Minimalist Photography

This week's photography challenge: Minimalism (Click the link to see the other entries.)

(Hint: for a little help check out what this guy had to say.)

No rules, just do your thing and tweak if you'd like! And post as many or few photos as you'd like!

Here are my submissions:

This picture was supposed to be horizontal, but blogger uploaded it vertically. I guess it works that way, too.

I really like how this one turned out.

Near Silhouette

This week's weekly photo challenge:

• A self-portrait featuring a physical attribute that you find endearing or beautiful about yourself - something that you feel makes you uniquely "you".


• Submit one photo.


• This photo can be color or black and white.


• Go ahead and "tweak" it if you feel like it!

How ironic after I'd already posted 2 self-portraits already this week due to my new haircut!

Anyway, here's my entry for the photo challenge:

I purposely backlit my profile against the window, then lightened the pic, bumped the contrast way up, and converted it to black and white to bring out the contrast even more.

I debated about what feature to highlight as I think my best feature and the one that makes me uniquely me are two different things, but I think they both come out in the photo.

• My best feature? my hair (dark in the pic, but you can still see how thick it is and how much I have)


• The feature that makes me uniquely me (or that I'm "known for")? my big, high cheekbones aka chipmunk cheeks

Click HERE to see the other entries.

Christmas Eve 2009

(My 3rd entry in the Christmas Journal photo challenge -- I try not to use the flash so much indoors because I don't like the shadows it casts, but then my pics tend to turn out yellow and grainy in the low light. Any helpful ideas?)

We went to DS's Christmas Eve service where Josh did the A/V for them once again. It had just started to rain when we left home, and when we returned, the rain was coming down pretty hard. Temps were about 35 degrees, but the roads weren't too bad.

Once we got home I took our traditional pic of the kids next to the tree on Christmas Eve. It turned out really well (on the 3rd try)!

As our family has grown, it's gotten harder to take a good picture with everyone looking and no one having a goofy look on his/her face. However, I've learned that the trick is to bribe the kids by saying that if I can get a good picture of them, I will take a picture of them in which they can act as crazy as they want.

Here's the bribery pic of the kids hamming it up.

E took a picture of Josh and me.

After we changed clothes, we set out our supper of sausage, crackers and cheese spread, apple slices, and Christmas cookies, milk and wine, which we ate and drank as we opened gifts.

E was very excited about her new digital camcorder.

Buy Josh tools, and he's a happy man! Actually, he asked for this heavy duty ice chopper.

J has decided he doesn't like getting his picture taken anymore, but I got this one of him with his Lego Millenium Falcon.

G really, really wanted Anakin's Y-wing fighter. He got it!

He was pretty happy about his new Lego Star Wars shirt, too!

E's godmother sent her the cloak for her Elizabeth American Girl doll.

S was super excited to find that he'd gotten some Star Wars Galactic Heroes.

(Are you catching this year's pervasive Star Wars theme?)

But almost nothing can beat stomping on and popping bubble wrap!

F wins the prize for the best expression captured on camera!

She's been saying for weeks and weeks that she wanted an iPod (something to play music). We got her an MP3 player, and she was beyond thrilled! F spent much of the night walking around with the earbuds in, dancing and singing. (I'd asked her the other day what some of her favorite songs were, and last night Josh downloaded a bunch from online to her MP3 player.)

After all the gifts were opened

I love this one of the girls together. E is showing F her camcorder.

Hard at work already

(Day 356 of 365)

Christmas Lights Tour

(My 2nd entry into the Christmas Journal photo challenge)

Last night we drove to the county fair park which started a new tradition this year of putting up lots of lights that people can drive through to look at. Admission is free if you bring non-perishable items for the food pantry.

Poor S fell asleep as we were waiting in line to get in to the park.

The other kids stayed awake though!

These were motion lights. The snowflakes blinked on and off, and the circley swirls ran around and around.

This was an arch of lights that we drove through which were running back and forth and blinking.

(Day 352 of 365)

At the end of the drive, you could park your vehicle and go inside one of the buildings for hot cocoa and to see Santa and Mrs. Claus. We didn't do that, but just went home.

Honestly, I wasn't real impressed with the lights. They were pretty and there were alot of them, especially in places like that arch we drove through, but I thought there would be more lights in all and that they'd be set to music or something. Josh thought that maybe the ones at the end where you went in the building might have been set to music, but I didn't hear any from the van. I know that they're planning to add more lights every year, and this was the first year. I guess I was expecting more due to all the hype and came away disappointed. I know the kids weren't too impressed either. Oh, well!

Gingerbread House Construction

The weekly photo challenge for the next two weeks is to create a Christmas journal. Participants can submit as many entries as they want. This is my first. (Click on the previous link to see the other entries.)

(Day 351 of 365)

New Photo Challenge

I recently met Emily, a very talented photographer and artist. She invited me to participate in a weekly photography challenge that she co-hosts. Since I'm almost done with my Project 365, I thought this weekly challenge sounded fun. Those of you who enjoy photography may enjoy participating in some of the weekly photography challenges, too!

This week's challenge is shoes. (Click the link to see the original post and the submissions.)

Here's my contribution:

(Day 340 of 365)

I know I'm not nearly as talented (yet!) as many of the other photographers who participate in the challenge, but I'm hoping to learn more about photography, practice photographic techniques, and get feedback on my pictures.

If you enjoy photography, please consider joining the weekly challenges!