My Year In Pictures: April Week 4

Looking at Ryan’s 1000 piece puzzle spread out on the desk is a lot like searching through my photo files filled with tiny images that tell the story of our lives.  It takes 1000 little pieces to show every known atom in the universe and at the end of this year I’ll have 1096 photos to mark key moments from the past three years.  A lot has changed in that time but plenty has stayed the same as well – just the way I like it. 🙂

The week started off cold, wet and gray but pretty green leaves brightened the view and kept the rain away when Finn and I took a walk.  Monday’s photo looks like a shiny silver rainbow in front of the library and Tuesday this baby narwhal rode with us in an elevator.

Wednesday and Thursday’s photos are of a clematis and strawberry patch in our backyard and  Friday night we took our monthly selfie for my other photo project (a family picture once a month).  Saturday afternoon Ryan and I enjoyed a few hours together working on his birthday puzzle.  I sorted through the box looking for edges and corners while Ryan told me everything he knows about each element in the photo.

Coming soon I’ve got a great set of new photos almost ready to share here from our latest spring adventures and if you’d like to follow along in real-time don’t forget I post my daily photos on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. If a once-a-week blog read is more your speed my weekly recaps will continue here along with caption notes containing editing information for each photo.

 

Lisa22 Comments

A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up January with Hipstamatic (week 3)

After a difficult stretch mid month we were ready for a quieter week here and I think all of us had their fingers crossed hoping for a few days to catch our breath.  Looking back I see we did indeed find a little peace mixed in with a few signs of spring and one big change that was well overdue.

Sunday morning started with this nice moment next to Finn at his favorite spot on the top of our stairs.  He spends hours here every day watching the yard and street for signs of squirrel activity and If you look closely you can see the windows reflected in his eye.  Monday afternoon was the first time this year I could see daylight at 5:00 pm and Tuesday morning I tried to take a quick photo of the first cherry blossom spotted during our morning walk.  I guess it was still too dark for proper focus but the pinkish blur is enough for me to know spring is coming. 🙂

Wednesday I took Ryan and his crutches out for a visit to Starbucks and Thursday we posed for a moody selfie in our new-to-us car.  My tried and true vehicle of 8 years finally told me it was finished with long commutes so we made a few calls and found a great deal on a car that will carry us through many years to come. Friday afternoon I stopped to look at this interesting piece of art made from strips of leather inside a wood frame and Saturday we drove north to my parents house for a nice lunch and a welcome distraction for Ryan as he is truly tired of our couch.  This photo is of a few books resting on their coffee table.

Next week closes this project and I’ll have the final shake-it-up post ready soon along with an announcement about what I have planned for the next 12 months… So, for one more week I’ll say:  Each photo was taken with my iPhone 6 using Hipstamatic’s “shake to randomize” function then posted without any additional editing. If you like a particular combination and want to try it at home just click on the image to see the lens, filter and flash used.  For variety I continue to add new lenses and filters so if you want to try Hipstamatic but are unsure how to start let me know and I’ll do my best to answer your questions.

Lisa16 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Circle (Goodbye 2015 and Hello 2016)

If I had to make a list of favorite ways to welcome the New Year visiting a beach would be right up at the top.  John and Ryan have bravely joined me for some of cold, wet and windy walks along the shore followed by a quick photo to mark our presence and in 2014 this tradition grew to include one “selfie” photo taken on the first day of every month.  I thought it would be a fun way to note what the year looked like and on December 31st 2014 I wrote a small post about our efforts illustrated by a collage of the 12 photos.

Of course we had to start 2015 at the beach with a new photo so I thought why not continue the series and take a photo every month for at least one more year.  We’ll never look any younger than we do today, right?  There were several nights when none of us wanted to pose for a picture but I persevered and by the end of each session we were usually laughing at our awful first attempts and couldn’t stop until everyone was at least slightly happy with the end result.

I didn’t have the 2015 photos ready in time for a post on the 31st but I thought this photo challenge would be a great excuse to play with Shape Collage on my iPhone so here you have our latest group of 12 images presented in a circle.

