Week Twenty, 52'rs! And all over the land, we're celebrating Mother's Day. I hope all of the Mom's have had a fantastic day being spoiled rotten, pampered, and having all of their needed chores done for them. Okay, I'm joking with that last one, but seriously, Happy Mother's Day to you and yours.

Thinking about this day and the Moms in our lives - in whatever way you've found them - led me to our focus52 prompt for this week ...

Nurture. There are a number of different spins you can put on this if you really sit and think a bit on it. And maybe some of you already have some photos taken today that might work. The word nurture though, doesn't necessarily have to have anything at all to do with mothering, so don't get stuck on that mindset. Get out and explore and you just may be surprised at what you might find to represent a different take on the subject of nurturing.

Whatever you decide to do this week, follow the prompt or no, come back here and link up your work when you're done (weeks run Sunday to Saturday, don't forget!). Links must be to the direct URL of your actual work, not just to the site it's posted in, and may be a link to your blog post or to your flickr photo (again, the actual photo, not your entire flickr stream). Also, please don't link and run - try to find some time to visit at least a few of your fellow 52'ers. That's half the fun! It's a fact that those who link up early, get the most interaction on their work. Truth.

Oh! and don't forget the flickr pool!

That's it! Enjoy your week, 52'rs. And please come on over and 'like' our new FB page, okay? Thanks :)

Anyways, I played around some ...

And I've said it before, but I'm so excited to be catching more 'in the moment' shots, the every-day-things that you just don't get when you have to pull out the Canon big guns.

Although I still love the big guns ...

I bought that new bird feeder this week too, specifically for my little finch buddies who were getting crowded out of the bigger feeder. I love these bright little guys.

And that's been my week! With a few other things tossed in there, but basically, ya. New iPhone. Yay! :)

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Hosted at twoscoopz! You can visit or join the focus52 flickr group here. My own focus52 project can be found on flickr here or by clicking 'my f52' in the category list to the right.

Happy Sunday, 52'rs! Exciting news this week - After many requests (and kicks to the butt), I finally got around to setting up a facebook page for twoscoopz.com and our focus52 group. Yay! It's by no means complete, but I'd love it if you guys would head on over there and click that little ol' like button so I don't look like such a social outcast, okay? I've loaded up all the past posts for focus52 prompts this year, and from now on you can find all the handy weekly links over there, along with some (hopefully) helpful posts and interesting little tidbits. I'll also be sharing some featured images from the group that catch my eye (one is already up!) and all in all, I think it will be a handy little place for all of us.

At least I hope so! Go on over and click that 'like' button. Or hit it up in the sidebar, to the right >>>>

Now on to this week's prompt! Heading into this week, week nineteen, I thought I'd revisit a popular exercise from last year. We've all been enjoying the prompts and stretching our creative muscles but I think it's a good thing, every once in awhile, to just get out there and shoot. No prompts, no penalties, no restrictions. So, this week, it's a free for all :)

Get out there on your own this week and snap away to your hearts content. Whatever you want, it's totally up to you. And then come back here and link up your work when you're done (weeks run Sunday to Saturday, don't forget!). Links must be to the direct URL of your actual work, not just to the site it's posted in, and may be a link to your blog post or to your flickr photo (again, the actual photo, not your entire flickr stream). Also, please don't link and run - try to find some time to visit at least a few of your fellow 52'ers. That's half the fun! It's a fact that those who link up early, get the most interaction on their work. Truth.
Oh! and don't forget the flickr pool!

That's it! Enjoy your carefree week, 52'rs. And don't forget to like our new FB page, okay? Thanks :)

And aside from that magical light, morning holds infinite possibilities. Carpe Diem, my friends. Seize the Day.

These photos and a few more from this week (hello instagram!) can be found on flickr :)

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Hosted at twoscoopz! You can visit or join the focus52 flickr group here. My own focus52 project can be found on flickr here or by clicking 'my f52' in the category list to the right.

Welcome to week eighteen, 52'rs! Can you believe this week sees us into May? Yep, at this point you've now been working on your project for five whole months, and that's almost half the year! See? And you thought you couldn't do it. heh. Oh I'm sure there have been times when you've thrown your hands up in the air and thought about quitting. Or times when you just didn't feel like picking up the camera (heaven knows I have my share of those days!) but you're still here and you're still doing it and I hope that you're enjoying everything you're learning and sharing along your journey.

I know I am. You guys are rocking this thing :)

So how about a fun prompt for this week? Well, depending on your idea of fun ...

Oh come on ... you know we all just LOVE mornings. Especially around the time that alarm clock goes off, no? hmmm ... You have to admit though, morning is an interesting and beautiful time of day, sometimes relaxing (hellooooo weekends!), most times chaotic. Some of us are morning people, some of us, well, just aren't. I happen to love mornings, but I hate the getting out of bed part of it. The alarm clock is not my friend. When I finally do get up and get going though, mornings are the best.

