As for those "Later"s....

"Later" #1, Resources: 
  I'm sure every photographer goes through "dry periods" creatively, or, like I'm trying to come out of, times of neglecting their cameras altogether.  In any case, everyone needs to consider where they are in their pursuit from time to time, and my recent evaluation found myself wanting in creativity and regularity.  Thus, the search for the aforementioned resources.

  The first is from a site I came across about a year ago, and have found to be immensely helpful and inspiring, to which I have added as an RSS feed to the right: Digital Photography School.  Just in time for my consideration of how to re-invigorate my photography, one of their contributors posted a weekly theme calendar that you can add to your Google calendar, download as an Excel sheet, or simply view on the web page.
  At the same time, I was considering a more specific and measurable means of goal-setting, and settled on a daily calendar for myself as well, which is the second resource: Macro Mondays, Tele Tuesdays, Wide Angle Wednesdays, and Travel Thursdays.  I initially included Family Fridays, but figured I'd just take more photos of my family throughout the week and have a make-up day built in.

Later #2, Accountability:
  I'm too pragmatic to expect myself to stick to this rigorous a schedule every week, so even though I may fulfill it's requirements in a given week on the "wrong days", I'm still going to post them according to days, and ignore the ones I didn't get to.  I have two reasons for this; alliteration is fun, and it will help me to stay in the groove.  I plan on sharing here what I got done during the week, my plans for the next, and how things are going as I have time to post.  I will be putting everything in my Flickr photostream by daily category, linked at right.

So, last week's theme was macro, which obviously fit well into my plan for Monday.  I had the perhaps silly but somehow intimate idea of photographing my watch and 7th anniversary ring the only times I remove them, when I shower and do dishes.  Turns out I only got around to shower time.  Stay tuned for dishes.

For Tele Tuesday, I took some little snowmen decorations outside to shoot them in their natural habitat.  In keeping with Macro week, I used my 80-200 2.8 D's wannabe macro capability to get some 1:3-ish shots of the little guys.  This one was a lot of fun!

"M is for Macro, that's good enough for me..."

Travel Thursday found me at Ophir Park in Zion, Illinois.  I have driven by this place every day for the last eight years, and always loved and wanted to shoot the two most prominent trees in the place, small as it is.  I procrastinated long enough to see the larger one struck down by lightning, but I like shooting stumps so I guess it worked out.  The detail shot of the snow-packed bark is neither of those two trees, but the bark's pattern was so huge, I could almost fit my entire hand into the cracks.

Again, to see all my stuff from last week, check out my Flickr page at right.

This week's theme is "Tired", so some stuff comes pretty easily to mind, and it will be fun to shoot my kids for this one.  I think I'll use the cats for Macro Monday and fill the frame with their sleepy feline faces and yawns, the rest I'll have to come up with later.  I work third shift, and am too tired to think now, as it were.  Hmmmm.....

Zzzzzzz,
-JMo