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Day 31. Today's challenge: "One Done". I have gotten through the first month of my first attempt at a project 365. While I have sporadically followed daily challenge ideas from a variety of websites, I liked today's (on captureyour365.com) so I took it. No, I haven't actually been crossing off the days as I go, my son helped me with this one by crossing off all the days of January with an orange marker. I just thought this would be a fun idea for today's theme.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/20, f/4.5, ISO 100, tripod mounted

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Day 30: Sunset on the James River. The boys are "camping" with the Cub Scouts tonight, so on my own, I got to go shoot the sunset. I was hoping for a little more humidity in the air as there was rain in the area, but it was still a beautiful evening. I took so many photos I like and I can't pick a favorite, so I'm just selecting one at random.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/500, f/4.0, ISO 125, handheld

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Day 29: Macro. Hello, my name is Jen. I have a problem. I'm a sea glass dork. I collected pounds and pounds of the stuff while living on a sailboat. I even have favorite pieces. This is one of them. If you follow my blog, you will probably see many more of these - especially on days I am limited on time and low on inspiration. I pledge to take a picture every day for one year. I am going to complete this project... Or not.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS fitted with a 12mm extension tube
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/8, f/5.6, ISO 100, tripod mounted

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Day 28: "Every other Wednesday".

I get home from work at 3:30, usually. My son gets off the bus at 4:00. We have to leave for his swim practice at 5:05. I have to get him out of the pool early at 6:20, because in 20 minutes, his father is picking him up at the pool for Cub Scouts. I go home, have a quick dinner, pack lunches for the boy and myself, prepare tomorrow morning's coffee, and go to bed so that I can drag my butt out of bed at 4:00 Thursday morning. I did not promise all my photos for this project would be good, and I did not promise they would all be shot with a DSLR. This photo is the transition from swim practice to Cub Scouts and was taken with my iPhone. I did take a picture today, though, and this counts.

Equipment: iPhone
Settings: Flash off, handheld

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Day 27: Salt. A commentary on my day. I like my job, but not every day is a good day. My car is covered in salt. All of this for about 1" of snow. And I missed seeing (and photographing) my son snowboard for the first time. Such is life.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/125, f/5.0, ISO 100, handheld

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Day 26: Chickahominy Riverfront Park. Took my son shooting at one of my favorite spots this afternoon, especially when the outboard boats are there on the dock. It was a dark day as "snowmageddon" approaches the east coast tonight.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/125, f/4.5, ISO 100, handheld

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Day 25: Little boys. I had what I thought was a great shot all ready to go for today, then this happened. My son picked up his magnifying glass and tried to start a fire. Like father like son, right? He barely noticed me standing there with my camera. I do believe this is a rite of passage for little boys. "We. Must. Burn. Things."

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/800, f/5.0, ISO 100, handheld

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Day 24. A photo in protest of winter: we're smoking a pork shoulder today. I set the aperture really small and set the ISO really low so I could have a longer shutter speed. It was my hope to capture the smoke and I think I was somewhat successful, although I was hoping for more. It was raining and cold out, so I took the shot while my husband held the door open so I wouldn't have to shoot through the glass.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 5 sec., f/36.0, ISO 100, tripod mounted

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Day 23. Still going. I stopped by the grocery store on my way home from work so I would have something fresh and pretty to shoot.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 0.4/sec, f/13.0, ISO 250, tripod mounted

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Day 22: Color blocking. Not sure I succeeded with this challenge. I took a few other pictures that were much more literal, i.e., blocks of color (bright orange & turquoise), but I didn't like how any of them turned out. Also took some that were this same shade of wine against a pea green background and I didn't like those either. I decided to just try to capture opposing colors. This is a bracelet that was my grandmother's. Obviously it's very retro. I don't ever wear it... it just sits in a box. I do love the color contrast in this shot.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/4, f/5.6, ISO 250, tripod mounted

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Day 21: I'm just tired of shooting all things brown. My poinsettias from Christmas are still alive so I thought that would brighten things up a bit.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/200, f/5.6, ISO 1000, handheld

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Day 20:  My challenge for today was "Trio". This is from a walking stick tree (corylus avellana) in the front yard of my son's piano teacher's house. I never noticed it before today - it's really cool. There were hundreds of branches, but only a couple with just 3 flowers (catkins?) on them.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/100, f/5.6, ISO 1000, handheld

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Day 19:  A portrait of my boy.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/500, f/5.0, ISO 1000, handheld

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Day 18. Well, today was going to be a great day - I was going to get a great photo. Until I woke up and it was pouring outside. Then I watched my team lose the NFC Championship game. Ugh. So, having had a few beverages while drowning my sorrows, I was no longer even in the mood to pick up my camera. But I did. I shot what I made for dinner. Tonight was Fig Balsamic Glazed Duck with Pearl Onion and Pear Hash. Really delicious, but not a great photo. But I made my photo and I got my shot for the day.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/6, f/5.0, ISO 250, tripod mounted

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Day 17: My first attempt at product photography. I've taken photos of food before, but never like I was really trying to shoot for photo quality. I like to cook and I take pictures of my food with my iPhone all the time. This time, I paid attention to lighting, composition, etc. I actually tried to make it look good. By the way, this is a little slice of heaven. My husband smoked a salmon this afternoon on his big green egg. Beneath the salmon is scallions, creme fraiche, and a slice of a crusty artisan baguette.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/15, f/5.6, ISO 200, tripod mounted