This week, show us what your morning looks like. Anything you'd like to capture - maybe your morning routine, a sunrise, the way the light shines through your windows, your crazy bedhead ... anything at all.

As always, it's totally up to you whether you use the prompt or not. Whatever you choose to do this week, come back here and link up your work when you're done (weeks run Sunday to Saturday, don't forget!). Links must be to the direct URL of your actual work, not just to the site it's posted in, and may be a link to your blog post or to your flickr photo (again, the actual photo, not your entire flickr stream). Also, please don't link and run - try to find some time to visit at least a few of your fellow 52'ers. That's half the fun! It's a fact that those who link up early, get the most interaction on their work. Truth.
Oh! and don't forget the flickr pool!

Remember, you do not need to use the prompt in order to come back here and share.

That's it! Enjoy your week, 52'rs. I can't wait to see your morning side ;)

Something like this ...

The snow started coming down early Monday afternoon and didn't stop.

We woke up to this on Tuesday morning ...

DaisyPuppy contemplates if she really has to go that bad after all ...

Unbelievable, right? But, within 48 hours, my little town straightened itself out.

My gorgeous summer car. Not. (one can dream, right?)

Loving that baby lamb. I had to get him from pretty far away, with a crappy old zoom lens I have, so he's not the best shot I've ever taken, but man is he cute!

And you know I wouldn't willingly let the week go by without a few florals (and textures!)

Here in Ontario, April is Daffodil Month for the Canadian Cancer Society. You can read more about it here if you're so inclined.
Buy a pin, buy some daffodils and show your support.

And that's it for me this week! Between my camera and instagram, I've been a little photo-happy and that's a welcome change from the past few weeks. The sunshine definitely helps to inspire! It's still a little bit chilly outside yet, but temps are on the way back up, thankfully. And there is NO SNOW.

Small miracles :)

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Hosted at twoscoopz! You can visit or join the focus52 flickr group here. My own focus52 project can be found on flickr here or by clicking 'my f52' in the category list to the right.

Welcome to week seventeen, 52'rs! and a Happy Earth Day to you! I'm not sure about your neck of the woods, but around these parts it's been an absolutely beautiful day. A little chilly, but the sun is shining bright.

In honor of Earth Day (kinda) I have what I think is a pretty easy and fun prompt for you this week ...

Shouldn't be too hard, right? And another chance to get your butts out of the house! Judging from the lack of entries for last week's prompt, that may be asking for a bit much from some of you. C'mon you guys!

So, short and sweet this week - the prompt is pretty self-explanatory :)

As always, using the prompt is totally up to you. Whatever you choose to do this week, come back here and link up your work when you're done (weeks run Sunday to Saturday, don't forget!). Links must be to the direct URL of your actual work, not just to the site it's posted in, and may be a link to your blog post or to your flickr photo (again, the actual photo, not your entire flickr stream). Also, please don't link and run - try to find some time to visit at least a few of your fellow 52'ers. That's half the fun! It's a fact that those who link up early, get the most interaction on their work. Truth.
Oh! and don't forget the flickr pool!

Remember, you do not need to use the prompt in order to come back here and share.

Have a great week, 52'rs! I hope it's filled with sunshine and signs of Spring.

At any rate, here's a few shots from around town, for this week's focus52 prompt.

That last one is my favorite :)
(but last on the left is a place I spend WAY too much time at and hopefully won't see for a really long while)

You know, a lot of people can't stand iphone or instagram photos. I happen to love them and have always wanted to join in the fun. I'm a great fan of film photography and all things with even a hint of  nostalgia or a retro feel to them. A great girlfriend recently gifted me with an iPad and no sooner was it in my hands was I downloading camera apps and playing around. The camera isn't half as great as the iPhone, but it's still pretty damn awesome and I'm having a ball with all of the apps. And I've come to realize the importance of the every-day shots which I'm not always able to grab with my big Canon. True, I take my camera with me everywhere, but it isn't always appropriate to drag that monster out and start snapping away. Having an iPhone (or any phone for that matter) allows you to snap away to your hearts content, unobtrusively. Easily.

Awesomeness.

And how much easier would it be to complete a 365 that way? Extremely! I think the only thing that stopped me from starting another 365 last year was all of the uploading/editing/saving/blogging/posting/etc ... on and on and on. A lot of times, it was a chore. This? This right here is pure instant gratification. So easy.

