Day 31...Nap Time

NAP TIME

I'm so thrilled that I've made it through month one of my project!  I know there are days when I don't feel like my shots are that great.  They're hurried or uninspired, but even then, I try hard to see something good in the less inspired shots I take.

Reflecting back on the month, I feel like I really have stretched myself at times.  I also feel like in the next 11 months, there are going to be so many more amazing opportunites and while sometimes doing a photo EVERY day can be a little more than I feel I can handle, I'm so glad I did a 365 and not a 52 project. 

Today's photo is one that caught my eye early.  I was walking through the Square between St. Peter Street and Wabasha Street.  It was yet another subzero freeze.  I was gazing at the bright blue sky and appreciating that it was at least sunny, and as I looked up, all along the ledge of the building, the pidgeons were sleeping.  If it wasn't so cold, I would have attempted a panorama so I could get the whole line of them.  There were at least 100 little puff balls all curled up and napping.  I kept wondering how they could stand the cold.  

With them all lined up and perched on the ledge of this old building with it's beautiful style, it reminded me a bit of the old Disney movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  

Now that January is over, I'm hoping it will warm up a bit and give me a little more time to spend being creative.

Day 30....Just Winter

JUST WINTER

More snow.  More cold.  More winter.  And it's not February yet.  This winter is tough.  Snow is pretty.  It's smooth and fluffy and sparkly.  But I'm honestly sick of it.   I think I might be able to find more visually appealing photos and appreciate the beauty of winter if I had a little more time to spend focusing my attention to the detail of my shots.

Today, I just feel like this isn't great work.  I went out after dark and took some shots of the city, the cathedral, the capital.  They were nice.  But it was so cold and windy that I couldn't spend enough time to refine the shots the way I wanted either.  So this is what I ended up with today.
I feel disappointed, and just sick of winter.

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 29...A HOLY PLACE

A HOLY PLACE

Whenever I see this building, I feel like I've been transported out of this country and straight to the Ukraine.  It's so beautiful.  It really is another one of those places I had never noticed until recently, and then suddenly out of the corner of my eye while driving I saw it.  I didn't photograph it the first time I saw it.  I planned this evening so I would arrived at this spot right at sunset.  

This building is surrounded by a lot of trees, so it was pretty difficult to get a good shot of the domes and the sky without a lot of distracting flora.  I am going to go back again sometime when the sky is different.  I think the silouhette of it is amazing and completely beautiful.

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 28...Cold Urbanscape

COLD URBANSCAPE

Icy cold.  This winter is brutal.  But for some reason, it makes the city look amazing.  As I was driving in this morning, I just loved how the steam was hanging in the frozen air.  There's just something about how that cold air sharpens everything.

I don't think St. Paul is a standout gorgeous cityscape compared to some, but it's my city and it has it's own quirky and quaint beauty to it.  It's our capital, so that makes it cool, right?  

This shot was taken through my windshield while I was stopped on the off ramp coming in to the city.  I did add a little hdr-ish enhancement to sharpen it up and give it some pop.  I think one thing I love visually about any city is the varying heights, widths, and positions of the buildings and other objects of the city as well as the springkling of colors from signs mixed with the buildings, smoke, and sky.

Now, enough with the cold.  I'd like to have more time outside without the fear of frostbite on my trigger finger!

Day 27...Classy St. Paul

CLASSY ST. PAUL

This project for me is entirely meant to be a challenge.  In the weather we're having, it indeed has been an "extreme" challenge for me to continue to come up with interesting things to photograph, and not only photograph them, but have them come out appealing to the viewer(s).

I catch the bus right in front of Rice Park.  This week the park is filled with Winter Carnival activity.  The ice sculptures are sitting there, sparkling away in the sunshine, posed nicely for the cameras that come along.  I too have tried to capture these lovely and amazing sculptures.  But unless you have the right kind of lighting, angle, and no people walking in front of you the moment you press the shutter, they're not all that appealing on "film."

So today's photo is somewhat of a combination of capturing some part of the Winter Carnival ice sculptures while at the same time getting a sort of "street photography" aspect to the shot.  

