You Have Your Camera With You At All Times, It's Not THAT Heavy

You're itching to see more photo projects today, aren't you? The only problem with this topic is I find myself wanting to go out and do ALL of them, RIGHT NOW. And in that state of excitement, I find that I usually don't get anything done at all. So last fall I started something that, while not consistent, has become a part of my expectations and I try to fit it in to my month (I'm batting .300 since I started). I call them my Friday Inspiration Field Trips. They arose from the desire I always had to stop and take a picture of all the really cool old barns that dot the landscape around my house, but that I never actually do because I'm always shuttling someone here and there and it's never in the timetable to stop. So I now make a day dedicated to just that. Stopping and taking pictures. It's not really a photowalk, it's more that I grab my camera bag, my friend Ronda, and drive somewhere interesting. I live near a lot of quaint little towns that are ripe for the inspiration picking. My most recent of those field trips was to a town called Longmont. When I first started these trips, I thought I could capture the whole city in a day. I don't suggest that. You'll miss out on a lot. Go back multiple times. The Longmont trip only captured two things. We actually went to three different places, but the first place we were way too scared to ask if we could take pictures.The store owners were glaring at our cameras. Which reminds me, when you go on a photowalk and are taking photos of someone's personal property or items they are selling, it's a really polite thing to ask if it's OK.  Especially when I tell them it's for personal inspiration. I've only been told no once, they'd had competing shop spies steal ideas before and didn't want to take any chances. People appreciate being asked. And I appreciate not having someone grab my camera, throw it to the ground and stomp on it...

This particular Friday Inspiration Field Trip we went to an artist's emporium (the scary place), a restaurant that used to be a playhouse, and a used bookstore that used to be a hardware store a hundred years ago. In a couple of the pictures, you can see the foot markings used to measure out rope and chain. Lots of wood and brick on this day.

1. corner sign, 2. 1881, 3. in crime, 4. isn't it the, 5. exactly, 6. hang a shingle, 7. barely legible, 8. no longer working, 9. 50 foot mark, 10. 30 foot mark, 11. perspective, 12. out of use

Friday Inspiration Field Trips could happen on any given day of the week, but whatever day you choose, it allows you to see your surroundings in a new light. I highly recommend them.

My first photo project guest today is another new member, Monika Wright. Monika agreed to help me with in the self portrait catagory. Here's why:

My goal during this period was to get some photos of myself...rather than a bunch of photos of everyone but me. It really was perfect timing as I realized it was “slim pickings” when I was trying to find a photo for my w.c.s. bio. I began with a list of photos I thought would capture who I was, what I do, what I wear and where I go. For the most part, I marked most of my ideas off the list.

 

Notice not every picture that Monika took was a picture of her face? Does it still count? When she shared her plan of attack with me, I cheered! Monika is a think-outside-the-box kind of person. She took pictures that represent things important to her, and that is a self-portrait, don't you agree? Of course it counts! Just by looking at her mosaic, I learn that she has a Mac (me too), she drinks Dr. Pepper (I used to, but can't anymore if I want to sleep), she is very organized (my utensil drawer is organized, but to my B type standards), and she like to garden (me too!). And she didn't say a word (OK, she told me she was an A type personality, and that the bridge is special because that's where she was married, but that's it.)  I like how she describes her project's progression. It illustrates nicely that you can break rules when you are doing projects.

Your project succeeded in making me more aware of being photographed rather than just being the photographer. I began the project with my self-imposed rule of photos of me or photos that represent me taken only by me. At times, this was impossible and I did have my husband take two photos and my son is in a self-timer shot with me and he pushed the button because his arms are longer than mine (ha, taller than me, too and I’m tall!). And, I’m okay with that because it allowed me to meet my goal. So, now I have photos of me. They’re not all the best quality: some are taken with my iPhone camera, some are blurry because it’s hard to focus when you’re using the timer and taking a photo in the grocery store or in the car. I did get to use the awesome tripod I received for Christmas, so that was a very good thing.

Participating with you in this month-long project also allowed me to learn something new. I have now created, with the help of my Flickr account and bighugelabs.com, my very first mosaic. I want to do a little more research so that I can manipulate the order the photos appear, add text, and maybe even some digital patterned paper. But, I’m content with my first try.

Notice that? Yesterday I told you about bighugelabs.com and how Kelly made her first mosiac for the photowalk? Today Monika said the same thing. So it must be easy...

Long time WCSer Rebecca Cooper agreed to help me out by doing a different kind of photowalk. Where she went and what she photographed was up to her, but she had to get at least three different perspectives. This is another one I found on the Prine Photography Facebook Events page. At Rebecca's suggestion, we altered the project so she could include her kids. She took one photo, handed the camera to Emily who took another photo of the same thing, and then handed the camera to Carson so he could take it. Can you tell who took which photo? I think the Cooper kids have their mom's eye for photography, don't you?
Rebecca took the first column, Emily the second, and Carson the third. Wouldn't this be a fun thing to do with your kids? I know my Annie would tilt everything just like Emily did, she's picked that up from me and I have to smile every time I see pictures of her friends posted on Facebook. I know which ones Annie's taken just from the tilt. Here's what Rebecca said about her project:

The weather has finally warmed up around here enough that we thought we'd head outside and explore our little town for our photographic adventure. The kids absolutely loved every minute of it...as we drove we were all on the lookout for fun things to photograph. And getting to take a picture with moms camera was a thrill in and of itself. I just made sure I was right next to them and that the neck strap was around their necks and it was safe and worry free for me. It was just as fun after we got home to download all the pictures and have a look at them all. The kids loved seeing the pictures they'd taken. It was the perfect outing for all of us enjoy together and I know we'll be doing it again soon!

That's all for today dear readers. Tomorrow promises to be equally as inspiring, grab a friend...

 

Remember Polaroids? Well There are LOTS of photo projects that utilize the Polariod camera, here are a few of them:

1. Clown Nose Polaroid Project on Facebook
2. Before I Die I Want To
3. Polaroid Traveling Camera Project on Flickr