Here I go...

Oh crap, not ANOTHER blogger! Well, yes, maybe...maybe not. We shall see won't we? But, please don't throw stones or roll your eyes just yet. THIS blog, is a tool for encouraging me to follow a straight line. By this I mean, to plan, execute and achieve a goal. Makes sense, right? Of course it does.

It's June 2013. This month will see the tenth anniversary of my mother's passing. Please don't say you're sorry for my loss, ten years is a longish time and while I miss her every day and it sucks, I'm OK with my grief now. Usually though, on her "death-aversary", I sit around crying and moody, but this year I am counting positives in my life instead of negatives. OK, somewhere in my head I just heard my mom saying "FINALLY!"  Life is not always easy and there are struggles along the way, sh*t happens. Hopefully by setting a few personal goals, I will be on my way to converting some of the sadness and aggravation I have experienced to MORE gratitude and happiness. Actually, to be fair to myself, I am a grateful person. But I think it's worth it to attempt to improve. Worth a try? Right? I can see you rolling your eyes. Stop that!

Part of the goal is due to my renewed passion for photography. I've always been a keen photographer but it was a hobby I kept to myself, appreciating the occasional compliments but doing nothing to proceed with my skills. This year, I will seek to improve and learn. To help me do that, I will post one photo a day that I am proud of. Hopefully in one year, if I have not completely abandoned my project, there will be a visible improvement of my abilities and the end product, the ummmm...photos. I will conquer the fear of manual settings on my camera and master the holy trinity of ISO, shutter speed and aperture. One hopes...  I am hoping perhaps one day...maybe, I will have the skills to turn a passion and hobby into a part time career. 

I should say, to those who have not seen my photos prior to this project, I have a love of old buildings, architecture, landscapes, animals and insects. Although I would hardly say I have mastered editing, I will tell you...gentle viewer...that I often purposely edit my photos to be somewhat dark. This is intentional: like salt and pepper, it's to taste. Some you may hate, some you may like...some, I hope, you will love. 

In addition to the photos, I will post a short blurb about the challenges, joys and successes I experience along the way and anything else that comes to mind, hopefully without verbal diarrhea ;) . I'm both sarcastic and emotional so this could include almost anything. I blame graduate school for my "sentence incontinence". When you're forced to write looooong papers that leave no stone un-turned and no word un-used, you forget how to be concise. I also might have the occasional potty mouth moment. Heartfelt apologies my darlings.

Finally, please note that all photos are taken by myself unless otherwise stated as there is a chance I will post photos that inspire me (photographically). So blah, blah, blah, all rights reserved and etc. If you would like to share a photo of mine, all you have to do is ask. I promise I won't bite!  The only exception to this request is if the photo just happens to be of your dog, cat, fish or other animal... then, please use freely with my permission. 

So, here I go...

I am attaching a photo that I am proud of which is not new (meaning I did not take it for this project). From tomorrow, going forward, all photos posted will be new and taken specifically for my project. To see more of my photos, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/CapturedSoulImages

Thanks for reading... ;)