If you've ever been around the St. Paul Hotel, you definitely have seen their finely appointed Valets at the front door.  They have to perform their jobs depsite the -14 degree (-30 windchill) temperatures.  What I love most about them is that you could take a photo of them now or any time and the photo will seem timeless.  They look like they could literally be from a different era.

So again, I'm stretching my talents away from landscapes, and for some, street photography is a favorite.  It's not my forte, but I have to admit, I like this shot as another addition to my unintended "Sub theme" of St. Paul.

www.photosfeaturingyou.com  

Day 26...Blizzard Clouds

BLIZZARD CLOUDS

I'm not going to deny, I'm sick of this weather.  I'm tired of snow.  I'm tired of cold.  But tonight, I went out in the wind and tried to capture the weather.  I think you can see that the clouds were definitely stirring up something.

My good friend Valerie who is an internationally-known professional photographer often inspires me with minimalist shots.  That's what I was trying to go for here, but the clouds and the setting sun really made it pretty dramatic.  

I know I said I was going to try to get away from landscapes and architecture a bit, but I have a hard time resisting the beautiful sky when the clouds and sun mix up such a beautiful scene.

With the coming blizzard conditions, maybe tomorrow's photo will just be white.

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 25...Hand Warmer

HAND WARMER

This photo is very, very far outside of anything I would normal shoot.  But look at that face!!!  I could NOT resist.  Tiana and I were wandering around St. Paul checking out the ice sculptures and getting ready to go ice skating during the Winter Carnival festivities, and the little guy's owner came walking by holding him close.  

He was so irresistably adorable.  I just had to have a photo of his cuteness.  If any of you are pet lovers, I know you wish you could snuggle him.  And after seeing his owner, I realize a doggie makes the perfect handwamer.  

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 24....Mickey's Again

Mickey's Again

It really is just such a cool place.  It's completely out of place where it is, so it stands out and begs to be photographed.  

When I walked out of work, it kind of looked like a blizzard, and for some reason, I just felt like I was in another era, backward in time.  And when I looked at this photo, it really seems exactly how I saw it and felt, old-fashioned.  

I don't really want to post the same sites or images more than once, but this one stood out more than the others I took today, and the conditions were so different than my last Mickey's shot so I do think they're very different. 

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 23...Longing for Summer

LONGING FOR SUMMER

It's not just the cold.  It's not just the snow and ice.  And it's not the lack of sunlight in Minnesota.  But to miss so many months of our favorite sport is difficult to cope with.  I know there's indoor soccer, but as any player or fan would know, it's not the same.  

I live about a quarter of a mile north of the National Sports Center and the Blaine Soccer Complex, so I drive by the empty, cold, lonely fields every day.  The way the sun is shining through the net and casting shawdows, it's like a beckoning to the field for us to come out and get the game going.  The shining sun and the drifting sparkly snow causes a feeling of peace and serenity out there.  I know it's months away, but my heart is aching for summer, and I can't wait to shoot some action on the fields instead of the empty lonely net.

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 22...King Boreas, Titan, and Euros are Winning

KING BOREAS, Titan, and Euros are Winning

The first serious signs of the St. Paul Winter Carnival have arrived.  I think the official start is tomorrow, but Rice Park was beginning to transform into a Winter Carnival wonderland with the ice throne already constructed and things being set up for the kick off.  

With icy cold winds whipping through the park, I'd say King Boreas' brother Titan (north wind) and Euros (east wind) are kicking butt over Vulcanus Rex.  

But the good thing is...that makes for REALLY frozen ice sculptures and lots of wintery photo opps to come in the coming days of the Carnival.  I can't say whether I'll brave the cold for many of those opportunities myself as I'm truly "frost burned" out on this weather!  But I love the crystal clear ice of the sculptures and I'm sure the parades will lend many opportunities for some good "street" shots.

We shall see what the future holds. 

www.photosfeautringyou.com

Day 21...Is It Happy Hour Yet?

IS IT HAPPY HOUR YET?

