This is the same tree, close up, SOOC.  You can see, it's completely falling apart, yet continues to stand proudly. 

Day 21: January 20

There is one definite advantage to participating in a 365 Project: Younger Daughter is getting more camera time.  You know how the older child has tons and tons of photos... well, when she was born I was still using (gasp) film (!) and have a filled album for each of her first two years.  By the time she was three, I had digital, and I certainly didn't print out all the photos, but I was still printing.  By the time Younger Daughter was born, I stopped printing out all but the best photos (heck, they're all online anyway, right?), and almost every picture had both daughters.  Now, Little Sister is getting her chance to shine.  I've got to work on "motion" pictures, because it seems every picture of her smiling is blurry... but I may love her serious ones just as much.  Here, we're waiting for Older Sister at the bus stop.

Day 20: January 19

Just trying something a little different today... this is at the edge of our woods at the dead end of the street.

Day 19: January 18

A photo a day is not as easy as it sounds, is it?  I took my camera out with me, and my batteries died.  When I got home, I took a few photos, none of which I was happy with.  I spent about an hour editing those photos, and I really just felt like they stunk.  I decided that I just wasn't going to have a photo for day 19.  I turned off the computer, started closing up the house, and decided to take a picture of my Valentine's window cling,  with my (cheap) camera phone, in the dark.  I brought it into Picnik and worked with the color a little bit... and now I'm glad that I took that "one last photo".  Does that happen to you often?

Day 18: January 17

School's out, and it just seemed like the perfect day to have scrambled eggs and toast with my Mom's homemade strawberry jelly for lunch.  Yum.

Day 17: January 16

"I know, Mommy!  You can take a picture of my ponies!  Here, I'll arrange them for you"