Circle

Lisa27 Comments

Goodbye 2014 and Hello 2015!

I’m back for a brief visit during my internet vacation to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year’s Eve!  Regular posting resumes in a few days but I want to close the year with this fun collage of 1st day photos along with some exciting news about my participation in a group exhibit of iPhoneography debuting today on Move the Chair.

2014 1st Days

Every year John, Ryan and I take a selfie of the three of us on January 1st to note the start of a new year but for 2014 we went a little further and decided to take a photo on the first of every month.  The result is a collage of 12 portraits capturing us at the beach, hiking, laughing in the kitchen, and more than a few snapped at the last minute after almost forgetting it was the 1st again and time for a new picture.

Take 12 is also the theme of a new photo exhibit hosted by the wonderful Meg at Move the Chair.  If you are familiar with Meg’s work you might know she regularly posts 12 new photos taken on the 12th of the month but her December entry is a big one.  Think 12 X 12 kind of big.  Meg invited 12 photographers from around the world to document their experiences on 12/12/14 by sharing 12 photos and the only guideline was that every image had to be taken and processed on a mobile device.  The end results are a lot of fun to see and I was thrilled to take part in such an inspiring project.  I hope you’ll all swing by Meg’s blog to take a look at the talented pool of bloggers and photographers featured on her Take 12! December 2014:  An Exhibit page.

I want to thank each and everyone of you for all of your participation, comments and support through my second year here at Northwest Frame of Mind and tonight I’ll raise a glass in “cheers” to our next year together.  Here’s to 2015!

Lisa49 Comments

1 Day 1 World Project: 1:00 am – 2:00 am

1D1W 1a

It’s 1:00 am, do you know where your kids are?  Saturday night found Ryan sitting on my lap insisting on a selfie to capture the rare moment when Mom is up after midnight. 🙂  The low light of one lamp behind us left some shadows under my eyes that I’m not prepared to share but a quick editing session converted a grainy photo into a softly lined drawing.  Whew.

The evening got off to a great start with steaks on the BBQ and dinner on the deck.  We ate late on planning to make the evening last but by 11:00 everyone was ready to settle down inside for homemade ice cream and spooky movies.  Unfortunately we started the movie a little too early and it was over well before 1:00, right about the time John and I fell asleep on the couch.  Ryan took advantage of the opportunity to watch Saturday Night Live without his parents editing the skits and when my alarm went off at 1:00 am he was waiting with the camera ready to record the hour.  What will we do for 2:00 am?

If you have a photo or story to share about your 1:00 am hour I’d love to see it!   Please tag your post 1 Day 1 World Project for easy reader searches and/or link your post in a comment below so we can all enjoy the view. Together we’ll build a virtual 24 hour day filled with images from around the world.

If you’re new to the 1 Day 1 World Project please take a look at my introductory post here.  This 1:00 am post will remain open for submissions until the end of Saturday, August 9th and a new post for the 2:00 am hour will open for entries Sunday, August 10th.

I will be away from home and WiFi during the second half of this week exploring the Olympic Peninsula so please be patient.  I’ll catch up with all of your late night posts when we’re back!

For more 1:00 am views around the world take a look below:

 

Small Blue Green Words

Island Home Blog

My Life Lived Full

Textile Ranger

Behind The Willows

Lisa40 Comments

A Word A Week: Contrast

Ryan has a habit of picking up what ever electronic device is left lying around and secretly leaving his mark.  I never know what to expect when I realize I haven’t seen my phone for a few hours but usually I discover new voice recordings, fun messages on my fitbit and most recently a series of selfies on my iPod.  Maybe this post is a bit of a stretch for the word contrast  but I think the three photos below are a unique look at the contrasting moods of pre-teen boys.  Yes they are goofy and full of drama but they do have some sweet and introspective moments too.

 Contrast 1

Contrast 2

Contrast 3

Posted as part of Sue’s A Word A Week Photograph Challenge:  Contrast.

Lisa31 Comments