"Once photography enters your bloodstream, it is like a disease." - 365 Project, Day 4

Although it has only been four days, I now realise that starting this 365 Project (and, by extension, this blog) has been quite a detriment to my health.  Would that I love to end it there, I will be kind enough to qualify that declaration.  Since I've had Tux (mid-December, 2010), he seems to enjoy letting me, every morning, either vocally or gnawingly, know that he wishes to be fed.  (Tux, who incidentally, if photographed in black and white, would be a waste of a photograph, being he's already black and white, is my cat.)  Though this has no relation to photography, I am not done yet.  Since the beginning of the month, I have unintentionally stayed up particularly late (or, at least, later than usual, and later that I would like), uploading, tagging and writing these, if I do say so myself, vaguely interesting posts.  This going to bed later, combined with Tux's insistence on surviving, has dramatically reduced my hours of nap time.  (To be fair, my describing this as 'dramatically' is, well, slightly dramatic, but I'm sure you get the idea.)  My body doesn't particularly enjoy this lack of sleep and revolted against me yesterday by sending my brain into a throbbing motion that I wouldn't quite describe as pleasant.  I went to bed extremely early/earlier than normal and, thankfully, slept very well.

Though headaches are not something I generally wish upon myself, I don't mind my extended waking hours, despite my body's mutinies.  Ever since I was a child (and my father can vouch for this), I've always had a camera in my hand.  Either with a Polaroid instant camera, or a Pentax compact, or what-have-you, I've always enjoyed taking pictures.  Without getting into too much detail, because this preamble is already getting a bit long, in one of my earlier jobs, I sometimes talked with a retired gentleman called Mr. Mileski (or something to that spelling), who was an avid photographer (and guitar player, though that has no bearing on my story).  In our sporadic conversations he taught me a lot about being a photographer.  Oh, not about how to get the perfect framing or the best detail, but about how to see yourself as a photographer.  Essentially, and pardon for the cliché, for him, photography was its own reward.  Recognition was not as important as taking a picture that satisfies you in some way.  I just know that I like taking pictures, and hopefully you enjoy them, as well.  I didn't start this blog for recognition (and the traffic numbers certainly correlate with that intention).  I started this blog simply as an excuse to take pictures, say I did a 365 Project, and hopefully do it with friends.  I believe I've succeeded in that.

Now that that's out of the way, the pictures can come out and play.

Frank

His note: If I was this tree, I'd be cursing that stupid groundhog... I want leaves... lots and lots of leaves... NOW!!!!!

Mandy

Her note: I wanted to capture the climate in an everyday object today. I was thinking of the cold, the ice, and the winter glare. I played around with a glass from the kitchen and used the light to my advantage. What turned up was surprising and I am very happy with the results.

Shannon

Her note: At the game tonight. Go Sens Go!

(Not to be smarmy or discouraging or anything (I am a Sens fan, after all), but they ended up losing 4-1.  Just sayin'.)

My Picture

Tux is like a little dog.  He follows me everywhere in my apartment (he's snuggled up against as I'm typing this), he plays fetch, catch, and I've seen him chase his own tail.  As I've said above, he wakes me up every morning.  I thought it would be a nice opportunity to snap a picture of him playing catch.  I hate that the camera strap is partly in the picture, but this is the best picture of him completely in the air I had, and I actually quite enjoy his position.  He enjoyed his morning, I can attest to that.

Day 5 is next, and I promise no pictures of Tux for tomorrow, as it's supposed to be relatively warm and slightly rainy.  I will no doubt enjoy (and appreciate) the weather resistance on my 7D.  Until tomorrow!