The month of February held more sunshine and warmth than expected, but I still struggled making my personal work come to life in my Project 365.  I feel like I’m in a bit of a rut.  It’s not a slump that keeps me from shooting, rather, one that keeps me from producing images that excite me.  While I think there is much to be said for finding the beauty in the everyday, I sometimes find it challenging to show what it is exactly that makes it so extraordinary and why.  Nevertheless, I was able to find a few shots that I actually love.

I drive by this hotel almost every day of the year.  Lately it has caught my eye for a couple of different reasons.  On this particular day, I was drawn to the clouds in the sky over the hotel, the reflections of the clouds in the windows, the contrasting yellow-orange rectangles, and the warmth of the sunlight that really make the geometric shapes stand out.

Catwalk.  It’s just our kitchen with Sylvester making his exit, but the light coming into this space in the afternoon can be divine if you catch it just right.

Street photography is good for the soul, I’m convinced.  When I take the time to really observe, I appreciate people as individuals and am constantly amazed at the connections between people and between people and their environments.  This is one of my favorite hangouts and I was pleased to find these women having an animated conversation.  They didn’t seem to mind the camera at all and simply carried on as though I wasn’t even there, even though I was actually right there.

I consider this my single favorite personal photo from February.  This location is off the beaten path and is filled with all kinds of shooting potential.  On this particular evening, we were lucky to be accompanied by a multitude of crows, which played right into my need to create an image with movement, a sense of adventure, and the unsettling feeling that often accompanies being wild and free.

And so I continue with my 365 days of shooting, grateful to have been reminded recently, in the words of Teddy Roosevelt talking about the man in the arena ” . . . who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming.”  I will continue to shoot, continue to err, and continue to learn.