52 Week Photo Project – Weeks 6, 7 & 8

I've been slacking on the Photo Projects posts! Here's a combo one for your viewing pleasure.

Week 6 theme was "Movie or Song Title." I'd planned on doing a movie title, but this song popped into my head and just had to shoot it.





I love Jim Croce's music. It's hard to believe that he was only 30-years-old when he died.


Week 7 theme was "Light." I shot a few things — light streaming through a glass of water, sun shining on the fireplace just so. But I went with this shot of my Keurig coffee maker buttons.



The depth of field is very short and I was going for the blurry, slightly dreamy look.


And we come to Week 8. The theme is "Laughter." I cheated a bit since I was so busy with work this past week and weekend that I picked a photo I'd taken at Thanksgiving. I asked my nieces to sit so I could get a photo of them together. And this happened.



Actually, lots of feet and hands in the air, laughing, goofing around and generally silliness. I did NOT get a "serious" shot, but that's OK. This represents them MUCH better!

Missing an Appendage (a.k.a. My Camera)

*Insert sad face*

Not to be confused with *distraught face*

(Sorry, I can't help myself. I find me endlessly hilarious. I realize I'm the only one that does. Don't care. Besides, PhotoBooth is freakin' AWESOME. The end.)

OK, back to the point of this post. Ahem. 

MY CAMERA DIED. *sob*

Which is why I'm both sad and, yes, a bit distraught. I've become incredibly attached to my lovely little D80, so being without it has caused me some serious identity crisis moments. "What am I going to do NOW?? How will I ever function again? Ever?! GAH!" Stuff like that.

There it is. My extra appendage in better times. You know, when it worked. Dusty with flour, crusty with dough, probably some paint on the back. *sigh*

I sent it away last week after trying unsuccessfully to get rid of the flashing "ERR" message on the display. I was pretty sure I knew what was wrong. I heard back from Nikon today and they confirmed it. The #%&#!@ pop up flash is broken. I DON'T EVEN USE IT. 

It's like not being able to drive your car because the CD player (THAT YOU NEVER USE BECAUSE IT'S 2012 AND YOU HAVE AN IPOD AND ITUNES) doesn't work. 

The good news is that it can be fixed and for much less than buying even a point and shoot. But still. I don't have my camera right now because something that I don't use is broken on it and I have to PAY to get the thing that I don't use fixed. 

Good times. First world problems, and all that. OK, I'm done now. 

I feel better. Like this:

Wait. That's manic, crazy-face.

SEE? I'm capable of not mugging constantly. 

Almost. (By the way, this is what I call the "Oh, GOLLY!" In case you were wondering.)

52 Week Photo Project – Week 5 Favorite Place

The theme for Week 5 was "I left my heart in…" If I had my druthers, I would have gone back to Hawaii to take some digital photos, but it was not in the cards. For you see, Hawaii IS where I left my heart, but all of my photos are on film. I found an excellent back up, though – Warren Dunes, Lake Michigan.

Dwight and I managed to go back in October last year. Yep, this is October!

It was an incredible day; probably the perfect day. It was really warm without being crazy-hot, sunny all day, and the beach was gloriously free of the hoards of humanity that frequent it during the actual beach season.

We got an early start and made a stop at Meijer to pick up an a umbrella or some other contraption to keep me out of the sun. Remember this post? Yeah, I'm totally serious about being protected in the sun. Seeing as we were going to be baking on the beach for hours and not just out and about, I wanted physical cover instead of just sunscreen. I don't like being baking in the sun, even covered in sunscreen; I get way too hot and start feeling icky.

We found this tent and It. Was. Perfect. I abso-freakin-lutely love it. It's my new BFF. I was happy as a clam in there. It was GLORIOUS.

My view from the tent. Heaven.

Look at these vistas? Gorgeous. If you haven't been to Lake Michigan or any of the Great Lakes, you might not realize how vast they really are. If I can't be in Hawaii, I'll take the Lake Michigan coast any day.



I did leave a little bit of my heart on this beach that beautiful day in October. It was one of my very best days of 2011.