Project 52: Week 14: Emotion of Life

Oh yeah! It's another self-portrait week!
I don't like selfies because I don't like me in pictures. 

But, I had great fun with this one. 

For starters I had amazing locations to work with!

Add to that awesome light, a favorite outfit, and a fantastic assistant (Eluwhoo) and it was so much fun. 

So the assignment was:

A self-portrait that somehow portrays the overall emotion that is characterizing your life right now. 

I'm going to show you the pictures first and see if you can guess what I'm feeling. 

What emotion do I have?

This was probably number 3 in the running. 

Runner up. I LOVE this location. Are you kidding me?
It's freaking fantastic!

And the winner is:

.

.

.

.

.

.

I'm in love with it.

How did you do? 

Can you see what I'm feeling?

Here's what I was going for:

Peacefully content in this beautiful mess. 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:6-7

Project 52: Week 13: Public Restrooms

Yes, you read that right. 

Our week 13 assignment was public restrooms. 

No restrictions, no guidelines, no boundaries. 

I had this idea almost the second I read the e-mail. 

But it would involved a lot. 

Models will to pose for one. 

Models willing to pose in formal wear for two. 

Models will to pose in formal wear in a public bathroom for three. 

Ohhhh yeah. 

Thankfully, I have stellar rock-star-esque friends. 

Here's what we did:

Second runner up

First runner up ... it's a little steamy ... 

Actual submission! 

It was definitely a fun shoot! 

Project 52: Week 12: Up Close & Personal

With everyday life. 

The assignment:

take a picture of something you use/do/see everyday in a unique or different way

I had two ideas and because of the craziness of our life and 3 weeks of stomach viruses it was a quick snap with not a lot of creativity. 

Idea 1: washing machine because it's as exhausted as I am! 

Idea 2: crochet hook as I have been learning. 

Idea 1: actual submission: washing machine

Idea 2: crochet hook:

I know this is waaaaaaay late ... but I submitted it on time, lol! 

If you're wondering where week 11 is ... it's on my photography blog because that was better suited to the images from that week.
You can check it out HERE.

Stay tuned because this last week's assignment involved a suit, a formal gown, and a family restroom. 

:)

Project 52: Week 10: Self - Freestyle

So, I'm extremely late on this. 

I even missed the deadline for getting to Sandi! 

Gah.

I hadn't done that at all up until this last week. 

I had gotten every week in before the deadline. 

Fail.
I did e-mail Sandi and got it to her the next day but she has a crazy life and didn't have time to throw it in the facebook album.
(Which I totally understand!)

But ... time escaped me. Life took over. 

Chaos ensued. 

This week's assignment was easy and hard. 

Self-portrait: freestyle. 

No guidelines

No restrictions

No restraints

No rules

Whoa. 

My first and original idea and actual image were a little too scandalous for the eyes of the world! So, it's reserved for the eyes of my man. ;o)

Here are the others I came up with:

^Runner up!^

^Actual submission!^

I lub my books. 

Project 52: Week 9: Street Life

This week's assignment was street photography. 

I had big dreams. 

But reality, well, reality is 4 children 4 years old and younger with a hubby who works late and isn't home until bedtime. 

Therefore, my desires and ambitions for strolling around the cities' darker places finding those haunting, intriguing images that I think of when I think of "street life" were not in the cards this week. 

And I'm ok with that. 

This photography thing is slow paced for me and that's how it should be right now. 

So, I decided if I wanted to complete this assignment I was going to have to stage it. 

So I dressed the children in old, ripped, ill-fitting clothes and gave them hotdogs to eat by hand, without buns, and sent them outside (in 20* weather) with no shoes, just socks. 

Crazy right? 

Well, we worked fast and they warmed up inside real quickly. :o)

Here are the images I chose from:

Messy faces, dirty socks, snow, garbage. Close to what I was going for but looks staged. 

This was the runner up. I thought it was funny that they were interacting with one another and that Wyatt really wanted to share his hot dog with Emma!

Submission! Who can resist feet? It just felt right to me. 

Someday, I'll hit the streets of Minneapolis and capture real street life, but for now, this is great. 

Project 52: Week 8: It's a Bug's Life

Week 8 assignment: a Bug's Life:

| anything from the perspective of a bug |

I went with my first idea this week, though not executed in the way that I was originally thinking. 

I wanted a cookie. 

A huge, ginormous cookie. 

With a bite out of it and crumbs along the floor. 

I also wanted you to be able to see a titch of the floor and at least part of the chair leg. 

You know, like the cookie got set down and forgotten about. 

Why you would ever forget about a cookie, I really don't know, but go with me here, it was what I had in my head. 

