Week In The Life™ 2014 | Monday Words & Photos

Ah, Mondays. 

My first thought tonight, as I sit down to write about the day and work through the photos, is that I'm thankful. 

I'm thankful for a million different things but one of the big things today is simply the ability to capture pieces of my life through my lens. 

It's a simple thing that I sometimes take for granted as I get caught up in this or that. I love being able to use my camera to tell the stories of our lives. 

Before I share my photos for today I've got some general observations on the process: 

  1. One of my favorite things to do with this project is go through the photos at the end of the day. I love seeing what went right (in terms of captures) and what didn't quite go right. Ha. When I go through my photos I know without a doubt that I won't use more than one shot of the same thing. I delete the ones I will not be using. 
  2. There were some things I tried to capture today that just didn't come out right. For example, getting Anna to school. Almost all were blurry - too blurry to use. I made a note to myself to capture more of that process tomorrow. 
  3. I definitely don't try to capture every little detail of the day. I took more photos today with people in the shot vs. photos without people. As you'll see, I took a lot of self-timer shots. 
  4. I'm really conscious about light and the way things are lit/where light sources are coming from. I'm on the look out for interesting light and I'm really enjoying playing around with getting my camera to do what I want it to do. This project encourages me to experiment and I like that. 
  5. I also liked thinking through the lens of story today as well. I didn't feel as frantic as I sometimes do and I was less lax than usual in terms of writing down stuff as it was happening. 

MONDAY PHOTOS & STORIES 

About 200 with my  Canon 5DMKII (24-70 lens) + about 25 with my iPhone

Today began with my alarm at 5am. I took the shot at the top of the post holding out my Canon 5D and praying I didn't drop it on my head. Grabbing my phone is often the first thing I do since it's my alarm and as I was reading over some of my early morning emails I was thinking about how the iPhone was so bright in a very dark room and wondered if I could use it to light my face. I got up out of bed, grabbed my camera, got back into bed and took a couple shots (not using the timer, just holding it out and clicking the button). 

Ah, yeah.

And hey, when you're the only one in the house you gotta make it happen for yourself. 

I used "Monday Photos" word art from my  Daily Photos & Stories package.

The story of my morning today is that I wanted to get up earlier than the kids. I like that quiet time. It's a bit earlier than normal because when I'm doing this project I often need a bit more time to get my other projects done. 

And did I say I like the quiet time? 

The story of Anna's morning, which began about 6:40am, is that she found Hannah Montana on Netflix. 

This school year I'm doing things a bit different in the morning. Simon, as he gets older, needs a bit more sleep. I'm letting him sleep in while Anna gets up and dressed and I get her to school. By the time I'm back Simon is up and has made himself breakfast and is dressed and ready for the day. 

Did you read what I wrote above about not getting any decent shots of getting Anna to school. I kinda like the motion and movement in this one. 

The story of today includes notes-to-self. 

I took a bunch of shots in the car, telling the story of the time I spend driving the kids to and from school. For these shots I set the camera on the dashboard and turn on the timer. 

I get what I get. 

The story of today includes a boy who might have slept in a little later than he was supposed to but pulled it all together and out the door on time. 

The story of today includes a stop at the grocery story after getting the kids to school. 

That would be a self-timer self-portrait in the grocery store. I set the camera on the floor and hit the button and walked over to grab the Teriyaki sauce from the shelf. 

And one in the parking lot. 

I like the experimentation of these shots. They aren't perfectly composed. They don't have a perfect focal point. But they show pieces of my day. 

The story of today includes the fact that I spent all my working hours sitting right here. 

Except when I went downstairs for lunch. 

And when I took a iPhone selfie after putting on my hat. 

The story of today includes no shower (at least at the time of typing this up). 

And the story of today wouldn't be complete without mentioning that Katie is gone this week as she spends time with her family awaiting the arrival of her first niece. Katie rocks with babies. That's going to be one lucky baby to have her for an Auntie. 

The story of today includes a kid who loves when I pick him up from school. Big, full smile.

The story of today includes a kid who loves when I pick her up from school. 

In her case it's actually the after-care at school - she loves it and asks to go every day. 

