Oohhhh... tomorrow! Challenging myself to finding some good shots on a work-day. Maybe an attempt at black-n-white??? Depends on the weather, I think.

July 2009

This month's 12-of-12 is an expansion of the theme from June... mainly, all the nature that surrounds me. I played around with the macro setting on my camera this time, so I got some pretty close-up shots (well, close-up for an 18-55 mm lens).

Photos were taken at my home and at my parents' place - about 30 minutes north of me. I started shooting around 11am and quit just before 5pm.

In the last shot, take a close look into my pup's eye. Funny - I'm the photographer... it's not very often when I'm the subject!

CLICK HERE FOR THE JULY 2009 12-of-12

June 2009

I did it! It's been a few months since I've had an entry into the 12-of-12. Today I was inspired by the color green and the fact that Spring (with hints of summer) has sprung and it's BEAUTIFUL around my home.

Link to 12-of-12 Photo Set

Blog update:
Ha ha ha ... I just read my blog entry from May - I noticed that I made a comment about the green-ness of everything - hoping for inspiration in June. Well, I guess it worked.

Ya gotta love Mother Nature... a wonderful source for getting the creative juices flowing.

May 2009

So, one would think... if someone got a cool new camera, she'd be ready for the 12-of-12 this month.

Ready. Yes.
Motivated. No.

What's my problem?
I think it's a bunch of things, all piled up that is putting me in this funk. And it's stupid sh*t. I am healthy (very healthy for that matter), I have a decent job with great benefits, my marriage is solid and fun, what more can someone ask for?

I know - this is getting WAY beyond photos.

Gimme another month. Maybe my attitude will turn around in June. The weather has been fantastic these last few days - and I've had LOTS of gardening time. Maybe next month I'll have some "green" inspiration for my 12-of-12 set.

March 2009

Well... I had the best of intentions today. Took the camera in the car with me as I left for work and even had a theme in mind for my photo set, but sadly, inspiration and opportunity eluded me today.

Maybe next month?

February 2009

Thanks, as always, to Chad Darnell for creating this fun event called the 12-of-12 - the rules are simple, 12 photos to document the 12th day of each month. For those who want to know more about Chad & his Project (or to see other participants in the 12-of-12), visit his site here.

This month is dedicated to my "kids" seeing as how winter has returned with a vengeance today after a balmy 50-degree day yesterday (yes, temps above freezing are VERY odd for February in Western NY). There's been a nasty mix of snow and rain and wind all day that has made it less than conducive to play outside. Maybe next month I'll have some shots that exhibit more creativity.

Click here to view the February 2009 12-of-12

Here's an intro to the crew:

Mackie is a brindle Mastiff-mix who had a rough start to life... she and her siblings were abandoned at a local shelter one night and found the next day by the shelter staff. Sadly, her sister didn't make it and died of Parvo a few weeks after being found. She came to us at around 21 weeks (her birthday is not known) and had some "issues" at first - like the fact that she was terrified of men. She's almost 5 years old and a total spit-fire. She's super smart and loves to instigate trouble around the house with her "little" brother.

TaterBug is a purebred Bullmastiff who comes from AKC champion bloodlines. He's the little prince who has been totally spoiled since conception. He's a lover, not a fighter and just wants to be held 24-7 (or longer, if possible). We've trained him to give people a "small smooch" since his tongue is 3" wide and can take off many layers of skin if given the chance.

Tsunami is a gorgeous captive-bred Jungle Carpet Python. She's also a total b*tch. When we got her we were warned that she would be different from our Boa in that she would not be as receptive to being handled as he was (arboreal pythons like here live in trees and thus are more skittish than ground-dwelling boa constrictors). So, she has become more of a visual pet (like fish in a take - ya can't pet 'em) than one who likes to hang out and watch TV with you.

And finally the fish - these little guys live in a 5 gallon tank in the kitchen. They used to be in my office when I had a desk job, but now they keep me company when I cook (well... them AND Mackie & TaterBug who anxiously await a morsel that falls to the floor). BTW, check out the 2nd fish photo and look at the little Neon Tetra in the middle of the frame - Do you think he knew I was taking his photo?? What a pose!

Hope you enjoyed this month's 12-of-12. Think SPRING!

January 2009

I was starting to get nervous that I wouldn't be able to get 12 shots today. Today was a Monday, a work day, which meant my creativity level was pretty low, and unfortunately, I didn't see much during the day that inspired me.

That was until I listened to The PodCacher Podcast (show #199.9). On the show, they talk about a website called "The Human Clock" - here, for each MINUTE of the day, there is a posting of a photo of the time, submitted by fans of the site. (Here's a link to the site - it's pretty cool, you should check it out.) Sonny mentioned something about having a photo for each SECOND of the day... kinda crazy, Sonny, but it got me thinking.

This concept of a photo for each minute of the day gave me my idea for my 12-of-12. Since I had only taken 2-3 shots during my work-day today, I decided to scrap those and try to get 12 "good" ones (at least) in 12 minutes. So, at 7:32 I started the timer and off I went around the house to see if I could complete the....

12 of 12 in 12

It's not my most creative set - by far - but it give you all a small snapshot of what goes on after work on a "typical" Monday evening.

Hope you like it!
- Jill (aka TotalNRG)