Elevate the ordinary 1 - get uncomfortable

So Elevate the Ordinary started off very slow for me.

I was all ready and raring to go and the first week was a week of just familarising yourself with the formats, discussion groups, flickr, etc.

Which I was not a fan of. Because I lose momentum.

And so  I didn't quite get into it until a lesson where she spoke about commitment and going the extra mile to get good pics.

It was very timely for me :)

Especially since she used a pic of hers I absolutely LOVE (the one of the girl in the yellow leaves). She mentioned how many pics they'd taken on a normal street to get The One and how all that was worth it.

So I was reminded again that you don't get great pics (or any pics, for that matter) by being lazy and saying that it's cold outside (because I still don't know how to take pics unless it's Extreme Daylight, not Jhb winter fading daylight).

I need to make the effort and take tons and even be willing to play a little with post-processing (which I also hate - no patience!). But I have learnt about the beauty of warmify in Picasa for that whiter than pale winter skin :) I mostly still aim to get it right in the camera.

Anyway, these were all taken one FREEZING Saturday afternoon at 5ish after I returned from errands with Kendra. I really should have been cooking supper but I thought no more excuses. I want a couple of decent pics.
 

this whiteness is exactly what the sky looked like. beautiful but cold.

the ground was a bit greener in patches... but look at the underside of the leaf

and the flipped-over leaf

the one bit of green in the garden :)

this. THIS. never fails to grab me. LOVE the colours.

this could be a metaphor for life. barren branches with just a bit of growth :) HA!

more of the sunset

then I decided to make a bit more effort and got up on a stool...

and I got this one. It was worth it to get uncomfortable and make the effort

love the texture of this old plank

and of the bricks - oh, I added some shadow to this one - do you spot the bit of green?

the nicest pic of an old tap I've ever seen :) otherwise known as elevating the very ordinary!

and the inside of a rusty pipe

by this time, the sun was practically gone so there are some gorgeous shadows. yellow makes me so happy.

So there you have it!

As usual with these sorts of things, it was totally worth it getting REALLY cold for 20 minutes that Saturday afternoon.

I've done another two of these "braving the cold" sessions and I think I'll chase the kids around the garden again tomorrow.

Playing with photos and cooking/ baking is about all I've done that was creative this month, except for the two canvases I made for gifts, both of which I have no pics of :( And you don't want to see pics of the party bags, right? That's the other creative stuff going on here!

Which is your favourite pic?
Would you get cold and uncomfortable for a photo?

(I wouldn't if I wasn't on the course. Actually I would if at my work - I LOVE taking pics there so much)

PS Click here to visit Superhero Designs and read more about Elevate the Ordinary.