2012 Photo Challenge- Reflections

Cyrena, Sarah and I are getting ready to embark upon our photography challenge for 2012. Katie will be joining us this year- which I'm really excited about! Means more photography excursions for the both of us.

Stealing text directly from Cyrena, we're scaling back to a more manageable plan this year of 12 shots, 1/month. This year's subject is reflections. But in order to have a similar theme in all our work, we have a primary structure/object that the reflection should appear in each month.

Here is the plan for the year:
January: Building
February: Mirror
March: Water
April: Beverage
May: Glasses (Eyeglasses, drinking glasses, etc)
June: Object (silverware, etc)
July: Statue
August: Vehicle
September: Window
October: Furniture
November: Monitor/TV
December: Holiday Item

I struggled with this concept at first. Thinking we just had to take a photo of the structure/object listed beside each month. But Cyrena schooled me, as she often does, on how we need to have a central theme so we can pick up on them in our photographs.

So here I am.

All on board.

And ready to go!

I already took one kick ass photo last week that could work for March. But I really need to buckle down for January!

A huge thank you to everyone who followed the Crayola challenge. It was super fun and I find myself, even still, looking at certain things and wondering what Crayola crayon it would most closely resemble.

And if you haven't yet, please take a look at the amazing work that both Cyrena & Sarah did for the challenge.

As of yesterday, we all completed the project!

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Crayola Photo Challenge- Yellow Green

Yellow green is the last color in our year-long photography challenge. I'm so grateful to Cyrena and Sarah for letting me crash this photo challenge. It has been a great way for me to use my camera more. To get out and explore. To learn to love the ordinary things. To be so much more aware of everything around me.

It's been a blast and I can't believe I've reached the end of this challenge.

I bring to you...yellow green!

While I had a very easy match with the farmer's market photo taken below, I opted to go with this photo. I definitely have the farmer's market represented. And this seemed more "arty" to me. It's the exterior of a parking garage here in Santa Monica and I love all the colors. Makes it a super inviting place to be. Dontchya think?

Yellow green here.

Stay tuned to learn about the photography challenge we'll be doing in 2012.

Thank you for coming along for the ride!

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Crayola Photo Challenge- Wisteria

Oops! Turns out there was another color we added into the Crayola Challenge mix and I totally spaced on it. Thank you to Cyrena for reminding me! Luckily, I was able to go back into my recent photos to grab wisteria. A color I knew nothing about before I pulled it out of the crayon box just yesterday.

This picture, taken on November 28th here in Santa Monica, is a perfect example of the beauty that surrounds me on a daily basis. I like to think that I don't take this for granted.

More wisteria.

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Crayola Photo Challenge- Yellow

When I went to Jena & Chuck's a few weeks ago, I took pictures of these light fixtures thinking they'd be a good potential match for yellow. Turns out I was right! While I was hoping to use a picture I had taken yesterday of the chicken car on a Christmas morning walk, this one turned out to be the best fit.

Taken on Sunday, December 11th at Jena & Chuck's in Santa Monica.

Turns out yellow was more challenging to match than I had anticipated. Check out more yellow here.

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Crayola Photo Challenge- Wild Strawberry

Towards the end of my work day, I needed to step outside and get some fresh air. After 5 1/2 hours of conference calls- straight- grabbing Clancy and walking towards the cliffs was the best thing I could do for myself.

It was a crisp and clear evening and as I wandered around the cliffs, I stopped to check out the Rose Garden and the sunset and the expansive palm trees in between.

This is the time of year when I become super grateful for living where I do. For not having the weather completely sidetrack my plans and dictate what I can and can't do. I love that I can go to the farmer's market year round and see the beach every single day. This New England girl has most definitely left the winters behind!

I took this picture with my iPhone- which arguably takes better pictures than my other point and shoot camera- and I love how it came out. I've been doing a lot on instagr.am lately, and it was nice to take a picture and not mess with the filters at all. I think this is a beautiful photo of the roses and I love that the rose bud even looks like a strawberry!

