Thank you

365:365

Photo blog day 365, August 22, 2011

I’ve spent all day thinking about what I would write tonight. It’s hard to put how I feel into words but I’m going to try.

I had no idea when I started this project what it would bring me. I knew that it would challenge me in ways I hadn’t been challenged before. But I never knew that what I would shoot would matter. Or that my narrative’s would mean so much to anyone but me. I’ve read the comments from you folks about being sad that the project is ending and it feels incredible to know that I could bring something to your day. Occasionally I read older posts and can hear my own voice reading the story and I have to say, it’s a little annoying. But that doesn’t matter. With your support I made it through this project. Yes, natural disasters and insect borne disease kept me from  meeting my anniversary date. But it was never a race for me. I’m not competitive by nature, I only care about enjoying the experience and that is what I did. What we did. Together. Without the support of my friends, family, and online community this would have been very much like a stand up comedian telling jokes to a mirror. They just aren’t funny. So is an image pretty or dramatic if nobody is looking at it? Is that a bit like the tree in the forest thing? Maybe.

So I’d like to say thank you. To the people who viewed my images 22,221 times, whether it was to see the newest post, to cycle through what you hadn’t seen, or to revisit something you really like. That’s a lot of eyeballs on my images. To the people who left a total of 417 comments. To the 21 subscribers. To those that didn’t subscribe but still checked my blog everyday. To my coworkers who tolerated my lunchtime walks in search of something that grabbed my attention. To my husband who tolerated me saying “I still need a blog picture” on days that it was more of a challenge. And who is so tough to impress with pictures that I know he really liked something when he tells me he liked it {remember, a while back I said he’s unfailingly honest}. To my Aunt Diana, Uncle Louie, and mom who gush over my posts and tell everyone they know about what I’m doing. To my coworker Phil who likes the way I write and makes me feel like a Pulitzer Prize winning author and tells me he’s going to say “I knew her when…” because he believes in me that much. To Dee-Dee who cried after I came and took photos of her gardens to show her family back in North Dakota and wanted two disks so she could leave one in ND. To Canon for making wicked awesome gear. To the INTERNET. For real, where would I even be without the internet? All the things I googled to learn a quick tidbit (including making sure I was using ‘Pulitzer’ correctly!), and for providing me with a platform to put all this out there and for people to see what little ol’ me is doing here in Massachusetts. To WordPress.com for providing free tools for anyone to do anything on the internet. To other 365 bloggers for their inspiration and support. And to my blog. For being exactly what I needed to prove to myself that my passion for photography is real and not fleeting. And for proving that if you stick with something the rewards are that much sweeter.

For all of that, I thank you.

I had a lot of trouble thinking of a picture for today’s post. It’s a fairly important day and I didn’t come across anything that could convey how I feel. So my family took a walk to our favorite field tonight and I asked my husband to take a picture of me blowing a kiss to say thank you.

And for those of you who would like to stay with me you can find me on Facebook here: http://on.fb.me/qJBCui  and if you haven’t signed up for Facebook (it’s free people!!!) you can also visit my regular website: www.jconnphoto.com

I have some ideas for other projects I’d like to do but I may take a break for a bit. In any event, I’m not disappearing. In fact, quite the opposite.