Kat Eye Studio

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Snowflake Math

Snowflake + snowflake + snowflake + …. + snowflake = SNOW.

Today’s 9 Muses Musing prompt is SNOWFLAKE, but I’ve been sick and in bed the last couple of days, and have not come up with a snowflake photo. So I’m trying to make one of my favorites from our little trip into Monza last weekend work for this prompt. What do you think? Are you buying it?

I loved this photo because it shows how bicycles are just a part of life here. A mode of transportation, regardless of the weather. I was a bike commuter back in Oregon, but I have to admit I would not ride in snow. I think many people have that opinion here too, but look – there were enough bikes to fill up a bike rack on a Saturday night in Monza. Only one of them had snow on the seat, and the tire tracks indicate most of these had been used recently.

Impressive. It should inspire me, but I still don’t think I want to ride in the snow.

Tomorrow’s 9 Muses Musing prompt is STOCKING. I’d better get creative…

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Can I Resist?

I’m having a heck of time this month. You see, I’m a joiner. And there are all of these things to join in November, just calling to me! But I’m trying to resist, because I have a busy month that includes a lot of personal projects I want to do, instead of joining something that doesn’t get me closer to my goals and dreams.

It started with Art Every Day Month, which looks so fun. I mean, I create most every day anyway in some way, this is right up my alley. But I’m resisting, because I don’t want to focus my creative inspiration and efforts just to meet a self-imposed deadline every day when I have so much else going on.

Then there is NaBloPoMo, National Blog Posting Month, which inspires you to write a post every day on your blog for the month of November. Hey, I do that most of the time anyway! But not committing this month, which includes visitors and travel and the busiest, longest work week of my entire year.

Along the way I ran into 30 Days of Gratitude. What a wonderful way to uplift and celebrate the month of November, than to be grateful, for 30 days? But then that focuses me on one specific topic… and again a whole 30 days of commitment to it. Can’t do it.

On my internet wanderings I bumped into Digital Detox, which sounds like a wonderful week long little way to simplify your life if you want to participate, and then November in Black and White. Hey, I love black and white photography. But wait, that would commit me to a whole month of it. Right now, when I have other things I’m focusing on. OK, so no.

Thank goodness I don’t have any idead for a novel, or NaNoWriMo would be calling to me too.

I hadn’t realized that I was such a joiner until I find myself struggling to resist joining in to all of these things. The communities they create are so fun. The things you gain by doing these activities is so worthy. As I read some of my favorite blogs I feel like I’m looking longingly into the windows of people at a party and I’m outside in the cold. But I remind myself, no, I can’t put myself through this right now. Because for me, what’s worse than being outside looking in? Joining something and then not being able to follow through. I beat myself up, because I committed to something, darn it, I should follow through. Instead, I’m choosing to stay sane this month, without adding extra pressure.

So to satisfy those urges to join, I’ve decided to create KaNoJoMo – doesn’t that sound fabulous? It stands for Kat’s Non-Joining Month. This month, I am not going to join or commit to anything that is not on my personal priority list. I am going to resist, walk away, focus on my own stuff in the limited time I have available. I’ll just wave at everyone else through the window as I walk by, give them a thumbs up to let them know I support what they are doing.

Want to join me? Haha – I tricked you! You can’t join me! That’s the idea, no joining. It’s a personal decision, one you can make too. No monthly or weekly or daily challenges or commitments to other projects if that is not right for you. Only commitments you make to yourself. You don’t need to announce it to the world (as, ironically, I am doing), you just have to make a personal choice.  You don’t need permission from anyone else but you, and you don’t have to apologize to anyone for not joining.

Week 1 of KaNoJoMo is already over, and I survived without joining anything. Whew. Only 3 more weeks to go…

Today’s photo is from Saturday evening in Venice. *Sigh* I love Venice. Still.

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My Muse

Another weekend in Venice, this makes visit number five. Can you believe it? Five. Today’s photo prompt for Picture Fall is muse – what is my muse, my inspiration right now. So a photo from this weekend is my answer… my muse is the light at night, reflections, textures and the rain. All came together for a beautiful photo of Venice at night.

For those of you who share my interest in night photography, I’ll give you the details on this photo:  I used a tripod, and my 35mm lens at ISO200, f/4, 4sec. I now have my remote in the camera bag and that came in handy for the long exposures I was using to avoid camera shake. No post processing, except to crop. It was raining quite steady, so my husband was holding the umbrella over the camera for me but I personally got soaked. Mental note for next time: Waterproof jacket, so that I can stay out shooting longer!

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Motion and Movement

I am musing on motion and movement over on Mortal Muses today. I thought I would share an extra bonus motion shot here along the same theme – of what else – Venice at night! I just can’t get enough. I hope you all aren’t bored. 🙂

Oh wait, it’s my blog, so I can post what I love as much as I want to! Sometimes, in my desire to make other people happy or live up to other’s expectations, I forget that important little point…

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Share Your View: Night Photography

Aaaaah, night in Venice. Magical. This was the lone gondolier at midnight, available for a night time gondola ride through the city. I love the quietness this image conveys. No ripples in the water. The line of gondolas parked for the night. The waiting gondolier. So fun to share these little slices of night with you.

And, as promised, it’s time to share your view of night! You’ve had a week since the Exploring with a Camera: Night Photography post to look back at your past night shots and or maybe try a few for the first time. All you need to do is fill out the widget below (you may have to click over to the actual blog, if it’s not visible in your reader) with your name and a link to your photos. Please link directly to the blog post or Flickr photo intended, because a general link to a blog or photostream will have content changing all of the time and we might not be able to find the image we were meant to see if we come by later. (Because for some of us, I won’t name any specific names, we’re always behind on our blog reading and we don’t want to miss these.)

I look forward to seeing your little slices of night! Please visit around and share some comments with your fellow photogs as well. A fun way to find new friends.

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