The Obligatory End of Year Summary

It's that time of year when we look back, tie up loose ends, and reflect on the year gone by.  Social media and the countless number of apps available allow us to do this with incredible ease. I'm a nostalgic person anyway, so I really eat this stuff up.

Here's my end of year summary from 2014 made with Flipagram.

Hope you had some wonderful moments and made great memories this year. 

See you in 2015.

August Photoaday Summary

DONE!

I mentioned on here that I started another month of photoaday. Throughout August, I shared my photos on Instagram. In case you weren't able to follow me there, here's a little video I put together of my photos:

That was fun! Hope everyone had a great summer!

I'm baaa-aaack!

Look familiar? Yep. I'm doing a photo project again! I thought I'd give it a go for August. 

Are you laughing yet? I am... I just can't seem to stay away... It's been a couple of months since stopping my own photo project and nearly a year since I've done FMS Photo a Day. The break was nice (really nice), and just what I needed. Life is pretty calm this month, and I may just be a tad bored. That means it's time to focus on something creative.

I'll post a summary at the end of the month. Until then... follow me on Instagram: clmarksonlife

You only get so many...

I love summer. The days are longer, weather is warmer, and the schedule is a little less hectic. No school schedules to contend with and work is even a little slower... for a while. June is my favorite month of summer. The kids are finally out of school. They're not bored (yet). And I can take vacation time!

Bear Bottom Resort

We decided to spend our family vacation time at the lake. It was wonderful to get away and not have a schedule. We did whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. That meant spending a lot of time kicked back lying in the sun. It was pure bliss. We kicked a few drinks back too.

At the bottom of the water slides was a bar!

I told myself I wasn't going to check my email this week. Well, I made it until Thursday. Not bad, huh?!? I'm seriously addicted to technology, so I think this is REALLY good for me. While logged in I just cleaned out the list serve junk, the out of office updates, and the other stuff I didn't have to answer. I must point out that I didn't answer any of my email. In fact, I really didn't read most of them, so I still count that as meeting my goal. I have to tell you... I highly recommend it. Just log out and forget about what's waiting on the other side of vacation. It will definitely be there when you get back. Vacations are rare. Work is not.

On a boat with beer and good friends.

My favorite thing to do at the lake is watch one sunrise and one sunset from start to finish. I'm not really a morning person, but nothing beats watching the sunrise with a cup of coffee in hand on the dock. It's soooo peaceful. The boats aren't out yet, so the only sounds are the sounds of nature - fish flipping out of the water, birds flying, frogs croaking....you get the idea. But in case you don't, I made a couple of videos from the photos I took. They're posted below. Check them out, and you'll see what I mean.

We're headed back to the lake for the 4th of July annual celebration, so more posts are coming! Hope you are enjoying every moment of your summer. Your sunrises and sunsets are numbered, you know. Log off, get out there, and get lost in the moment. You won't regret it.

How much is just enough?

When it ceases to be fun, that's when you know you are done.

I don't know if that's a famous quote or maybe it was just said by me, but it perfectly explains how I feel right now. I'm really uninspired with my photo project. The quality of my photos is not good (really, really not good). I think because what started out as a fun project has now become a chore. It's like a job now. And not even a good job! So I'm stopping.

I know this decision comes just four days after my previous update, but it's time. I've been on the verge of stopping for a while now. Today just seems like the right day to do it.

I think it's important to say stopping and not quitting. After all it was MY decision to start, so it can be MY decision to stop and at any time. I honestly think that starting another year photo project was not a good idea. I started my first photo a day project almost two years ago. I met my goal and completed a full year. It was great! I got better at photography. It felt creative and inspiring. And looking back now, that's when I should have just stopped. 

But it wasn't all for nothing. In everything I do, I try to learn something and grow within. Here's what I've realized through this journey:

1. Photography is NOT my passion. If it were, I would still be energized to keep going and take a brilliant photo every day. I just don't want to anymore.

