Week In The Life™ 2014 | Thursday Words & Photos

Happy Friday (and Happy Halloween). 

As I went back through my photos today I decided to tell the story of each photo using the phrase "The Reason Why." 

Why did I take this photo? What's the story? How does it add to the overall story of this week in our life? Or simply, why did I want to take a moment of my life to record this? 

This is a good tool as you begin editing your own photos from the week and solidify the stories you want to tell. 

THURSDAY PHOTOS & STORIES

About 50 DSLR shots + 18 iphone shots. All the ones shown below are from my DSLR.

The Reason Why | Rather than take another photo of me at my desk I looked around for a different story. Three cups of coffee on my desk first thing in the morning tells the story of long work hours. Two cold cups from yesterday and one hot cup from this morning. 

The Reason Why | Tennis shoes. Flip flops. Moccasins. Each pair of shoes carries their own story - of miles and trips and sandy beaches and hours sitting at my desk. I also like the composition of this shot because it gives me room to write on the left side. 

The Reason Why | This is the view outside my kids bathroom window. There are some days I walk by and turn my head to look out and my breath is taken away by the colors in the sky. Looking out the windows of my house are pause points in my day. They remind me to take a breath and bring me back to the present moment vs. whatever is rattling around and around in my head. 

The Reason Why | Simply because I love these car shots (camera on the dashboard using the self-timer). Anna's in her jammies and bathrobe (another no-school day for conferences). I took a shower. Simon looking down at his phone and pursing his lips (which is a tic, not a funny face for the camera). 

The Reason Why | Because I like documenting what she's into. I love that she still plays with the Playmobil people. I'm a big fan setting the camera down on the counter for a completely different angle vs. me just holding up the camera to my face. 

The Reason Why | For the love of fall color. 

The Reason Why | Because I like that she wants to make stuff. Today she made a sign welcoming her cousin to our house. 

The Reason Why | Because I love her excitement and her love. 

The Reason Why | This could be my favorite of the day. The way she sits on the stool with her feet tucked under. The fact that this is a quiet play spot for her. It's the place she often flies under the radar in the evening. 

The Reason Why | Simon's room is another spot I walk by throughout the day and am always interested in the light and the lines of the blinds. I also often find George here, snuggled into the unmade bedding. 

The Reason Why | Because I curled my hair in preparation to do a Google Hangout for Creative Live. The video ended up not working quite right so the students just see a photo of me. 

The Reason Why | Evidence that Anna was here. 

The Reason Why | There I am. Again. Better focus today. Things crossed off my list. 

The Reason Why | I love this spot. When I opened the front door I saw her sitting on the front porch waiting for Jessica and Gabrielle to arrive. She had the pink headphones on and was playing a game. She had asked a million and one times when they would be arriving. It's so hard to wait when you are a kid (and sometimes when you are an adult too). 

The Reason Why | Because there can never be enough cousin shots. These two were born a month apart and live on opposite coasts. I've loved documenting the two of them anytime they are together. 

The Reason Why | I changed my shirt for my on camera time on Creative Live but the video didn't end up working so the students just saw a headshot of me while I chatted with Nicole Samuels about memory keeping. 

The Reason Why | There are so many tasks we do throughout the day. Laundry. Dishes. Helping. Working. Fixing. Reminding. Hugging. Reinforcing. Redirecting. This one involved taken some of the un-eaten popcorn and saving it for later. The girls had needed a snack and some quiet time so we did hot cocoa and popcorn while they watched Mr. Peabody & Sherman. 

The Reason Why | Because once they reach a certain age those bathtub shots just aren't appropriate. It so reminded me of all the shots I took when both were babies and toddlers in the bathtub. 

The Reason Why | Another favorite. I love capturing my kids doing what they do. The light in Simon's room is so great for lighting Simon as he reads or plays with legos. I've taken this kind of shot so many times over the years and it remains one of my favorite things to photograph. 

I stopped documenting earlier in the evening tonight to give myself a little break from the late night blog post writing. 

Be safe tonight and have fun!

SHARE YOUR THURSDAY

I'd love to have you share a link to your THURSDAY 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.

