Week 8 of the photo a day challenge

The theme for week 8 was Toys, but not just toys lying around being toys, we had to stage the toys in the way they were meant to be played with or what they represented. It also didn't just mean kids toys, anything you used for entertainment or to pass the time was allowed too, so some people posted pictures of their new coffee machine or a sewing machine.

So the week started with day 48 and a shot of Archie's soldiers shooting a dinosaur.....




Followed by a shot of Emily's babies in bed with their toes sticking out. This was inspired by a photo someone used in 'threes' week of their three children's feet in a similar pose


Day 50 and Emily's Peppa and George pigs were lined up watching telly




Day 51 and I was inspired by Emily playing with Peppa Pig in the bath, so I nicked Peppa and some of Emily's doll's house furniture and got down on the floor in the bathroom - I think the kids really started to think I was crazy at this point!




On Day 52 I decided to use one of my 'toys' a metal figurine I have of the Wizard of Winter, bought for me by one of my best school friends many many years ago




For Day 53, Archie and I built a amusement park in his room, out of a train track. The visitors go around on trains past the 'wild animal' section, the 'London' section, the 'farm' section, the 'people' section and the 'monsters' section. We even added a car park. I took this picture using the wide angle lens that came with my macro lens on my iPhone




And on the last day of Toy week I did 'soldiers hide and seek' and hid 10 soldiers on my kitchen worktop while preparing tea and get everyone to try and spot them all




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Week 7 of the photo a week challenge

The theme for week 7 was "threes" things in groups of three or that represent three.

My first submission was probably a bit out of the box, maybe not fully in-keeping with the brief, but it was accepted.
Day 41 - My 3 year old Emily:




My Day 42 submission was a bit pants really, I was on my way to bed when I realised that I hadn't taken today's shot and so quickly snapped this, but now I really hate it, because it could have been so much better!




My Day 43 effort was only marginally better, part of the office at work, which I colour splashed with bright colours (wish my work was really this colourful)






Well I think Day 44's photo was slightly better, just because I like the way the light shines through the bottles, I also started thinking more about composition, drawing the black curtain halfway across the patio doors, lining the bottles up so that the light still shone through them......






And I was happier with Day 45's photo too, taken at work on my desk, but I managed not to eat them all at once





Day 46 was another day when it got to bedtime and I hadn't taken a photo however I found 3 little things in my bed which reminded me.....






I think I reverted to being pants again for my last 'three' of the week, taken in Morrison's cafe and I hadn't even noticed that someone else had posted a similar picture from their local Morrison's too!





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Week 6 of the photo a day challenge

The theme for week 6 was "Food" mmmmmmmmmm photos of foodstuff.

I find it hard on a Sunday sometimes to switch to a new theme so often end up with 'theme blend' photos, so when I took the day 34 photo I think I was still a bit in shapes mode.





I was quite excited by food week because we get a veg box every week and so I was able to use some of the usual veg we get in it, it also means we get a good variety of veg and so I was able to do this for Day 35......




The veg box contents helped with this shot of artichokes which featured in my day 36 colour-splashed photo





For Day 36 I revisited my new found macro skills and snapped my sushi lunch






And I love sushi for lunch at work, so Day 37 was a different macro shot of different sushi






I was sat in the train station waiting for my lift home on Day 38 and realised I still needed a photo for the day, I also had a Lindor truffle egg (my favourite type of chocolate) burning a hole in my pocket and et voila!




And to finish off the week I was having soft boiled egg on toast (my favourite breakfast) and saw Day 39's photo opportunity




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Week 5 of the photo a day challenge

After the excitement of macro week, we had "shapes" week. We were told to look around us for shapes, they are everywhere.

My first entry, Day 27, was a colour splash of my very colourful cups




Day 28 I put my macro lens to good use and caught these hexagons on the side of a matchbox (I thought I'd posted this in macro week, but I just checked back and it was in shapes week)




On day 29 I tried to get an interesting angle on my wine rack




Day 30 featured a window at Nostell Priory




Day 31 and I used a canvas print we have on the wall (bit of a cop out really I guess)





For day 32 I made a square out of circles with Cheerios (my daughter's favourite cereal)




And to end shapes week I used another piece of wall art (not terribly exciting!)



