June 30

Deadlines, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

What's the first thing you think about when you see the word "deadline"?  Make a photograph illustrating that thought.

Am redoing my blog a little bit- changed the title slightly and am going to try to incorporate a daily gratitude shoot in combination with the daily shoot assignment.  Today was a little tough- how can I be thankful for deadlines?  I guess if we didn't have them then nothing would get accomplished.  Sometimes I work better under stress and wait until the last minute to accomplish what I need to get accomplished.  Of course, every time June roles around we need to buy our city vehicle stickers.  Thank goodness we can mail in a request instead of having to go to City Hall and wait in long lines.  Of course, no matter when I mail my check in and when I receive the stickers we I invariably wait until the very last day to apply them to the windshield.  Today is June 30th.  Tomorrow is July 1.  It's hot outside, the car interior is unbearable but it needs to get done.  A job for dh I guess.  As a side note I still need to figure out how to focus so that everything is in focus- as I look at this photo it looks like June is just a little bit out of focus.  I am not too thrilled with that.

Wednesday's Assignment

Today's assignment: choice, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Illustrate choice in a photograph today. Be obvious or subtle. Your, ahem, choice.

Went to a wine and cheese bistro in Oak Park today.  When you walk in the front door you are immediately presented with this curving wall of wines.  I am not a wine drinker.  Nor do I drink much of anything.  Have been down that road once to often and am satisfied with being called a teetotaler now.  What I loved about this wall was that it was curved- am hoping you can see that in the picture.  There was one slot that was empty and if I had to choose a particular bottle I'm sure that one would have been my choice!  When I started out today I thought that today's assignment was to chose something of your liking; not actually take a picture showing choice.  But this works well so I am satisfied with it.

Tuesday's Assignment

White on white, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Take a photo of something that is predominately white.

I am thinking about renaming this blog.  Something like "Live Each Day Like There's No Tomorrow".  Or "Life Sucks Sometimes".  Or "Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People". Not sure how any of those titles with fit with this blog and my photos.  What I want to start is a Grateful Blog- one that shows that I am grateful for each and every day and all that I have, as no one knows what tomorrow will bring.  I just have to come up with a clever name. I can't say I'm grateful for eggs but it is in line with today's assignment.  I could have just had a white egg on a white plate, but that was too white for me.  Even with the addition of the yolk my camera kept zooming in and out no matter how far I was away from the subject. I ended up focusing in manual just so I could take the picture.

I will work on a new title.  For now, life stinks for someone whom I love very much and I need to release my sadness through this blog- even if it is in the form of photos.

Sunday's Assignment

A rose is a rose is a rose, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Make a monochrome photo today. Keep in mind that monochrome does not necessarily mean black and white.

Why can't it just be black and white?  I like the way that this particular photo turned out in black and white.  It is a stunning red with perfectly formed petals.  In monochrome the petals look like velvet.  I purchased a couple of rose bushes a few years ago in memory of my daughter-in-law Cari.  I wanted to find one with some kind of exotic name and with a strong rose fragrance.  She and Matt loved to travel and while she was the more outgoing one I hoped I could find one to match her behavior.  I seem to have lost the label for one of the rose bushes and the other was a Ronald Regan rose- why I would pick that one for Cari is beyond me.  It's dark outside now so maybe I'll find more info out tomorrow.  I do have a couple of things that I've planted in remembrance of Cari and they do give me pleasure when looking at them.  I hope she is looking down on my garden right now and giving me the thumbs up.  A green thumb of course.

Friday's Assignment

Two complementary objects, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Make a photograph showing two complementary objects arranged to show their relationship to each other.

