Photo Challenge: Week 2

I will have to say, as much as I hate being out in the cold, I couldn't wait to get the next shot! I actually shot this week's photo two days after the last one.  I was so excited to use my camera again.

This week's challenge is Cold

It has been extremely cold where I live lately.

We have had severe wind chill warnings. I took this screen shot as soon as I came inside from taking this weeks photo. I was frozen! Plus we have about a foot of snow!

My poor horse, he had icicles around his nose.  It was so cold and there was so much snow around me, I wasn't quite sure what would capture "cold". Obviously, no matter what I photographed it would have looked cold, considering the snow.  But I wanted to capture something that showed just how cold it actually was.  I think this photo did just that.  As Rumor would breathe, the air he exhaled was immediately frozen to his fur.

While I'm at it, I want to introduce you to my boy, Rumor.  I love his playful personality.  He would follow me anywhere if I let him (and if I had food). He has come such a long way since I got him.  I couldn't ride him and he wasn't very trusting.  Now I can do almost anything with him. I've let a four year old walk him around and he was perfect for her. 

I'm excited to get out and take next weeks photo! I will be starting my photography classes this week and I'm excited for that as well. I'm eager to start learning new things and apply them to the photos I'll be taking for these challenges! 

About Me

I'd love to add a few posts here and there between my photo challenges.  I thought maybe writing a little about myself would be a good place to start.
Here are thirty random facts about myself:

1. God, family and friends are the most important things in my life.
2. My biggest pet peeve is listening to people eat like cows.  Learn to chew with your mouth closed!
3. I am 23 years old.
4. As you have probably already guessed, I love photography. I have been into photography since 2007, started taking portraits in 2009 and shot my first wedding in 2011! A couple of years ago I took a Nikon class to teach me how to use the setting on my camera, but other than that I am self taught.
5. When I started college I originally wanted to be a veterinarian.  I changed my mind, finished my Gen Eds and stopped taking classes until I could decide what I wanted to do. Recently I decided to return to school and pursue photography as a career. I've never been so excited to go to school! Classes start on the 14th!
6. My main paying job is as a Veterinary Assistant.  I absolutely love my job, it just doesn't pay enough to be a career.
7. I am a horrible procrastinator
8. I have been dating a wonderful man named Matthew for about four and a half years. He is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and I don't know what I would do without him.
9. Being kidnapped/tortured is my biggest fear. People make fun of me for being paranoid, but I just live in a heightened state of awareness. 
10.  I'm one of the pickiest eaters you'll ever meet.
11. My parents are better than yours!
12. I set my alarm for more than an hour before I actually have to get up because I hit snooze so many times.
13. Riding my horse is my absolute favorite thing to do. His name is Rumor. Matt got him for me for our first Christmas together. He is the first horse I have owned, but I've been riding for about 14 years.
14. I have a younger brother named Alan. We've always been pretty close, but he moved away to go to school this past fall and I'm bummed I can't just go hang out with him whenever I want.
15. Pinterest is, by far, the most addicting thing I have ever gotten into. What was I thinking?! ;)
16. I have amazing friends who inspire me to do great things.
17.I lost my mind and paid more than $1,000 for my wild breed, Cheetoh cat named Sprocket. He's a turd, but I love him to death.
18. I like to change up the color of my hair.  I've been all shades of blonde, brown and dark reds. Blonde is my natural, and preferred color though.
19. I recently found out that I need to wear glasses.
20. I always say I don't want kids, which is true because the thought of being stuck with a crying baby all day completely freaks me out. But honestly I hope that years from now I will be a mom, and I'm excited for that.
21. I have been to seven countries other than the United States.
22. Number one on my bucket list is to swim with an Orca.
23. My tiny apartment is a cluttered mess, but the only thing I hate more than my messy place, is cleaning! I am working on it though, and have made daily chores lists to make sure it all gets done!
24. In my last post I introduced you to our dog, Kira. I bought her for Matt before we were even dating.  He was a good friend of mine, and he was going through a rough time.  I thought a dog would be great for him and he agreed, so we got Kira.
25. I babysit for a family with four girls, ages 5, 7, 9 and 11.  I don't always get to see them as much as I'd like to, but I love them like they are my little sisters and I strive to be a great role model for them.
26. One day I would love to say that I have touched ground in all 50 states.
27. My parents took us on vacations every summer. I am so fortunate to have had parents that gave us the gift of travel, over material things
28. When I was in middle school I was in a youth air rifle program. I completed all of the qualifications in the marksmanship program and became an expert level shooter. Now, as an NRA instructor, I am an assistant instructor for the youth air rifle program to teach kids today about gun safety and how to become a better shooter.
29. My family goes camping in Boyne City, Michigan for a week every summer.  Northern Michigan is an amazing place to be and I think of it as my second home.
30. I've had a lot of embarrassing moments, and moments where I messed up and wished I could take them back. But if I had the chance to do it all differently, I wouldn't change a thing.  I wouldn't be who I am today if I wouldn't have messed up and made mistakes.  Life is like photography, you develop from the negatives.


