Cherry Blossoms on the First Day of Spring

Ah, the first day of spring, and it was a beautiful one in the nation's capital.

Couldn't miss the opportunity to get down to DC's Tidal Basin and take some pictures with the new camera.

It's the 100-year anniversary of when Japan gave the U.S. the cherry blossom trees as a gift.

I really like these next two, with their alternating focal distances. Yay for the D-SLR!

I feel like this should be a Kennedy Center advertisement

With so many blossoms having fallen, we were able to gather up handfuls for Emily to do this:

Doesn't that look like fun?!

That weekend it rained a bunch, so I don't know how many blossoms remained afterwards.

Hopefully you were able to see them in person, or maybe next year!

February Photo-a-Day: Week 5

Feb 27 (Monday) - Something you ate

Bag o' fresh fruit? Don't mind if I do!

Feb 28 (Tuesday) - Money

An ancient coin issued by King Herod Agrippa I between 37-44 AD,
bought last summer during my Israel YSA trip,
with dime for size comparison

Feb 29 (Wednesday) - Something you're listening to

I'm not proud that this song is still on my iPod, but facts are facts

That's it! I made it through the February Photo-a-Day challenge!
Trying to keep up and be mindful of what I needed pics of was quite an adventure, and it's fun to look back on all the photos taken, including those that didn't make it into the blogposts. [Challenge, weeks 1, 2, 3, 4]

Thanks for following along and for sharing your own so I could see the creativity and share in your February experiences. I know some friends are now doing the March challenge, but I'm plum tuckered out.

February Photo-a-Day: Week 4

Note: I spaced a couple days, so I'm using old pics to fit the bill on those.

Feb 20 (Monday) - Handwriting

President's Day at the Jefferson Memorial

Feb 21 (Tuesday) - A fave photo of you

Back when I was just a wee little Superman

Feb 22 (Wednesday) - Where you work

This is an old pic from back before we got dual monitors in my group

Feb 23 (Thursday) - Your shoes

My main shoes, except my golf shoe should be there, too

Feb 24 (Friday) - Inside your bathroom cabinet

I don't have a cabinet, so this drawer houses many of my items

Feb 25 (Saturday) - Green

An old pic from golfing with Will at Lake Presidential GC

Feb 26 (Sunday) - Night

They say "light dispels darkness", but sometimes it isn't by much

That's the last full week. Only three days left of this challenge.

February Photo-a-Day: Week 3

Feb 13 (Monday) - Blue

Yep, that's a blue Snuggie, and I'm only slightly ashamed to own it.

Feb 14 (Tuesday) - Heart

Bingo at work. Sadly, I didn't win the gift certificate.

Feb 15 (Wednesday) - Phone

My Droid keeps the golf course nearby.

Feb 16 (Thursday) - Something new

So new I still hadn't corrected the date and time.

Feb 17 (Friday) - Time

Almost 8 hours of running so far this month.

Feb 18 (Saturday) - Drink

Not just after runs; I drink it all the time.

Feb 19 (Sunday) - Something you hate to do

Love the smell of clean clothes, but hate folding them.

Three weeks down! Kinda sad that the finish line is coming up and I'm just hitting my stride.

Anonymous - My Submission to the 2012 Lonely Hearts Film Festival

It's finally finished and ready to share.

After recording way too much video over multiple weeks, and then a whole lot of editing, my freshman attempt at a short film was completed and submitted to the 2012 Lonely Hearts Film Festival.

Last night was the festival and my film's big public debut.

As it happens, most of the other films were comedic in nature, and I can't decide if that made mine more interesting or just a little out of place. One thing's for sure, my fairly quiet film with its contemplative message was in stark contrast to the film shown just before, which seemed to be channeling a Marilyn Manson acid trip while outrunning a psychedelic avalanche.

On its own, anyway, I quite like mine.

My objective was to get us all to think about how many people we pass every day, and to realize/remember that those people all have things going on in their lives, just the same as in our own life.

Anyway, enough babbling. Here's my video:

If you like it, and especially if you like the message, feel free to share it.

I'd also love to hear your comments and critiques, both positive and "constructive" in nature, because if I don't hear both types, I won't know where to improve for future works.

Let's all make this world a little more friendly and personable by reaching out to those around us.

February Photo-a-Day: Week 2

Feb 6 (Monday) - Dinner

Short on color, but long on taste

Feb 7 (Tuesday) - Button

Only 2 out of 5 buttons on this coat. Oopsy!