After the weekend and today, I really needed happy hour, and through window of  Great Waters Brewing Company in downtown St. Paul, I felt I was being beckoned to come in and have a taste!   (Though I actually had my happy hour at The Bin)

This is absolutely not the image I had intended to post tonight as I had kind of a cool night shot I took, but somehow in the process of transfer, I lost the images that I took this evening, and in the end, I'm actually kind of glad, because when I went back and looked at the shots I took from today, I decided I like this.  

This is definitely me stretching myself from the ordinary things I do.  The outdoor theme is becoming a little more challenging for me as winter turns to gray frozen muck in most places.  And if it's not gray frozen muck, it's a winter snowscape, or sunrise or sunset....becoming cliche.  I'm sure I have enough of those left in me in the more that 300 days left, but I do want to expand myself.   So in a way, I'm a little happy my other shot disappeared.  

What do you think?

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 20...Portrait of a Skier

PORTRAIT OF A SKIER

I took my daughter and her friend to the ski place today.  If it wasn't for the pesky full-time job, again, I would have had a plethora of opporutnities to photograph all over the ski hills.  I would have strapped on some skiis, packed the camera, and made a day of it.  But I spent most of my day in the "bar" and just stepped outside for a couple quick snaps of what was going on.

Of course, I had my preconceived notion of the "perfect shot" I was going to get of what epitomized skiing here in Minnesota, but I didn't care for my composition of what that idea was.  So today's treat is a portrait of a skier.  This is a modified version of my great friend Val Jardin's street photography, but it's done in and around the ski lifts!  It's what we all look like when we're waiting for the chair lift to take us up the hill on a chilly afternoon.

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 19...Sleepy Winter City

SLEEPY WINTER CITY

I'm not sure how I'm really feeling about this image/post at all.  I really want to try to get away from landscape and city shots all over the place.  But today was another one of those days that would have been perfect to strap on some snowshoes, go for a walk, and find some fantastic wintery wonderland to photograph.  However, due to the extreme inconvenience of me having to work full time at a JOB that is not photography, I just didn't have a decent amount of time to do what I would have liked to obtain my shot of the day.

But as  I was headed out to pick my daughter up, I saw the sun going down.  I really did NOT want another sunset photo.  But I thought if I waited just a bit longer, I could catch the blue hour, and I know how sparkly St. Paul can be when the sun goes down.  There are so many places around the city where I would love to position myself to get a good angle of the  city.  However, a lot of them aren't friendly to foot traffic, or I'd have to park far away and walk across a bridge or something that wouldn't exactly be safe.  

So tonight I decided to head up to Mounds Park and see what the city would look like right when the sun sank under the horizon and everything went blue.  This is what I got, your typical cityscape skyline.  I think it's nice, but I'm going to try to go in a different direction for a while and do what I set out to do in this project and stretch my imagination and creativity and skill so I'm not constantly posting photos of the sun coming up or going down, or photos of all the iconic buildings of downtown St. Paul.  

My goal this week is to do at least one great black and white shot and at least one great street photo.  We'll see how it goes!

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 18...Snow and Serenity

SNOW AND SERENITY

I set out to have coffee with one of my most favorite friends this morning, and this morning's scene was one after an overnight snowfall.  I could hear and see lots of snowplows and evidence of people trying to recover from the accumulation.  But when you I got off onto the quiet side roads, I felt like I was far away from civilization and alone in the world.

I love the peaceful tranquility of a post-snowfall day.  This shot was actually taken from the parking lot of the coffee shop while waiting for my friend to arrive.  The coffee shop was in Andover, MN where the hustle and bustle and overcrowding of the city has not yet arrived and there's still a feeling of country living if you're on the right road.

While it looks like it might have been sunrise, it wasn't.  There was enough clouds hanging is such a way that the sun was coming through in a colorful glow.  I wanted to try to make this a more minimalist photo in black and white, but when I analyzed it, I decided I liked the pastel colors of the morning.

