Photo Blogging Challenge

The one month I would have loved to have been able to use color photos, and I selected black and white as the theme.

Go figure!

That’s OK, though. That’s part of having a challenge like this. Sometimes images you capture won’t always fit the theme, so you have to figure something out!

Black and white is always cool to me, but more for nostalgia. As a kid, I learned how to develop my own film. There was a darkroom in the house when I was growing up. I was also a “darkroom technician” at a local weekly paper.

So black and white reminds me of newspapers of old, and the smell of the chemicals etc. It always gives a cool feel to photos.

But, in today’s way of photography, no everything fits black and white. We are so accustomed to having everything in color that sometimes taking said color away is almost jarring. But there are some scenes that still scream to be without all of the color.

I’m excited to see what others have come up with.

I hope everybody has had a great start to the year!

Here are my five for the month!

1. Harper!

It’s hard for me to put Harper in black and white because she has such a beautiful color. But this one seemed to work out well. This is her frolicking in the snow!

2. Abandoned car

This is something we found while out geocaching. It’s always interesting to find an old car in the woods, no matter how far from a main road.

3. Cold picnic

I was out for a wintry walk with Harper at a local park and came upon this scene. I thought it worked quite well in black and white, though the pieces of blue in the sky were nice.

4. #BallLife

No matter the season, Harper love retrieving and chewing on her Chuckit! balls!

5. Covered bridge

I had the post all set for publishing, and then I passed this Sunday and I loved the look. I knew it would be perfect for this challenge. So I snapped some shots and had to, unfortunately, eliminate, some ice!

If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for January. Make sure you drop your link there. The theme for February Photographer’s Choice! Remember to come back on March 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: January 2022 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

As this post arrives, we’ll already be into 2022.

And, I’m sure we will all be looking ahead to new things and a new year full of hope. Maybe we’ll finally find our way through the current situation that the world has been facing for almost two years.

Alas, we can all only do our part. And that part is up to each individual. I have my thoughts and beliefs and the such, but this is no place for it. All I hope is that each of you remain safe and care about not only yourself, but others as well.

So, holly jolly for this month’s theme.

For those who know me, Christmas is likely my favorite holiday and season, The music and everything going on. The colors and the lights. It usually makes me so happy and in a truly great mood.

I won’t say that I was in a bad mood this season. But I will say I never fully reached the spirit like I usually do. I enjoyed parts, but I really didn’t get far in other parts like I normally do. I attest that to so many changes in my world, and then just everything going on not only in the world, but locally to my state and area.

Still, this was Harper’s first Christmas. So, I’m sure you can figure what my post is heavily centered on. I’m sure she will be featured quite a bit in future themes, too, but I am trying to start using the newer camera I got more, so hopefully I’ll be able to challenge myself in each of these challenges.

I hope everybody had a great holiday season!

Here are my five for the month!

1. Ho! Ho! Ho!

I took Harper to see Santa. This photo is one I actually took and you can see how she wasn’t having sitting with Santa! There are better ones with me in the photo, but those were taken by somebody else. It was nice that Petsmart offers this to people for free.

2. Waiting for the big guy

Harper destroys toys. I had so many good Christmas ones that she ripped through. Some I took away before they were fully done so I can keep them and hope she’s calmed down on destroying by next year. But then I found these… and this one withstood her constant chewing. So, she also got one for Christmas that wasn’t holiday related.

3. Happy birthday!

Cameron’s birthday is just a few days before Christmas, so there’s usually a small gathering and then they throw him something more for his friends and such in July. I figured this was quite a bit holly jolly!

4. First Christmas!

It was Harper’s first Christmas and she had her bandana saying so! I was happy I got her to stay still for a few moments to get this shot!

5. I mean, she did try…

Some days naughty… some days nice …

If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for December. Make sure you drop your link there. The theme for January is Black and White! Remember to come back on February 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: December 2021 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

In the United States, November is the month of Thanksgiving.

And, it’s a time where we should all try to give thanks for something. Truthfully, we should all be doing that even more than we do on an everyday basis, but November gives us a reason.

In this world right now, sometimes it can be hard. So many are divided and one’s opinions and beliefs will differ from others — and at times, that can make things tough on both parties.

Alas, there’s still things to be thankful about.

As I write this, the one thing I truly give thanks for is snoozing against my leg. It fills me with so much happiness and joy (well, most of the time).

I’m also thankful she’s not a barker, considering my one neighbor’s dogs bark pretty much non-stop if the owner isn’t home — which is nearly every day from 5 p.m. and for several hours. So yeah …

I know the direction I am going with this post. And then I will look forward to seeing what you all have given thanks for with this theme. Only one month left in 2021 … and maybe we should give thanks for that, too!

But, for now, we go upward and onward.

Here are my five for the month!

1. Cuddle naps

I’ve had my ups and downs with having a dog. I’ve had Harper now for five months, which is crazy. And Harper and I are settling in better. She’s still frustrating at times but we are both growing. I laugh way more than not with her. And since the battle for her being on the couch was ended, she seems way calmer — probably because she can be up on the couch. I’ve also adjusted where I sit, so I am usually on the couch and she snuggles up with me almost every night. Sometimes in ways I don’t get how they are comfortable! How can’t you give thanks for this, though?

2. Curiosity

I am truly thankful that Harper is curious. She liked to explore. She likes to see different things. She gets spooked, and she’ll also grab what she can with her mouth. But she really does like to see and experience things. I have a lot of plans for the two of us in the coming years, so we keep building!

3-4. Two of four seasons

As much as there are times I can’t stand certain seasons, I truly do love living in an area where we get all four seasons. Hopefully, we’ll get a white Christmas, too. But I’m thankful that we can see the fall (even if you have to clean things up at the end of it!), have nice winters, great springs, and good summers. It’s nice to experience it all and it does give you a different feel when the seasons change.

5. If I fits …

I love watching Harper grow. My mental state is getting better. She was spayed a few weeks ago, and I think that has helped her calm a little. But she’s really enjoyable to watch. When she plays. When she eats. When she sleeps.

If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for November. Make sure you drop your link there. The theme for December is Holly Jolly! Remember to come back on January 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: November 2021 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!