I realized today that like anything arduous and (let’s be honest) at times really boring, a project that requires someone to do the same thing every day for a year is not only about doing that thing.  Whether you are making a sacred pilgrimage, parenting a child, eating healthier, or writing a novel, at some point you realize that the POINT of the exercise is not the exercise itself, and a deeper meaning begins to emerge.  I am starting to get some glimmers of what that is for me.  I believe, at the end of this project, I will have learned an awful lot about honesty and gratitude and perspective.  Oh, and I hope to improve my photography too. xxoo Kate.

I really love shooting at the end of the day, at a time referred to by photographers as the “golden hour” where the sun is low or has just set and the light is soft and golden. However….I very rarely get to shoot at this time of day because I am a mom and I am the one responsible right now for homework, after school activities and making dinner and these things typically occupy me from 3:30 – 8:30 most evenings.  Recently, with the change to Daylight Savings Time, I have been able to get out and shoot during this magical time, usually because we are somewhere in between two things and I *always* have my camera with me.  Lovely light and shadows appear to be the theme this week.  Yum!  I want more of this!  xxoo Kate.

Wow!  I made it through Week 12 of this amazing project.  I am learning so much about photography, refining some of the more difficult skills I’m trying to learn and also learning a lot about my process as an artist.  And, let’s just say, it doesn’t pay to be stubborn (for example) as an artist.  Not that I know anything about that…..

Also this week, I had the honor of being featured on the Snap Maven blog. Snap Maven is an awesome online photography community that hosts weekly themes on Facebook.  I was chosen to judge the theme “This Adventure Called Life” earlier this year and there were so many marvelous entries!  Check out my feature and learn a bit more about me if you like.  You can see more of my work there too.

I’m very excited for what this year will bring.  I am getting ready to announce some new features and services.  Look for announcements beginning near the end of April.

I’m going to wait until lucky Week 13 to make one more announcement because I am reverse superstitious like that.  Stay tuned!

xxoo

Kate.

Each week of this project brings me a new opportunity for growth.  This past week it was actually quite difficult to complete my daily shooting because I started to do more double exposure images.  For those of you who are curious, double exposure is actually a technique taken from film cameras in which an exposure of file was not advanced and another shot taken over the original image.  Some dslr cameras (like mine) let the user create multiple exposure images in-camera.  Other photographers use software like Photoshop to blend two or more images together.  I find the effect fascinating and hope to keep developing my ability to create interesting multiple exposures and refine the ideas I am already working with.  I also have some friends who think there is a market for these for parents.  Wouldn’t it be cool to take images of children and families and lay them over other images of city skylines, waterfalls, flowers, mountains or even interesting graphics?  Hmmmm…..see how this project is pushing me? 

The project continues and is working itself into my daily and weekly routine.  And why shouldn’t photography become like any other artistic discipline?  Many writers, painters and designers speak to the importance of working every day at their craft.  Hmmm…I have never approached photography in this way, preferring to only take pictures when inspiration strikes.  But if I continue to do that, I’ll never confront frustration and boredom, which are key components to finding brilliance!  EUREKA!