2. I'm a perfectionist. Did you notice I said "brilliant" photo? I strive for perfection. When that's no longer apparent or achievable, I stop. And it's hard, really hard, to get a brilliant photo EVERY DAY! Some days you just can't. Yet I would post something every day anyway because it was a daily project! I didn't feel like I could miss a day even though some days I probably should have.

3. I have a short attention span. If it doesn't keep me engaged and interested, I'm done! Plus, I had already met my goal of one year. Thinking I could complete two years was really ambitious.

4. I like round numbers. Just a random thought, but it's true. I'm stopping at photo 140 because it's a nice even number and just feels right. 

5. I was doing this project for the wrong reasons. This is the biggest thing and most important thing that I've learned. The photos I would take were shared on Facebook, on this blog, and on Instagram. Why? Not because I have a photography business. Not because I was trying to gain exposure for monetary gain. No, I believe I was seeking attention, and it became addictive. I can become so easily addicted, and social media is easily addicting! But when you post something to see how many likes you can receive, then you're sharing for the wrong reasons. 

Therefore, I'm switching my focus. My kids are getting older, and I'm not getting any younger. I will be sharing less on Facebook, less on this blog (which is down considerably anyway), and less on Instagram. Sharing milestones is one thing. Sharing something daily???  I've had enough. Time to stop.

One last video to share. The photos I included in this video are my favorites from the 140 photos I have shared from the project. There's some real gems in here, so I'm thankful for that. Hope you enjoy it.

And my photo taking days are NOT over. Heck no... just scaled back. Waaaaaay back to just enough. 

At the midpoint...

I'm mid-way through the month of May. The sun is finally shining, and it's Graduation weekend at Mizzou. Perfect time to give you an update on how my photo project is going this month, right?

It's been a challenge finding interesting things to photograph that begin with the letter M. Some days have certainly been more interesting than others. And some days, well... I've gotten a little distracted. But here are days 1 - 15 for you:

I have 230 days remaining in this photo project. That seems like a lot, doesn't it? And by the way, that's the number of days remaining in 2014 (in case you haven't made that connection yet). It's fun to come up with a monthly theme, but that's also been defeating the purpose of just shooting whatever I want when the moment comes. So... June will have NO THEME! The kids will be ending school. We'll be taking a little vacation as a family. And life is about to slow waaaaay down. I'm really looking forward to some relaxation.

Hope your month is going well. Stay tuned for the video wrap-up at the end of the month!

April 365 Photo Project Wrap-Up

April is done! Spring is always a busy time for me, and this one was no exception. Oy! Between work travel and work projects, I had little time for personal projects. But I made it through my photo month...

Since I was so busy, I decided to put a theme to this month. I did a rainbow theme. One color of the rainbow each day, repeated for four weeks. It was a bit challenging at times (especially indigo) but very rewarding in the end. Here's a look at the video....

For May, I plan to do a month of "M" words. There is plenty of M things going on... Mother's Day, Memorial Day, and me!  My birthday is in May. So we'll see how this goes... Can I find 31 things that begin with the letter M?

Maybe...

March Photo a Day Wrap Up

March went by rather quickly. It was a busy month for me personally and professionally.

I hate months like that. Little time for me. I hope that changes next month (but I seriously DOUBT it).

Nevertheless, I continued to take my photo a day and compiled this video for your viewing pleasure...

365 Project - February Review

Winter is still here. If there isn't snow on the ground, it's brown and dead looking. So... for my photo project, I decided to do a month of black and white photos (which just happens to be my favorite type of photography) with flashes of red. I had to throw a little bit of color in the mix. Plus... There were two significant red days for February: National Wear Red Day and Valentine's Day. Red seemed like the appropriate color.

