Photo Themes for Prizes??

This year my cousin Jen and I have been doing Project 365 with a new theme each week. Check it out here!

I’ve just learned that Shutterfly currently has a photo contest going on with themes for each week as well. I might just have to enter- participating in a photo theme project with the chance of winning a prize! This week’s theme is “Great Outdoors” and we just happen to be going camping this weekend!

Long Live Summer – Facebook Photo Contest details – 7/9 – 8/12 Multi-week summer themed photo sweepstakes with instant win prizes.

Win a trip for four to The Bahamas and a professional photo shoot so you’ll remember your vacation forever.  All you need to do is upload your favorite photo and caption based on the theme of the week.  Get a gift from Shutterfly just for entering! You can enter at any point during the 5-week sweepstakes period.

PHOTO THEMES

•       Week 1(7/9): Americana

•       Week 2 (7/16): Great Outdoors

•       Week 3 (7/23): Water Fun

•       Week 4 (7/30): Sports & Activities

•       Week 5 (8/6): Parties & Celebrations

PRIZES

•       Instant win prizes just for submitting a photo!

•       Weekly prizes (contestants can enter one time/week)

•       Weekly featured photos: up to 5 weekly entries will be selected from the gallery and featured on the Facebook fan page and awarded a $500 gift card on Shutterfly and a copy of the new Lonely Planet travel photography book.

•       Grand prize: trip for 4 to Bahamas, 4 nights, family photo shoot

Project 365: It was a good year!

Today is my last day of Project 365!

My first photo:

My last photo:

My friend Becca inspired me to try it. I had seen it all over online but wasn’t sure I could pull it off. Once I saw she was giving it a shot I thought I might as well try too! So thanks to Becca for inspiring me to try Project 365! I also want to thank the people who encouraged me along the way, especially my family (and I’m so excited that you are doing Project 365 now Dadio!), Trev, Britta, Scott & Emily, my cousin Jen, and Ariah. Thanks for motivating me to keep going. I actually never missed a day. There were a couple of days that I almost forgot, but always managed to find something to photograph!

You can see all the photos here.

I documented my life at age 30, so I started on my 30th birthday last year. During the time I did the project I worked 2 temp jobs, celebrated 6 years of marriage with Trevor, went camping twice with cousins, had many visitors, went to Phoenix, AZ and Huntington Beach, CA, and much more. Taking the photos helped me to see each day with a different perspective and to appreciate all the events and even the little things that much more. I hope that it made me a better photographer as well!

Favorite Photo: Day 269

Least Favorite Photo: Day 189

Hardest to shoot: Day 87

Most fun to shoot: Day 201

Best day: Day 203

Worst day: Day 149

In the 365 photos there are 121 friends and family members!

There are 9 dogs! Of course our cockapoo Cash Howard is in lots, especially because sometimes he’s just in the background. He’s in a grand total of 16. But the other dogs included were Kirby & Dakota Dwyer, Kia Pedersen, Barkley Shaw, Brody Pedersen, Nellie LeDuc, Nemesis Kraft, and Ralphie Rymsza.

The photos are taken in 20 cities/towns and then various suburbs: Minneapolis/St. Paul, Duluth, Fergus Falls, Dent, Alexandria, Moorhead, Cannon Falls, New Prague, Almelund, Miltona, and Perham, MN; Sheboygan, Madison, and Montello, WI; Fargo, ND; Waverly, IA; Fountain Hills and Phoenix, AZ; Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach, CA.

I took a photo of our house in each season, but wish I would have gotten one in actual Spring.

17 photos involve my gardening!

50 photos include food or beverage or are taken at a meal!

8 involve celebrating birthdays!

3 have something to do with weddings.

11 photos have me in them.

It was fun and I highly recommend it to anyone else who is interested. Give it a try!

Colorsplash

I got my first roll of film developed from my lomography colorsplash 35mm camera. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Can’t wait to see what else I can get! Fun fun.

Lake Michigan

Keeping Awake – The Innocence Mission
hearing your voice in the blue light,
calming people in the house,
traveling upstairs –
good to be there
now, right now

Oh, I’m near to sleeping, I’m keeping awake.
Oh, I’m near to sleeping, I’m keeping awake,
hearing your voice in the house, in the house,
hearing your voice in the house

Under those trees we will all be
sitting, blankets down.
It’s tomorrow, yes it is.

My room is held in someone’s arms,
my bed is held in someone’s arms.
I am-I’m held now
In the house,
in the heart of paper vines,
Junie runs into her room
next to mine, Dancing.
And we are all in for the night.
Talking is coming,
is coming up over the stairs.