That's What Friends Are For

OH EM GEE. I CAN HAZ INTERNET??! IN BED?? (Read: I love Joe! For fixing my wireless internets!)

Although I am blogging from class. (Read: Bad TA.) Hey, I heard this lecture already last semester.

I know I've been bad about keeping my resolution for this blog, both because of the internet and too many personal things going on in my life that needed higher priority. But at least I kept one of my other New Year's resolutions: Visit more friends!

Best hostess EVER

I very badly needed a change in scenery, so I took the opportunity to visit Chicago for a much-needed vacation to see my friend Jen from college!

Of course I took my camera with me. What kind of question is that?

We visited all sorts of places, from the Art Institute to the zoo to the conservatory (along with plenty of shopping (Read: omg too much!) and night life in between). I've got plenty of pictures of things like cute animals and pretty flowers and fantastic, confusing art. But I found the pictures I liked the most? The intimate moments unknowingly captured.

Wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva...
--Impressive Clergyman, from The Princess Bride

I have to say, I am most definitely my father's daughter. We both have a penchant for taking pictures of people over something like landscapes. I think, for me, I like taking pictures of people because I feel more connected, even if it is suspended in time. I can create a whole story and allow myself to dream exactly what they're feeling in the picture.

It is, of course, ten times more difficult to capture a truly candid intimate moment with your friends. It makes me wish I had a camera with a lens that views in one direction while pointing in another. Still, I managed to capture a few.

The birthday girl enjoys a bite of chocolate pie. Yummy.

Funny face.

A quiet moment at breakfast. The light is beautiful in this picture.

A (Ladies') Room with a View

A New Dawn

Sun in the sky
You know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by
You know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
--"Feeling Good," Nina Simone version

Ever since I can remember, I have loved taking photographs. I love hearing the click of the shutter. I love feeling the weight of the camera. I love ratcheting the lever to wind the film forward...or backward. I love sharpening this crazy world into focus. There is this indescribable magic in capturing the moment.

I had rescued the moment by using my camera and in that way had found a way to stop time and hold it.

--Alice Sebold, from The Lovely Bones

When digital became easily accessible to the modern day consumer (read: poor broke student), I loved the instant gratification...and I especially loved being able to see how truly candid those spontaneous shots were! Although film photography will always be my favorite (that is a post for another day), it is undeniable that digital has wormed its way into my life. It helps that it is inexpensive compared to film photography -- and eases this perpetually broke graduate student's pocketbook!

Spending the New Year with Old Friends

Last year while browsing through some knitting blogs, I read about Project 365 and thought it was an awesome idea, but armed feasibly within budget with only the lightweight Sony Cybershot DSC-W70, I didn't have the enthusiasm to make it past day...3? This past December, however, I was gifted with something that reminded me much more of my film photography love. For my birthday, my parents gave me a wonderful new toy: a digital SLR, Nikon D40X. I think you might agree with me that that is some highly proper motivation.

For those who know me well, the last year has been extremely difficult for me, and I went (and am still going) through a lot of changes in my life. Of course, as with everyone, the new year brings about a time of reflection -- and for the first time in my life (read: not forced to do it for a school assignment), I have made some New Year's resolutions!

One of my resolutions for this year is to take a picture a day to become a better photographer, to chronicle the mind-bending transformations along with the oscillating fluctuations in my life.

Snow on my car after a two-week vacation in more summery settings.

This blog is my first and will primarily serve as a photo blog. Eventually other fragments of my personality may slowly seep their way onto the public blogosphere, but my objective for this journal is mostly to follow my discoveries in photography. I have a few goals for myself this year:

1. Take a picture everyday. I have a few ideas of things to explore! Like self-portraits, macros, time-elapsed photography, night photography, and action shots!
   
2. Start a photo blog (check!) and blog about at least one Project 365 picture once a week.
3. Become adept at using the manual mode on my dSLR.
4. Learn how to post-process photos (eg, Photoshop).
   

I plan to post all final cuts of my Project 365 pictures over at http://www.photoblog.com/mizspontaneity/ but blogging about my favorite shot of the week here. Feel free to wander back and forth -- and please feel free to leave me comments, constructive criticisms, and encouragement!

Fog on the Gulf of Mexico at sunrise, aerial view

I'm excited about the new adventures my camera and I are about to embark! Won't you join us in our journey this year?