Near the end of this month, I was running out of inspiration quite frankly. Thought I love black and white  photos, it's difficult to post everything void of color (except for the occasional red). So I went looking for ideas... and decided to find hidden letters in ordinary objects. Posting hidden letters in black and white sometimes makes it easier to see the letters. It was the end of the month, and I had six days remaining. Why not spell out a six letter word? Can you see it???

Celebrating 175 years of Mizzou!

MIZZOU! I really love the results and hope you do too. Definitely going to revisit the hidden letters later on this year.

Overall, I think it was a great month. The contrast of black and white during winter can be pretty powerful. I love the trees, the snowflakes, the silhouettes, and definitely the flashes of red. Here's my video recap made with Flipagram:

For March, I think I'll work on portraits, macros, flashes of green, and more indoor objects. Winter storms are in the forecast for this weekend. And though I think snow is pretty, I'm really getting tired of it. But you'll probably see more snow photos too.

Until then... live in the moment and capture those memories.

Take Time to Smell the Roses

Flowers don't last very long. They're not a practical gift at all. I hardly ever receive them because I hardly ever ask for them. I'm a practical person, and they're just not very practical.

But they are beautiful. So every once in a while (okay, maybe once a year), I will indulge. Valentine's Day seems like the perfect time. It's my least favorite of holidays, but at least there are roses (and chocolate). And since my husband is even more practical than me, I bought myself a dozen roses at the grocery store. Yep, bought them myself. I would never ask him to buy me flowers, especially since the only reason I wanted some was because I wanted to take some photos of them. I knew he would laugh. So... I didn't ask, I just bought them myself.

My theme this month for my 365 project is black and white with flashes of red. Throwing in some photos of red roses would be perfect! And I got the opportunity to mess around with some editing apps.

Here's the original....

And some edits with PicsArt and Repix.

They look ceramic here.

Kind of like a poster.

Another original....

And then cropped....

They are starting to turn dark now. Their life span sure is short. But that's why I take photographs - to capture moments before they disappear. So take time to smell the roses.... and don't forget to photograph them too.

Where has the time gone?

So, it appears I'm a little behind on my blog posts. I can't believe tomorrow is February. However, the part of me that doesn't like winter very much is really happy about that. Did I mention snow is on its way to Missouri? Sigh...

You know, snow is a funny thing to me. In December, I love snow. I wish for snow. I want a white Christmas! So I embrace the cold with the holidays. I don't mind wearing fleece and fuzzy socks if I can watch the snow fall while staring at my Christmas tree. Thinking about that whole scene makes me warm inside. But soon after the New Year, I'm counting the days until Spring. Winter around here is just dark, dreary and grey. The Christmas lights are put away and the kids are back in school, so at that point the snow can STOP! But this year, my friends, it hasn't been the snow of my gripes and complains... it has been stupidly and ridiculously cold. I don't ever remember having negative temperatures like this growing up. And we've had weeks of below freezing weather this winter. Schools have been closed simply because of the wind chill. That's crazy! And I'm starting to get cabin fever.

Thankfully I was able to escape for a while this month and spend some time in Puerto Rico. I went there for a work conference which I must say was almost cruel. Yes, cruel. It was difficult to concentrate on my work when there were sunny skies and a beach right outside my door. Another sigh... I received little to no sympathy from my co-workers back home however. It really was beautiful there, and I had a lot of fun. I brought my husband along, so we stayed an extra day to see the sights. I would love to go back when I have more time to explore.

I'm also pleased to report that my 365 photo project is going well. Despite the cold and nasty weather, I haven't missed a day. OK, Puerto Rico helped (that was 6 of the photos), but I'm still proud of myself for sticking with it. You know why I'm sticking with it? Because it's FUN and makes me HAPPY! That really is the key to sticking with any project that you start. You have to love what you're doing or you just won't continue. I find the time to take my photos because I love it.

Here's a quick video recap of my January photos that I made with Flipagram. This is a really cool app that is FREE, and it's SO easy to use. I recommend you check it out.