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Day 16. Low on inspiration, short on time and subjects. The puppy was available, cute, and willing to have his picture taken. For about 2 seconds.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/125, f/4.0, ISO 500, handheld

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Day 15: Still ice storm. Just a little remaining but melting away when I got home from work. I set the ISO high so I could use a quick shutter speed (it was kind of dark out). I usually won't post two photos for one day, but I couldn't resist using the progression today. I had the drive mode set on rapid fire, so I got a lot of photos that I'll just delete, but I'm really happy with these.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/800, f/5.6, ISO 2000, handheld

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Today's theme: Ice Storm.  Thank you, Mother Nature, for the assist. I took almost 100 photos. There was beauty everywhere - I couldn't stop shooting. This one was my favorite. It's from a crepe myrtle tree and the splashes of red in the background are berries on a holly tree.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/320, f/5.6, ISO 800, handheld

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Day 13: Nutmeg. Long day at work and dealing with a crabby 9-year-old when I got home. I submit nutmeg. I'm gonna say though, I actually really like this as I hand carried it back from Grenada through several days at sea on a small sailboat. May even frame this one and hang it in my kitchen. May even grate some of it on top of a painkiller. Especially today.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/1.3, f/5.6, ISO 100, tripod mounted

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Day 12: Foggy days are a gift. Unfortunately, today's fog included rain and a very tight schedule between work and my son's swim practice. I managed to sneak in 30 minutes to myself so I could go down to one of my favorite spots along the James River.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/800, f/5.6, ISO 800, handheld

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I was low on ideas today, so I got out my 85mm lens and hood and played with trying to create some bokeh. I attempted a few different shapes and I liked the teardrop the best.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/60, f/1.8, ISO 250, tripod mounted

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Day 10 - The beautiful colors of sunset at James River Beach. I took almost 100 photos today - at least I didn't have to use my "safety photo". Of all of them, excepting the ones of my son, this one was my favorite. I love the layers of color behind the trees.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 640, handheld

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Day 9. Love. A boy and his puppy.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF85mm f/1.8 USM
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/160, f/1.8, ISO 1250, handheld

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Today's challenge for me was "multifaceted". This is another one that I do not love. It turned out kind of as I expected, but honestly, today I'm just plain tired and I'm glad to be done for the day. Knowing I was going to be posting this on the internet did force me to try with as much energy as I had left. Tomorrow is Friday. I'm ready for the weekend.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, EF 12 II extension tube
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/125, f/5.6, ISO 800, tripod mounted

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My challenge for today: "Solitude". I actually like this photo quite a lot and when I hear the word solitude, this is something I would think of. A single flower in black and white.  I wanted it back-lit. I think it really captures a peaceful or maybe dark mood. I had a little time this afternoon so I took about 20 photos with different settings and at different spots in the house before I got almost exactly what I had in mind.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF85mm f/1.8 USM
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/5000, f/1.8, ISO 500, handheld

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No, I don't love this photo. It was a very long day at work followed by having to take my son to his piano lesson. My challenge for the day was "where I stand". This is, quite literally, where I was standing while waiting for my son's lesson to finish. It's all a learning process, right? This was the first time I photographed my own shadow.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/60, f/16, ISO 1250, handheld

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What do you do at 2:30 in the morning when you can't sleep? Well, I get out of bed and take pictures of the moon. I submit day 5.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 400, tripod mounted

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I took my boy shooting at Colonial Williamsburg today. It was overcast, so we had perfect light in the middle of the day. I took so many pictures I like (over 50), but I had to pick one. This may be my favorite ivy photo of any I've ever taken.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 1000, handheld

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Tonight, I taught my son how to make New England Clam Chowder. In the photo, he is mincing his garlic. He did a great job and the soup was delicious. Rivaled any chowder I had during my two years living in Boston...! This is also his first time wearing the personalized apron I got him for Christmas. Williams-Sonoma, btw, has "petit adult" aprons that fit 9-12-year-olds perfectly!

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF85mm f/1.2L II USM
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/250, f/1.2, ISO 800, handheld

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Today, I took my son to a local candle shop to make a wax hand. The finished product is pretty cool. They first dip the kids hands in a solution that keeps the wax from sticking (I assume some kind of soap or oil-based solution), then the melted wax, then ice water. They repeat the last two steps several times until they have a fairly thick cast of the hand. Then they remove the wax hand and the kids can choose up to two colors to dip the hand in. My boy chose red and green, leaving a white stripe down the middle.

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/160, f/5.6, ISO 2000, handheld

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I submit my first photo on my 365 day journey. The chaos of taking down the Christmas decorations has always been my New Year's Day tradition. There is so much history in these ornaments. Every single one has meaning. On my tree, most are from places I've traveled. In this shot alone, I can make out ornaments from Austria, St. Eustatius, St. Lucia, Mexico, Japan, Germany, Washington DC, Chicago, Colorado, Wisconsin... Some were my mother's. A priceless collection of memories. 

Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF85mm f/1.2L II USM
Settings: Manual exposure, 1/125, f/1.8, ISO 400, handheld