stretching

One of my favourite gifts I received this Christmas was Vanity Fair: Portraits -- a book featuring some of the best portraits of Vanity Fair magazine, since the turn of the 20th century.  It is a stunning book, and I have already looked at every image of every page twice.

This, combined with some really impressive images I've been seeing online recently, makes me realize that I want to push myself with my photography this year.  I want to do more than just find good ambient light and take a clean, clear portrait:  I want to experiment with light, expression, mood.

I want to play more with photojournalism:  I want to get out and see the city -- the one I live in, and the ones I visit -- and capture more of their story.

I want to take my beloved flowers and shoot them at different times of day, in different stages of bloom, of wilting.

I want to challenge myself.

I want to stretch.

(And this is as close as I think I'll get to a New Year's resolution.  Stay tuned to see how I do.)

Image:  Peony shot with my Nikon D300 and 60 mm micro lens.

Song:  As by Stevie Wonder