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 17...The Sunny Bridge

THE SUNNY BRIDGE

If there's other positive things I can say about my photo project aside from stretching my imagination and creativity, I'm also getting in some pretty fantastic walks.  Today I started off at lunchtime to see what I could find to photograph.  I wasn't having the best luck finding anything very interesting, so I just decided to wander down to the river.  It was a gorgeous day.  And when I got the the river, the sun was shining so brightly.  It took me way out of my way from the office, but it was worth the fresh air and endorphin production.

The river in downtown St. Paul has at least four notable bridges, one which I've already used in this project, the High Bridge.  There's also the Wabasha Street Bridge, the train bridge (I don't know what else to call that), and then today's photo, the Robert Street Bridge.  I took photos from a few different angles of the different bridges, and this one came out the front runner.  

I love bridges, and I'm actually pretty pleased that my walk took me to this very place today.  
 I really like this shot.

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 16...The Cold Capitol

THE COLD CAPITOL

At the risk of seeming like a tourist, I'm coming dangerously close to being cliche with my photos.  There are just so many visually cool buildings in St. Paul, and since they're outside and I have 365 days to shoot outside and much of my days are spent in St. Paul, this is where I start, I guess.

With that being said, I LOVE the way this shot turned out.  The wind was howling and the snow was blowing around me, but the Capitol stood out so beautifully.  I did very little aside from cropping to edit this image.  Aside from being very cold, it was a beautiful scene, quiet, snowy, somewhat serene.

Maybe when this project is over, I'll have a little coffee table book of all of St. Paul's great sites.

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 15...Sparkly Park

SPARKLY PARK

Today, I kind of feel like this image is a compromise, but I guess every day is not going to produce perfection.  This is where I wait for the bus in the evening.  This is as close as I could get to capture the essense of what it's like when the sun goes down there.  This is the same park I took yesterday's shot from but I'm facing south with the Landmark Center to my back.  

Rice Park is another one of those St. Paul spots that is just a place you love to go during nearly any season or weather.  The City took down the big blue tree that's normally the focal point of the lights during the holidays, but since the holidays are over, now it's just all sparkle in a non holiday way.  

Tonight it was snowing as I waited for the bus, and it was such a pretty winter evening, other than the fact that I was nearly freezing to death trying to get the right angle on my shot!  The reason I'm not significantly pleased with the shot is it just seems a little grainy, and just not as beautiful as I'd hoped, but it was the best of what I got today.  I think I've concluded that night stuff, unless I have more time, is just not my forte.

I would love for warmer weather to come now, and time for me to shoot something that is not so "St. Paul."

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 14...A Snowy Day in the Park

A SNOWY DAY IN THE PARK

Rice Park and Landmark Center, gorgeous really at any time of the year.  I've been there several times during the holidays when it was all lit up and sparkly.  I love that state of existence for the park.  But today, the park was magical in a different way.  It was covered with a fluffly blanket of snow with a bright blue sky surrounding it from above.

With the blue sky, I debated doing this photo in color, however, I think the black and white version definitely emphasizes the snowiness of the moment.  The Landmark Center is just one more of those very photographed architectural icons of St. Paul given that it's such a beautiful building and set across the street from such a wonderful green space in the middle of the city.  I'm sure that the St. Paul Winter Carnival will be invading the park soon, so we'll see if it produces some fascinating images of classic Winter Carnival scenes.  

I know that many of the sites I've shot during this project have been photographed many times over, but I'm thoroughly enjoying adding all these great places to my own portfolio and at the end of the year, I may have to look through all my shots and print some enlargements to hang in my surroundings.  

I can't believe that it's already week two of this project and I've easily come up with great things to photograph every day as well as experimenting with methods I've wanted to try all along anyway.

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 13...Cotton Candy Sky

COTTON CANDY SKY

Tonight, the Universe handed me this!  Oh, yes, the beautiful sky that I love so much.  I am always intrigued at how fleeting these moments are.  You could sit for 10 minutes catching the sun going down, and if you just shoot every minute or so, you will surely have a different shot every time with the movement of the clouds and the sinking of the sun.

In this particular scene, I love how there are shades of pink at the top and the middle section is like a gold explosion and trailing on the left is the hint of the midnight to come.  Of course, with the added bonus of a silouhette of trees, it's truly beautiful.  It never ceases to amaze me how the sky always looks like someones out there flinging a paint brush around.  