Next month I will focus on black and white images with a flash of red on February 14 for Valentine's Day. Should be an interesting month, and I think it will produce a cool video. Until then, I'll close with this final thought about the seasons:

Spring is about renewal and rebirth. Summer represents exuberance and excitement. Autumn reminds us that change can be good. And the winter??? Winter is all about perseverance. Hang in there, kids....

365 Project - Week 1

Do more of what makes you happy!

That's my resolution for the year. 2013 was a really great year. I did some traveling, went to some fun places, spent time with friends and family, and made new friends. Near the end of the year, I let one of my hobbies slip a little though... photography. I completed over a year of photo a day using the prompts provided by Fat Mum Slim (a blogger from Australia). But the prompts started repeating themselves a little and I lost interest. However, I really missed taking pictures!

So this year, I have resolved to do my OWN 365 project. No lists. No prompts. Just whatever I feel like snapping. In my mind, I will have "assignments" for myself to improve my skills but nothing formal. I think that's what was inhibiting me. The prompts were confining my creativity instead of broadening it.

So here is how the first week went:

Off to a good start, I think. I may incorporate a few themes along the way. But honestly, I just want to let it to evolve on its own. I'll continue to post updates here so you can follow along.

Did you make a resolution for 2014?

Four

The word of the day was four. You know, something like four things, four sides, or maybe the number four. I like symmetry. Eight is actually my favorite number, but I decided on four as it is more simple for photographs.

Here's what I came up with....

I thought it was a cool concept. Now... had I used my real camera with the remote, maybe a back light and a nice big white wall to project my shadow onto?  Can you envision that?  Yeah, that's what I had in mind.

But you get me standing on one leg in my kitchen taking a pic of my shadow.

It's close.

I also chose the word taboo. I took a pic of some political books and my bible. But since it's taboo (meaning I don't really like to talk about those subjects), I'm not posting my photo.

And the last topic was food. It was Thanksgiving Day in the USA, so my idea was to take photos of our feasts. Sadly, I deleted that photo before I had a chance to post it here. But it was just a big plate of food. And I ate it all. I felt stuffed for days.

So that was my week! It was awesome and now we're halfway through a new week. Time really flies...

Rustic

I went slightly out of order on the list of topics and skipped ahead to #4 because I can. It's my week, right!?! And there are no rules in our group. None.

I went on a little drive Sunday afternoon, found a cute little barn, and snapped some pics. Perfect for rustic, don't you think? This is what I came home with...

Favorite - I love how simple it is

Worn Out

Shut It Down

Forgotten Memory

Tiny Barn, Big Sky

Taken This Weekend

Continuing with this week's photo themes, Saturday's was drink.

It's been well established on my blog that I love to drink coffee. And I love to try different flavors of coffee. I also like my coffee strong and sweet (cream and sugar are a must). The holidays are a great time to try new flavors, and now I have a new one!

I love the cinnamon dolce latte at Starbucks. It's probably the one I get most often when I want something like that. They will be seeing a lot less of me now that I've found this, which is good news for the pocketbook and my waistline! The Cinnamon Creme is fantastic! I'm extremely sad that it's a limited edition though. Why must my favorites be limited?!?

Sunday's prompt was one of my favorite types of photography... black and white! Here are a few favorites...

Album Cover Challenge

If you could create an album cover that describes who you are as a person, what would it look like?

This is the question I posed to my photo group on Facebook this week. If you've been a regular reader of my blog, then you know that I have participated in a monthly photo challenge. I completed 15 months of this challenge and decided to take a break after October. For me, the topics have become mundane and have started repeating themselves (after a year, I guess they would tend to do that). A few in my photo group felt the same way, so we branched off and made our own group.

This group is very bold, provocative and extremely fun. One of the best things about being a part of this group is that each week we take turns coming up with our own photo themes. Yeah! We all have different personalities and ways of expressing ourselves, so to have the opportunity to suggest theme topics has been so much fun. We're now in our third week, and this week was my turn.

