Day 10 - Something I Made

Another surprising entry in that it took me all day to figure out what to do here and I really did take it down to the wire once again.  In fact, were it not for the fact that Ebe needed a little late-night snack after a long-running meeting, I might have been fashioning some stick figures out of paper clips.


Behold, a PB, no J sandwich...crunchy.  Critics state that it was good, but maybe a little heavy on the peanut butter due to a full sandwich portion being spread across and then cut in 1/2.  Duly noted and we will improve on the next round...or just enjoy some paperclip stick figures instead!

Day 9 - Faceless Self Portrait

Mom...you should be able to spot this in a heartbeat.  Today is faceless self-portrait day and I have a feeling that I interpreted this differently than some of the other real photographers did, but I like it anyway.


Admittedly, those who don't know me pretty well do not realize that I have this birthmark, because I typically cover it up and don't pull my hair back...it is kind of different and because it is red, most people panic for a moment if they catch a glimpse because they think my ear is bleeding.


I chose to highlight it, surprisingly enough, because I figure that if this photo were in a line-up, people who know me would be able to ID me, and in my mind, that is what a self-portrait is all about.

I thought that my hair was looking a bit redder these days than it is here...must be the ear overpowering it!

Day 8 - Technology

I love technology.  I have declared this on more than one occasion in more than one place.  Today's photo is focused on technology and for that reason I decided to focus on my current favorite piece of technology...my Google phone!

I had a whole Lion King, lift-the-phone-to-the-sky-and-take-a-picture-of-it-framed-in-the-sun visual in my head, but had that grand plan dashed with the sad fact that I left my camera at home today...in my backpack, along with my computer.  Yes, I actually walked out of the house without my computer today AND I didn't even realize it until I got into the office and got to my desk; that was indeed a FAIL moment for me and all of my technology!

Forunately, my fancy technology phone has a camera on BOTH sides and mirrors (decidedly low-tech, but effective) exist abundantly in the office, so...voila!  A phone that can take it's own picture!

That is technology at its best, indeed.

Day 7 - Something New

The whole something new (again, in my literal translation of the assignment) proved to be less of an "aha, easy" assignment than I might of liked, and I found myself thinking about it quite a bit throughout the day.

The day's activities were of course full, given the fact that it was Sunday, and I soon found the day winding down without a really solid plan in my head.  One of the multiple activities of the day included a visit to the Happiest Place on Earth by Elizabeth and me to meet up with the Schnoogs and her friend Cassie.  I started to think about how many "new" things were there, particularly around first-time experiences for guests (especially that cute little boy on the carousel in the Tigger cap who could not be more than a year old), but I wasn't feeling comfortable enough to walk up to a perfect stranger and taking a picture of them, or, worse-still, getting chased through Disneyland by an angry parent who doesn't appreciate my paparazzi-style, zoom-through-a-bush photo skills.

I opted instead for a row of gleaming Mickey Mugs, all very shiny and new, waiting for some lucky person to take one home.  A bonus feature?  I faced and merchandised these mugs for the shot, I am sure the team working in the store appreciated my help!

Day 6 - Childhood Memory

Today was a fun day, both for the topic and the actual bunch of stuff that I did!  Ebe came up on the train in the morning and we set off for a fun day in beautiful Ventura.  It was already 84 in Simi Valley when the train pulled in the station, so we were ready for a warm and sunny day at the beach.

Enter the fog...lots of fog!  We visited the Mission, did some shopping along Main St., got a burrito at Corrales, ate at the beach and FROZE.  I took some pix around the pier and water, as I have lots of good memories of the water thanks to my growing up days in San Diego and while the shots were OK, they didn't really capture what I would call a really specific memory.

We went over to the Harbor for an ice cream cone because, you know, they are tasty!  Ebe demonstrated a far broader capacity for creativity and connecting to a fun childhood than I when she said, "hey, this would make a good picture for today".  She had already taken a cool, artsy upshot of a swing at the beach; the idea was ripe for the picking, so I did it!

Cherry Vanilla ROCKS and so does my friend who helps me to be creative when I am lacking!