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 12...Night Skyline

NIGHT SKYLINE

Tonight's shot is, again, one that's been done many times by many people.  But our lovely city of Minneapolis begs to be photographed, especially anywhere near the Stone Arch Bridge.  

Tonight I went on a little adventure and took shots from several different angles and got several different outcomes.  It was hard to select an image once again for each one had a uniqueness about it.  Tonight I ellicited help from my mom, and she helped me narrow it down to this one.

I've said before that I love to take images of the sky and the skylines of the city.  Tonight the weather was perfect for it, and the city was just sparkling in its glory.  Though many have photographed from this very spot and likely nearly this exact photo, this one is my own for my collection and I'm excited I had the oppotunity to get these shots.

The funnest part about photographing the Minneapolis skyline and including its surrounding bridges at night is the difference in all the lighting and colors.  And I especially love that in the area that we were in tonight, just a few steps one way to the left or right or a few steps up or down the stairs, and the city looked completely different.  

This project is coming along way better than I expected and I can't wait for each passing day to see what comes to mind and comes to life in print.

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 11...Light Writing

LIGHT WRITING

You would think that with the weekend would come time, time to get outside in the light of day and find something to photograph.  But today, it just wasn't in the cards for me.  On my way home from driving my daughter to soccer this evening, I contemplated how the whole day went by without me taking my photo of the day.

I had been near downtown Minneapolis this evening where the nighttime skyline looked amazing, and I certainly had enought time to pass to get out there and shoot.  However, in the haste of leaving for our dinner date tonight, I didn't think to bring my camera.  So I stared at that gorgeous skyline thinking of a missed opportunity.

But as I drove through the neighborhood on the way home, I saw the few leftover holidays lights the neighbors still had burning, and wondered to myself if I could pull off one last photo using holiday lights without it appearing holiday themed.

This is what I came up with....light writing.

I've seen it done before, of course much more elaborately and well done.  It took me a few shots to get the aperature, shutter speed, white balance, and the speed in which I drew with my light source all coordinated, but I think it turned out pretty fun.  I want to try again with possibly helpers and a tripod and better light sources, but that likely won't be until it's much warmer outside.

Hope you like it.  I know it's out of the ordinary course of landscapes, etc.  But that's what this project is about for me...experimenting, trying to push my limits.
www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 10...GRAFFITTI!

GRAFFITTI ! !

I had several images today that I was trying to decide between.  I could NOT decide, so I introduced them to some of my favorite people, and asked them which they liked the best.  The above image is what they chose!  I love it, but I love all the others I took today, so I'll post them below.  I can't help myself.

So I set out on a walk today at lunch.  I started thinking that perhaps I should have titled my project "St. Paul" since I spend a significant amount of time there.  And when I started today's adventure,  I thought certainly that it would be something very "St. Paul."  

It was a dreary afternoon.  It was slightly drizzling, and very, very gray.  I had my mind made up that certainly today's image would be black and white.  

I made my way across the Wabasha Street Bridge and down to Raspberry Island.   I was enjoying the misty skyline and envisioning the gray scaled city.  And out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of color.  There it was, the train and all its colorful graffitti.  

So today's image was different AND colorful.  

These are the others I was trying do decide on.....

THE TRAIN

THE PARK

THE CITY

What do you think?

Day 9...A Silhouette

A SILHOUETTE

I think silhouettes are always appealing.  Not 100% sure about the composition of this one, but it was the best I could get today.  This was actually taken from the window of my bus on my ride home today.

I actually ventured out to try to FIND something to take a photo of, and it was kind of a dreery day, and everything looked crappy and cold and colorless and blah.  So I figured I would just wait until later and maybe venture out for another evening of lights.  Then...there it was...right in front of me.  I was lucky enough to catch this shot out the window as the bus flew past.

I like this one because I wasn't really looking for it.  It just popped in front of my face and said, "HELLO!"  It is, of course, the beautiful St. Paul Cathedral.

