Zen

300:365


Well... another milestone of sorts was reached today as I took my 300th photo for my 365 Photo a Day project ( here and here ). Who'da thunk I would have made it this far?!

In fact, I almost didn't make it today... which would have been the first time in 2yrs that I would have missed. I didn't realize I hadn't take a photo today... except for one lone shot that I took around 8:30pm. And so... I had only one shot to work with today. Ah well. Fortunately, I was happy with it ( and it is shown at the bottom below). While it is not technically perfect * it could certainly be sharper*... I am happy with the mood it evokes...


And... speaking of "mood shots"... I was looking back thru some of my photos today, and came across the other 2 photos on today's blogpost. I took them exactly a year ago today... and they still "speak" to me ... encouraging me to enjoy life... to enjoy where I'm at ... to be satisified with the way things are... while still looking forward to where they could go in the future.

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

296:365


Having used my Kodak pocket camera for over a year now... I am really happy with the photos I have been able to get with it. It is affordable (other than the batteries... it was awesome cost-wise)... easy to carry with you all the time... and surprisingly technically good for such a small camera.


I am a firm believer that the camera does not make the photographer. Over the course of the past year... I feel like I have learned that lesson well. Using a point and shoot encouraged me to go back to the basics... to really focus (as it were)... on what I wanted to accomplish with each shot... the feeling I wanted each shot to express to whomever saw it... but within the limits of a point and shoot camera... and that was an incredible lesson to learn.



It also encouraged me to concentrate on the art of the photograph. The composition... the color... and not just the technical stuff (aperture, focus, lighting, depth of field, etc). Simply put... there are some shots that you can do with a point and shoot camera... and ones you can't. But just as true... is that a point and shoot camera can be much more accessible than a big digital SLR.



And now... ((as of a few days ago))... I have the Nikon D300s with an 18-200mm zoom lens. Now.. I begin the "work" of combining a more technically savvy camera and all that goes with that... with what I re-learned about composition and color and feeling... and it is a wonderful feeling.

So.... can you guess which shots on this post were taken with the Nikon and which with the Kodak?

*all photos by Elaine A. Russell

53:365


This little robin has been hanging around my house for about a week now... cleverly eluding me and my camera most all the while. Today she allowed me to snap one photo... and then she was off. I can only assume that she has a nest very close by. So today... I went and got some extra good birdseed to put out tomorrow.



Then the hubby and I ran some errands. It has been a crazy ( as in bizarre) few days. But... we stopped and got coffee... an item off of Freecycle to work on as a craft.... got haircuts... and all the while I was trying to figure out what to take a photo of to be my photo for today.


We were discussing what... if anything... could sum up my style of photography. I am going to be applying for a grant in the next month or so... and it would help if I could adequately describe what my style is. Funny though... I never really thought about it before. I don't have a specific "thing" I shoot.... (ie: models, cars... sports)... and I don't use a particular filter or whatever that would give most all my shots a signature LOOK. I do a combination of both nature shots, and urban viewpoints... so I am not strictly a nature photographer, for example.


I had a friend recently who described my work as "zen"... and "meditative"... and another friend who said that my photos "depict a world she/ he wished they lived in."

Sort of like a more positive view on everyday life... I really like that.

Or as my hubby put it ..."life affirming..."


And then I got the call. You know... the one I have been anticipating for about a week now. Bad news... but nothing I can divulge today. It has thrown me for a loop. And while it doesn't involve me specifically ... it does effect me completely and utterly. I know, in the whole scheme of things... that goodness can come out of everything... and I have to believe that goodness will come out of this as well.


And so... I am including some "life affirming" photos that I took today... let me know what you think.

(*all photos by Elaine A. Russell)