10. Game On

The Bulldog Nation has high hopes for a Championship Season. The watch begins August 30 -- Go Dawgs!

22. Splish Splash

It's no surprise what happens next! (This is one of those pictures you need to click on to enlarge to fully appreciate)

5. Did you see THAT?

One of my favorite pictures from our Fourth of July Parade at The Georgia Club.

1. Aahh!

I have to give my husband props for thinking of this one. Unfortunately, uncorking a wine bottle isn't as visual as a beer!

Personal Critique

As I mentioned in my Final Thoughts post from last night, as a general body of work, I am more proud of my photos last time. I felt like I actually worked harder this time, but last time I came away with more pictures that I think will be lifetime favorites. Perhaps I was trying too hard, which may be a lesson in itself. But having said all that, I am so grateful for the experience and I again feel like I stretched myself, learned a lot of new things, and came away a better photographer thanks to the challenge from Amy and Ashley who continually kept raising the bar. Here are my favorites:

Most Troublesome: Actually, there are several that I took this time that I felt put me in some form of "danger." Not being a big risk-taker, any kind of danger is signifigant, but the fact that I frequently have Drew with me and no one to watch him adds to my anxiety. For instance, we both faced charging dogs when I took the train tracks for Narrow (two pit-bull-looking dogs!) and a loud collie when I took Man at Work. Trying to keep Drew by my side and off the highway when I took Out of Place was a challenge, too. Taking Wooden was a personal achievement (Drew was asleep in the car, thank goodness) because I waded through about 15 yards of waist-high grasses to capture this shot. Having a severe phobia of snakes, which I felt sure were lurking in those grasses, really provided a sense of accomplishment when I got something usable.

Most Proud Capture: I am going to nominate Spirit for this category. As I said in my post, I love taking pictures of the flag. This was the last picture I took for this round and it was at the end of a very moving patriotic service (where I also took Front and Center). I knew I wanted to capture this flag and couldn't figure out the best way, until I started moving around it and actually got on the floor. The soaring ceiling provided a great backdrop and I felt like I had a good picture to submit.

Not As It Seems: I actually have another for the In the Background category that I am posting personally to Amy and Ashley's e-mails, but since it was not usable, this is the one I ended up with. Because of the car I drive, I am frequently looking over my shoulder at Drew because I really can't see him in my review mirror -- I had to take the headrest off the passenger seat to capture this photo.

Most Difficult to Capture: The car in Embellished was actually in someone's driveway remote Farmington. It's not the kind of place I really wanted to be walking all over taking pictures of personal possessions -- especially with Drew in tow. I passed it several times, before I ended up slowing down in the middle of the street and taking this out my window.

Most Creative: I will call this my most creative use of theme, since I really didn't have any terribly creative techinical pictures. With my weird sense of humor, I just loved this End picture. This was taken in Oglethorpe County and I pass it every time I go see my Dad. The Dead End sign is obviously literal, but I think the Night Time Rifle Range is hilarious. You can't say the Dead End didn't warn you.

The One That Got Away: Actually, it didn't...I just couldn't post it. I am sending it to Amy and Ashley for a good laugh.

Final Thoughts for Round #3

A "third" Photo Scavenger Hunt has come a close and it was another great round. The thing I like so much about these rounds is that it really teaches me to break my common mold of taking pictures of friends and family, but also look creatively at picture taking. I really like seeing what the other players come up with, too, and I love finding out more about them from their posts. Coming up with a subject then viewing it at a different angle makes a huge difference in so many pictures. I am so glad that we had a third person playing, Ashley, who proved to bring a lot of skill, creativity and insight into this year's game. As always, Amy is a tough competitor and I am just glad this game is only for fun and there is not more than pride riding on it. Looking at the entire body of work, I felt that I scavenged more than last time and was a little more creative, but I was pleased with my photos more last time. I took a lot more pictures to get to the final postings this time, but the ones I think are most creative aren't necessarily the best pictures. I was suprised by the number of concepts I came up with, only to go out and take them and come back with a picture for another category. It really is amazing how many of these pictures could belong in dual categories. I honestly believe that each picture could go in at least one alternate category and some could go in more than one. Thanks for looking this blog and if you are interested in playing next time, let me, Amy or Ashley know. To Amy and Ashley -- thanks again for a great game and for all your encouragement and challenges that make me stretch and become a better photographer than I was when I started. I am thankful to you both!

