Category: 5 things

Project 365: Half-way there!!

Wow, can you believe I’ve made it to Day 183 of my Project 365? One photo every day for half a year!

(Oh my sweet lord, you mean I’m only half way done? I have to come up with ANOTHER 182 photos in the next six months? Yikes!)

Seriously, I am quite proud of myself. I can honestly say I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this project on January 20 of this year. I think it’s pretty safe to say I’ve fulfilled my early goals of “flex[ing] my creative muscles and to learn[ing] to see the world in new ways.” I haven’t missed a single day yet, although there have been a few when I was a day or so late posting them. And I really had no idea when I started that I wouldn’t simply be taking “a” picture each day — in fact, I’m sure I average ten to a dozen for each one that gets posted. Thank goodness for large hard drives!

This project has been one of the most validating, one of the most intriguing, and one of the most irritating things I’ve ever done. There have been more than a few times that I’ve rued the day I set out on such an ill-conceived voyage, and many days when I’ve been delighted that I did. There’s no question my photographic skills have improved, and I think I’ve even learned a thing or two along the way. *grin*

170:365 The Puddle

Here’s five things I’ve learned so far about Project 365, about photography, and about myself:

1. No matter how good or how terrible the picture of the day, there’s another one due in 24 hours. You know those days when you’ve written what you know is a really good blog post, and you just sit on it and admire it a while, letting it enjoy it’s spot of honour at the top of the page for a couple of days? With the 365 project, no matter how outstanding the picture is, you’ve got to replace it the very next day. And, almost without fail, the picture you take the next day is nowhere near as worthy. Inspiration runs in fits and starts. (Corollary: no matter how uninspired you feel, no matter how lackluster your effort, no matter how embarrassingly hackneyed the image, tomorrow is another day and a fresh start. Shake it off and take another picture!)

half way one

2. Amazing pictures lurk in the most mundane places. Some of my favourite images have been of things that I would never have thought to even photograph if I weren’t trolling the universe for photo opportunities every moment of every day. (Yes, it is that bad. I have lost the ability to turn off my photo-seeking radar!) But the constant picture-seeking has led me to put the camera to my face in situations where it would have never occured to me to do, and I’ve become a better photographer for it. Corollary: take your camera EVERYWHERE. You just never know when, you know, your van might catch on fire or something.

half way two

3. Post-processing is your friend. When I started out, I was a purist and a snob. I thought “photoshopped” images were somehow less ‘true’ or worthy than straight out of the camera (SOOC) images. Ah, how foolish and naive I was. More than half of the images I post have at least a touch of post-processing, whether to bring out the colours, adjust the exposure, or erase the dust marks from a dirty lens. It’s fun to play with things like sepia tones and b&w as well. I now believe that Photoshop and other post-processing programs are just another in the arsenal of tools a photographer uses to achieve the image you set out to create. On the other hand, I’m a believer in a light touch. I think you should have the skills to do the lion’s share of the work with the camera, and I’m not fond of the idea of using post-processing to do stuff like slenderize people or remove objects entirely from the frame.

half way three


4. Admire the picture you took, not the picture you missed. This is something I learned from reading the books of Canadian photographer Freeman Patterson, and I think it’s one of the more valuable lessons I’ve learned. You know how you see a good photo opportunity and you take a few shots, but they just don’t come out like you’d planned? I’m slowly learning to evaluate and assess the image on its own merit, and not in comparison to the shot I imagined but didn’t get. When I’m looking at my pictures at the end of the day (an arduous process worth a blog post of its own some day!) I’m often surprised that the shot that I thought at the time was a throw-away turned out to be my favourite of the day — or sometimes one of my all-time faves.

half way four

5. When you’re taking a photo each day, you can’t help but see — really see — the world around you. I think this is one of the most unexpected, and best, benefits of doing the 365 project. I’m no longer oblivious to the world around me. I am amazed by how the light changes by time of day and by season. I see contrasts, shadows and tones everywhere. I see the fine details in architecture, in flowers, in smiles. I crane my neck looking for new angles, new perspectives, new ways to see things — even when I don’t have my camera around my neck.

half way five

It’s kind of ironic, really, that I set out to expand my photographic repertoire beyond simply taking pictures of my family, and yet of all things I’m most pleased about, it’s that I can take better pictures of the boys! The landscapes and the creative shots and the other stuff is fun, but in 30 years, these are the pictures that will really matter.