Since music is such an influence in my life, I included in my list of themes an album cover challenge. Here's what I said: I want you to create an album cover that describes you, be sure to give it a title, song list is optional, or maybe it’s a single. It’s your cover.  The creativity in the group has literally exceeded my expectations. I have been so pleased to see each and every one.

So what did my cover look like?

Heart of the Heartland is a country album, of course, and I did create a set list as well to help describe who I am.

1. Better Late Than Never 

2. Dead End Dirt Road 

3. Wild At Heart 

4. Learned My Lesson 

5. I'll Drink To That 

6. Missouri Maid 

7. Two For The Road 

8. You're Lying Eyes 

9. I Forgive You 

10. Halfway Gone 

11. Livin' In The Moment

I now present this challenge to you. What would your album cover look like? Have fun with it and post it in the comments if you want to share.

Tomorrow's theme is "drink". Come back to see what's in my glass....

October Photo A Day FAB FOUR

Is it November already?!?

Yeah, I'm a little late with this post. Traveled to a meeting the first week of November, so the FUN stuff in my life took a back seat.  But I'm back!

Here are my favorite photos from October...

Upper Left:  Corner

Upper Right:  Leafy

Lower Left:  Still

Lower Right:  Depth of Field

I gotta admit, I was not a fan of the list for October. Some days were a real struggle. I can't decide if it was the list of photo topics, my lack of creativity, or I just need a break! I'm going to try the last suggestion for November. I took one look at the new list and said no. I'm not even going to start. I may try December. And then again, I may be finished with the photo a day project. I have completed 15 months of photo prompts. That's a lot of photos!!

But you know me... that won't stop me from taking pictures. There will be plenty of opportunities for that.

Until next time....

September Photo a Day FAB FOUR

A little late with this post because I was on vacation this past week and without a laptop. More on that to come in a future post.

September Photo a Day was an interesting month. The prompts were all reader driven, and some proved to be quite challenging. That's what makes it fun.

Here are my favorite four photos that I took in September.

Top Left: Alone

Top Right: What Is This?

Bottom Left: Curve

Bottom Right: Gold

Oh, and that bottom right photo should give you a clue as to where I was this past week.

On to the next month! Can you believe it's already October? The months just seem to fly by. It's still warm outside so it doesn't feel much like fall. But it will be here soon enough, so I'll enjoy the warmer temps while I can. Here's the list for October already under way!

Are you going to play?

Every Day Is A Gift

Each day we are given is a gift.

I was reminded of that this morning when I saw the sun bursting through the clouds. Lately I've been focusing too much on the stress, the not so fun, and the hectic parts of my life. But if we focus on what's wrong with our lives, we'll miss all the beauty and the wonder that life has to offer.

We have so many blessings given to us each day... friends, family, and people who lift us up on a daily basis. We have the birds singing, flowers blooming, leaves turning, or a beautiful sunrise or sunset. We have the moon, the stars, and the ocean's wave. There is beauty all around us! Yet in the midst of it all, we get distracted and we forget. We forget the magic we felt when we first saw a firefly on the 4th of July, or the value of a moment spent to brighten someone else's day. It only takes a moment.

We are allotted a finite amount of time to enjoy all the wonders on this earth. Don't misuse your time. Don't waste one precious moment. Value the time you are given.

Every day is a gift, but it's up to YOU how you unwrap the present.

Made By Me

Today's photo a day prompt is "made by me." Perfect opportunity for another shameless plug for my Blurb book of Mizzou photos. And today just happens to be my 15 year anniversary of working at Mizzou (halfway to retirement!)

You can view the whole book right here. If you love it (or know someone who would love it), you can purchase it on blurb.com.

A Seasonal View of My University 2013 by Photography by Cheri Marks | Make Your Own Book