focus52|2012 {week one} january 1 to 7

posted by on January 1, 2012 · 16 Comments

Here we go! A brand new year on your creative journey. What will 2012 bring to you this year?

For some of you, being here is a fresh start on a familiar project. For others, it's a brand new project filled with possibilities! Whether you're a returning 52'r or a first time member, I'm so glad you've decided to join me here this year.

The blog has a new look for 2012, and the focus52 section has been updated with the new guidelines and this year's blog buttons (grab one!) but I thought I'd take a minute to go over the basics,

  • The weekly prompt and linkup will post here every Sunday evening.
  • The blog link-up and flickr pool will now be open all week instead of weekends only.
  • Photos MUST be taken during the current week. No archived photos. No submissions from the previous week. Please watch your dates.
  • You do NOT need to use the prompt in order to join in. The prompts are there for those who enjoy them, but this is your project, so please feel free to make it your own!

That's about it, in a nutshell.

Let's get to it, shall we? The prompt for this week, week one of focus52 for 2012 is ...

A new year, a new project, something new that Santa left ... the possibilities are endless. Let your imagination and creativity guide you!

Once you're done, come back here and link up your work from this week (Sunday to Saturday, don't forget!). Links must be to the direct URL of your actual work, not just to the site it's posted in, and may be a link to your blog post or to your flickr photo. Also, please don't link and run - try to find some time to visit at least a few of your fellow 52'ers. That's half the fun! And don't forget the flickr pool!

Remember, you do not need to use the prompt in order to come back here and share. We just want to enjoy what you have done :)

Have a great week! Happy New Year, everybody!

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a toast!

posted by on December 31, 2011 · 10 Comments

to the end of this year!

cheers to a New Year!

And what a year it was. I'm going to leave it at "it's been a challenge" and let it go.

And hey! The end of my 52 week project for 2011! wooohooooo!!!

Wanna see?

Thanks, you guys, for sticking with me this year. For being there for me when I needed you, and even when I didn't.

Here's to a better fantastic, wonderful, promising, hopeful New Year in 2012!

xoxo

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PICTURE THE HOLIDAYS with Tracy Clark and Paper Coterie: 31 days of seasonal photo prompts to inspire your creativity. Find out more here.

This post is a portion (and the last!) of my focus52 project, hosted right here at twoscoopz! Visit or join the focus52 flickr group here. My own focus52 project can be found on flickr here or by clicking 'my f52' in the category list to the right.

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through the looking glass

posted by on December 28, 2011 · Leave a Comment

or in this case, the viewfinder ;)

through the looking glass

From Picture The Holidays,

I am big on perspective. As in, a slight change in it can make all the difference. Sometimes turning something on its ear is the most refreshing shift in how it's perceived. Just like with life, a photographic image isn't always as it seems. When you use a tool to alter your creative vision on purpose, the results can be surprising and illuminating. Find something, anything, that changes the way things look today. Shoot through your water glass, a window, or even through something that's not quite as clear as you'd like it to be, just to see what happens. There is beauty in mystery. It's your job to discover it.

My newest little brownie. So cool to look through the viewfinder and see what I can see. Those marks on the lens? Yummy. And we spend countless hours trying to duplicate this very thing.

The bottom two photos are the views through the brownie viewfinder, in case that wasn't clear. heh. No edits here (other than the square crop) - what you see is what I saw.

Isn't she great? :)

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PICTURE THE HOLIDAYS with Tracy Clark and Paper Coterie: 31 days of seasonal photo prompts to inspire your creativity. Find out more here.

This post is a portion of my focus52 project, hosted right here at twoscoopz! Visit or join the focus52 flickr group here. My own focus52 project can be found on flickr here or by clicking 'my f52' in the category list to the right.

filed under my f52, PictureTheHolidays - Tagged: , , , ,

a breath of fresh air

posted by on December 27, 2011 · 5 Comments

From Picture The Holidays,

The weather outside might be frightful but even with winter's chill, fresh air is the best medicine. After shopping malls and gathering indoors so much this month, braving the elements, even just to snap a photo can be a perfect change of pace. Shoot one of Mother Nature's gifts today. Something that boasts of the season and showcases the splendor of the great outdoors.

I braved the elements, alright. Winter has arrived and it's brrrrrrrrr outside, despite the deceptive sunshine.

fresh air

I can't remember where I got the idea to hang mitts in a tree, but somebody nudged me about it. Whoever it was, thank you! This was fun, even if I did get a few weird looks. My mittens aren't as focused as I'd like them to be, but I'm blaming it on the wind and my icy fingers. Yep.

Has winter arrived in your neck of the woods?

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PICTURE THE HOLIDAYS with Tracy Clark and Paper Coterie: 31 days of seasonal photo prompts to inspire your creativity. Find out more here.

This post is a portion of my focus52 project, hosted right here at twoscoopz! Visit or join the focus52 flickr group here. My own focus52 project can be found on flickr here or by clicking 'my f52' in the category list to the right.

filed under my f52, PictureTheHolidays - Tagged: , , , , ,

focus52 december 27 to december 31

posted by on December 27, 2011 · Leave a Comment

This is IT, 52'rs! Our final week!

Wow.

I just want to say how proud I am of all of you for sticking with your project and seeing it through to the end of the year. I hope you're proud of yourselves! It's no small accomplishment, you know. It takes a certain amount of discipline and commitment to do what you have done, and I hope you are feeling quite self-satisfied and happy.

For our final week of the year, I'd like you to really give some thought to everything you've put in here ... the time, the commitment. Maybe think about where'd you like to go from here. Another project? (yes, focus52 will run again for 2012 - more on that later) Maybe a few classes? How would you like to further your photography in 2012?

Your final image of the year, of this project, should be a homage to all you've accomplished. Perhaps a toast to the end of a satisfying year?

This week, it's time for a ...

* celebration! *

(click to define)

How you choose to wrap up the end of your project is up to you, but I hope you find a way to give yourself a creative pat on the back. You deserve it!

You might want to also take this time to show off your accomplishment and do something with the 52 (or more!) photos you've taken this year. Last year, for my 365, I finished up the year with a video of all of my images. I can't tell you how satisfying that was. It's also a really, really great way to see how your skills have progressed throughout the year (omg some of my early ones? shudder).

Creating an album for the year is also a great thing to do. There are tons of places on the web to get that done easily and relatively painlessly. I love blurb, but that's just me. Google 'photobooks' or ask around and see what others are using and happy with.

Whatever you choose to do ... PRINT YOUR PHOTOS! Don't leave them on your hard drive, collecting dust. There is nothing more satisfying than holding your own creation in your hands and saying, I did that.

Print.Your.Photos.

Okay. I think that's it. I honestly can't think of a way to wrap up this post, so I'll just say "SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!" and leave it at that :)

(oh, and check back in the next few days for info on focus52 for 2012)

The link up is open for the rest of the week, here and on flickr.

Have a great New Year, everybody!

It's been a pleasure. Seriously.

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Wondering what this is all about? One project a week for 52 weeks, hosted right here at twoscoopz! Get all of the info here and visit or join the focus52 flickr group here.

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