I've noticed, over the past few weeks, that I've added so many more photographs to my personal focus52 folder. Photos of the every day stuff that would have been missed had I only my Canon to rely on. Not like I could maneuver that thing from a hospital bed, you know? Couldn't even lift the darn thing. And I find myself lamenting now, wishing that I'd had this fantastic little piece of tech last year when I would have been able to document so much more of the cancer roller coaster ride I was on. If I really thought too hard about it, I could cry over the lost opportunities. Maybe ;)

At any rate, I feel a new wave of inspiration coming on. One that doesn't require quite so much work. Keep it simple, remember? And there's something that I just love about the not-so-perfect look of the photos above. Using this little device allows me to throw away all (well, most) of the technical rules and concentrate on the creativity. That's all there is. Just your creative eye. I love that.

Now all of this is not to say I'm leaving my pretty Canon on the shelf. No way. Never. All I'm saying is that adding an option, a much easier option, is going to be a great thing.

Time to mix it up a little. It's good for the soul :)

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Hosted at twoscoopz! You can visit or join the focus52 flickr group here. My own focus52 project can be found on flickr here or by clicking 'my f52' in the category list to the right.

I have to tell you guys, I've really been enjoying browsing through your "perspective" submissions from last week. I was so happy to see a lot of you show the results of your efforts and different takes on your subject using diptychs and collages. Some of you even put the outtakes right into the comment section on your flickr posts and it was a great way to see all of the different perspectives all together. Great work, people! I hope last week's exercise helped you to maybe step outside of your normal routine and examine your photography style with a new eye.

Remember back at the start of the year when we had the "I am ________" prompt? It was an exercise in getting to know one another a little better and I think it went over rather well. This week, I'd like to expand on that concept a little bit more ...

Show us where you live! Is there something you absolutely love about the place you live? Capture it and show us. Maybe you have a favorite place, favorite store, favorite hangout ... take a few minutes this week to grab some photos to share.

In photography, it's often the small details, the smaller picture, that makes things interesting. Say you have a favorite coffee shop on Main Street in your town. You could take a little walk, stand across the street and snap a picture of it ... OR you could go on in, sit down and take a photo of the table you're sitting at, complete with inviting coffee cup and a blurred background of fellow patrons. You could take a photo of the outdoor sign, or the view through the window. You see? Details.

Here are a few photos that I grabbed from our flickr pool, all of them belonging to past and present focus52 members. I think it's a pretty good representation of interesting photos taken around their towns (or at least I think it's their towns!). Have a peek ...

1. Focus 52 "Leading Lines", 2. 7/52, 3. Spa Creek- Annapolis, MD, 4. Parking, 5. Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand, 6. blue windows, 7. Errands, 8. Let there be light..., 9. the view..., 10. Leading lines (4/52) [Explored], 11. 10ofF52Words, 12. Cold Seat

Even in the photos where the photographer has taken in a good portion of their city or town, they've made their photo infinitely more interesting by choosing a great focal point, such as the fence with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background or the bench with a fantastic view of the city across the lake. When you're out and about this week, try to keep these simple techniques in mind and strive for interesting.

I know that a lot of you are pressed for time during the work week, but I really want to encourage you to take a few moments to capture your surroundings. Maybe have a special lunch hour this week and visit a favorite spot. And if you're like me lately, and not getting out much (totally not my fault! LOL) then here's the perfect opportunity to pack up your things and get outside. Kids? Pack them up too and get going.

Of course, and as always, it's totally up to you. Whatever you choose to do this week, follow the prompt or no, come back here and link up your work when you're done (weeks run Sunday to Saturday, don't forget!). Links must be to the direct URL of your actual work, not just to the site it's posted in, and may be a link to your blog post or to your flickr photo (again, the actual photo, not your entire flickr stream). Also, please don't link and run - try to find some time to visit at least a few of your fellow 52'ers. That's half the fun! It's a fact that those who link up early, get the most interaction on their work. Truth.
Oh! and don't forget the flickr pool!

Remember, you do not need to use the prompt in order to come back here and share.

Now, get going. Show us your town :)

whatever.

Being confined to the house this week, busy recuperating and catching up on some TV (gawd, I don't want to see TV for awhile) I was limited in subjects to shoot for this week's prompt, 'perspective'. Luckily for me, my loving friends and family kept sending in the flowers, so I had all sorts of smily floral faces to choose from :)

I couldn't resist the gerberas.

Always such a willing subject.

Out of all of them, I think this one is my favorite ...

An accidental shot, really. I love the surprise of an accidental shot.

The re-broken belly couldn't quite cope with a 'down low' perspective.
Something about the crouching.
heh.

Thank you all for your well wishes, this week and last. I'm on the mend :)

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Hosted at twoscoopz! You can visit or join the focus52 flickr group here. My own focus52 project can be found on flickr here or by clicking 'my f52' in the category list to the right.