Day 47 : Take Me For What I Am

Hello 365 Project, Blogger, and whoever is reading this,

Forgive me for making this post all about me, but I'm in the mood to be a bit selfish. Indulge me for this moment and let me share something with you. I claim to be a poet as well as a photographer. Yet lately the words have burned in my head and I haven't figured out why they are stuck. I can feel words caught in my hands, aching to be written, but the minute the pencil touches the paper I become lost. I don't know who I am anymore.

When I write poetry the world stops. It gets hard to breathe but I can't stop trying because as fearful as I am in that moment, I love it because my body feels so good in that struggle.

I am guilty of doubting myself. Maybe this is why I struggle so much. I don't believe in myself. It is one thing to know you are capable of accomplishing the world, but it is another actually believing you are capable of such a feat. I do not know how I am going to do this. Any of it.

"Take me for what I am. Who I was meant to be. And if you give a damn, take me, baby, or leave me."
- Take Me Or Leave Me from the musical "Rent"

F/5.0
1/100
ISO 200
Canon Rebel XTi

Day 46 : Shootout Saloon

This is one of my favorite moments of the Cultural Day event at Main Event. The Shootout Saloon. It is my favorite because my Canon 580EX flash set off ALL the sensors in this game! I got the biggest kick out of it and so did they.

I was asked to join the Intensive English students on their cultural day to photograph the event. The program needs more photos of the students, specifically, photos that are not "far-away-group-shots." I had more fun than I expected to have. I met some wonderful people and had some pretty incredible moments.

On the way to the event, I carpooled with several students. A Japanese student and I had a conversation on the way there. We both struggled to understand and be understood but it really gave me so much respect for him that he tried to figure out what I was asking him.

"Have you ever been to Main Event before?" I asked him. He didn't understand. OK.
"Have you ever been to the place we are going?" Sill nothing.
"Main Event, that place, have you gone there before?" ....
He answered that he had only been in Texas for 6 months, or something like that. Close enough. We all had a good laugh about it in the end.

Overall the day was fantastic. I had a blast taking the photos. I can only hope this is one of many experiences with these students I get.

Day 45 : Don't Eat The Berries

As pretty as they may be and as hungry as you may be, please, don't eat the berries.

Day 44 : Little Details of Tech

Another detail shot from my shoot. This was carved in the archway of the Mechanical Engineering building.

Forgive me, I'm still in the process of pulling photos from my camera from my awesome shoot Thursday afternoon at Main Event. Tonight I hope to post at least one!

Day 43 : Campus Archway

This is the entrance to the Civil Engineering Building at Texas Tech. When I walked by it I was awed at the curve of the arch, but also of the blue sky. The curve is accentuated by my wide angle lens but overall I just love the feel of this shot.

Today in Portfolio we went out as a class (all 5 of us) and took photos of the faces in the architecture. I shot this after class. The concept was to be 12 inches to 3 feet away. I was standing 12 inches from the arch and metered from, well, about 3 feet above me.

Texas Tech truly is a beautiful place to get an education.

Day 42 : Yet Another Day of Snow in Lubbock

I am so sick and tired of this crazy weather. It snowed AGAIN in Lubbock today. For my lunch hour I walked around campus, soaked my chucks, my jeans from the knee down and on my butt from this particular picture. Squatting in a puddle of ice water is not the most comfortable thing to do, unless you're a crazy photographer who really thinks a tuft of grass surrounded by snow is cool. Then it's OK.

Moral of this post is I am so incredibly, inexplicably, undeniably, understandably ready for spring to be here. Now.

Day 41 : Tractor Can't

While in Acuff, I hopped inside a broken tractor and snapped a few shots of the setting sun on the rusted machine. I will say that this was the very first time I have ever been inside of the cab of a tractor and I liked it. So many things to touch! Er... I mean, photograph....

=)