I feel pretty happy to combine two of my favorite types of photos, Golden Hour and silhouettes, which I guess kind of go hand in hand often.

I did actually venture out this evening to try to get a glimpse (and possibly a photo) of the Aurora Borealis.  I drove far, far north of my home to where it was pretty dark and turned off onto a side road where there would be no city lights.  And then the fog hit.  So no luck on that tonight.  Oh, well.  I think I'm pretty satisfied with this shot.

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 8...One of My Favorite Views

ONE OF MY FAVORITE VIEWS

If you Google "St. Paul High Bridge," you will see many, many people have photographed this bridge.  I have photographed it many times myself, from many angles, and in all seasons.  This scene was taken from the Wabasha Street Bridge on the edge of Downtown St. Paul.  It's one of my favorite views of the river in the whole city.  

It was another sunny and gorgeous (yet cold...-5 degrees) when I went out to get this shot, so it is not your typical Minnesota scene with little to no color.  Maybe in the spring, summer, and fall during this project, I'll do a few more shots of this lovely scene showing its seasons and other angles.  One thing I have not done yet is taken St. Paul bridge night scenes.  I guess it's time to invest in a decent tripod since I have 357 more days to fill this project up, and I LOVE night shots!

I may even post twice today, because I'm going to pass some time after work right at the Golden Hour today and I may see something irresistible.  

That's not against the rules, is it?  Oh, I made my own rules for this project...so we'll see!

www.photosfeautringyou.com

Day 8 ... Part 2, One of My Favorite Views, in Gold

ONE OF MY FAVORITE VIEWS, in Gold

The same view of my first Day 8 post a few hours later.  I knew it was going to be a nice sunset, so I stopped by the bridge for another try.  Stood in basically the same spot, and this is what I got.  BONUS SHOT!

 www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 7...The Sky in My World

THE SKY IN MY WORLD

I'm fascinated by the sky.  I love the clouds.  I love the sunrise and the sunset, Golden Hour or Blue Hour.  I've taken hundreds and hundreds of photos of the sky during sunrise and sunset and previous to storms or after storms or on just fair-weather days where there are puffy white clouds and bright blue sky.   So today, I was so excited when I walked out of work and this is what the Universe gave me!

It wasn't quite sunset, but you can see it was coming near, and I imagine if I had waited for another 20 minutes, the colors would have been just as wonderful in a different shade.

Sometimes I feel limited in my ability to capture the sky because in Minnesota, we don't have "big sky."  But if you look hard enough, and frame well, you can get the sky in with objects around, like this gorgeous church, and it's beautiful.

This shot is of the Downtown St. Paul sky and Assumption Catholic Church.

Day 6...A Classic Icon in the City

A CLASSIC ICON IN THE CITY

If you've been to St. Paul, you've likely seen it.  It cries out to be photographed.  Mickey's Diner.  Despite the subzero temps today, I did manage to get outside, and something about that cold, cold air seems to make things stand out so clearly.

If you look close, you can see a cook in the window.  That's what I was trying to capture, and when I looked at the result, I got these amazing reflections and total pops of color.  This likely won't be the last photo of Mickey's you'll see from me in the coming year since it is right across the street from the building I work in.  Somehow, I like this version of Mickey's as much as I like the photos you often see of the whole place.

What do you think?

www.phtotosfeaturingyou.com

Day 5 ... Holiday Lights on the Move

HOLIDAY LIGHTS ON THE MOVE.

After this day, I'm going to start taking this project a little more seriously and put more time into my shots.  Tonight, I was entranced by these holiday lights as I drove by, but I don't have a tripod so thought I'd just go a little crazy with them.  I figured, what else can you do with lights when your options are limited with no tripod?

I think it's fun to take shots of lights that are moving (such as a still shot with auto lights as streaks).  I don't know that I particularly like this shot, but I've been pretty limited with my time.  I guess you can stare at it and try to wonder what it would look like if it were still.  And if neon is your thing, this might work for you.

It's going to be deathly cold tomorrow, but I'm determined to get a daytime shot!

