Monday, October 3, 2011

Music Monday: Jim Croce Photographs and Memories

L is so sad the 30 Day Photo Challenge is over... I think she enjoyed it as much as I did. In truth she takes her own pictures. She has H's old digital camera. It takes photos and video. She films her stuffed animals and takes pictures all the time.

She wanted to start the challenge over this month and I told her I was ready for a break. Then she insisted we think about doing a "special" picture once a week for my blog. I think I might aim towards that goal.

It is funny we went to visit friends this weekend and I did not take a single picture. I go through spells like that, where I take thousands of photos and then sometimes I go weeks without taking any. On vacation in Iceland, I took over 400.

H and I have photo albums and for a time, I did alot of scrapbooking. Anymore, I store my photos online and only develop them as gifts or if the kids need them. I recently bought a groupon, to make the kids a memory book of the trip to Iceland. I think they will like that.

Now that we have digital technology, I store things online more and more.

So what did I learn during the challenge?

I learned that having a goal in mind makes some photos easier to take and others harder. I learned that my iPhone takes a great picture. I learned how to play with photo editing, both in Instigram (which is way cool) and Photobooth. I learned that sometimes the best photo is the one you snap quickly without thinking it through and sometimes it takes many, many tries to get just the effect you are looking for!

I urge you to go check out all the participants pictures. Allie faithfully posted them. She is going to post a recap on Wednesday which I think would be worth checking out.

In college, I spent a long time studying an old house and trying to learn what I could about the man who build that house. I sifted through tax records, parish records, the sheriff sale account record.  In 1850 there weren't pictures. Now we can document every meal we eat, every outfit we wear, every move we make. I know there are photo blogs where people do a self portrait a day. Friends post endless pictures of their new baby on facebook. I felt like I got to experience a bit of a friends recent wedding and honeymoon, based on the lovely pictures which popped up in my facebook time line.

 As with so many creative projects this 30 day challenge was as much about the output - the photos as it was the process. For me it was a great process... I think in November I may try the National Novel Writing Month, it all depends on the other things happening in my life...

I should mention the music. I love Jim Croce. All of his songs are playful, thought provoking, intense and they are stories... I have to think he understood - Art is a process...

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