Now the operative word here is complementary, not complimentary objects.  These particular items are really not delightful to look at but they do go hand in hand.  You may think this hair belongs to me which it does not.  I don't have a gray hair on my head nor do I have much hair to begin with.  This belongs to our black coated retriever.  Not one for enjoying a daily brush, it's a job to get him to stand still.  Even though he is 13 he is still a big baby.  Cries if I pull a hair.  Lunges if I snag the brush.  I thought dogs liked to be brushed, but not this dog.  The amount of hair that you see in this picture is small compared to what I get when he begins to shed his winter coat.  Of course, I don't do it on a daily basis because he is not a willing participant.  And because of that our house is loaded with floating dog hair.  That's one reason why I never volunteer to bake for a bake sale, nor do I like to invite people over for dinner.  I certainly don't want anyone dealing with a dog hair or two in their food.  If I could get my act together I'd brush him everyday, hoping that it will keep a large amount of the hair out of our house.  I guess that's wishful thinking.  Because the moment he sees the brush is the moment he runs in the opposite direction.

Wednesday's Assignment

Two of a kind, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Make a photo of a pair of subjects today.  People or inanimate objects are both fair game.

Did you ever wonder why scissors are referred to as a pair of scissors?  I've never really given it much thought.  But when searching for a "pair" of something I came across my scissors.  I am nuts about scissors and they have to be sharp.  Most of mine are sticky with some kind of residue and when they come up missing at work I am a raving maniac.  Why must kids assume I have scissors that they can "borrow?"  I come to work knowing that I need certain supplies to get by, which is why I have become so possessive of my things.  I try to remember to put things away so that they are not in plain view.  It's amazing how kids will grab things off of my desk assuming that they are theirs for the taking.  It's bad enough that my pencils disappear on an hourly basis.  My scissors?  That's another thing, as they are a rare commodity in the office and I often end up buying my own.  My favorite brand? Fiskars and they are not cheap.  So if you are thinking about borrowing mine, think again.  I will undoubtably say no.

Monday's Assignment

Fire and Heat, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Illustrate heat in its many forms today through a photograph.

That big round ball that often appears in the sky to give us heat has been missing for days. So like in the olden days we bring out our matches and candles and firewood to warm us up. I tried to avoid getting my fingers in this picture but the match kept going out as soon as it was struck. So I am holding the match patiently, waiting for the picture to be taken before my finger gets burned.  All right all righty.  Enough is enough!

Sunday's Assignment

Lists guide an eye in a linear way: menus, recipes, etc.  As you're out and about today, find a list and make a photo.

I am a list maker.  I have a dozen apps on my ipad dedicated to making lists.  I have lists for things to buy; lists for things to do; lists for what I should have done.  For the most part I could spend an entire day writing up a list and then doing nothing with it.  I guess that makes me an organized want-to-be; never quite got the part that making lists means nothing if I don't do anything with them.  This particular app is called 2Do, and I've spent a good part of today making to do lists for the entire week and summer.  I don't know if I'll get more organized with it, but it sure was fun setting it up.

Saturday's Assignment

Opening day!, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Make a close-up photograph of something. Fill the frame with your subject if you can.

Been anxiously waiting for the daylillies to open up.  With most of my spring flowers dead and gone I've longed for a little bit of color.  I decided to grab my tripod as soon as I saw today's assignment and head out for the garden.  Only a few of the lilies have actually opened up- and this one was calling my name.  I knew that if I got too close it would cut off some of the petals.  Zoomed in as close as I could but ended up cropping the picture in Photoshop.  Otherwise I would have had too much background and the focus wouldn't be on the flower.  Wanted to add a little texture to the picture so I sprayed some water on the petals.  I learned that trick from one of the many classes that I've taken.  May have overdone it a little bit but it still looks cool.

As a side note to my hummingbird picture- the feeder has begun to get loaded with ants.  I wonder if that will deter the hummingbirds from drinking from this window feeder.  I know I wouldn't want to eat or drink anything that had ants on it or in it.  Don't know if they sell ant deterrent but it's something to look into.

Thursday's Assignment

It's an orange kind of day, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

The color of the day is orange. Make a photograph that is full of orange today.