The story of today includes an effort to get the three of us together in a shot. Fun counts. 

Anna introducing Simon to Hannah Montana. 

Seriously. 

The story of today includes picking up Simon's new glasses. First pair.

The story of today includes boxes piled in the garage. 

The story of today includes grass that's still green and leaves that are falling. 

The story of today includes this cat, George Washington Edwards. 

The story of today includes this Dad, who came to pick up the kids to take them to dinner with his parents to celebrate his Dad's birthday. 

The story of today includes this guy, who came over to have sushi with me and then make cookies. 

We both ate the sushi. I made the cookies. 

The story of today includes a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors for who gets to sleep in my bed with me tonight. He won. She gets tomorrow night. 

The story of today includes the bedtime prayer, Anna counting to 100, and Simon reading to me from Harry Potter. 

Both are timer shots I set up myself by placing my camera on a shelf. 


LENS OF JOY

Want to learn more about looking through the lens? Join me for  Lens Of Joy

Designed with the storyteller in mind,  Lens Of Joy is a 4-week photography workshop that covers processes related to capturing life through the lens of your camera. I'll walk you through my personal workflow from picking up the camera, looking through the lens, establishing the story, experiencing the moment, composing, uploading, organizing, editing, printing and pairing the end result with words to tell a more complete story. 

Get the full details  here


SHARE A LINK TO YOUR BLOG

I'd love to have you share a link to your MONDAY words and photos below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link. In addition you're invited to come over to the free Week In The Life™ Community Gallery & Message Board.

Related Posts

Sign in or sign up to comment.

107 thoughts

  1. delia says…
    10/28/2014

    Ali, you never fail to inspire. Thank you! Looks like a wonderful, ordinary/extraordinary day.

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. ChrisyC says…
    10/28/2014

    Ah...l needed this post, thanks Ali.
    Down here in Australia, l've just finished my second day of documentation and feel l needed some inspiration. Love, love, love all those self timer shots.
    Thanks for the big dose of inspiration!
    Bring on day three :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. zanysisters says…
    10/28/2014

    Ah, a timer on a camera. A phone with a camera. Hum. Might have to rethink technology! I am phoneless (by choice) b/c I thought it was making me too anxious about EVERYTHING. But I might just have to re-think that idea after looking at your fab pictures. And Simon rocking those glasses! WOW!

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. PolkaDotCreative says…
    10/28/2014

    Ok. Definitely experimenting with my self timer tomorrow to get more of 'me' in shots. Duly noted. Night night America love from Australia. x

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. ajizhang says…
    10/28/2014

    Looking at all your photos is so inspiring! I love how you capture what's going on and the details. And how you get yourself in the shots!

    I'll admit, as I looked at your photos, I started to feel a little bad about my own, that they weren't as good, that I didn't capture enough, etc., but then I realized that it is not a competition.

    This is my first time doing Week In The Life and I'm excited to keep going! Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      10/28/2014

      Totally not a competition. I mentioned in another comment that one of the things I like about this project is being inspired by the ways that other people see through the lens. Take those feelings and turn them into motivation rather than an opportunity to feel bad :).

  6. craftygirlie says…
    10/28/2014

    I like the self timer shots. I will have to give some of those a try!

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. daniscrapper says…
    10/28/2014

    OMG This post is inspiring! May I say I feel bad now for taking only a few pics yesterday? LOL This is my first attempt at the project and reading your posts will help me get ideas.

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. wilkins says…
    10/28/2014

    Some awesome ideas Ali - that first shot is wonderful! Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. brooke1 says…
    10/28/2014

    I think there is a sense of freedom in taking a shot from the ground. I'm always worried that people think I'm nuts or that my camera will get damaged (car park - how did you pull that off?).

    Something tells me that the blur of Anna says a lot about her right now. I have a blur child too!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      10/28/2014

      It was a non-busy time of day :).

  10. Julchen82 says…
    10/28/2014

    I have the same first photo like you. For me my handy is my alarm. So this is the first I see in the morning. And nobody like me (because I was alone) can take the pic.

    Thanks for your story. It's so cute.

