I hate to admit that I have been highly unsuccessful at routine photo projects. I’m sure you’ve heard of Project 365 – take a picture every.single.day for a year. I tried it on my iPhone and hung in there for quite a while a few years ago, but in my mind it didn’t really count since it was with my phone. And, a photo a day is not as easy as you think. Try it. I dare you. So I knocked it down a notch to Project 52 – once a week. That lasted two weeks. I know. Lame-O! I tried a 30-day filming project. Because, how cool, MOVING pictures?! One day. Yep. Pathetic.
But I refuse to give up. I like the practice. I like stepping outside my comfort zone. I like connecting with new people. Soooo, my new project, the Clickin Moms Monthly Challenge Blog Circle. I have a whole month to photograph one specific theme. Every month is something different. How hard can THAT be?
This month? Food.
Problem is. I don’t really cook.
And, I typically wait until the last minute to do just about anything.
This is already not starting off well.
But I joined a group of other photographers on this project and I will not let them down. So, it’s Friday night and my post is scheduled to go live at 8 am on Saturday. So I need to take food photos. What else would there be on a Friday evening but cheese and wine.
The cheese? Ossau Iraty, a French cheese, cow’s milk. Everybody loves it. I promise, you will too. Must try. Also, I’m just playing with a new macro lens. It was intended for babies lips and eye lashes and squishable fat toes. For now? Cheese. And brittle crackers. Oh well.
Also. The wine. YUM! Alexander Wilson Malbec. Hard to find. Luckily our friend and neighbor is good friend’s with the Wilsons. Oh yeah!
And, that was pretty much my dinner. No cooking is good!
If you’d like to see how other creative photographers in my group translated this theme, please continue along the Blog Circle and visit the very talented Solene Peralta. P.S. There might be a little French!
As part of “The Olivia Act”, and in honor of the children who were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary school, I offered a session and images to a family in need. The Olivia Act was thought up by a photographer who was tremendously moved by the shooting. One child had had professional portraits taken not long before she was killed. Those photos are now immensely precious. The idea quickly spread across the country and thousands of photographers offered sessions to families who valued portraits but couldn’t otherwise have then taken. If you’ve been reading my blog at all you may know how important it is to me that people capture their memories. So I put a call out for nominees and was so saddened by the stories of medical issues these families were dealing with.
The family I contacted, and who was available, has two sweet boys 5- and 2-years-old, both born with heart defects. They are doing fine, although the older boy may need surgery eventually. We ventured out with a wagon and old sled and hit the hills. They had so much fun in the snow. Thank you G Family!
I am so inspired to help people preserve their memories. I’ve read many, many sad stories, but after following the journey of a young mom try to beat cancer and lose, it really devastated me. I can’t explain or understand why it impacted me the way it did. I immediately joined several charity groups of photographers that provide free portrait sessions to families in similar situations. I don’t think that people think ahead to the “what if”. I’m 100% guilty of it myself. Of course, I’m certain I’m going to live a long health life and see my grandchildren.
But, am I?
Are you?
I never really thought about how important images were until recently. I took it for granted. And I think almost everyone does.
Because really, they are memories. Posed pictures are nice to have. They look beautiful on the wall. Lifestyle shots are great for an album. They tell a story. But video? I experimented with video clips for the girls birthdays. They were raw and shaky, but they always put a smile on my face because they were so genuine. Almost like a tribute to them. I would gather any video clips and photos I took over the past year before their birthday and put it in a video and edit it to a great song. Mostly they were iPhone videos and iPhone editing. But that wasn’t important. I love looking back on them. Even two years back is a difference with children. The missing teeth, the chubbier cheeks, the younger voice. Seeing them lively and real is something completely different than portrait stills.
I’ve been so moved and inspired to create something so much better than a home movie. So much more emotional and artistic, and real. I’m overwhelmed with the task in front of me. Because I want it to be perfect straight out of the gate.
But I have software to learn, editing to learn, filming to learn…
I’ve loved video but never had the skills or the knowledge to know how to do it.
This 30 Day Filming Project is perfect. Each day I video something that I’m grateful for, something that inspires me, something that I love. Then, I take all my best daily clips and put them into a short video edited to a perfect song. It’s a great project for someone starting out with video. Me!
Why am I telling you this?
I’ve found that when I claim to embark on projects, I’m likely to stick to them, as I easily get distracted. So, here I am!
I’ll keep you attuned to my progress. If you want to know what and who has moved me so, go here.
Eleven-year-old twins, Tommy and Morgan, introduced me to the rustic Oregon Ridge Park in Maryland, complete with gigantic turkey. It was quickly evident that Tommy would rather be anywhere but getting his portrait taken. I believe there was a promise to ride grandpa’s boat afterwards. I imagine that was a bit distracting. Fortunately, we managed to get a few. I think his expressions even added to the character of the place. See for yourself…
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