Week 4: Love

This week's theme for the 52 Week Photo Challenge was "Love." I had a hard time with this one - not because I couldn't figure out what to do, but because I couldn't figure out which shot was my favorite. The things I photographed for love all represent different aspects of love, so you get to choose which one you like the best!

First, I will show off the picture of my handsome husband! I love this picture of him because it captures a very sweet, quiet moment. For anyone who knows Brandon, you know that he's usually pretty sassy so this side of him is difficult to catch on camera. I love all sides of this wacky, silly, sweet and wonderful man :)

 

The next shot is a picture of me with my cat, Cleo. Cleo has been a special part of my life since 2004 and was there to help me through some very difficult times. She is incredibly sweet and affectionate, and one way that she expresses her love is by kissing or biting my nose. In January of this year, she had to have 6 teeth extracted, and during her recovery, we kept her in the bathroom and made sure everything was well padded so she would be safe as she came off of the anesthesia.  Well, ever since then, that has been "her" spot and every time I go into the bathroom, she's right there under my feet. So, here we are...having a (staged) moment in the bathroom! I couldn't decide if I liked color or Black and White better...

 

Last on my list but definitely not least...I tried to get a good shot of the cross that is located outside of our church. Unfortunately, there's a lot of distracting stuff behind it, and I was not able to get the awesome shot I had imagined. I played with it a little in photoshop, and the image that I came up with is below. This one is special to me because the faith that I have discovered over the last few years and our amazing church family have brought me a huge amount of love and joy since we started attending this church. Plus, the love of God is undeniably the greatest love of all.

Week 3: Childhood Memory

 

Week 3 is supposed to be a "Childhood Memory." I struggled a good bit with this topic because I don't have easy access to my childhood home, which is where most of my memories occurred. I didn't really want to put someone else's child in my photo, and so it really came down to objects. This teddy bear was my constant companion when I was a child. It was a birthday gift when I turned 5. I slept with him every night tucked under my arm, and he still sits on my nightstand 29 years later. He's as flat as a pancake, his eyes are all scratched up, his nose is threadbare...all signs of the love that I had for my "Teddy." I took the photo with a low aperture setting, but I deleted the image from my memory card before I was able to record all of the exposure settings I used.

Runner up photos:

I also took the photo below of the Sunday comics hanging over the edge of the couch.  When I was very young, every evening, when my mom came home from a long day of work, we would lay on the couch together and she would read the comics to me. It was my favorite time of day and was so special to me. I think this is also one of the things that gave me a love for reading - although I didn't get beyond the newspaper strips in the comic genre (much to Brandon's dismay).

 

I took the photos below at a friend's birthday party today. The kids were playing in the yard between the pool and sandbox. The sandbox photos remind me of specific moments in my childhood when we went to Swan Lake and played in the sandbox on the playground there. Usually, it was me and my cousin Greg and we would have a good time playing until we made each other angry over something. In my memories - that is sort of the way it always went down until we got older. The photo of the kids in the water just reminds me of the joy and carefree feeling that I had as a kid - especially in the summer. We always had an above-ground pool in the yard and it was always full of kids in the summer time.

Same photo, but I can't decide which I like better. The color version is bright and really reminds me of the kids that had just deserted the sandbox. The B+W version is much more dramatic though - I like the contrast in this one. Either way, please make note of the mud pie that had been prepared with love and care by the young girls that were playing here.

 

I just love this one...

The Week 2 Photo Challenge was  "Animals." There are a lot of options for that particular topic around the Morgan household, but I was hesitant to use one of our cats. Naturally, there is the jealousy issue- I don't want any hurt feelings when one kitty is featured on the blog and the other two are left out. That could go bad pretty fast! Plus, I have a feeling that anyone who keeps up with my blog regularly will see PLENTY of the cats as we explore different topics. 