Feb 8 (Wednesday) - Sun

No sun today, just rain and a chance of snow.
So the underside of my massive golf umbrella is as close to sun as I got.

Feb 9 (Thursday) - Front door

Not my door, but isn't it a great yellow door

Feb 10 (Friday) - Self portrait

Smile wrinkles and a 29 o'clock shadow

Feb 11 (Saturday) - Makes you happy

Especially the 4 hybrid

Feb 12 (Sunday) - Inside your closet

My suits: wet, Elf, and church

Two weeks down, a couple to go!

February Photo-a-Day: Week 1

Want to see my results from my first week of the February Photo-a-Day Challenge?
Here you go:

Feb 1 (Wednesday) - Your view today

Looking upward, in multiple senses of the word.

Feb 2 (Thursday) - Words

I love cashews so much, I'd still almost rob the truck.

Feb 3 (Friday) - Hands

Pruney hands! Augh!

Feb 4 (Saturday) - A Stranger

Katelyn was very nice while not letting us go on the best ride in the waterpark.

Feb 5 (Sunday) - 10 am

Doesn't matter how cold it is. Hit the road, jack.

Can't wait to see what's in store for week 2!

The Challenge and its rules

February Photo-a-Day Challenge

Since I clearly don't have enough on my plate at the moment, I'm going to add one more thing.

The February photo-a-day challenge.

Here's what I'll attempt:

Here's how to play [from fat mum slim's blog]:

1. Use the list above as inspiration and take a photo everyday. For example for number one on the list, 'your view today' you'd take a shot of whatever it is that you can see today. This would be a wider shot of your office space, where you went for a walk, or whatever it is that you can see!

2. Share on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, your blog or where ever it is you want to share. If you're sharing on Instagram or Twitter use the hashtag #FEBphotoaday so everyone can find them. There's a great community around the photo sharing, so do share!

3. Check out everyone else's pictures. I do it before I go to bed each night and it's so fun to see how different everyone's photos are. There are people from every corner of the world playing.

Instead of a new blogpost each day, maybe I'll just do one each Sunday with the pics from the last week.

Thanks for making me aware of this, Rachel!

Anybody else want to join in?

First Picture Taken with My New D3100

Remember how I bought myself a Nikon D3100 camera as a late Christmas present to myself?

Well I had been delaying using it until I could take a great first picture with it.

I don't know why.

Guess I just thought it had to be some monumental (pardon the pre-meditated pun) event, like how a store has to open with a ribbon cutting and possibly a reception with éclairs (mmm, éclairs).

Anyway, I finally decided to just get it over with so I could use the camera on a more regular basis.

So I chose to take some pics of the Washington Monument.

This is the very first picture taken with my new D3100

While it isn't the greatest photo, it's a start.

And after fiddling with the settings and ~20 mins of unsuccessfully trying to get video for a project I'm working on (which I'll share with you when it's done in a few weeks), I snapped a few more shots.

My favorite of the second batch

They aren't anything phenomenal, but these pics mark a new era in my friend historian skills and general photography abilities. Let's hope it's a long, improvement-filled road from here!

I Got A(nother) Nikon Camera

Remember a few months ago when I bought a Nikon camera? [post here]

One apparently wasn't enough.

As a late Christmas present to myself, I decided to take the leap and play with the big(ger) boys.
Which means a Digital SLR camera.

So this Nikon D3100 is my newest baby.

If you have tips for me, I'd love to hear them.
Or if you want to go out and do some shooting together, I'd love that, too.

For now, I'll be studying online guides for beginning photographers and learning through experience.

I Got a Nikon Camera, I Love to Take a Photograph

You may not have noticed, but I couldn't take very many pictures over the past couple months.
The faded red (some called it pink, much to my chagrin) Olympus Stylus died back in July, and I'd just been using my camera phone since then.

Well, no longer! The friend historian is back in the game!

I went to Target a couple weeks back, picked up this Nikon Coolpix, and I've resumed my documentarian ways with a vengeance.

Aaaaah, it feels good to be whole again.

PS: Thanks to Paul Simon for inspiring this blogpost's title.

RIP Olympus Stylus

Someday, I knew this would happen.

It's the way of the world. Front dust to dust and all that.

My Olympus Stylus point-and-shoot camera finally died.

Above, you can see some of the water that came out when I opened it up.

That's never a good sign.
I have no idea how many pictures I've taken with this camera, but I'd guess it's easily in 5 figures.

RIP Olympus Stylus. You will be missed.

PS So what camera should I get as a replacement? Please chime in, readers.