Project 365: February

I think everyone occasionally finds that their creativity ebbs and flows with the demands of everyday life. February and March have been strange, frenzied months...and looking over my 365 photos for the past few weeks, I was struck by just how much these pictures reflect this. More than anything, I think I've just been feeling a bit uninspired, with a stop-start routine making it difficult to settle down and switch off. Luckily, the Easter holidays officially begin on Thursday. Teaching for my course has ended, so I have just one more major essay (to be submitted at the end of April) and one exam (in June) and then I have completed the first year of my Masters! It has definitely flown by.

Anyhoo, despite February's lack of inspiration (I took nine photos of various meals and foodstuffs), I took a few photos which have become some of my favourites so far:

1. Every time I walk through this little square, I fall in love with it all over again. It is at its most striking in the evening, when the street lamps are lit and the buildings are illuminated with a gentle glow. Round about this time of day, it reminds me of Sherlock Holmes and the London of yesteryear...so very cool.

2. If something exciting is happening on a particular day (such as the Super Bowl), I'll try and take a photograph that acknowledges it in some way. We have some Saints memorabilia lying around the flat, so I grabbed this football and experimented until I got a shot that I liked.

3. As I was walking out of the library on a dreary and depressing day, I noticed this little blossom, which was a happy reminder that spring is on its way. I was dashing off elsewhere, so I whipped out my camera, put it into macro mode and hoped for the best. With a little bit of editing in Picnik, it came out much better than I originally expected.

4. Walking home one Thursday, I noticed that there was lots of activity outside of the Royal Opera House...a couple of days later, I realised that they were making preparations for the Baftas, the British equivalent to the Oscars. So, on the big day, Jamie and I wandered down to Covent Garden to see what was going on, but sadly it was impossible to get a close to the action. I did manage to get this photo though...and the following week, it was pretty exciting to think that I was walking in the footsteps of Kate Winslet and other hallowed celebrities :)

Project 365

Can you believe that it's February already?! I'm a little bit relieved...January always feels very anti-climactic after the fun and festivities of December. And it's so very dreary - I'm definitely ready for spring :)

On the up side, the end of January also marked the successful completion of the first month of my Project 365! I decided to do this at approximately 23:55 on New Year's Eve, having done no research whatsoever and having no real clue what it precisely involved, other than you had to take a picture everyday for one whole year.

And that's exactly what I've been doing. I didn't set out with a particular aim or theme. As I have progressed with the project I've started to make an effort to photograph things that I might not necessarily document, which is especially the case since I've been back in London.

But generally I just photograph things that interest me...as well as those parts of my daily routine that I usually ignore or overlook. I've also noticed that I photograph 'things' as opposed to people...and that I curiously gravitate towards reds and creams, which was totally unplanned.

I wasn't sure what to expect, or even if I would stick with it. But I can honestly say that I've loved the experience so far. It has taught me to look rather than to simply see. And, had I not been doing a 365, I probably wouldn't have taken these photos, which are two of my favourites from January:

I've loved seeing how other 365 projects have progressed since the start of the year. If you're doing a 365 or if you're interested in starting one, I really recommend checking out this post by Ali Edwards and this post by Sharyn Carlson. Both Ali and Sharyn have been documenting their 365 projects using Becky Higgins' Project Life, which sadly isn't available in the UK at the moment (although Becky mentioned on her blog that it might be shipping internationally in the coming weeks). Sharyn's idea of using Shuttercal is a brilliant one - it helps you to keep track of your photos in a calendar format, which makes life a whole lot easier! Also, if you have an iPhone, Lisa Truesdell mentioned a very cool app on her blog which is sort of like Shuttercal - just search for Project 365 on iTunes and it should come up with the link.

Are you doing a Project 365 this year? I'd love to hear about it if you are! You can take a peek at mine here. And here is the photo for 31/01/10, because January just had to be awkward and have 31 days:

Christmas in London, December 2009

For as long as we have our Christmas decorations up (until 6th January), I am in Christmas mode. So, before the whole world returns to normal after the excesses and excitements of the festive season, I thought I better upload my Christmas photos...my JYC album, however, might be a bit more problematic (due to my laptop's aforementioned nervous breakdown on New Year's Eve, which is conveniently set up for my scanner).

