Hi everyone,
I want to start by thanking everyone for their continual support of me completing this project. I received SO MUCH love about my first post including all of January’s photographs through comments, Facebook, text message, etc. that it was overwhelming! I can’t truly express just how encouraging it was. Seriously… THANK YOU! You’ve all kept me going through two full months of photographing every single day.
If you didn’t get a chance to see my photographs from January, click here.
This month, as you know, I decided to take one photograph every day with my cell phone camera and edit each of them using the app pixlr express. I have never put much thought or effort into phone-ography, but my best friend Cengiz has inspired me and I gave it a shot.
*It may sound strange that I do not photograph with my phone. ever. Who doesn’t do this?! I’m pretty sure only me. I don’t do many 21st century things to be honest. Like, own a t.v. or an iPod. One of my students put it best when saying, “Ms. P… we need to modernize you. I’m going to buy you a walkman.” haha
Using my phone as a camera for the first time, I found that it was quicker and easier to take a photograph throughout the day, so I didn’t struggle with time constraints like I did in January. This was a plus. At first I only photographed once a day but as I got used to the idea of photographing with my phone and started to like the idea of it, I started taking multiple photographs throughout each day. This aspect is excellent! I got to be creative multiple times a day, quickly and easily! Also – I absolutely love Pixlr Express. It is super easy to use and has many options for improving your photographs as well as completely manipulating them. I definitely enjoyed using it each day to retouch my photographs. To anyone who uses a droid – download this app. Seriously. Go do it now. 😉
My appreciation for phone-ography has definitely been developing over the last 28 days and it’s something I think I will stick with. This is exactly what I wanted the outcome of this month to be, so in those terms – SUCCESS!
The worst part of this month for me is that I completely missed using the mathematics aspect of slr photography. I truly LOVE adjusting settings and the whole thought process I go through while photographing manually. No automatic, “easier-to-use” camera will ever replace my love for manual photography. I re-realized why I got so involved in photography in the first place this month when I realized just how much I missed being able to choose shutter speeds, apertures, ISO, white balance, exposure values, etc. I love that photography is 1 part art, 1 part math and 1 part science. My phone deprived me of this.
Overall, I do like the photographs I created, even if I was only pointing and shooting. This month was definitely a learning experience.
February 1. A reflection of a chandelier through the glass table in the foyer at work covered in rose petals. I like the layered look and warm tones.
February 2. I went to NYC with Donna today to walk around Chelsea and look at art. It was such a wonderful day!! Everywhere we went we noticed this jellyfish graffiti. It was so cool! Absolutely loved it.
February 3. Ryan playing the banjo. <3
February 4. My red shoes on my red carpet. love.
February 5. My 1st ever FIVE GUYS experience. love at first taste… and I’m not a meat eater, so it’s weird. It’s February 28 right now and I’ve been back 4 more times. (gasp!)
February 6. My bowl full of a collection of charms to be added to mine and Alex’s adventure necklaces!!
February 7. My cousin Amber came over tonight and we did a collaborative painting together. I think this just about sums up our brains. By the way… this painting is incomplete.
February 8. SNOW DAY!
February 9. I am in love with this icicle photograph!!
February 10. Today I had a photo shoot with Haydn. Here I am on my mac making up some client proofs. He’s so cute!!
February 11. Ya know that moment when you’ve realized you’ve put too much in your burrito to close it? Yea.
February 12. My boyfriend leaves me love notes every morning. Today, he left one for Bagheerah too on her scratching post. <3
February 13. I took this photograph of snow falling while driving. Shame on me.
February 14. These super awesome mustache and sparkly lips props came in the mail today for a photo booth I’m setting up in a couple weeks. Of course we had to play with them!!
February 15. Woke up to this shadow on my wall. Instantly photographed it. It reminded me of a foggy mountain landscape and instantly got me excited for my Acadia trip this summer.
February 16. Today I went to Long Island and helped my brother move to a new house. Here’s “a lake and stuff”.
February 17. These are some of the red cedar strips my canoe is being made out of!!!
February 18. Scouting locations for possible photo shoots. I’ve always loved this barn.
February 19. Sometimes, I pretend I’m good at being a typical girl and I paint my nails. And then I realize just how awful I am at painting my nails and realize I’m better off just being me.
February 20. The necklaces and jewelry I wear isn’t sparkly and never will be. The items I adorn myself with are meaningful. That’s how I like it.
February 21. Today I made a pinhole camera out of card stock paper and it was the coolest thing I’ve done in months. The little kid in me was on full blast today.
February 22. The 13 photographs I took yesterday, complete with notes and all, did not work. at all. I re-photographed at work and overexposed them ALL. Here’s a print I made anyway, regardless of the terrible tonal depth killing exposure time. “Happy Little Trees”
February 23. Cousins night! Here’s the vegan meal we cooked. DELICIOUS!
February 24. Here I am finishing up client work. Notice the cat at the end of the bed, as always.
February 25. Cengiz gave me these four amazing prints from rolls of film he shot in Syria last month. I matted them to hang in my house.
February 26. I absolutely loved shooting this landscape through the cracks in the frost on my windshield this morning.
February 27. Sometimes I make jellyfish out of wire. This is the start of the largest one yet. I know it looks like a pot holder now…. just wait!
February 28. My birthday is coming soon! I got a smashed USPS box containing a festive bag full of presents and cards. (Luckily nothing breakable) Thanks, Mom!
Looking at the collection all together for the first time I am noticing how drastically different my editing style is on my phone from my *real* work done in Lightroom and Photoshop. I’ve truly experimented here and I like it!! I’d have to say the most different ones are the barn with a vignette and fake blur as well as the terrible tonal qualities and contrast I’ve allowed in some of them. I overlaid a pattern into the photo of my necklaces too. haha
I’m two months in, making changes & having fun. I really do enjoy this 365 project! I hope I can inspire someone else to do this too.
See you at the end of March with my next 31 photographs!! <3