Easy to find orange items now that summer is here.  Fruits and vegetables, flowers and bakery items.  I opted for some cupcakes as I was determined to shoot some food....and then lick off the frosting.  I am using my new camera and was having trouble getting the exposure number right.  Will have to keep working on that as I want to get the exposure perfect.  Used my detachable flash which I really like a lot.  Softens up the area ever so softly.  Spent the day with the kids and I am totally wiped out so not much more to explain about the photo- other than the cupcake was delicious!

Wednesday's Assignment

Waiting for Godot, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Make a photograph today that either contains motion blur or conveys motion in some other way.

I'd like to entitled this one, "Waiting for Godot."  I suppose it's because I stood in one spot for nearly 90 minutes waiting for this hummingbird to make its appearance.  I have this feeder adhered to the window- can't say I've seen hummingbirds in the past.  But I thought it would be cool if they'd come to the window to feed.  That way the kids could see them if they were lucky enough.  I think there's a pair of  in the neighborhood as one is quite bright and the other is not.  I decided to set my tripod w/camera as close to the window as I could. I read somewhere that if one is taking a picture through glass then one should get as close to the glass as possible.  No such luck here as the legs take up a lot of room.  After 90 minutes the male appeared and of course I became all flustered.  Couldn't find the shutter button and was pressing some other obscure button.  So I couldn't get him in mid-flight. Darn if I was going to stand there for another 90 minutes waiting for another appearance. So I hooked up my quick release button and once again could not get a photo of one in flight. But I did get this picture which is kind of cool.  I assume this would be counted as "motion blur."

Sunday's Assignment

Spring flowers, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Don't over-think it.  Make a beautiful photograph today.  And tomorrow.  Keep at it and discover your own view of beauty.

Excuse me for a moment...%#$%$#@$....darn that flickr website.  I had my entry written for my blog and when I went to post it via flickr, the post crashed.  Of course, nothing can be saved from that site so I have to begin again.  I've had this happen to me a few times and you'd think I'd learn my lesson.  What I can do and should do is just post the picture to my blog and then write my entry from the blog side.  But....as I was saying....my spring flowers are looking rather bedraggled.  The clematis on my fence is beginning to bloom but some of the other flowers are looking less than perfect.  Fortunately the hostas look healthy as does my grasses.  I am looking forward to the daylillies and their blooms as they add a different color to my garden.  I tend to have more purples than anything else so it's nice when the yellow flowers come into play.  I had thought about taking a picture of my new nikon 5100 instead of these flowers.  I decided to splurge on a new camera as my d60 has less bells and whistles.  The new cameras are all outfitted with video now in addition to still shot photography.  Hopefully I'll find the video capabilities worthwhile and then I can get rid of some of my old equipment.   But I like the feel of this new camera and it does have 16 mega pixels so I should be a "professional" in no time flat!

Photo of a square

Photo of a square, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Make a photo emphasizing a square or a grid today.

Spent the majority of the day perusing my surroundings looking for a square.  It seems as though the majority of things are rectangles.  Even though these blocks are squares I did form them into a rectangle. No getting around that since I wanted to include all of the letters in the word "square".  I managed to shoot this one in manual though and there appeared to be no area that was overexposed. Hooray for me!  I still am fumbling around with the settings- which way to go for both aperture and speed.  But if I can at least get to the point where my exposure is balanced then I think I'm doing okay.  Of course, after I took this picture I made myself a cheese sandwich and noticed that the cheese was a perfect square. Had no intention of reshooting the photo- but now know that when this assignment comes up again the first thing I will do is head for the meat and diary drawer in the refrigerator.

Parallel lines

Parallel lines, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Parallel lines draw the eye. Make a photograph with parallel lines today.

