Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: challenge

(+7 insets!) I so rarely work within the realm of b/w photography, even though I adore the medium. I just can't bear to lose the color on most of my pictures. However, a few years ago a friend tagged me for a photo challenge on Facebook where I had to post a week of black and whites. It was really fun to be "forced" to use b/w, so I didn't scream when I dropped the color, since the pictures had already been shared in color! (also included are the other pictures I showed in that "7-day challenge" and the full-color version of the main image) You Need This: Google Nest Hub--$49 from Walmart Right now Walmart is having an incredible sale on this cool device that you really should have. It's a gorgeous photo frame that displays slide shows of your wonderful photography and the moment we got it working, I told Steve we must get another one instantly! The size seemed a little small at first (3.5" tall x 6" wide/1024x600px) but the image quality of the screen is simply stunning and the size is fine! You do need to have your pictures uploaded to Google Photos but once there, you just point the photo frame to show images from the folder you choose and it will then show image after image that you'll really enjoy. We will have one for each of our photos so I can sit and stare at Steve's images or enjoy memories of my own!) (By the way, this clever device is also a music player, a clock with alarms, shows you the weather, recipes and news, videos and whatever else you want…it's part of the "Google Home" suite that includes endless gadgets. Finally, if you want a larger screen size, the Google Nest Hub Max is larger but the price tag will make you scream--it's $230!! EEK!) Explored on 1/23/21; highest placement #1.

This is the last picture of my 365 Project, the December collage. What a crazy challenge. Now that it's over, I'm kind of amazed that I was successful, given all the issues that could have gotten in the way. I am going to take a very short break from photography. It won't be long, but I want to do something else for a while, just to refresh myself. I'm not burned out at all, but I would like to have a couple of weeks where I don't think about taking pictures. I plan to post images here, but I'm going to put photography on the back burner for a little while. I have work projects and other things going on, so it will be nice to have this committment off my shoulders to concentrate on other things. Hooray, I'm done with my 365!! :)

1 more picture in a note above! :) You can also find me on Facebook ! I can hardly believe that this day has finally arrived. #365 of 365 of my amazing photography project, and I have arrived overjoyed and also a bit relieved. I MADE IT!! To all of you out there who have completed this project, I SALUTE YOU!!!! It was not easy! But it was everything I could have hoped for, and more. My biggest hope was that I would learn to be a better photographer, and I believe that I am. I'm able to get the picture I want much easier now, with much higher quality on a more consistent basis. I understand my camera's distance vs. depth of field vs. size of object. I wanted to learn more techniques and to become more confident, and I've achieved that too. (For example, when I began this project, I rarely used our macro flash--now I rarely leave the house without it!) I am more observant, a better judge of good subjects, and can see potential where I couldn't before. This project forced me to be incredibly disciplined, and to never ever lose sight of my goal. I carried the daily chore with a happy bounce in my step, comfortable with restricting the time I spent taking pictures so I didn't burn out. I was careful to make sure I had enough time each day to take, process, and upload my picture(s). It helped to have a 100% supportive husband, who was there every day to encourage me and to remind me about time if I was side-tracked with something else. I went into this project armed with the knowledge that burn-out is the #1 killer of a 365 Project, so I was very careful to set limits to keep my passion burning every day. I read about the pitfalls from other people who've taken part in this project, and planned for months before I started, because once I set out to achieve a goal, I absolutely will not be stopped from achieving it. In the end, I never missed a day, and on the one day we had no internet, I emailed my picture to my husband's phone and we uploaded it to my account! I have to say though: I only had a part-time job doing freelance projects during the year, and I simply do not know how anyone can do this project with a full-time job. Those people are incredible!!! My hat's off to you crazy people! :D I want to say THANK YOU to each and every one of you who have followed along with me on this wonderful adventure. The support and encouragement, your kind words and super comments have meant so much to me. I am humbled. Along the way, I've made so many friends, and I've learned from your photography, seeing what you do, and trying to emulate some of the mind-blowing pictures that I see every single day. Without a photo site like ipernity (and previously, Flickr), I would not be half the photographer I am today. Thanks to all of you. I am blessed to know you all. :) Finally, about today's picture: I thought about what I should do for my last picture. I wondered if I should go somewhere special and try for something scenic and stunning. But then it hit me. I began this project with a little snow-covered mushroom, and because mushrooms are one of the subjects I'm most well-known for, I thought a mushroom would be perfect for my last picture. I decided to go out alone so I could spend time thinking about this project as I walked, reflecting on how much has happened to me as a photographer through the year. I bundled up because it was cold out--but not below freezing, happily--and made my way slowly and carefully up the muddy, steep and slippery trail to our ridge. Even though I knew I planned on finding mushrooms, that didn't stop me from capturing the many lovely and wonderful things I found along the way. Wonderful miniature circles of white fur-lined orange fungus, stunning PURPLE shelf fungus, and beautiful droplets glistening on cedar and pine branches were some of the things that caught my eye. And of course I found mushrooms! Wonderful chocolate beauties with lovely bokehlicious backgrounds, and a tiny pair clinging together with a droplet of water holding them together, and I also found one with a cute little hat! I was very happy with the mushrooms I'd found, but as I neared the end of the trail, I noticed a tiny blur of white on a moss-covered Oak trunk, and after taking two steps further, I slammed on the brakes and backed up. "What WAS that?" (See what I mean about being more observant than ever?) I knelt down at the same time as I began to coo in joy. "Oh MY!! Look at this happy family!!" I could not believe my luck, for this sight was exactly what I had hoped for but could not possibly expect. The tallest of these mushrooms is just 1/2" tall, and I carefully pulled a few bits of moss away to show these beautiful white mushrooms off to their very finest. It really is amazing to me because it's freezing cold here and has been for many weeks. And yet, these resilient mushrooms have grown as happily as if it was much warmer! I had to shake my head in wonder at my good fortune to find this perfect family to showcase for the very last picture of my 365 project. I am overjoyed. :) I have one other picture today for New Year's, and the image was taken this afternoon! Enjoy! :) Robert "Bo" Bennett started "Adgrafix", a graphic design firm, right after graduating Bryant University in 1994, with a bachelor's degree in marketing. In 1995, he sold the graphic design business, but kept the name for his webhosting company. As a self-taught programmer, Bo created one of the first (perhaps the first) affiliate systems and web-based webhosting interfaces in 1996. He built Adgrafix to a 5 million dollar revenue a year business, then sold to Allegiance Telecom in 2001. Amazon: Bo Bennett

1 more picture in a note above! :) Today I took a walk into part of our lower forest with a plan in mind. I was hoping to find the one fern plant which I know of there, and it grows on the side of the seasonal stream bed. Our lower forest looks very different than it once did, because I spent months clearing buck brush and dead trees out, piling them up into habitats for animals. Now, instead of being an impenetrable, ugly mess, the lower forest is open and beautiful, filled with Oak, Manzanita and Madrone trees. So when I found a very large, mossy tree on the ground, I was quite surprised. Following my eye down the trunk, I saw that it had broken off the base of the tree about three feet up and looked as if it had been dead for a while. I walked up to the trunk and peered inside. At first I didn't see anything but a leaf, but moving my head, the light reflected on droplets below, and straining my eyes in the dim light, I could see the droplets suspended on an invisible web! If I could get my camera to focus on the droplets, my flash would light up the scene and I thought it might just be awesome! It took me a bit of time to find focus, but eventually I was successful, and got a bunch of different apertures to choose from. I hoped that the 2.8 images would be clear because the illusion of droplets floating in the air would be just that much more cool. And...they worked out!! HOORAY!! As it turned out, I have done almost nothing to this image except cropping and adding a very slight vignette! Saul Bellow (10 June 1915 – 5 April 2005) was a Canadian-born American writer. For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts. He is the only writer to win the National Book Award for Fiction three times and he received the Foundation's lifetime Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 1990. Wiki: Saul Bellow Explored on December 31, 2013. Highest placement, page 6.

1 more picture and two notes above! :) I can't believe that there are only two more days after this one for my 365 Project! It's just incredible to me. I've lived with this project every day for a year and to think that it will soon come to an end...I'm just stunned by the thought! With the end of this project just around the corner, I am finally wrestling with the burden of this commitment. It's not something I allowed myself to think about and now I find myself looking forward to not having to be consumed by this every moment of the day. However, that being said, I'm still as excited about photography as ever, and going out today was such fun! I went over to our dry seasonal stream and walked along it, pausing now and then to peer carefully at the things that caught my attention. A cool mushroom, frosted diamond spider web necklaces, and then, these incredible droplets on wild honeysuckle leaves. I got many super pictures, but this one was my favorite because the droplets are marching along the edge like little soldiers! :) I was also amazed to see the unusual frost formations on various plants like Oak twigs. I took lots of pictures of this unique, needle-like frost, and you'll see my picture as my second entry today. Enjoy! :) Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. Contrary to popular belief, Ford did not invent the automobile nor did he invent the assembly line. Ford however was the first to develop and manufacture the first automobile that many middle class Americans could afford to buy. In doing so, Ford converted the automobile from a relatively unknown invention into an innovation that would profoundly impact the landscape of the twentieth century. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. As owner of the Ford Motor Company, he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. He is credited with "Fordism": mass production of inexpensive goods coupled with high wages for workers. Ford had a global vision, with consumerism as the key to peace. His intense commitment to systematically lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system that put dealerships throughout most of North America and in major cities on six continents. Ford left most of his vast wealth to the Ford Foundation and arranged for his family to control the company permanently. Wiki: Henry Ford Explored on December 29, 2013. Highest placement, page 5.

8 more pictures in notes above! :) Hooray! Hooray!!! Sing to the high heavens, for Emerging Day has arrived!!! Miracles of all miracles, I can hardly believe my own two eyes!! I have had the distinct and awesome opportunity to successfully raise Clio Tiger Moths from eggs through all caterpillar stages, and through the month-long duration of their pupa stage as they transformed into adult moths, and now they are emerging in all of their incredible beauty for me to share with you!! The entire event from start to finish is simply AMAZING to me. I have never tried to raise caterpillars before, and I thought I might end up killing them all, but I have somehow managed to do a good job, as they are now hatching as adults, one by one, with wet and wrinkled wings. I find them after they wiggle out of their cocoons and sit still, slowly pumping blood into their wings to inflate and flatten them over the course of many hours as they dry. At night time I am releasing them onto the white railings on our back deck where they can sit safely camouflaged and when they are ready, they fly away into the night! Each will "overwinter", clinging to the bark of a tree until the springtime, when they will come out of their hibernation state and feed before mating and beginning the cycle all over again! Isn't it an amazing miracle?!! WOW!! I have a huge show to share tonight, with 7 different images of the moths and pupae about to hatch! I will make all of the images available for closer inspection but they will also be viewable here as insets on the picture above, which shows a newly emerged adult with rumpled wings! :) Elizabeth David CBE (born Elizabeth Gwynne; 26 December 1913 – 22 May 1992) was a British cookery writer who, in the mid-20th century, strongly influenced the revitalisation of the art of home cookery with articles and books about European cuisines and traditional British dishes. Wikipedia: Elizabeth David

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw that the days left in this project are less than three digits! It's amazing!! The end of this project is just 3 months away. I have to say, I really don't know how a person with a full-time job can fit a 365 project into their life! Right now I have a work project that's got me busy for 8-10 hours a day, and it's quite a challenge to get my pictures taken, a final image chosen, processed, and uploaded every day. There is very little room for retaking pictures and it adds so much stress! It's amazing how involving this project is, always so close to my thoughts. I really don't know how I'd cope with a 365 AND a full-time job...how could I take care of my animals and give them the proper attention? How would I have enough quality time with my husband? What about getting things done around the house? A 365 project seems like such an innocent, simple thing to do...until you actually have to deal with nightmare days! I think that trying to do a 365 with a full time job would make EVERY DAY a nightmare day! Congratulations to all of you out there who are doing both!!!! *high five*

Wow! Back to back TIME CRUNCH challenges! It's not 11:45 like last night but it's still 10:45 and I'm about to collapse! :D Today was Steve's 50th birthday!!! Such an important, wonderful day! Steve wanted to celebrate this day by setting a 50-mile challenge on our trikes, and that's exactly what we did! We did the first half as part of Steve's Sunday Lunch Ride, which was an absolutely beautiful ride around our greater neighborhood--we rode out to a nearby grocery/convienience store and met the group of 7 other riders, and did 25 miles, stopping in the middle for lunch at the beautiful Touvelle State Park, which is on the Rogue River. After the ride we rode home, relaxed for an hour, had a cup of coffee and took off again, for another 25-mile ride! The second ride took us over to Rogue River Drive, another very pretty road which we really enjoy. It was such fun and we were conditioned enough for the distance because neither of us was overly tired when we got back to our front gate! How wonderful to do something so good for us and such a super challenge as well!! After jumping in the shower for the third time today, we got ourselves dressed and out the door quickly so we could make it out to Medford in time to have dinner at Outback Steak House...mmmmm....what a tasty feast we had, and a perfect finish to a perfect day! HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!! I'M SO PROUD OF US BOTH!!! :D Marie Dressler (November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934) was a Canadian-American actress and Depression-era film star. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1930-31 for Min and Bill. Wikipedia: Marie Dressler

I'm in San Francisco for the week, visiting my dad, and this is Day 3! It was so beautiful today that I decided to give myself a challenge: could I walk from my dad's house to Golden Gate Park in an hour? I figured I could, and as it turned out, it took me about 45 minutes to get there! On the way I took pictures, and my goal was to take a picture of a recognizable feature there. I chose the Japanese Tea Garden, a very popular tourist spot! As luck would have it, the apple blossoms were also in full bloom, so I got some nice pictures! Unfortunately, I don't have time tonight to chat about my walk but as you can see, there were countless wonderful photo-ops for me to share!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating it! :) Miss you all!! Danica Mae McKellar (born January 3, 1975) is an American actress, film director, academic, book author and education advocate. Wikipedia: Danica McKellar