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 4 ... Baby...It's Cold Outside

BABY...IT'S COLD OUTSIDE!!!!!

This particular shot is something that goes pretty far outside the norm for me.  #1, I took it on my tablet rather than my regular DSLR.  #2, I added post-process macros to it (HDR-ish).  I actually don't mind the super processed look it has.  

The photo was taken on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.  I couldn't resist this particular shot because it epitomized what Downtown Minneapolis is to me in the winter...kind of sparkly, lit up.  

Again, probably not something I'd hang on my wall, but something I'll look back on and it will bring back the memory of what I was doing this night, and I'll smile for it was the end of a really great evening.

Day 3 ... Experimental, maybe not super artistic or appealing

Experimental, maybe not super artistic or appealing.

With my busy schedule and living in a state where there is a limited amount of sunlight during this season, I am quickly realizing that the time I have to complete my daily photo is going to really push my creativity limits.  

I, again, did not have a chance to get around to photographing until the sun went down.  And then I realized it was snowing outside.  I sat here looking at the big beautiful snowflakes falling and feeling a little bummed that it was nighttime.  Then I thought, hey, why not do something a little experimental.

I've taken photos outside during snow, and I've often become annoyed at the interference of the snow in the photo when the flash catches it.  However, tonight, I feel like my experimental shot is actually kind of fun.  

This is a shot from the front porch of my home.  Maybe not super artsy, but I like the porch lights and the snow.  It screams MINNESOTA.

www.photosfeauturingyou.com

Day 2...Goodbye holidays

Goodbye holidays.  

The holidays are over for me.  I took my Christmas tree down a couple days ago.  I guess I just grow tired of it after weeks of preparing and celebrating.  But there's something I just love about Christmas lights and there are still some glowing in my neighborhood.

I feel like I had to really stretch myself for this shot today in many ways.  

One, I don't have a tripod and shooting at night is not ideal under those circumstances.  Two, how do you photograph Christmas lights and not create a cliche looking shot?  Three, it was absolutely freezing outside and I nearly got frostbit on my shooting finger!  

But this is what I came up with, and I think it's kind of pretty. I always like a little Bokeh, and it worked great for me tonight.  

How's that for color in the dead of winter?

www.photosfeaturingyou.com

Day 1 ... Start a photo project? Sure. Why not?

Start a photo project?  Sure.  Why not?

I've wanted to do it for a long time.  I contemplated...should I do a 365, 52?  I decided since I love photography so much, what the heck, go for the 365.  I wanted to do a theme.  And realistically since portraiture is something I'd really like to focus more time on, I thought that would be the perfect theme.  But I feel like it would be too hard to do a different portrait every day of the year mostly because who would I take portraits of EVERY DAY?  I guessed there would just be many self portraits, and I seem to have plenty of those.  There would also be many portraits of my daughter, and she's already totally annoyed with the amount I photograph her.

So I made my project a theme, but general enough that I could keep it interesting with a different photo every day.  So here we go.  The theme I chose is OUTSIDE.  I didn't want to do just nature or just cityscape or something so constraining.  I figure I will be forced to go outside no matter the weather or the location.  I'll be able to get super creative this way.

I'm very excited!

Now, admittedly, I'm starting my very first day by cheating slightly.  This is going to be the only day I actually cheat if I can help it.  But I waited until kind of late in the day before I made my decision to do this, and it's dark outside.  I do have every intention to push myself and include night shots.  However, I currently don't have a tripod, and I took some shots the other day that I thought would be a great first start.

So DAY 1 I took two days ago.  It was about 10 degrees below zero that day.  I wanted to do some outdoor shots while I was bumming around Minneapolis.  So I ventured out to the Stone Arch Bridge.  The river was gorgeous because in the surrounding parts of the river, the water was frozen, but because of the moving water, the falls were still flowing.  Also because of the extreme cold, the water was steaming.  I popped off a few shots real quick, and my fingers were frozen within seconds.  It was dangerously cold.  I couldn't stay out there any longer, so this is the best shot I got.

Cheers to a wonderfully creative photographic 2014.

www.photosfeaturingyou.com