Day 365/365

     For my last day of the challenge I got to hang out with some Saginaw elementary school students who are piloting an after-school fitness program called 'Kids Run the Nation.' I was having a pretty crappy day yesterday, so getting to hangout with them for a bit and seeing how much fun they were having did make me feel a bit better. It also finished this project off on a high note!

Day 361/365

     Friday/day 361 I covered a school assembly hosted for the Frankenmuth elementary, middle, and high schools. The assembly was held so that Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson could come and talk to the students about nutrition, and how important it is to make healthy choices, even when you're young. Hanson seemed like a pretty down-to-earth guy, making jokes about how he was sure he was boring everybody and making a point to get all of them involved.

Day 346/365

     I did shoot sports Thursday night/day 346, but not before shooting Jessica Schwerin's return to school after finishing her home rest following her kidney transplant surgery. I've loved covering this story, but it was nice to bring some finality to it in wrapping it up. She's an awesome kid, and to see how great she's doing and how the community has come to support both her and her donor Brian Martindale has been a great thing to witness.

Day 326/365

     Today was all about the snow coverage, and this afternoon I got to go out to a park in Frankenmuth to shoot people sledding. Most public schools in the area had snow days, so there were plenty of kids and families to be seen. My favorite picture ended up being this one though; it's not much to look at visually but it was fun to witness in person. A mother was trying to teach her 2 year-old daughter how to make snow angels, and the little girl was transfixed by the whole thing. I doubt she understood, but she looked like she was having fun with her mom nevertheless. 

Day 279/365

     Today my mom got some of our younger cousins over for our yearly holiday baking/crafting binge. My cousin's two daughters are the cutest kids, I swear, and they are so much fun to have over. We made tons of cookies/cupcakes/and other desserts, and had a great time doing so. 

Day 278/365

     Yesterday/day 278 was the O'Donnell family, (my mom's side of my family), Christmas party. With the exception of a few of a few cousins, almost all of us were able to make it this year. There's so many of us that all of us getting together at the same time and sam place doesn't happen all that often. 

     

     I had an idea to make them all Christmas ornaments this year, (my mom and her seven siblings), using a photo of all of them together on Christmas morning when they were children. I love this picture of all of them; I think it shows each of their personalities so well. And the ornaments seemed to be a hit!

Day 276/365

     This morning I got to shoot a pretty fun assignment; the national "Shoes that Fit" campaign being hosted at two local schools. The campaign gets new pairs of shoes for children in need. I shot the shoes being handed out to elementary school kids this morning, and they were absolutely ecstatic. My ears were ringing for about a good hour after I left the school from their squealing and cheering. It was really such a great story to be a part of.

Day 249/365

     After stumbling through early-morning Black Friday coverage bleary-eyed and almost completely fed up with people in general, I got a bit of a pick-me-up with my afternoon assignment. Since the day after Thanksgiving is a big day for Christmas tree farms, a reporter and I went to a few of the local farms to interview and photograph families picking out their trees. This little girl was hilarious; she got bored while waiting for her parents to finish paying for their Christmas tree so she climbed into the tree baler when she thought no one was watching. The whole afternoon made me a bit nostalgic, but it was nice to see the fun side of the holiday season after having to deal with the greedy and crazy side this morning. 

Day 187/365 + MORE THAN HALF-WAY DONE WITH THE 365 CHALLENGE!

     I can't believe I missed the actual half-way post of the 365 challenge, (the half-way point would've been either day 182 or 183), but nevertheless, now I'm more than half-way through! I know I've been pretty lax on posting every day as of late, but that's something I'm looking to improve. And while I may not have posted my entries every single day on schedule, I did take either a new photo, video clip, or audio recording every. single. day. (That's the most important part, anyways, I think). 

     I honestly think that starting this challenge was one of the best things I could've done for my photography since graduating, (now a little over a year ago - yikes!). It got me out of my slump, back into pushing my own boundaries and going outside of my comfort zone, and it gave my portfolio a much-needed replenishing. I think this project also played a major part in me getting my internship, and without that, I'd most likely still be toughing it out at that godforsaken portrait studio, (insert cringe/wince/shudder/all of the above here). It hasn't always been easy; I can be one of the most laziest human beings on the planet when I want to be, but this project got me up and out many a time when I wouldn't have done anything productive otherwise. If you've either followed my blog from the start or checked in from time to time, or are just seeing it for the first time now, thank you for the support. 

     Anyways, in honor of being half-way there, you get a double dose of vintage baseball and cute kids feeding cows. Enjoy!

* As always, click the image if you'd like to view it larger!

Day 173/365

     Last night I got to cover a motor derby race out in the middle of nowhere. I was definitely out of my element, as I know absolutely nothing about car racing as it is, and therefore nothing about demolition derby racing. It was by far the loudest event I've ever witnessed. I should've known when I walked in and saw almost everyone, from young kids to elderly men, wearing either ear plugs or protective headphones. While I tried to get photos of the cars through the thick metal fencing and not let my camera ingest too much dust, I felt more at home with taking pictures of the crowd and their different reactions to the racing going on. I particularly had a good time watching this little girl's reaction; she stared at the track all night with this awestruck look on her face. I guess I'd do the same if I was a kid seeing something like that for the first time.