24. Structure

Mother Nature at her best -- a bird's nest with one unhatched egg.

23. Steep

This is a picture of Drew and his buddy, Hyatt, spiraling down an inflatable slide at Pump It Up.

22. Spirit

If someone were to ask me my favorite subject to photograph other than people, I would easily say the flag. I love the vibrant colors and symbolism. This picture of the flag against the backdrop of the ceiling at the Village Hall at TGC proved to fit the bill -- and, the eagle at the top provided the perfect accent for spirit.

18. Pair

My procrastination got me again and I feel guilty posting something so similar to Ashley's pair, but I felt justified from two respects: 1) I honestly had been thinking about this for several weeks before I even saw Ashley's post, and 2) I really wanted to do a variation of one of my favorite pictures from the first go-around "Comfort." This proves a good evolution of that picture -- sorry to be so similar, Ashley!

12. Lost and Found

This picture came from a really neat store on 441 in Bishop. It is a place where they take reclaimed metal and make yard art out of it. There are so many wonderful designs and colors and it is great to see what was once lost, become found again.

11. Little Things

I was so bummed because I had been planning for a while now to go to my favorite ice cream shop, Scoops, to take a picture of the Jelly Belly Elvis picture. Unfortunately, it has been taken away, so I had to settle for the next best thing -- the wall of Jelly Bellys!

10. In the Background

He may not always be smiling, but Drew is a frequent image in my review mirror.

9. Innocent

I guess animals or children are pretty obvious for this category -- I chose our dog, Abby, who is looking mighty innocent despite being on back of the couch cushion, which we always discourage. I was especially pleased with this picture, though, because she is so dark it is often difficult to get much detailing of her face.

8. Front and Center

I really lucked out when our "First Sunday" worship service at The Georgia Club moved to the "last Sunday" so we could fit in our Patriotic Worship before July 4th. I would have missed out on this picture if this had taken place next week, but as it stands I had been planning for weeks to capture this category here. As icing on the cake, these service men posed for a few formal pictures after the service.

25. Through the Window

Another image from the historic Windsor Hotel in Americus, GA.

21. Solitary

I actually had another photo in mind when I took this, but I thought it fit the solitary category. This was taken in Andersonville, outside of Americus, GA, and is a historic site where northern soldiers were held capitive then buried during the Civil War. Drew walking among the tombstones presented quite a visual.

20. Shoes

This was taken taken during the Day of Caring 5K that my church sponsored last week.

17. Overhead

Another picture from the Windsor -- one of the ornate chandeliers.

16. Out of Place

Again, not a technically superior photo, but I always chuckle when I see the placement of this Coke billboard right in front of the Pepsi bottling plant on Atlanta Highway. Location, location, location.

15. Old

I actually found a lot of things for this category and although this is not a technically great picture, I thought it was significant in that it was taken at the Windsor Hotel in my husband's hometown of Americus, GA. According to some of their literature, this is the oldest exisiting interior atrium hotel lobby in the country. It was built in 1892.

7. End

This could be a pretty literal "End" for a street with a night-time firing range.

3. Confusing

OK, I know this is exactly what Amy had for Annoying, but I actually had taken it at the same time to capture Confusing, as many elections are full of rhetoric and empty promises.

2. Backside

These classic cars presented a great opportunity to capture this category.

19. Public Art

I love all the painted Uga's around town. In fact, my next photo project is to take a picture of my son with each of them around Athens. This one is outside of Earth Fare in Five Points, and it is one of my favorites.

14. Narrow

It's amazing how much weight, and commerce, a narrow rail is responsible for on a train track.

13. Men at Work

Ok, I am stretching this category to "Man" at Work. I was very worried about this category because I don't like taking pictures of people I don't know, but this gentleman literally crossed my path while I was taking another picture. He even smiled and waved, but I missed that picture.