137:365 Sand and water table

Five things about Great Wolf Lodge

When planning our family vacation this year, it was Great Wolf Lodge that pulled us to Niagara Falls and not the other way around. I’d been hearing rave reviews about GWL from other families for a while, and though I thought it was rather overpriced, when my sister-in-law said she could share her teacher’s discount, it seemed more reasonable. Lucky for us, about a month after we made our reservation I stumbled onto a special offer for 50% off July prices, so we ended up paying about $180 a night — a little steep for your ‘average’ hotel accommodation, but entirely affordable when you factor in the cost of five unlimited-use passes to the best water park we’ve ever visited. (And I do love me a good water park!)

In the end, I have to say that the good points outweighed the bad points, but there were a few things that keep me from raving with satisfaction (is that an oxymoron?) about our experience. Here are five things about Great Wolf Lodge:

1. There is a wide variety of fun water-based activities for just about any age group. There were tiny slides for the littlest ones (Lucas was just an inch or two too short to try them, but my 2 year old niece had a blast) and more than one pool that started out at zero depth with a comfortable grade — perfect for toddlers. There were bigger slides that were perfect for adventurous five- and seven-year-olds (even Simon, who doesn’t like slides at the park, loved these!) and some really big slides that were fun for grown-ups or grown-ups and kids to ride together.

Fountain fun at Great Wolf Lodge

2. They have an excellent wristband security system. Although I was mildly irritated by the constant presence of the wrist band, it more than made up for the irritation with sheer convenience. Not only does the wrist band allow you access to the water park, but it acts as a room key so you just wave your wristband in front of the door lock to let yourself in. Loved it! Also, the wristbands activated the lockers provided in the water park, which I wish I’d known the first and second day we were there — I’d have more in-park pictures if I’d known I could leave my camera somewhere safe and dry! When I asked if I had to put and keep one on Lucas, the desk staff said yes, but that on a daily basis they used the system to reunite separated kids and parents. It was great not to have to worry about room keys, and the kids loved the novelty and independence of being able to unlock the doors themselves.

3. Everything is oriented to kids. In our case, this is a good thing – others might not agree! You can’t get a less-expensive room if you aren’t planning on using the water slides, for example, so Granny and Papa Lou decided not to come with us this year. But they do offer fun things like crafts and stories for the kids, and even the food on site is heavily geared to kiddie tastes. There’s even a kiddie spa on site, but my boys weren’t particularly interested in getting a mani or a pedi.

4. The place is extremely clean and the staff are super-friendly. Maybe even a little too friendly! The constant refrain of “Have a Great Wolf Day!” wears a little thin by the end of the first day. But I have to say, I was impressed when I called down to the desk to ask about on-site first aid. Lucas had seen a life-sized Bob the Builder (literally Lucas-sized) in the gaming arcade and made a beeline for it, not seeing the sharp edge of the air hockey table between him and Bob, and ended up with a nasty bump and cut just milimeters from his eye. I didn’t even see the cut until we were on our way back up to the room, but it was still bleeding almost a half an hour later, so the desk clerk sent up a couple of the lifeguards with first-aid training to take a look at him. He was fine, but I had to laugh when one of the (barely) 20-something girls suggested I hold some ice on his eye for 15 minutes after he fell asleep when he wouldn’t sit still long enough for me to keep an ice pack on him while he was awake.

Great Wolf Lodge

5. This is really the only negative thing I have to say about Great Wolf Lodge, but considering the price, a few more inclusions and amenities would be nice. It was the nickel-and-diming for the extras that most irritated me. For example, the website says “There’s a bunk bed and TV, so they can “rough it” with movies and Nintendo,” but the you had to pay $8 an hour to play the Nintendo. Not that we needed the video games, but I did feel that it was false advertising to insinuate on their website that it was included when there was an extra charge. There was mini-golf on site, but that was an extra fee as well — it would have been $18 just for Tristan, Simon and I to play… about double what we usually pay. And when I asked at the desk on check-in if there was anything special I could do for our ten-year wedding anniversary, the clerk suggested I buy a cake at the bakery down stairs. Not exactly what I’d had in mind. (Heck, even a free round of mini-golf would have been nice!)

