Madigan made… a self-imposed photo challenge.
I’m a visual person. A picture or image can say a great deal, don’t you think?
When I shared my top 2011 projects/posts earlier this month, the process got me thinking… Can I pick out my favorite photographs from the past year?
Ansel Adams once said:
“Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.”Twelve photos… In a year of blogging (plus personal family photos), that is not many pictures at all.
After coming up with my one word for 2012… I thought about taking this photo challenge even further… I wondered if I could boil all my photos down to one significant choice.
Could I pick just one photo? Heck, I struggle at editing down the number of photos I use in a craft post!
Could I really choose ONE picture that captures the essence of this blog and my style? One picture that represents Madigan Made for the year?
Well, I tried! Let’s see if you agree with my choices.
I should share one disclosure before proceeding with this post:
This is NOT a photography blog. I am NOT a professional photographer.
But this is a creative blog and imagery is an essential element to my storytelling.
Some day, I have grand plans of upgrading my camera and taking photography lessons. Until then, I will fumble along with my point and shoot camera the best I can.
What criteria did I use to select these photos?
Since I am not a professional, I am not going to pretend to know if a photo had great composition, lovely lighting or fabulous post-processing.
My measurements in this personal challenge were uncomplicated:
- First, the photo of the project needed to be clear and concise. In one shot you should see the space or project and know what it is all about. The staging of the subject should be minimal without any extras.
- Secondly, the project itself should be simple and an obvious representation of my style. For example, if a magazine editor asked me to send one photo from my favorite project to feature, which photo would I send to represent ‘me’?
Since I did not do this exercise in 2010, I felt I really should pick a photo from that year, too. But that pick was an easy one. If you’ve read this blog since then, I bet you can guess my choice. (and thanks for reading that long, too!)
My Photo of the Year for 2010: The Vintage & Spooky Kitchen Décor
Part vintage, part spooky, part fun…yet modern… this black and white scene was my favorite photo of 2010. I started to use a watermark on all of my photos with this post. I loved this image so much, I had a feeling I should ‘stamp’ it as my own. (and I’m so glad I did! It was featured a lot that season!)
For 2011, I had a harder time selecting that one photo. There were several ones that almost made the cut, and I thought you might want to see them, too.
The runners up were:
Third Runner-Up: Orange Creamsicle Fruit Dip
I loved this photo for so many reasons. The fruit and the dip looked so yummy. And the colors of the floral bouquet also happened to complement the colors in the dip. I make this easy dip all the time, but I feel like I cannot fully ‘own’ this project since I helped my mom make it that day for a bridal shower. (why it is 3rd runner-up)
Second Runner-Up: No-Sew Dollar Store Table Runner
Tulips… Stripes… White pitchers… No sew…Ribbon! This project and picture captured many of my favorite things all in one shot.
First Runner-Up: 20-Minute Easy Envelope Pillow
First of all, I loved that this pillow project was the definition of simple and easy sewing. And I loved the feeling I got when I looked at this pillow.The dappled sun on the pillow, the bright green chair, the fun stripes, the soft fern in the background… all of it was inviting you to sit down in the shade (I hope!).
My Photo of 2011: Our Foyer Gallery Wall
I poured so much of ‘me’ into in our foyer update. The area is a bold statement compared to the tame and fragile looking table that used to be there.
I loved the red touches, the typography, the worldly quote/accessories, and the gallery wall. I loved the mercury glass effect of the large silver faux mirror frame. Not only did this space look good but it became vastly more functional! (and this time of year, I use it mainly to put on those polka dot boots!) This was my favorite photo because you saw all of the little (yet important!) details and still felt the impact of the entire space.
So – do YOU think you can pick ONE photo from 2011 to represent you?
If you don’t have a blog, try to pick one personal photo that is your favorite. Select your best photo of the year that tells an important story for you or your family.
Try it! This post was a great exercise for me.