So, I started looking for some other photography subjects. Then, on Tuesday, one of my coworkers returned from the beach with some stowaway hermit crabs in shells she had collected. We've decided to adopt them in the Biology Department and I took my camera with me today to try to get a few shots. Thankfully, one of them was feeling pretty active. Actually, I don't think it was really all that excited about moving around as much as it just wanted to get as far away from me as possible. No worries, I didn't torture them too long. I snapped a few shots and then put them back into their habitat. I was pleased with the results, though, and decided to use this one for Week 2. That one in the front is Watson (I think) and Crick is in the background (for my non-biology loving followers, Watson and Crick are the scientists credited with discovering the structure of DNA). I did a little Photoshop editing to bring out the colors in the shell but I am still learning how to do most things in PS.

The runner-up pictures DO include my cats. This first one is our spoiled baby Cleo. She must drink from a red solo cup. And, by the way, you have to put fresh water in the cup every time she chooses to have a drink. Only the best for Princess Cleo please...

The other two cats refused to pose for picture time, so I have pulled a couple of older shots that I really liked of them. Comet is on the left and Cairo is on the right. It is funny that I put them side by side because typically this is a formula for disaster.

 

Finally, I took some pictures of my sister's boxer, Candy, when we were home over the weekend. Candy has quite a personality and is a very sweet dog. I love the one of her trying to get the red dot of the laser pointer on the floor!

 

Week 1: Self Portrait

So here is my Week 1 photo! For my self portrait, I tried a bunch of different things, but I think this one turned out the best. I took this photo in the rearview mirror of my car, and it is not as easy as it looks! The idea behind this one is that the challenge was to take a photo of how I see myself. Well, aside from my morning routine, when I see myself it is typically in the rearview mirror of my car. Plus, for a long time, I spent so much time on the road - back and forth to Greenwood when Brandon and I were dating, and then back and forth to Charlotte every day when we got married and I was working at the hospital. So, in a sense...my car is a reflection of me - hence, the photo.

I am also pasting some of the runner up photos. I was shooting for an "idea" look with the light bulb, but I had a hard time pulling it off with my current lighting situation. I also took a few posed photos and a few of just my eyes - a statement of my comfort level in front of the camera. All in all - this was a pretty challenging photo to take. I guess that WAS the idea. Looking forward to Week 2!

This is post number one on my new photo blog. Keep the expectations low - this is really just a test run! I have decided to pursue my interest in photography in a more structured way. Starting tomorrow, I will be doing a 52 week photo challenge. I have taken lists I swiped from numerous others online, picked out the topics I liked the best, and created a list that I think will challenge me and allow me to be the most creative. I really think you can say a lot with a single photograph - and I would like to get to the point where my photos actually speak to people. I look forward to any comments you have, and criticisms as well - anything that will help me grow.

The photo I selected for my introductory post is one I snapped one day while on the floor trying to get a good shot of one of our cats. I randomly took a shot of my husband's banjo which was situated directly in front of his CD collection. When I saw the image (Thank goodness for digital photography!), I thought "That's not half bad." and I played with it for a while. The cat was thankful for the reprieve and I got a pretty good shot out of the deal.

For anyone else who would like to participate- I would love to share the experience with others. I have posted the topics below. Here are the rules: 1) All photos must be your own original work. 2) Each week's topic will be a photo technique, an emotion, or a proposed composition topic. Interpret each week with your own style and share your thoughts about your selection. 3) Have fun!

1.   Self Portrait - Week one topic - due Sunday July 8th

2.   Animals

3.   A childhood memory

4.       Love

5.       Repetition

6.       Fantasy

7.       Eyes

8.       Silhouette

9.       Michief

10.   Black and white

11.   Something you made

12.   Something that makes you smile

13.   Pet Peeve

14.   Sleep

15.   Growth

16.   Landscape

17.   Something old

18.   Happiness

19.   Close up

20.   Temptation

21.   Line from a song

22.   Shadows

23.   Texture

24.   Excitement

25.   Family

26.   Something funny

27.   Tradition

28.   Music

29.   Windows or doors

30.   Underneath

31.   Smiles

32.   A bad habit

33.   Your weakness

34.   Hidden Beauty

35.   Movement

36.   Fear

37.   Sign

38.   Abstract

39.   Light

40.   Water

41.   Flowers

42.   Sadness

43.   Nature

44.   Simplicity

45.   Sunrise or sunset

46.   A portrait

47.   Traffic

48.   Peace

49.   Food

50.   Control

51.   Artificial

52.   Past