This time of year always feels overfull for me. As some of you know, I am a faculty member at a large university and this point in the academic calendar always kicks my ass. In addition to the “regular” teaching of courses and conducting research, we have interviews for applicants to our doctoral program, annual reviews on our current students, paperwork and minutia due for our annual reviews as faculty, and a host of other tasks that hit in January and February of each year. Suffice it to say that working full-time and finding space to practice photography (let alone do anything else!) can be a difficult balance to strike. I am sure I am not alone and that many most of you can relate to this. Life is busy — for all of us.

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Since I’m also nearing the end of my current 365 Project, I do have to shoot every day! So given the busyness I just described, being mindful to pull out my camera on a daily basis proves challenging. The short winter days with less hours of light adds yet another wrinkle. To combat these forces and forge ahead with my photography, I’ve been sticking close to home to find sources of everyday beauty.

WindowCropped I’ve found this to be good practice to notice what’s in my everyday environment that I might overlook. I am seeing the beauty in our small door decoration, the distressed window covered with vines, and the landscape of the prairie that surrounds my Midwestern home.

Midwest landscape #WHPfoggy #landscape #fog #iowa #weekending
What are you noticing in your everyday surroundings that brings beauty to your lens?

Meghan of Life Refocused