September 29

frugality, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Make a photo that illustrates the economy and its impact on you in some way.

I of course am keeping the economy going by way of my online purchases.  These items are the newest in a long line of things that I am prompted to try.  I was reading one of my favorite blogs recently and the author was discussing the Bento lunch box.  Naturally, I had to do a little research and thought that these items would keep me on track with my weight watcher lunches.  There were a large assortment of boxes- big, little, colorful and muted.  I went for what I thought would be the appropriate size for me and much to my surprise the containers are no bigger than the chopsticks pictured here.  And very convenient of the Bento suppliers to provide me with an eating utensil- one I have no use for of course.  The compartments are quite small- I can barely fit a half cup of yogurt in one section.  But generally that's all I eat besides the fruit and vegetables so I am pleasantly pleased with my purchase.  If you notice I had a boatload of cantaloupe in one container- unfortunately, my co-workers mentioned the cantaloupe recall while I was eating it, and I quickly lost my appetite.  Probably could have kept eating it- after all I had eaten the melon all week.  I guess the knowledge of throwing the rest out gave me some sort of reassurance that Listeria will not come knocking at my door.

September 26

self portrait, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Make a self-portrait, with or without the camera in the frame.

Tried a variety of self portraits but didn't have much success.  I guess I could have whipped out the tripod, set it to self-timer and taken one that way.  But I was trying to avoid any extra work, so in the end I was holding the camera in my hand or trying to prop it up on some boxes.  Nothing worked to my satisfaction.  So how did I take this shot?  With my iphone of course.  Then with the help of Photoshop I was able to get rid of the winkles and add some interesting texture. 

September 26

Mundane Sunday, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Make an interesting photograph of something mundane and ordinary today.

Remember when there were always invites to Tupperware and Pampered Chef parties? Then there were Tastefully Simple and a host of others.  It always sounded like the sales person made tons of money which made the prospect of getting into that kind of business even more appealing.  Never went so far as to investigate any of those home party companies. But this is my all time favorite Pampered Chef item.  In case you can't tell, it is their can opener.   What I love about it is that it eliminated the sharp edge that you'd get when using one of those old fashioned kinds.  Took me awhile to get the hang of it but I'd never go back to a generic can opener.  Nor do I want an electric one- this one suits me just fine.  I used my 35 mm lens along with a macro extension tube.  I'm finally getting the hang of the macro tube but what I had trouble with was my darn external flash.  Don't know if it's on the fritz or the battery is dead.  Often wonder if the damage that the flooding rain caused to my camera is finally catching up to it.

September 23

Only in America, a photo by scookster on Flickr.

Lose the rectangle today. Make a photograph with a square aspect ratio and post it. Crop if needed.

Now that I am looking at this photo I am thinking it's not quite squared.  But I was driving around town looking for some kind of sign that would be considered un-rectangle like.  For the most part I couldn't find any sign that was shaped like a square.  For advertising sakes, I wonder if rectangles are more appealing to the eyes.  Fortunately, I did see a few "do not enter" signs and quickly thought that they were squared.  I kind of cheated with this photo though.  My original photo did not have the words "exit only."  As I was passing by our post office I noticed that someone had written the words "exit only" on their sign.  I could have turned around to take the photo but then decided that's what photoshop is for.  Besides, it's too much trouble to find somewhere to stop and park.  But why oh why did someone need to write those words on that sign?  Is that how life is these days?  Does no mean no except for the other guy?  Obviously it must be the sign of the times.