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19 thoughts

  1. petrac says…
    10/31/2014

    Beautiful Ali. Love the simplicity of your prompts. I want to ask about the car shots. Yours are always very crips and clear. May I ask how you take them? Is your phone just propped up on the dash? Are you sitting in the drive or driving. I am always amazed how clear they are yet when I try to take similar shot ... well the results are underwhelming. Thanks again for a beautiful share and for the prompts and ideas. Love catching those candid moments too.

    Reply 3 Replies
    1. AliEdwards says…
      10/31/2014

      Hi! I'm taking these car shots with my DSLR. I set it on my dash and set the timer to go off (you could also use a remote). Not driving - too dangerous. Ususally parked in the driveway or a parking spot or on the side of the road as we leave our cul-de-sac. I usually take a few with the hope of getting one I really like.

    2. tishey says…
      10/31/2014

      Ali, how do you set your focal point? I keep trying my DSLR on the dash but end up with a random spot in the backseat in focus and the rest is blurry.

    3. abbypimentel says…
      11/03/2014

      Yeah, me too! Pray tell, Ms. Ali! :D

  2. Senovia says…
    10/31/2014

    Your shots are gorgeous and inspiring, as always. I wanted to say that I am IN LOVE with all your kitchen drawers! I don't have near enough drawers in the kitchen in the house I just moved into and it's driving me crazy!

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. brooke1 says…
    10/31/2014

    I love the way you use the space in your home. I think we have too many rules about space in our home and maybe they inhibit our 'living'. Thanks for that observation.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      10/31/2014

      Thank you.

  4. SuWrite says…
    10/31/2014

    Beautiful, Ali--your home is well loved and it shows. I'm loving my Week in the Life project -- yesterday afternoon, I gave my DSLR to my daughter (age 10 3/4) to take some pictures. I loved what she came up with; she's been taking pictures with my camera since she was six and photography is one of her favorite hobbies. She asked me if she could do "Week in the Life" for herself on another week and I said, "Sure thing!" Thought I'd share that with you and how another generation is benefitting from your work. :)

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. mrsmartha says…
      10/31/2014

      OH! I love love this idea! I think my 13 year old son would love that. He'd probably be able to be interested in doing a day...but hey, it's a "view" into his world!! Great idea!!

    2. AliEdwards says…
      10/31/2014

      Love that.

  5. kristeng says…
    10/31/2014

    Awesome shots, Ali. I keep finding myself loving desk shots and working shots most of all, from all the bloggers I see participating. It keeps reminding me that I need to set the camera down, turn on the timer, and capture me in my week.

    I love that cutoff from documentation later in the evening. I've been writing my blog posts around 10:00 PM. And while I am so inspired and into this project (it's my first time!), I would definitely think about giving myself a break so I stay refreshed.

    Hope it's ok to link... I'm documenting the week here: http://okenjoyblog.com/category/week-in-the-life/.

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. vicki_dalton says…
    10/31/2014

    my fave today was of anna playing with her little people---loved that you just sat the camera down---great angle!

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. CathG says…
    10/31/2014

    I'm just smiling - now both girls are wearing pink lipstick!

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. MrsKnight says…
    10/31/2014

    I love the car shot too. After all these years of reading your blog, I have never seen a Simon "tic" shot. That is real life. It is kinda fun to see one caught on camera. You are so open with us. I once dated a drummer who absolutely couldn't keep a beat unless his tongue was hanging out. He learned to manage the day, but when it came time for him to do his thing on drums(when he was allowed his own headspace) out came that tongue.

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. dailydwelling says…
    10/31/2014

    I love the way you told your story through telling the reason why of each shot!

    This project has been so good for me. It has made me look at our days in new ways. Here's a link to my post for today: http://www.dailydwelling.com/week-in-the-life-thursday-words-photos

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. desilei says…
    10/31/2014

    Awesome pics (as usual). I should use my DSLR more...

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      10/31/2014

      I think that's one of the things I love about this project - it reminds me to use it more for everyday shots.

  11. anandi says…
    10/31/2014

    Bummer about the hangout on CreativeLive. Makes me feel better that Google Hangout is flaky for everyone, though :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. DenDen says…
    10/31/2014

    I am going to start my Week in thr Life tomorrow! A little behind I know but I have been inspired!

    Reply 0 Replies

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