Project 365 day 23

Putting pen to paper. I took this shot to celebrate National Handwriting Day 2013.

The lost art of handwriting is one of the few ways we can uniquely express ourselves. There’s something poetic about grasping a writing instrument and feeling it hit the paper as your thoughts flow through your fingers and pour into words. So, the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association (WIMA) suggests you take advantage of National Handwriting Day on January 23 and use a pen or a pencil to rekindle that creative feeling through a handwritten note, poem, letter or journal entry.

Handwriting allows us to be artists and individuals during a time when we often use computers, faxes and e-mail to communicate. Fonts are the same no matter what computer you use or how you use it. Fonts lack a personal touch. Handwriting can add intimacy to a letter and reveal details about the writer’s personality. Throughout history, handwritten documents have sparked love affairs, started wars, established peace, freed slaves, created movements and declared independence.

"Though computers and e-mail play an important role in our lives, nothing will ever replace the sincerity and individualism expressed through the handwritten word," said David H. Baker, WIMA's Executive Director.

The purpose of National Handwriting Day is to alert the public to the importance of handwriting. According to WIMA, National Handwriting Day is a chance for all of us to re-explore the purity and power of handwriting.

WIMA sponsors National Handwriting Day every January 23 in conjunction with John Hancock’s birthday. Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence and is famous for his large, bold signature.

The Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association is a national trade association covering $4.5-billion industry of pen, pencil and marker manufacturers.

Project 365 day 22

Water splashes. I captured this with my camera phone while dropping my kids off to school. the snow was melting on the roof and dripping into puddles. I like the shapes created by the drips. Wish I had my camera with me as this shot would have been a lot better but that's the way it goes.

Project 365 day 21

Snowy fence from a different perspective. Something a little different today. I shot this image through some beveled glass in my front door, I like the way the image is captured five times and love that this is a really cheap way of doing this rather than paying for an expensive filter to get the same effect.

Project 365 day 20

 

Snow covered Frosty the Snowman. I captured this image of my families snowman about an hour after we finished building it and the snow had accumulated on it and filled in all our footprints around the garden. I like how the hat and scarf colour is just poking through the fresh snow and how the fresh snow has added texture to the base. 

Project 365 day 19

Charlie. I shot this in aperture priority mode to allow focusing throughout the whole image. I like the detailing of the fur and the catch light in the corner of the eye. Plus I couldn't put one cat in my 365 without putting the other one in.

Project 365 day 18

In the mix. I set this image up after hunting for inspiration in the kitchen drawers, I shot the image in black and white using aperture priority mode to keep a nice wide focus. I used a macro light held above and slightly behind the utensils to create the shadows and highlights. The background is a sheet of white card and I over exposed the shot slightly to get the bright white I wanted.

Project 365 day 17

 

Depth of field. I shot this in aperture priority mode to produce a really shallow depth of field. I wanted to make it so the furthest tiles were barely readable. I set this shot up to show how our brains interpret the right thing even when our eyes are not 100 percent reliable. I wonder how many people will notice the deliberate mistake.