    Juliane

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. cathyzielske says…
    10/28/2014

    I'm fixating on the fact that Simon gets himself up and makes his breakfast. Can we have a conference call with Simon and Cole? ; )

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      10/28/2014

      Ha! He's motivated by technology.

  12. dailydwelling says…
    10/28/2014

    I love all of the self-timer pictures. I'm going to try to do more of those to capture my day in a way that I couldn't otherwise.

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. scrappychick says…
    10/28/2014

    Seriously love all of this and this project. I need to take more timer shots. My goal for today. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. Trulymegs says…
    10/28/2014

    I love that you were brave enough to put your camera down in the grocery store or parking lot. Those photos definitely tell a story about your day. Your photos today are so unique yet I'm sure they are similar to every other day of yours. Thank you for this project and for sharing your journey. It's so inspiring.

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. lhenkin says…
    10/28/2014

    Ali, your photos are an inspiration. I am amazed that you took the one at the top of the post yourself. I was sure you had help with that one. Wow! I am still having issues with the selfie. I tried to take one of myself pumping gas yesterday, but it was a fail. Love the great shots and thanks for the ongoing inspiration!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      10/28/2014

      I think it's really all about practice and allowing yourself to make mistakes and keep trying!

  16. happytoscrap says…
    10/28/2014

    What a great first day for you. I like Simon's new glasses, tried to go get mine yesterday, not yet.

    Three things I learned about the exercise, learn how to use the camera on the iphone, unfortunately I accidentally did burst of photos with the self timer. Instead of 6 photos of self, have 60 photos of self, all pretty much the same.

    2nd thing, I stopped taking photos after work. I forgot, so I do have not evening shots, so I guess there will be journaling. Just need to remember.

    3rd thing, need to fill out the WITL sheet as I go along.

    Well, at least it's a start!

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. luluandbob says…
    10/28/2014

    Awesome post Ali! I LOVE all the self timer shots. By the way, Simon's glasses? Totally awesome!

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. dpetrick4 says…
    10/28/2014

    Thank you for the inspiration!! I tried and tried yesterday morning to get a shot of me scrolling on my iPhone in the dark but my focus was completely off so had to turn on a light! I'll keep trying though. And LOVE all the self timer shots while out & about! Going to work on more of these thru the week!

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. vicki_dalton says…
    10/28/2014

    Great job Ali!

    My question is....how long do you spend going through your photos at the end of each day?
    I know it varies depending on how many but that seems to be my Biggest Problem!!!!--- and then I've got a whole week's worth and IT TAKES FOREVER>>>>

    HELP!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      10/28/2014

      Last night took me a couple hours (right around 2) for the whole process of going through the photos + writing the post.

  20. nirupama01 says…
    10/28/2014

    Beautiful photos from a beautiful life. Thanks for continuing to inspire. I was looking through my WITL from last year and marveling at all the details that changed which I thought were boring routine at the time.

    Http://avinashhecker.blogspot.com

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. kylydia says…
    10/28/2014

    Love this! Great shots, all of them!

    I need to go back through my phone shots. My journaling is a very full page of an Erin Condren notebook! I'm not sure how I'd ever condense that down into anything shorter. I'm definitely a word girl!

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. petrac says…
    10/28/2014

    It's the angles of the shots that get me. Ok Ali after two less than average days I am going to make an effort tomorrow for some more interesting angles... Thank you for the continued inspiration. Truly, Thank you.

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. saracee says…
    10/28/2014

    I love Paper, Rock, Scissors to see who sleeps with you - that's an awesome and fun memory!

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. lharvey81 says…
    10/28/2014

    Your photos have inspired me to embrace my timer on my camera. I LOVE that you are in almost all of them. Thanks for the inspiration! PS - I'm a little panicky about setting my camera in the parking lot at the store. lol. You are BRAVE!

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. jennshurkus says…
    10/28/2014

    wow ali... just when i thought there can't be new stories to tell or new angles or new outlooks you continue to inspire!! I had stressful travel home from oregon last week- but i think i will start my week in the life thursdayish and goto the next thursdayish :) i'm all about the ish's right now :) thank you for this awesome project!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      10/28/2014

      Thanks Jenn!

Sign in or sign up to comment.