Week in the Life : Mid-Week Observations + Responses to Questions

[ this is where I found him when I got up this morning : Little Einsteins on the computer + in real life ]

Mid-Week Observations

I love that this is one of those projects that always makes me think. It gives me the opportunity to take a look at my life and see what things are really important, what I love, what I dislike (and potentially the chance to change those things), and how I am living from day to day.

I love that many of you are changing up the project to make it fit your life. That is perfect.

It is ok to have the same photos from day to day. That is part of our lives and part of the story that most of us live.

It is ok to have some of the same words from day to day. Here's the thing: your routine may be the same but I bet your thoughts may be different. Why not include some of those in there as well. Or focus on something else like your gratitudes for the day or a list of some of the things you did at work. It does not have to be a list format of what you have done over the course of the day.

I love that many of you are playing with and learning how to use your cameras more. Me too! That tip from Tracey the other day about changing your ISO (this is if you are shooting on P or manual I think...rather than my go-to running man) made a HUGE difference for me last night at the dark pool and this morning in the house.

I love that many of you are using your blog to document your photos + words.

I love that we all have very different lives but have something in common through our love of this creative process. Some of us work from home, others work in an office, others are stay at home moms, students, disabled, etc. We all have something to share in this process. Our stories are all important.

I love that many of your are handing your cameras over to your spouses or your kids and involving them in the project.

Avoiding burn out : Let yourself go in terms of feeling like you have to capture every little thing. Find a rhythm for yourself and go with it. We are mid-way through the project - keep going!

Don't stress about the format: focus on the now. This project will come together.

There is no right or wrong way. You can do this.

Responses To Questions From The Last Post

Lady Scrapsalot : When it comes time to make the album I'll be missing pictures of my
daughter's preschool, which we went to twice this weeks and both times
I forgot the camera. If it was you would you "cheat" and take a picture
say next week and insert it, or just leave it out all together? I
suppose I could photograph the art she came home with...

A : I would just go ahead and add one next week. The main idea here is a specific week, but in reality, no one will ever know that you took it a week later. If it is an important part of your story right now then I would include it.

Carrie : Do you think it would be weird to enlist my sitter in this endeavor?
My little guy is 15 months, and while I am pretty up to speed with how
his days go, it would be fun for me to see how he spends his days with
her.

A : I love this idea. Why not?

Jan : I love the calendar on the clipboard!  Where did you get the calendar?

A : That calendar was a download at marthastewart.com. You can find it here.

Carol : I love all of your little close ups of daily life. They make for neat
compositions. I haven taken some of those, but I need tips on how to
make the "big picture" photos (of an entire room or whatever) come out
looking well-composed. Sometimes these seem to be the ugliest shots,
but also the most interesting down the road.

A : Great point Carol. I also think it is important to have a variety of views to showcase many of those cool things that often blend into the background. I love many of my photos from my parents that include all the crazy stuff in the background.

When I approach a whole room I tend to find a corner, back myself in as far as I can and take a look through the viewfinder. I often will try all the corners of the room to see which one has the best light and which one can document the most. We have a small house with small rooms and it is a challenge to fit the whole room in a shot (a different lens would make this easier...but the ones I have are not wide-angle enough). Another idea to consider is to shoot one side of the room and then another and either put them together in your album or stitch them together in your photo-editing program.

JennyG : What will you do for the first page of the album?..I noticed on
some of the past albums from your class that there was a calendar.

A : Not sure yet. In the past I did use a calendar and in another year I did a square-punch collage of a bunch fo my favoites from the week. I am guessing I will lean that way.

Niki : I was wondering when you use the trading card page protectors do you cut your pictures to fit or get them resized somewhere.

A : I will probably just crop them to fit.

Michelle : Do we only scrapbook the good things? Because sometimes in a normal
average week - we just get this huge blow and it changes everything. I
think that it is important to remember the good and the bad. LIFE. I
think I am going to try next week to start this project over. Perhaps
it will be a good way to count my blessings when I am feeling blue.

A : First off, I am so sorry for your loss. I think this is a really personal decision. I think that scrapbooking can be a way to grieve and can help in moving forward (when you are ready) but timing should come into play at some level. It sounds to me like you answered your own question in this case. Peace to you Michelle.

Tracie : Can you share the recipe for the yummy looking pasta?

A : Thanks Tracie - it is super easy: whole wheat penne pasta + sauce from Trader Joes (I think it was three-cheese).

Noelia : On day 2 of this project I became very sick with a cough/cold and my
routine has been different than it normally is. Another thing that
happened is that my husband's car broke down and it made for some
changes in our regular routine as well. My week so far doesn't look
anything like a normal week would. Should that matter? I thought about postponing this project until I'm better so it can reflect our daily lives. Any thoughts on this?

A : Here's the deal - there is no perfect week. "Normal" is whatever you are living right now. Stuff comes up all the time for all of us and it is all part of our story, a part of our normal. Obviously, the decision is totally up to you but I think it all makes a pretty good picture of real life ;).

Heather : Sigh. I realized last night that I've taken a ton of pictures and
totally neglected to write ANYTHING down. Should I keep going? Help.

A : Don't despair. Keep going. Maybe your book will just document your life in photos and you can add thoughts/observations/etc when you put the album together. Again, there is no right or wrong way to complete this project.

Feel free to continue commenting and sharing here. I will be around today to answer questions in the comments section.

A complete list of posts related to the week in the life project can be found here.