The Beginning of a Lifetime Hobby
I have been taking photographs since I was 9 years old. My parents bought me a Vivitar camera (click the link to read more on my vintage blog) and I was hooked!
Black and white photography has always been my favorite. I used to hang out with a friend in his dark room, developing roll after roll after roll after roll of film. Sadly, that’s something most people never get to experience these days. As a kid and teenager, I entered many photography contests and even won a few of them.
I’ve taken tens of thousands of photos of my three boys since the day they were born. They’re teenagers and young adults now, but I still take photos of them. Often. 😉
I take hundreds of photos a week of the vintage items I sell in my ThirdShift Vintage shop. That’s a challenge of it’s own.
And, I take hundreds of photos a week of random things around me – wherever I happen to be. Photos of friends and family, celebrations, my flower gardens and houseplants. I pretty much always have a camera with me – you just never know when you need to capture a moment!
The Photo a Day Challenge
When the calendar rolled over to the year 2020 – I decided it would be a great time to start a Photo a Day Challenge for myself – in black and white, of course. I’ve been posting my photos on Instagram, and on Pinterest – take a peek and follow me, if you’d like. You never know where this journey will lead – so come on along!
My goal is simple – to get outside in the wild at least once every single day in the year 2020 and capture a moment in time on film. Or, as a digital image.
I bought a smaller camera case to make these spontaneous trips easier than hauling my photo backpack. I keep a camera in the case with a fresh battery and media card, so I’m ready to grab-and-go whenever the mood strikes.
We live in the country, so my focus so far has been on capturing rural life. This includes barns and houses (I especially love the abandoned barns and homes), lakes, creeks, and interesting trees, landscapes, and wild life. You just never know what you’ll spot out in the country!
Getting Lost
One of the things I’ve been enjoying the most, is trying to get lost down country roads. Since the beginning of the year, I’ve discovered some of the coolest dirt back roads! I love that I can brake suddenly in the middle of the road when I see something to photograph, and not worry about traffic or other drivers on the roads. I’ve been primarily traveling on these roads during the day when most people are at work – so I rarely pass anyone else. When I do see someone, I give them the friendly rural two-finger wave, and we both move on.
This challenge not only feeds my need to take photographs, it also allows me to relax more and satisfy my desire for adventure. I think it’s a lot of fun to drive down these country roads I’ve never been on, taking turn after turn in an attempt to literally get lost. It’s an exciting adventure to discover new places, and it’s fun to find my way back home.
I look forward to continuing this challenge throughout the year. I think it will be fun to look back through my daily photos. Hopefully I will also improve my photography over time, or find new and exciting photo techniques to try. It really is an adventure, and something I am having a blast doing!
Thanks Mom and Dad
Here’s a photo I took of my parents. It captures their personalities so well – Mom, the MOST caring, generous, loving, easy-go-lucky, and fun woman in the world; and Dad, the most creative, intelligent, adventurous, loving soul ever. I thank them every single day for that first Vivitar camera, and for all the other cameras they bought for me as a kid. I thank them for ALL the rolls of film they paid to have processed when I was a kid and teenager. Trust me. It was a LOT of film! I also thank them for encouraging me to follow my passion of taking pictures. How lucky was I to have such awesome, loving parents! I miss you Mom and Dad. Thank you for everything. 143
Follow Me!
Here’s my Pinterest board of my Photo a Day Challenge – check it out! I’d love to hear your comments.
If you decide to take this challenge yourself, please post a link in a comment below so I can follow you! I’d love to see your photos!