Day 5 - Someone I Love

This should be an easy one...I have many people I love, all of whom are photogenic...no problem, right?  Not so much.  I actually posted a day late because I just could not make my mind up about what to do.  I don't want to seem like I am picking "favorites" among those I love, or exclude anyone and hurt their feelings, I want to get a good shot that will continue to expand my portfolio a bit, there is too much dialogue going on in my head around this!


I started to go down the path of using an existing photo because it hit all of the key elements that I wanted to, but that isn't true to the rules and I like to think that I am a rule follower (when it is appropriate, there is nothing wrong with being a rebel with a good cause every now and again too, but I digress), so I decided to make it happen.

What is not to love about this face?

Day 4 - Favorite Color

The answer is easy, but a good interpretation takes a bit of thought.  Given all of the creative photos and style of photography that are cropping up in our little project, I find myself working to think a little differently so that I can hold my own against the cool kid photographers that I seem to be running with!


My inspiration came when I was driving to work this morning - still dark but heavy enough traffic that I got to view a lot of taillights.  Looking for the silver lining, I realized that I certainly did enjoy the red glow and while I knew I couldn't take the shot while driving (I already broke that rule and did it yesterday morning), I had an easy shot once I got to the parking garage.

Bold and authoritative...I like it!

Day 3 - Clouds

The blogging AND photos continue and I was excited about today's assignment, because when the big puffy clouds are out, there are fewer things more creative and inspiring to check out.


I awoke to fog...lots of it...and thankfully had the foresight to grab my camera out of my bag as I left the house to snap a few creative and inspiring shots because fog = clouds.  I snapped a few, zoomed in a few and even took an in-motion shot or two through the windshield while on the road (sorry Ebe, know that I did always have one hand on the wheel and I WAS watching what I was doing plus I left plenty of room in front of me from the next car).  I did not look at any of the photos (because, remember...I was driving!) and went about my day, waiting for the sun to come out.


I was in South Orange County for the remainder of the day, which did finally clear up sometime after lunch to...super clear blue skies, no clouds!  I kept checking all day but nothing, it was a Chamber of Commerce Day, much to my dismay.  It reminded me of the movie The Aviator when Howard Hughes blew his whole filming budget waiting for real clouds to appear in the sky so that the fight sequence they wanted to film would appear more realistic...there was nothing to work with today!


I downloaded my collection of fog pictures, expecting at least one or two great shots and instead I found gray, dreary and relatively uninspiring shots of not much of anything, including one particularly blurry picture of a wheel (I think).  Someone needs to back off on the zoom!

Elizabeth helped me out and picked the best of the worst...this is it.  We tried to convince ourselves that the contrast of the trees along the roof line made it interesting.  


Tried is the operative word here!

Day 2 - Something I Do Every Day

It is good to be blogging again and even more fun to be photo-journaling as well!  The assignment today is to capture something that I do every day.

I took the phrase literally...EVERY day.  Shower - out.  Using the phone - out (although the leader if the assignment was almost every day).  Driving - out.  On the computer - out.  You get the idea.  There are a lot of things that I do a lot, but I had to think a bit to capture something that I do EVERY day without skipping.

You can thank me later for this!

Day 1 - Self Portrait

Celebrate the triumphant return of the blogging discipline!  Thanks to two creative people who piqued my interest in stretching some creative muscles...Brenna for the 30-days of photos exercise and Ebe for suggesting we blog about the process.  I like it!

We begin with a self portrait.  Actually a hard first assignment, in my opinion!  My initial idea was one of action...I set my camera up in my cube at work with the self-timer and spun around in my chair.  In my head, it was really cool and blurry and would represent the constant state of action that I am usually in...so very profound, right?

After about 10 REALLY BAD pictures of me in various stages of frozen shots trying to look like I was moving, I abandoned the effort.  The day was getting later, I was supposed to be working and I was starting to obsess over this darn self-portrait.  I put the camera away for a while and just let the creative energy flow for a bit...there has to be something that I can do to represent me!

Enter the scissors.  I have what some call a bad habit of cutting my own bangs...I prefer to consider it a strong commitment to good grooming skills...and in one instance I actually used cuticle scissors to trim things up.  Admittedly, not my best look for a week or two after that encounter.

At any rate, behold the self-portrait!  Too much flash, too aggressive on the trim and all me, true to life!