I may not have the most exciting life, but its my life and I love every part of it!

Photo Challenge: Week 1

Blogging isn't as easy as I had hoped.  It's a lot harder to keep up with than I had anticipated.  So I've decided to look up challenges to help me out.  I will be following a 52 week photo challenge. Each week I will take a photo and post it. This is important to me as a photographer. I take so many photos for other people and never take the time to use my camera for myself.  I hope by taking on this challenge I will spend more time with my camera, and more time for me. I'm also excited to share my photos with the world and get some feedback. =)


I found this challenge a few weeks ago, pinned it on Pinterest, and said I would come back to it. Actually I had completely forgotten about it.

This morning, when I woke up to let my dog out, the sun was just perfect.  All of the long shadows across the snow were beautiful and I wanted to capture them.  For the first time in months I grabbed my camera for myself.  It felt wonderful to be creative and take my time, not having to worry about clients.

I was freezing though. It was only 4 degrees Fahrenheit when I was out there. Brrrrr!

So I snapped a few quick photos and came back inside. While sorting through the photos on my computer I thought about how I wished I did that for myself more often, then I remembered the challenge! I was so excited to see what my challenge for this week would be. 

This week's challenge is Beginnings. 

I thought it was perfect. My photos today represent the beginning of me taking photos for myself.

This first photo is of my front yard. This is what I saw from the house and wanted to capture.  We have gotten so much snow lately, and its beautiful! I have been into photography for close to 7 years and have very few photos of the snow.  I don't like the cold, so I usually won't take the time to go out in it.  I'm glad I did this morning! I know this isn't the best photo I have ever taken, but I still did it for myself, so its amazing to me.  I can't wait to do this more often!

No time outside is complete without my dog by my side. Kira is my guardian and always looking out for me. She wants to play and have fun, but if she hears the slightest sound or notices me tense up over something, she'll keep her eye on things.

Kira means the world to Matt and me. We got her summer of 2009 and she is a big part of what holds us together. In a way, Kira represents the beginning of our relationship, since I got her as a gift for Matt before we were even dating. She is our rock!



I hope to keep up on this blog at least once a week to post photos, if not a few times a week to just blog about life and its wondrous adventures!

Beginnings

October 1st
The first day of my favorite month.  A month that brings change to the world around us, the beginning of a new season. 
October has always been my favorite month of the year.  I love watching all the leaves change and the entrance of cooler weather after a long, hot summer. Apple picking, followed by cider and donuts. Pumpkin carving for Halloween, and best of all, my birthday.  I am a Devil's night child, born the day before Halloween.  I do believe that for this reason I am biased to October being the best month of the year, although I think I would still be just as fascinated with the changes Autumn brings.

To start the month off I took my dog, Kira for a walk around campus since it was such a nice and warm day.

 

I loved to see the change in all the leaves on campus.  Its been almost two years since I've been there and I forgot how beautiful it is. I met up with my friend Stephanie and walked around with her for a while between her classes. After Kira and I walked her to class, we kept going.

There are so many squirrels on campus, and they are all getting ready for winter.  Kira enjoyed watching them and was angry I wouldn't let her play.

We had a great time.  I'm so glad I had the chance to get out on such a beautiful day.  Back to work tomorrow, although I can't complain because I absolutely love my job.

Today was about taking time for myself, and to experience the world around me. I know that I don't do this nearly as often as I should, and I need make it a point to do it more often. I am hoping that by starting this blog I will be more inclined to make time for myself and to write about it.  I will share all that I experience and learn from life in hopes that someone can take something away from it all.