Did this same assignment a few months ago on the tracks of the metra.  Decided to do one better and take a self portrait of my very short haircut.  I don't know what I was thinking when I said, "how about a pixie cut?"  Jamie Lee Curtis looks adorable in one.  I on the other hand do not.  I look like a eggplant with fur on it.  My lovely husband asks everyday if I've cut it shorter.  One of the boys asked "what happened to your hair".  I know I look ridiculous and if I could hide for the next four weeks until it begins to grow out I would.  Unfortunately that's not possible so I'll just have to grin and bear it.  Perhaps people will think I've had some kind of treatment and feel sorry for me.  I have certainly learned my lesson and that is, "less is not better!"

I did shoot this with my external flash as the built in caused a shiny forehead.  Short is bad enough- shiny and short is worse!

shiny surface

shiny surface, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Yesterday's assignment was to take a picture of something shiny.   I have been feeling kind of crummy lately and haven't had much interest in taking or posting pictures.  But when the sun reflected off the surface of this orange I thought it looked rather shiny.   I have been trying to make my yard more bird friendly as I don't have any unusual birds- just the same old Wrens, Robins, Cardinals and Finches.  I would love to see an Oriole or even a Woodpecker.   I know that Orioles like fruit so I set out this fruit holder.  Unfortunately, the ants are having a picnic and no Oriole or Woodpecker in sight.  I did read that a ring of petroleum jelly around the rod would deter ants.  So far no luck.  Wonder how big that ring has to be?  Guess it's time to do some more research on this idea.  Even my hummingbird feeders are birdless but I must remember to be patient.

timeless beauty

timeless beauty, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Actually stole this idea from some other photographer on the dailyshoot.com site.  Today's assignment was to take a picture of something having to do with time.  The photographer went on to describe the peony as it begins to bloom- the peaks and valleys of each nook and cranny as each section opens according to it's own time schedule.  This flower is pink but only a black and white could show the ins and the outs.  My peony bush has never been anything to rave about.  The original one was in my front yard and it would bloom two days before Memorial Day and then the rains would drown the blooms into a soggy mess.  I decided to separate the plant into 3 or 4 sections and planted them in the back.  So far only two of the four plants have survived and only one has bloomed- after Memorial Day thank you very much.  They really are a beautiful plant.  Just frustrating how the flowers just don't last long enough.

Mark and Madelyn

Mark and Madelyn, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Went out to the other side of the world to baby-sit yesterday.  In reality it only took me an hour and a half.  I am not too patient when it comes to slow traffic and I was trying to find a bypass for a bypass.  When I arrived at their house, Mark decided to go out for a run and I introduced myself to Madelyn again.  I think she knows who I am but I'm not totally sure. Got out my camera, of course, knowing that I would have lots of opportunities to practice during the evening.  When Mark returned from his run she immediately cried to be picked up. I guess that's the routine- see daddy, cry, get picked up.   Madelyn is daddy's little girl for sure.  Even though he was hot and sweaty I wanted to get this shot of the two of them.  Too bad she thought my camera was more interesting than daddy at the moment.  And he's going to think this shot of him is none too flattering.  Sorry Mark.

Thursday's Assignment

Illustrate symmetry in a photograph.

Been busy this week so have fallen behind in the assignments.  Have a few of these irises in my yard.  Thought they showed some symmetry but the wind kept blowing the pedals around and it was difficult to get a good shot.  But now that I look at it I realized that the background should have been darker.  Maybe I could have propped one of my black boards behind it.  One of the difficulties that I am having is that I am always in a hurry.  This one I could have planned out.  But I was so tired after a long day that I didn't seem to want to spend much time planning anything.  I did drag my tripod out which at least gave me a still shot.

And here are a couple of other assignments that I didn't get around to posting....

Assignment: Make a photograph of a symbol today.

The year is finally coming to a close.  Graduation is over and the 8th graders are gone.  I do hope some of these kids grow up over the summer.  They were a challenge to many of our teachers.  I will miss some of the avid readers that would come into the library asking for a recommendation.

Assignment: Make a photograph dominated by the color orange.  

Again, too busy to spend too much time on this one and there were loads of photos that I could have taken.  So glad this week is almost over!