Saturday, January 1, 2011

Complete

I thoroughly enjoyed Project 365; however, I'm a little relieved it's over. There were days I spent upwards of two hours (sometimes longer) photographing and editing in the evenings. Surprisingly, I only cheated twice, but the two photos I cheated on I could have easily replicated anyway. Even with two cheats, I am going to give myself a pass and call it complete. 2010 had its ups and downs, so when the days were not going well--and there were many--it was difficult to stay committed.

I never got that "perfect" shot; in fact, there were times I fell so far short of perfection that I wanted to give up, especially if I spent hours trying to get it right. One thing my shortcomings forced me to do was learn how to apply textures in Photoshop. A cool texture can salvage a mediocre photo, let me tell you. I also learned how to sharpen around my subject with the help of Kimi Kreations. The sharpening technique helped tremendously with my insect shots. Now for a better lens in 2011... :)

I'm a nature girl through and through, so shooting birds, flowers, sunsets, dogs, and bugs gave me the most pleasure. This love of mine inspired me to find nature areas in my town that I didn't know existed before this project. I also lost weight along the way because it was difficult hiking and carrying equipment with 40 pounds of extra baggage. I still need to lose 10 more, but I'm not complaining--a 30 lb. loss is nothing to frown about.

This video is a compilation of some of my favorite photos from Project 365. I set it to the music of Broken Bells' song Trap Door for no particular reason other than I love the song and the timing fit with the number of photos I chose. It's about 3 minutes long, and you can see an improvement in my skills about halfway through.

Happy New Year to you all! I'm now embarking on Project 52, a once a week endeavor. Hope to see you around!

16 comments:

Lisa said...

Love it Gail! You really are an amazing photographer!

I'm going to join you on Focus-52. I really wanted to do Project 365 again (I stopped in June), but didn't want the commitment to an every day project, so this is perfect!

I look forward to a great New Year and hope yours is wonderful, too!

Gail Dixon said...

Thank you, Lisa. Looking forward to seeing your photos for Focus 52!

Starla said...

Thanks for the slide show!! As I joined in on your 365 project late, I got to see many wonderful photos that I missed!!

Gail, I want you to know that it was your blog that has inspired me to get out the camera and start to use it in a more creative way. I'm taking some online classes just to learn the basic editing steps in PSE (wanted to cut down the learning frustration). I would love to join you in the 52 week project!! Deep breath....leaping!!

Lisa Gordon said...

I so enjoyed this!
Thank you so much for sharing it.
Beautifully done!

Gail Dixon said...

Starla and Lisa #2, thank you both so much for visiting my blog and for the nice comments. I hope 2011 brings you all many blessings.

Monybean said...

I just love your video!! You are an amazing and gifted photographer.

Gail Dixon said...

Thanks, Mony. You are too!

Jan said...

Love it!
Don't you feel great, sitting back and looking at all you've accomplished? So awesome.
Happy shooting in 2011 :)

Gail Dixon said...

Jan, YES! It feels great that I finished. Thanks, and looking forward to Focus 52!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! I'm proud of you. I quited 15 days to the end, but I had been cheating all along, so I'll just say, I quited 4 months after I started. I wrote a blog about why I quited if anyone is interested. last one of the 3 topics

Gail Dixon said...

M., I'm sure you will be inspired to try the project again at some point. I'm about to head to a class, but I will read your blog when I have a chance.

hootnonny said...

So enjoyed the video. The images are wonderful. You should be very proud of your accomplishment! Look forward to your 52!

Charlotte Wilson said...

Gail,
what an amazing video and collection of your best photos! I think you are wrong about not getting a perfect photo...you have lots of them.
I so enjoy your work and your blog. Do you have a button? I am sort of ADD and dont' always see things where they are obvious to most people. :o)

Gail Dixon said...

Thanks, Betty & Charlotte! I appreciate your support so much! Charlotte, I don't have a blog button...yet! When my life settles down and I can think clearly, I do want to design something.

Ghost Writer said...

I had forgotten how many truly beautiful photos that you had taken this past year. Thanks for reminding us and sharing them with us all.

GW

Gail Dixon said...

Thank you GW! It was fun.