I started this project one year ago with a bunch of friends on a lark. I had never really taken pictures before except typical snapshots of family or vacation shots. It sounded like it would be a fun challenge for the new year and a way to keep in contact with online friends. I had no idea how life-changing it would be for me. This year has been one of the hardest I have ever gone through. At times I wasn’t sure I was going to survive it. The one constant has been photography. It has been a therapy for me that I could not have imagined. I pick up the camera and my world disappears. It is a magical feeling. I haven’t kept track but I know that I have taken at least 7000 pictures over the course of the year. I have not missed one day of posting. Some days it has been all I could do to think of one picture to take, let alone find a decent one to post. Others it has been hard to pick just one.
Having a camera in my hands changes the way I see things. I look at everything from a different angle. I see shadows and light and reflections and color. I wonder how something will look at dawn or at sunset and if I can get back to shoot it. I have gotten very brave with a camera in my hands. I got within feet of a bear by myself on a hike and all I could think of was how can I get the best photo. I’ve taken pictures of complete strangers. I’ve met complete strangers and talked with them about the best cameras and how to get the best shots. My children think I’m insane, but when I go somewhere without my camera they think that’s even crazier.
I am so excited at the possibilities this could lead to. I have enrolled in a local photography school and purchased an official dslr. I am working on a website (www.nicoleraestudio.com) that I am hoping to have ready by the end of January. This blog may be moving then. I will keep posting though. I don’t know if I will be as legalistic as I was this year about posting every day, but it has become a part of my life that I can’t see changing.
Another part of my life that I hope doesn’t change are the others that have participated this year. Lovely Laura, who brought this project to my attention (and has great photos as well); Julie, whose artistic eye just amazes me; Kim, whose passion and talent are incredible; Dalissa, whose lighting and color I just love…. I could go on and on. There is so much talent out there and I have been inspired every single day by so many people. I am so grateful for this project and am glad that it really doesn’t have to come to an end. For me, it is just beginning.
8 comments:
I have loved seeing your creativity develop. Yours have been among my favorites during the past year.
As I started in March when I finally got a digital camera, I'm going to keep going at least until then, and then perhaps just as I feel moved to do so. My husband has attended Brooks Instutute of Photography, and my niece is currently enrolled, so they inspire me.
You've accomplished so much this year artistically.
I'm so excited to see where this goes! I imagine you as a successful artist with a show down in Laguna Beach. :)
Your photos are truly inspiring - some of the best of the year for me. If it hadn't been for you, I would never have taken any B&W's this year. That month's shots are still my favorites of all the others I took. B&W stripped my photos to composition and I learned so much. You were a huge inspiration.
Well done!
P.S. The combination of quotes and photos was also such a treat! What a feat.
I wish you'd publish your photos and quotes..they are amazing. It moves me to tears to see the difference this project has made...my life is so much richer, not only from what I've experienced with my own photography, but from the "shared lives" this has fostered. I'm so glad you took the journey!!
Your photo/quote combinations have been phenomenal. I can't tell you how many times I've looked at my computer screen and said, "Wow" after looking at your entries. I'm so glad you're pursuing this and creating artwork as an outgrowth of it. Thank you so much for sharing your "eye" with me.
Yeah, what they all said!
I'm so glad it doesn't have to end, to. I love your photos and your quotes.
Nikki, I am amazed at creative talents you've displayed through this project. And, if I'm honest, I'm fairly jealous, too. So many of you found this a life-changing experience, discovered hidden talents, learned how to "see" with new eyes. That definitely wasn't the case for me. I take pictures the way I've always taken them, e.g. nothing unusual. Oh, don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed the project: learning to upload pictures (in and of itself a major accomplishment for me, LOL), documenting life (though not on a daily basis), and most of all, staying connected to so many friends via not merely words, but pictures. Yours have been insightful and inspiring, particularly when coupled with the quotes.
This past year was beyond challenging for me, too, and quite often, I found solace in both your photos and the accompanying quotes. Thank you for sharing of yourself. I will continue to look in on you here, and I hope now and then you stop by my photo blog, where I'll continue on my rather hit and miss basis. Peace and grace to you.
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