Happy EIGHTH Blogiversary to me!

My poor, neglected blog. It's lost out to Facebook a little bit. And starting a photography business. Oh and my full-time job.

I wished I had come up with something super creative to celebrate this eighth Blog-iversary, but I haven't had the time.

For the first time in several years, I am attempting a photo project... two of them actually. I had come across the "Dogwood Photography 52 Challenge" in one of my FB photography groups and it sounded interesting. It rotated from landscape to portraits to artistic and I thought it would challenge me. And coincidentally, a friend of mine started a 365 project. Simultaneously, I realized that I had had a good streak of taking photos every day so far in the very early new year. So I 'publicly' gave myself this goal of BOTH projects simultaneously. An incredibly ambitious and perhaps stupid task.

I'm not going to punish myself if I fail at the 365 but I'd really like to not miss the 52 Week Challenge. So far, I've made it 40 days or 6 weeks!

Here's a quick recap -

          

Week 1: Selfie

             

Week 2: Traditional Landscape: 

          

Week 3: Artistic - Red:  

                               

Week 4: Headshot - 

 

Week 5: B&W Landscape - 

           

Week 6: - Artistic - Candy: 

My only constraints on the 365 project is that I'm trying to take it with my "big" camera and I'm wanting to try new things, photographically.

Here's to the rest of the year!

Lucky Seven?

7 years and 874 posts ago, I started this blog because my interest in photography was starting to kick up. Little did I know, the photography bug was going to take hold and never let go. Every year, I've tried to learn at least one new things and am constantly printing off articles to read for later.

In the last year, my participation in photography exhibition world really took off. I finally started listening to the friends, family and colleagues who have been encouraging me for a little while and gave it a real go at applying. And it has certainly paid off:

• 5 juried exhibitions including:
• a city-wide photography contest
• my solo photography show debut at Third Degree Glass Factory

I couldn't be prouder.

I'm sure some readers of this blog have noticed that there's no Photo Project 2015. That is true and it just kind of happened. Part of it is because I was on vacation over the holidays and I didn't have myself together on that front. Part of it is because it has been kind of nice to be camera-free for awhile. I LOVED my trip over the holidays but I always had my camera in my hands. Plus, January was a SUPER busy month at work for me - two of the weeks were 90+ hours at work which doesn't leave much freedom. And, St. Louis is having a snow-less winter which doesn't leave much photogenic-ness around.

But what I *HAD* promised myself is that I would put myself out there for more exhibits. Entry fee or no entry fee, themed or unthemed. And then, I was given the opportunity to have a second solo show - kind of out of the blue. I'm grateful for the opportunity and grateful for the friends and family who helped me curate it one of the more insane weeks of my life. And I am extremely happy with the result.

And shortly after that, I received notification that I'll be in another exhibition running from February to June in a local hospital.

I've applied to or will be applying to at least two more... and already I will be meeting my self-imposed goal. I must keep finding great exhibitions to be a part of.

So here's to another good year in photography and blogging!

6 Years Strong...

I've had this blog now for 6 years, today. 764 posts later, it certainly has morphed from a generic showcase blog for the occasionally fun photo to a home for my photography and occasionally for things about my life. I do often wish I could change the name of it, but I've had it for so long, it is too late to change it now. It was certainly an inspired choice back then, but now it seems less applicable to the current use!

I thought about recapping the last year, but we're still so close to my wrap up from 2013, that I wouldn't want to bore you with repetition.

Instead, I'll present you some of my favorite images from the last year:

                             

And a few from this year:

  

I think I have more posts in the hopper, so keep checking back for more! 

Happy 5th Blogiversary to Me!

Holy cow, I cannot believe I have had this blog for 5 years! This blog was started on a friend's couch in Houston on one not-so-wintery day (9th) in February of 2008. When I created the blog, I didn't quite know what I wanted to do with it but I was just starting to really get back into photography so I figured I could use my blog to showcase my favorite photos and the stories that went along with it and perhaps an anecdote or rant along the way.

5 years (and 672 posts) later, this blog has seen many things - and got refocused several years ago, when I created the Life List and started using the blog to have folks hold me to my list items and to showcase the items completed (totally 20 since the inception of the list)!

This blog has watched me go from having fun with my photography to taking a more serious take on the photography and seeing what I can learn. I certainly think my eye has improved and I'm working on my technical skills.

This blog has watched me change over from my free-lance career in opera to a local, stable job in the arts in St. Louis. It has watched me live in several cities (short-term and long-term) and even seen me over to China for but a brief moment.

It was really eye opening to go back and click randomly through different posts over the years. I thought about highlighting my favorite posts, but it's like picking your favorite candy in a candy store. It's really hard. So instead I encourage you to go to the sidebar, find the Blog Archive, and pick a year and month and just click around. Leave me a note to say hi and enjoy the time warp, just as I have.

4th Blogiversary!

I cannot believe it's been 4 years now... and I'm still going! Sure, I'm posting less as my time committment and jobs have changed - but I still very much enjoy this forum to share my photos and projects, as well as crossing things off my life list.

I don't have much to say tonight, except thank you, dear reader, for reading and stopping by. I love hearing from you so don't be shy about sharing your comments with me!

I hope to see you keep visiting!

Here's one of my favorite recent photos to commemorate the day! I'll have to come up with something good for my 5 year anniversary in 2013!

Happy 3rd(!) Blogiversary!

I can't believe I've been blogging on this blog since 2008. Three years ago, I started this blog centered around my photography with this post on the most confusing parking sign in history.

Three years later, I've completed two different year-long projects, and continued the theme of the blog - meaning that it is centered around my photography hobby. Sure I have mostly-text posts occasionally on topics that interest or intrigue me, but here we are, three years later.

For those few who have been here since the beginning, thank you for reading and commenting (when you felt like it) and for those who have joined along the way, thanks for stopping by and reading!

We'll be back to our regularly scheduled blogging tomorrow (including more fulfillment of Photo Project 2011).

Meanwhile, I'll leave you with a few of my favorite pics taken relatively recently: