winter lists and photo assignments

November 11, 2008 candacemorris 6 Comments

a while back, my pen-pal, friend, and sister, Mrs. Jillian of The Noisy Plume wrote a blog describing her winter list wherein i commented about mine, printed it out to remind me here at work, and am now going to blog about it.
all this i must do
to get anything done.
2008 Hibernation Goals
  1. Learn to make apple butter, freezer jam, and an entire (or one dish?) thanksgiving meal.
  2. Practice, perfect, and learn to follow a pattern in crocheting.
  3. Hand write one piece of correspondence per month. (I am going to make a calendar of when and to whom).
  4. Take myself on biweekly dates. I like to go for afternoon wine and journaling, meandering in bookstores, walking around my neighborhood, take myself to movies, etc.
  5. NOT give up on watercolor.
  6. Read a Russian - check.
  7. Photos. Take them.

I have been ruminating on No. 7 quite some time these past weeks. I think I have something to say to myself through the eye of a lens. I am overwrought when I see a photo that moves me, and since my hands are ridiculously untrained at recreating [via paint, lead, and ink] the abstractions I see in my head, perhaps instead I can find a voice behind a camera. Cameras do not hide me from moments or steal my experiential joy - they give me safe place from which to really engage...

I was inspired by two photo projects recently. The first was Umberdove's 30 Days of Self . I loved having a daily photo assignment and loved what came of it. Another photo project I came across was introduced to me today via Victoria at SF Girl by the Bay. She sent her readers to a Flickr member, Ky. She has a set in her profile entitled 180 days, and it's a daily shot of herself as a teacher. I ate up this entire set and left feeling inspired to do another photo project.

Since I have discovered that I come alive at night, I think I will do a month - starting in December, of night-owl shots...what I do at night, who I am at night, what I become at night...I hope it will be fun! December nights provide a fantastic backdrop to such a project, so I am excited to embark.

Would you like to join me?

It would be an assignment to take a picture of you during your evenings...sights, sounds, smells, lighting, surroundings of that time. In an effort to capture yourself every evening, I name it "A shot in the dark: December Evenings." I will probably start a flickr photo group, so please do let me know if you are interested, but since it's only mid november, you have some time to ruminate.

I am standing at your screen door with stringy summer hair.
"Can you come out and play?"

~lady whit

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6 comments:

UmberDove said...

Yep.

I'm so in. I was debating starting up another photo project series and am so happy to embark on yours. I think the perimeters of night will be perfect, especially with our evenings in Seattle (completely dark by 5:00).

Thank you for starting this up, and keep us posted!

emilyclare said...

Oh yes yes yes. I am in for this night owlish project!

Well yes.
Yes I will do some December Nights with you.
Good idea my little hooter. Good idea.

Dutch said...

Sounds cool Candace. Thanks for giving our creative desire some direction.

Melissa said...

Count me in as well!

If I am suicidal in the morning, evenings should be really fun.