Anyhoo, to start with, I put together a (rather massive) collage of my favourite Christmas lights/decorations that adorned the many streets of London at the end of 2009. I LOVE London at this time of year...it takes on a different kind of energy...and the lights seem to soften the city somehow. I suppose it becomes just a little magical (apologies for the many clichés in the coming few days! I get very sentimental at this time of year).

I was going to write a list explaining what each photo involves (some aren't entirely clear) and where each one was taken, but it became so long that I was 99.9% sure you would very understandably lose interest. Lists do that to people. So, here's the short version instead: these were mostly taken in the West End, including Oxford Street, Regent Street, Covent Garden, the Strand, Piccadilly Circus and Knightsbridge. The reindeer with the white background was a poster by Transport for London, taken at Knightsbridge tube station. It was love at first sight:


The green store front is actually Harrods - this year the Christmas theme was the Wizard of Oz, which also explains the red shoes. Each window borrowed an element from the Wizard of Oz story:

I have to admit...I sort of loved it.

Today I was in country mouse mode - we went for a pub lunch (cottage pie and sticky toffee pudding) and a brisk walk through the countryside. It was very cold. But, the lighting was beautiful. We've also had a very small sprinkling of snow, with more expected over the next few days. Yey!

Before I head off, here is a link for my Project 365 gallery over at Flickr. And here is a very cold leaf:

Happy weekend!!

And a very happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Wow. I honestly cannot believe that it is 2010 already. I've spent the last few days thinking about resolutions, aims, intentions and goals, as well as my 'one little word' (I love this idea). In between the cogitating and the list-making, I've realised just how much I am looking forward to the New Year. It is a blank canvas and a fresh start...and it is so easy to be optimistic and hopeful as the clock strikes 12 and 2010 commences with an explosion of excitement and enthusiasm. Or, in our case, rockets and sparklers.

New Year's Eve was a family affair this year. We ate, we talked, we celebrated...it was wonderfully relaxing. And, although I have loved watching the fireworks that illuminate the London sky from the Victoria Embankment in previous years, I definitely did not miss the freezing temperatures and the L-O-N-G walk through Central London (due to the congested public transport) at one in the morning. This year, I very much appreciated the warmth of the log fire and the delicious kick of an Irish coffee....my stamina, it seems, is depressingly waning with each year.

As usual, I have lots to catch up on. I need to finish Blogging for Scrapbookers. I am still working (and massively behind on) on my JYC album. I have decided to do a 365 project this year, which was a snap decision yesterday evening and which I seriously have not thought through. I'm very excited about it though...especially because I got Photoshop Elements for Christmas. Luckily I was also given Photoshop Elements 8 for Windows: The Missing Manual, because PSE is totally, completely and utterly baffling to me. Every breakthrough - big and small - has been a momentous occasion, which is somewhat diminished when I realise I have no idea how I got from A to B. Rubbish.


Some progress is being made though (thankfully!). Do you remember my scrapping resolutions from yesteryear? Well, before Christmas I ordered my supplies...and they have been patiently sitting in boxes ever since. Today I made a start on my 2010 album - I am doing a few 'year in review' layouts, as well as a couple on my hopes and resolutions for the coming year. I have challenged myself in 2010 to use one manufacturer a month for the album...sort of like an inexpensive kit. January is Jenni Bowlin. I will let you know how it works out! Watch this space for the layouts over the next few days.

I have a few blog posts that I have been meaning to complete as well (Christmas lights in London, pre-Christmas snow and our Christmas festivities) but my laptop helpfully decided to expire on New Year's Eve. Ominously, when I rebooted it after trying to rouse the cantankerous bit of plastic (putting it mildly) from its slumber, the screen remained black and it emitted three, piercing beeps. Apparently, this means that there is a major problem with the motherboard or the graphics card. HELP. I'm terrified that I'm going to lose everything. I determinedly did not allow it to ruin the end of 2009 or the start of 2010 though ...despite the horrific customer support from HP. Grrrr. But that is a story for another day.

Rant aside, I hope that you had a wonderful start to 2010! It is amazing how you can be buoyed by other peoples' enthusiasm - over the past few days, I have been browsing through my Google Reader and feeling so enthused by the excitement and anticipation that everyone has had for the New Year. So, THANK YOU!!! I can't wait to see what 2010 brings...