Projects

I have had this idea for a while. This week I stood with Miss Aurora and we talked about everything under the sun and she mentioned the Wonderland book of portraits that are extremely exotic and beautiful. It is done with models and special lighting effects.

In my head I had a vision of doing some self portraits in woodland settings. I'd done some of that last year when I was out and about with Charlie and Bear.

One of my favorites from last year was sledding with a Teddy Bear and Charlie running alongside us. I used a timer on my pointy shooty camera and set it to 7 shots hoping that one shot would deliver the following.

These are not the same type of photos that the artist Kristy Mitchel has done. But the discussion did rekindle some old ideas I had about self portraits.

I went up into my Magic Room [really, it is a spare bedroom where my paints, crafts, and toys are stored] and looked down at the outfit I'd picked out over a year ago. My intentions were to 'dress' up and take a self portrait in the woods. You know a dreamy shot where I looked beautiful and exotic.

Pfft. 
I should know better.
Most people who call themselves a photographer absolutely hate getting in front of the lens. I didn't like it as a kid and liked it less as my face aged. 

What I think I look like in front of a camera...or wished I did:

What I generally look like [in the winter]:

How I feel before coffee in the morning:

And here are two versions I did this morning while having coffee on a knoll overlooking the neighbor's meadow with Bear.
I like the B&W version much better.

I'm not very good at this and it took quite a bit of running back and forth with the timer set. I could use an app on the smarty phone to do it, but I always end up with the damn phone in my hand.

However, this is more me. I'm not gorgeous and dreamy looking. I have a face that has been beat up by the weather and sun. It has amazing wrinkles in it. If I were a man I'd have a gnarly weathered face. 

But see, I am going to be okay with that because really. No amount of makeup will make me look young and dreamy.

So what will my project be? Oh it will change constantly. But I am going to put on the gypsy crazy lady outfit and play dress up. Well, why not? I have to entertain myself.

I won't even try to do those incredible artistic shots. Those were someone else's vision. I want one of my own.

I'm going to work on the Bear and I stuff too. I really like doing things with Bear.

So...

off I go

to do my own thing.

You never know what I will come up with.

2020 The year to remember?

First, you all need a photo of Charlie who was happy to sit under the Hickory Tree on a chair with his rug on it...
for the sole purpose of watching for The Squirrel!

I am not going to comment on the politics and craziness that is happening right now in our country.

I'm going to go back and do a project that has been on my mind but every time I start thinking about a project, I get sidetracked. 

January will be the starting point.  I am going to do a photography book. I want to go back and visually enjoy this year.

I need a distraction. I've also signed up for a 6 week course in Care-giving and Self-care offered by the Veteran's Administration. The course will start next Monday and go for 6 weeks. Since I am an Official Care-Giver to my husband, I may learn something new from the class and besides, it is Virtual and online. I've been caring for Rich since 2015 but had to leave the workforce to stay home with him in 2017.

Hmmm, there I go sidetracked again!

I'm going to feature things over the year that were meaningful to me. That helps me figure out who I am and how I cope with our interesting life here on our little farm. I don't mean to say that I have it so hard. I don't. It might be something fun to look back and enjoy this year in photos.

January 2020 started out with a bang.... or well not so much of anything. But we did have some very warm weather and then some snow and frost.

For some odd reason I feel compelled to document this year in some way. I have kept a written journal that started out with my Master's Naturalist class, but that devolved into a private journal.

Maybe I just want to go back and pick out my favorite visuals from this year.

Who knows?

I've had ideas like this before. I did a book called The Sleeping Forest and another called The Enchanted Forest. That was in 2009 when I eagerly searched out plants and wildflowers and photographed them as a project.

I still go back and look at that book once in a while. Perhaps it will help motivate me once more.

2020.

What might you do to recall this tumultuous year in the future?

I do know that in the past 11 years that my photography methods have changed. So that in itself may be interesting.

Well.

Back to canning tomatoes. Sure makes things steamy!