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Macro photography

I could barely contain my excitement when the lenses for my iPhone arrived. At last I was able to attempt proper macro shots. I ordered the lenses online from Amazon. They come with some metal rings, which are used to attach them to the phone. The ring has a backing paper, which when peeled off reveals some kind of cement glue. Some of the reviews said that this glue didn't seem to stick to the phone casing, I tried and found the same, but it stuck brilliantly to my cheap plastic iPhone cover.

The first thing I took a picture of was my engagement ring (obviously the closest thing I had to hand)




Then since I had done broccoli during macro week for the photo challenge I wanted to see what difference the macro lens made - I was amazed




I really wanted to get one of those shots you see where an image is focused on through a water droplet, but it didn't quite come out as well as I'd like. I'm not sure if it's down to the quality of the lens, my patience or both, but this is about the best I could manage




Or this one





However I really loved this shot I got of water on my orchid leaf





Yes, for £8 I was pretty impressed with my new lenses



But enough playing with macro - on with the daily challenge!


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Week 4 of the photo,a day challenge

Week 4 was the first real technically challenging week. The theme was "macro". This was described to us as getting as close to a subject as your equipment will allow so that the camera picks up detail the eye doesn't necessarily notice. It sounded really exciting, but with only my iPhone to use I thought it was going to be real struggle.... Until I discovered you can buy magnetic lenses for the iPhone. £8 got me a macro/wide angle lens and a fish eye lens, but they didn't arrive until near the end of the week.

So for day 20 I tried a close up of broccoli,




Day 21 I went for a close up of lunch and I was fairly impressed with the iPhone's macro capabilities, but still couldn't wait for my macro lens to arrive




Day 22 had me taking a cheeky shot of a Stranger's iPad cover on the train, she must have thought I was getting my phone a bit close, because shortly after taking this picture she moved it!




On day 23 I attempted a bit of an arty shot with some soup-mix, you know, barley, lentils and grains that you add to soup




For day 24 I nicked my work mate's milkshake ball just because it looked interesting (still waiting for my macro lens to arrive)





Day 25 and I snapped my cat yawning




And just in time for day 26 my macro lens arrived! I immediately began looking around for things 'to macro' and was very excited about this shot of the side of a matchbox






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Week 3 of the photo a day challenge

So week 3's theme was "The letter P" we had to take picture of things beginning with the letter P.

The week started with day 13 and a shot of my daughter Emily holding a pea (this is a colour splashed version of the original, but I think I used the full colour version for the challenge)




On day 14 I went for pasta, but my phone battery was flat so had to use my partner's Samsung Galaxy Sii




Day 15 had me making a mess (and getting the sneezes) with ground black pepper





Day 16 features a lovely windy path on the trans-Pennine trail which happens to be behind our house, oh and my discovery of black and white. This was my best entry this week I reckon.





This is the entrance to the trans-Pennine trail at the back of our house a wet puddly mess, and so puddles became day 17's subject




Friday's shot featured people at the train station - I was a bit a disappointed since it's usually busier on a morning.




And to round up the week, day 19's shot was play-doh donuts.


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Week 2 of the photo a day challenge

I missed the first week of the challenge and so started on day 6 - the theme changes every Sunday, so the first 'week' consisted of only 5 days.

The theme for week 2 was "Blue" - we basically had to take photos of blue things.

Day 6 - blue silk flowers in my bathroom





Day 7 - "bathroom blues" (yes my bathroom has a blue theme)





Day 8 - blue seats at the train station





Day 9 - Shutters on an old building - My favourite post from this week!





Day 10 - my washing machine lights




Day 11 - a piece of artwork I did at school (thinks was getting desperate at this point)





Day 12 - Primark shop window





I promise I get better as the weeks go on, my early attempts where very much 'point and shoot' efforts without thinking much about composition or lighting.


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