My recommendations to improve Great Wolf Lodge? Some nice terry bathrobes in the rooms would be a lovely touch. The cabin theme with the bunks is great for the kids, but other than that the rooms are pretty stark of comforts for the grown-ups. And, a courtesy phone in the water-park area would be much appreciated so one doesn’t have to truck three dripping kids across the lobby to find one. (It would have been easier to simply walk everyone back up to the room!)

In the end, we enjoyed our stay enough that I imagine we’ll be coming back for a return visit, and I’d recommend it to anyone with a high tolerance for noise and chaos. Luckily, with three boys I’m pretty much immune to both by now.

Five things I learned in Niagara Falls

We’re freshly back from three days in Niagara Falls. It was a terrific trip for many reasons, including spending time with our extended family and excellent behaviour on the part of all five kids in attendance. Here, in no particular order, are five things I learned in Niagara Falls. (The “five things” bit is a new idea I had. I think it’s a neat new theme with a lot of potential!)

161b:365 Road trip reflection

1. My boys are excellent travelers! Tristan and Simon have long since proved their roadworthiness, but even Lucas – who fusses on the drive to the grocery store – was an angel in the car. On the way home, we drove straight through from Niagara Falls to Ottawa with only one stop (in Belleville, where we stretched and dined at the Quinte Mall.)

161:365 Road Trip!


3. Don’t let the weather forecast get you down. They were calling for grey skies and rain (and egads, even snow!) in the week leading up to our trip, but the weather was damn near perfect. Cloudy with plenty of sunny breaks, mild enough for shorts but cool enough for walking. It was perfect weather for gazing at the Falls!

162:365 At Niagara Falls

(Or, perfect weather for gazing at each other!)

"Hey Dad, I can't see a thing!"

This is just a gratuitous shot of the Falls because I like it so much!

Niagara Falls


3. You can take 600 pictures of your boys and still not manage to get them to smile nicely once. Sigh.

More Niagara Falls
.

Simon rocks out

4. The time for the “Thou Shall Not Leave My Line Of Sight” lecture is *before* you arrive at the crazy indoor waterpark, not after. Within the first half hour we arrived, I’d had to scoop up Lucas and run into the deep part of the wave pool to rescue a floundering Simon (the lifeguards hadn’t even noticed him, even though he was crying and flailing) and spend more than half an hour climbing up and down stairs searching the water park for Tristan and Simon, who’d wandered off behind their uncle. The place is so noisy that I’d spot them but couldn’t make them hear me hollering (despite my shrillest voice, which is pretty damn shrill) and they’d’ve moved on by the time I made my way down to where they were.

(This is not an image of my kids drowning or disobeying me, but one of the few times I brought my camera into the water park at Great Wolf Lodge.)

(Edited to add: Found this picture on my back-up memory card, and thought it was cute enough to share! It’s the still photo companion to the video above!)

Fountain fun at Great Wolf Lodge

5. A ride on the Maid of the Mist is an excellent way to spend Canada Day! (I was determined to bring my Nikon with me, but was deeply worried about water damage. In the end, I cut a hole in one corner of a large ziploc freezer bag and trimmed it to the exact size of my lens, then taped the edges to my polarizing filter. Ghetto solution, but it worked!!)

This is the Maid of the Mist from above, approaching the Horseshoe Falls:

Horseshoe Falls at Niagara

And this is the view of the American Falls from the Maid of the Mist:

American Falls

My favourite Canada Day shot:

163:365 Happy Canada Day!

(There may or may not be another post about our trip in the near future. I’m struggling with the “and then we did this, and then we did that” travelogue narrative — it seems a little like torturing you with the verbal equivalent of vacation slides! But if you like the pictures, there’s more on Flickr!)