kodachrome

I try to get my daily picture done while the sun is up. I already had my picture when I got an email from my mom at 7pm last night. “You should take a picture of the moon for your daily picture. It’s amazing tonight!”. It makes me inexplicably happy when my mom suggests something for my 365 project. So after Jasper was asleep I put my camera on the tripod and headed outside for a quick snap.

I’m always shooting or at least thinking of shooting these days. It’s nice to have family and friends that are invested in my project too.

There’s constant talk amongst the Internets about putting down the cell phone or camera and taking in the moment. (I’m not talking about constantly being on Facebook or the Internet on your cell phone. Rather, using your camera to document what’s going on.) I know some people have a hard time taking part in life if they have the camera around their neck. For me, it’s quite the opposite.

I have a terrible memory. Thank goodness for this blog, my journals and pictures because otherwise I would remember nothing. When we go somewhere or do something, I usually take my camera to document it (especially for Jasper). Like at the hockey game last weekend, I took my camera to snap a few pictures. I think I spent about 10 minutes total taking a couple pictures and that was it. I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything. In fact, I’m pretty sure I will remember everything better.

It’s funny because when I take pictures I’m very aware of the details. I usually see little things in the camera that I don’t see in real life. Specific colors, the lines, random objects… I see these all better when I’m taking a picture or planning to take a picture. If my camera is not in the mix, I tend to not be very observant. Weird, right?

Taking a picture helps me be more aware of the details and helps my memory. Looking back through my pictures I always remember more particulars about the event. As with everything, there has to be a balance. I know I wouldn’t enjoy things as much if I saw them all through my camera viewfinder. But back and forth a few times is actually better for me.

My 365 project is going pretty well. For the most part I’ve been finding it pretty easy to remember my daily picture. There was one day that I almost forgot but luckily I didn’t. Some days I instantly know what I’ll do and other days I’m wandering around the house for an hour saying, “What’s my picture of the day?!?”. It’s a little difficult this time of year since I don’t really leave the house all that often. Also, the black and white thing adds a another challenge. Not every picture looks awesome in black and white. It all is forcing me to be creative though which is never a bad thing. So far, so good…only 320 days to go.

I don’t always get to see my client’s pictures in print. Thankfully I have friends that are clients and clients that have become friends. This beautiful wall is a timeline of my friend, Pam’s, lovely family. It’s pretty cool to see a wall filled only with pictures I took. I’m thankful to see this and be reminded why I do what I do.

Not feeling very chatty today. Might just share some pictures this week…

A few things before we start the review.

First, this is collaboration between Josh and I. Second, we are nerds. Big nerdy nerds. We love art, in this instance photography, and we will watch any documentary about the subject that we come across. Josh could go into a deep philosophical rambling about art and life and a defense of photography as an art form and so forth, but that’s not the point. The point is we are really into photography.

Third, we love simplicity. What I mean by that is that we love looking at things at their smallest, most basic parts. Get rid of everything that is excessive or over the top. We like clean…clean lines, clean design, clean houses, clean children, clean layouts…you get the idea. We don’t care for what we consider excessive Photoshopping or distracting composition. All I want in a picture is sharp focus and a clear subject, that is properly framed. Which is also how I like life: sharp focus and clear direction.

Okay, that should pretty much get you set for our point of view.

I watched Bill Cunningham New York one night when Josh was at work. I liked it so much that I wanted to watch it again with Josh. We have since watched it another time together. The film documents the work of Bill Cunningham, the most famous fashion photographer you have probably never heard of. It follows Bill through various cuts from his apartment at Carnegie Hall (that needs to be seen to be believed) to the streets of NYC where he takes candid photos of people going about their day. His work is published in the New York Times under a column titled On The Street.

He talks about looking for what’s interesting and finding something that moves him. He doesn’t care at all for celebrities and he isn’t particularly fashionable himself. He wears these cheap blue blazers simply because they’re cheap. When it rains he uses a plastic rain poncho with duct tape over the holes. Money is not important to him. He eats the same thing at the same place for breakfast because of the price. He says at one point in the film that “If you don’t take money, they can’t tell you what to do…” In his eighties, he goes everywhere by bicycle. Basically he lives to find beautiful things and shoot them. Simply awesome, this guy.

This documentary really affected me. I have so much admiration for Bill Cunningham. He has continued to do something he loved in a way that he chose. He wasn’t affected by money, or what others thought he should do. He just kept doing it how he always did. He said this at one point, “It is as true today as it ever was – He who seeks beauty will find it”.

Anyway, I could go on but you just need to watch this movie for yourselves. You can thank me later.

So yeah, yesterday it got up to 54 degrees. In January. In Illinois. My boys and I went on a little adventure to a park with a swinging bridge. It was a perfect opportunity for me to find my picture of the day and for all of us to get outside. It was a good day.