Taken in Santa Monica, CA in the Rose Garden of Palisades Park on Tuesday 12/13/2011.
Wild Strawberry.

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Crayola Photo Challenge- White

I have been blessed to have a very close core group of friends here in Los Angeles. I've been friends with "the gang" since I did a student exchange out here in LA (we like to point out, frequently, that we were one bus stop away from Compton- that's how little most of us knew of the geography when we picked our school) in 1999. And we've been through a lot together.

Lately though, we've been celebrating the next generation and getting to meet these little beautiful children has been one of the greatest joys in my life. While life has made it more challenging for us to see one another as regularly as I'd hoped, today we spent the afternoon eating chili, making silly faces and noises at one another (well, really mostly just at the little ones), celebrating a couple of birthdays and just enjoying one another's company.

When I saw Sophia come out of the bedroom, fresh from her afternoon nap, I knew between her adorable new kicks (navy blue Converse to match her mom's, of course), her fuzzy white hooded sweatshirt and her new teeth peeking through her gums, that she had to be the subject of my white.

I mean. Honestly.

Taken at Jena & Chuck's on Sunday December 11th in Santa Monica.

While I was trying to take some "interesting" shots of white yesterday, it was so easy to drop the car wash ones and go with Sophia!

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Crayola Photo Challenge- Vivid Tangerine

When I first drew vivid tangerine on a piece of paper two thoughts came to mind.

First- dang, this is not a very pretty color!
Second- I do not think this will be an easy color to identify.

Turns out it was easier than I thought. Most of the pictures I did take (of this color) were from the Farmer's Market here in Santa Monica, last Saturday. It was a gorgeous day and I was showing off my 'hood to a friend in town visiting. The Farmer's Market is always a good place to take someone- especially when that person lives somewhere that's freezing and snowy and can't take advantage of year-round farmer's markets!

This winter squash was a great match for vivid tangerine:

Taken Saturday, December 3rd in Santa Monica at the Farmer's Market.

Vivid Tangerine.

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Crayola Photo Challenge- Violet Red

I wrote this whole post below and then realized that I couldn't post the photo I had originally intended because I didn't take it!

So you get the post I intended to write about a picture I didn't take. And get to see another photo that I did take which qualifies for violet red.

Taken on December 3rd at the Santa Monica's Farmer's Market.

More Violet Red here.

I love this picture for a few reasons.

First, it's taken at my favorite dive bar in Santa Monica- the Speak Easy Cocktail.
Second, Mo (really named Maureen), is one of the nicest bartenders ever. She is super friendly and nice and whenever I see her, she always gives me a huge hug and a kiss.
Third, it was taken while celebrating my 33rd birthday.
And lastly, when I look at all the photos I've taken during this year-long photo challenge, I'm glad that the Speak Easy is represented!


Taken on Saturday, November 15th at the Speak Easy Cocktail in Santa Monica

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Crayola Photo Challenge- Violet

A big thank you to my foot model, Penny, for making this photo possible!

Taken on 12/10/2011 at Artistic Nails in Santa Monica, CA (the best nail salon in Santa Monica).

A few more Violet photos.

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Crayola Photo Challenge- Turquoise Blue

Yesterday, while walking down to the Farmer's Market, I stopped and took pictures of the Christmas Tree near Wilshire on Third Street Promenade.

For the most part, I think Los Angeles is pretty hit or miss with the Christmas decorations. Some places, like in Beverly Hills, they go overboard and actually put up some oddly out of place and somewhat tacky citywide decorations that make me cringe. Santa Monica has mostly tasteful and classy decorations and this tree caught my eye almost immediately.

The sun was shining down on the tree. The ornaments were glistening and glimmering with sparkly goodness. And I couldn't help but see an opportunity to check off another crayon assignment!

Take a look:

Taken on Saturday, December 3rd on the Third Street Promenade en route to the Farmer's Market.

Turquoise. (What an odd spelling, no?)

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