I was also stuck on this idea that it should be mostly the cookie in view because, well, if you're a teeny tiny bug, then your focus would be this "giant" cookie! 

It would be all you saw. 

Here were my top contenders for images:

1. You see the cookie as the main goal but the middle crumbs are in focus most.

2. Crumbs are in focus. I'm lookin' at those tasty crumb morsels.

3. Eye on the prize! I'm gettin' that cookie if it's the last thing I do!

4. Up close and personal with those crumbies. This was the runner up. 

5. Actual submission!

The only thing I really regret is the processing. I wish I would have edited it differently. 

Cheerio!

Project 52: Week 7: Broken

I don't know if I have words for this week's image. At least, not adequate ones. 

Broken.

Broken hearts.

Broken children.

Broken promises.

Broken marriages.

Abhor selfishness. Abhor stubbornness. Live sacrificially and save your homes. 

Project 52: Week 6: Vrooooooom

It's project 52 time again! Though, I'm a tad behind on my post this week. 

This last week was all about George. My G-man. 

His birthday was on Thursday - the 10th. 

He just turned 4 and I can barely believe it! 

Well, if you know George, you know he loves any and ALL things that have wheels and motors!

So this week's P52 project was right up his alley:

VEHICLES

Any, all, whatever kind you want, however you want. 

First I want you to meet my G-man, if you haven't already. 

He's quiet, pretty calm (though it flares if you try to take his car), he's studious, loves reading, and loves all things cake related. He's sturdy and solid, but tenderhearted. 

Here's him and his crazy hair:

Here were the runners up for the P52 image:

And here is the image I actually submitted:

It was exactly what I envisioned.

Project 52: Week 5: I Love

This week's assignment was a self-portrait. 

A self-portrait with something you love.

Something you love that is NOT another person.

Hmpf.

I mean, I'm all about doing these assignments, so I will but at first I was slightly perturbed. 

My life is all about my God, my husband, and my children.

They are my loves. 

The delights of my life, of my day. 

So, when I think of what I love, I think of them. 

Obviously I have other things I'm passionate, outside of them, but they are my first thoughts. 

So while I was able to come up with things I love I was having a creativity block about what to do with it all. 

Thankfully, God's given me fabulous friends who talk to me and dialog with me and help get my juices going. 

Seriously, thank you Lord, for that! 

An idea was given and I took it and ran with it and what I pictured in my head was what I was going to make happen, if it killed me! 

I was on a mission this week. 

So, my poor children were dragged out (even with colds, yes, I'm *that* mom) and I made this thing possible. 

I never knew one single picture could be soooooo much work. Or so much fun! 

I won't lie, I'm kind of in love with it. 

So, here's my week 5 self-portrait:

Project 52: Week 4: Motion

It's Monday and you know what that means right?

Another Project 52 post! 

This week's assignment was MOTION.

Capture any kind of motion! 

I had two ideas for this and had a hard time choosing because the outcomes were on opposite ends of the spectrum! 

One of my concepts was laundry. 

I mean, my life is consumed with laundry so that just makes sense doesn't it? Lol.

And We just had lots of fun playing in the 6 loads of clean laundry that were piled onto my bed. 

This would have been my choice had I gone with that concept:

Things that I love about this:

- All 4 kids are piled onto the bed which is not uncommon.

- They love throwing the clothes around. I mean, what kid wouldn't? 

- Emma and George are caught mid action. 

- Wyatt and Clara were both frozen and I like that too. 

- It's real. 

But I went a different direction. A little more figurative with this one. 

I titled it (E)motion. 

There's still the capture of motion because I caught the trail of tears, but it's more about the emotion of the image. 

This girl. She's got me. 

Black and white version:

Actual submission - in color:

It's everything I was hoping for. 

Project 52: Week 3: Stranger Danger

Time for another Project 52 post! 

This week's assignment: 

Photograph a complete stranger. 

::gasp::

Really? Um ... I'm a complete introvert ... I don't want to approach a complete stranger! Let alone ask to take their picture. And did we forget? I have 4 children 4 years old and under and it's January in MN and it's been below zero almost the entire week and all weekend! Plus, my husband just started a new job where he works until 7pm every night. 

Yep ... excuses, excuses.
I was FULL of them. 

And I almost didn't get my shot because it was Sunday night and I still hadn't been able to get out or bring my camera anywhere or I had forgotten because I was distracted by the numerous things above. Lol. 

But we made it out and I got my shot! Annnnd I was quite pleased with it. 

Here's my actual submission:

And here it is in color because I had a REALLY hard time choosing between the two: