Is that an echo I hear or is anyone still out there? If you are, believe it or not, so am I.
A few friends have been asking me what is going on with my Instagram account lately so kids, this post is for you, (mostly just you, Meredith).
You may remember that a couple of birthdays ago H surprised me with one of my favorite gifts ever, a big girl camera. Since then, I have been clicking away with it, mostly on the automatic setting. This past birthday, knowing how much I have enjoyed using my camera, H surprised me with a photography class (and a new lens, tripod, etc.). He's a keeper. Most of the time. Since the class started I have been shooting in manual mode and experimenting with a whole new level of creativity and knowledge. I am very much a beginner but, really loving this new creative outlet and pushing myself out of the box.
After the class wrapped a couple of weeks ago, I was having (a champagne) dinner with a (seriously fantastic) friend of mine. She is a very talented photographer who has been dabbling in the world of Instagram, we are a little bit opposite in this way. I was expressing interest in continuing my education and expression in photography and she encouraged me to try posting to a photo-a-day-challenge called, My_365.
Once a week, the My_365 Instagram account posts a list of daily challenges. You take a picture of whatever that word or phrase may mean to you, (#) tag it, and the following day the My_365 account selects a small number of photos to 'feature', typically 3. It is so fun to see what other people post and who ends up being featured but, the best part is being apart of the large community of (professional and amateur) photographers who encourage and support each other.
There are many other photo-a-day groups out there with a similar process, this is just the one that I am participating in. I should note, that you do not have to post every day but, it has been fun for me to have a reason to keep clicking away (whether with my big girl camera or just my iphone).
Here are a few of my recent Instagram posts with the challenge word/phrase above as an example.
#from_where_i_stand
#homework
#found
#refreshed
The #refreshed photo that I took was even 'featured' on the My_365 account!
So, there you have it friends. Thank you for checking in and for supporting my little hobby. If you don't follow me on Instagram already, please find me (samanthalivie). For those of you who don't have the app or have any idea what Instagram is (Dad, Grandma, MIL, FIL, etc.) I have my Instagram linked to this blog (pictures on the left of the page) so you can keep up with the happenings too.
Any by all means, if you have any interest in participating in this (or any other) challenge I encourage you to join in!
See you on the 'gram.
