5 Minutes On Abraham Lake
I went to the infamous Abraham Lake on Valentine's day hoping to catch a few images of the methane bubbles that get trapped in the ice there. Sadly, the unusually warm weather meant that they only lasted for a very brief period of time this year. We were sad because it was something we all REALLY wanted to experience. Plus, I was doing a 5 Minute Project around the word 'capture' and I thought the bubbles would be perfect. Oh well...we made the best of it. Such a beautiful part of the rockies that we had never really explored before. So nice and QUIET...sometimes the mountains can be so crowded ;)
In the second last image, you can see the bubbles a bit, but they were too deep to photograph well. We clearly tried to break through the ice a bit...the top layers had melted and refroze a couple of times and were easy to break through, but still couldn't get close enough to the bubbles(don't worry, we saw an ice fisherman who showed us that the ice was 17" thick on that part of the lake). I am determined to go back next year in late January so as not to miss them. Who's with me? Shall we organize a group to go together?
~ Dana
5 Minutes on Ghost Lake
My bi-weekly entry for the 5minuteproject.com :) My family on Ghost Lake as the sun sets.
As I mentioned in my last post, we are focusing our weekend time on family adventures in 2014. So, we made a list of things to do around our home. And, not just our usual. We have found some pretty cool spots to check out and I hope to share them with you as we check them out. Ghost Lake is just outside of Cochrane. It is a wonderful little trip on a sunny winter day where you can ice fish(or watch). We just stopped there on our drive home from Kananaskis. There is always a lot going on at this lake, but it is big enough to stand on and take pictures that make it look like you are the only people there :)
~ Dana Pugh
The 5 Minute Project
2014 is going to be the year of projects for me. I have one big personal one brewing(honestly, it's been brewing for the better part of my life so I am excited to sit down and figure out exactly what flavours we have in there). That was pretty cryptic I know, but I am aiming to spend February figuring it out so that I can share it with you in March. But, today, I want to talk to you about a small project I started last year that has grown into a group project. Last year, I started to capture 5 minutes of my life every now and then. No pressure. No timeline. And, then, on a whim...I started a blog and asked others to play along.
I quickly became overwhelmed and knew that there was no way I could keep up with that one. ha. Soooooo...I started thinking. How could I keep up with it? And, it became obvious that gathering a group of regulars who could post along with me would be the way to go. But, who to ask? I made a list. And, you know what? They said yes.
So, now I have the most amazing Group of Eight. That's what I have named us. And, I think you should head on over to the 5 minute project blog and be BLOWN AWAY by the awesomeness of the people I have surrounded myself with. Truthfully, I am lucky enough to call some of these people long time friends, a couple of them internet friends and a couple of them new friends(whose work I greatly admired).
ANDREA HANKI: If you don't know her, you have certainly been hiding under a rock. I have known her since before she had kids(so there-ha). And it has been my extreme pleasure to watch her success balloon and her family grow(her kids are amaze balls). In case you need her links(for the 2 of you who don't know her), here they are Pink Sugar Photography; Pinksugarland; her instagram. She is so cool that I am constantly amazed that she thinks I am somehow cool enough to be her friend.
CHRISTINE POBKE: But you should always refer to her as Pobke. Or simply Pippa's mom. ;) She is an American living down under who I first met on twitter and we quickly became friends when she sent me a parcel of cookies from Australia. That is all it takes to become my friend. Ha. And, before there was Pippa, there was a trip to Vegas for WPPI. She is my social media guru. And, she takes the most darling photographs of her baby Pippa. If you have somehow not heard of her before now, here are her links: Pobke Photography; her instagram.
JOSH SOLAR: If you ever say hi to Josh, the first thing he will do is open his arms and say 'I'm a hugger'. He should just wear a shirt that says that ;) I have known Josh for a few years now and watched him and his wife grow The Happy Family Movement and build a life for their family that is both inspiring and honourable. If there is a more genuine person on earth than Josh, I have yet to meet them. Here are his links: The Happy Family Movement; Solar Photographers, his instagram.
DANA PUGH: In case you weren't sure where you were, this is ME. I'm Dana Pugh.
SUZANNE GIPSON: One day late last year, an image came through my feed and I said to myself 'hey ho...who's that?'...it was Suzanne. I didn't know her, but we had mutual friends. Soooooo...like the Facebook stalker that I am, I started following her work. I don't think I had ever said two words to her before I asked her to be a part of the group. I asked her because she was a new found love and I wanted a front row seat to her work. I was COMPLETELY surprised that she agreed to play along. Here are her links: Suzanne Gipson Photography; her instagram(it is ridiculously good).
REBECCA CHALMERS: I've heard she has a secret island where she spends her summer and if you follow her work, you will see that it is obviously a magical place. Either that or she is just some sort of magician. I've known her online for a while now and I am convinced that 2014 will be the year we will meet. Maybe there will be the same 5 minutes captured through two different set of eyes. Now, that would be cool. Especially if it were on her island(look at me angling for an invite). Here are the links to her magical work: Bee Chalmers Photography; her instagram.
EL HOGAN: El emailed me awhile back to tell me that she too had started photographing 5 minute projects...just one of those funny coincidences of great minds thinking alike ;) So, obviously, I wanted to know who she was. I went to her site and just love her work. I also found that I had pinned one of her photographs on Pinterest way way back. I am excited to get to know her a bit better. Here are her links: El Hogan Photography; her instagram(be prepared to be amazed).
ALPANA ARAS: I have known of her work for many years, but it was only recently, when she was posting photographs of India on her instagram that we begun a conversation in earnest. And, then, one day I looked at one of her photographs and realized we were in the same place(I was in California). We went nuts trying to find each other and, once we did, spent many hours talking and scheming--especially about ways to visit India together. You can find her work here: Storybox Art; her instagram.
So, once you go and look at all of their work, you will see why I am so excited to be doing this group project with them. We are leaving Fridays open for submissions from everyone else and I am excited to see what gets submitted. If you would like to play along and blog a series, make sure to let me know and use the hashtag #5minuteproject :)
You can find the project here: 5minuteproject.com
~ Dana