"We are dying from overthinking. We are slowly killing ourselves by thinking about everything. Think. Think. Think. You can never trust the human mind anyway. It’s a death trap." - Anthony Hopkins

twitter/website/facebook

Samsung camera pictures

olivercollages.tumblr.com/

Self portrait :)

I learned a lot from editing this image, and am very happy with it. Over the past few months, I've found myself in kind of a 'rut' with my work. I had no inspiration or motivation to shoot or edit anything, for no reason I could think of, and it was very hard on me. Slowly, I've been digging myself out of the hole and falling in love with shooting again. So here I am :) It's good to be back.

explored December 6th 2013, #498 :) thank you

Camera: Yashica fx-3 super 2000

Film: Kodak Gold ISO 100 expired 2004

This creation is the second in my series of bicycles. A 1890s Penny Farthing, leaning against a gas lit lamp post. The scene includes a lace parasol, wicker basket and phonograph. The Penny Farthing was one of the last of its models before "safety" bikes were integrated into society. However Penny Farthings were still used for racing until the 1930s.

___________________

This creation was made specifically for LEGO House in mind. When the team showed interest in exhibiting my LaFrance Streamliner and gave me the dimensions of the LEGO House Master Gallery space, I felt that the LaFrance wasn’t enough. The idea of building a Penny Farthing was in my mind for ages but loads of life things got in the way - I moved to England from Canada and decided to move my collection with me, which easily became overwhelming and disorganized. Once I had it all sorted out, a few months later I decided to move to Scotland so again my collection was all over the place! I finally moved in to my flat in Scotland and built non-stop for 2 weeks after work, and finally installed 'Day Out in Autumn' (along with 'Picnic in the City') on September 26 at LEGO House in Denmark.

This past year I’ve taken a long break from LEGO. Along with moving my life across the world and some personal life mishaps I was overwhelmed by the attention Picnic in the City got and felt the pressure of wanting to be sure my next creations were of the same high standard. This made me overthink a lot and overwhelm myself, so a break from the brick was needed. I'm excited to reveal to you guys my latest creation, and can say as well that my next one is shortly on its way. I truly do miss the community and building and have felt really disconnected this last year, hoping to get back into continuous building again.

Credit to Stefan Kubin for the dome technique that I used for the parasol - his colour choices were too perfect too that I used it for my parasol and need to credit him on being an inspiration.

Big hugs to Iain for doing an amazing job editing my awful photos taken in the most ghetto setup in my small flat. You are a star - TEAM BICYLE!

This week you will be taking photos for the icon "The Pink Cult" (who are also the host of this contest).

REQUIREMENTS:

- PINK. You know the drill. No other colours but pink.

- You dont HAVE to but cult-ish symbolism like eyes & triangles are appropriate to use

- Urban & stylish!

- Don't overthink it!!!

If you wanna use the eye, here it is: www.flickr.com/photos/94274459@N07/33267549278/in/datepos...

Deadline is February 26th.

Hello ladies and welcome to your eighth elimination. This week you were doing a photoshoot for Versace in the incredible Versace Mansion.

You know us judges:

Danielle Monroe, model and last cycle's winner

And me, Ana Alvares

Let's start!

Césaria: www.flickr.com/photos/93280992@N05/16520096652/in/photoso...

Danielle: This is stunning and it’s probably one of my favorite photos from you. I think you look so elegant and regal but you managed to do it in a way that is unlike what we’ve seen from you before. I absolutely love your hair and makeup and it compliments your dress perfectly. Great job!

Ana: This photo is majestic! You look like a goddess. I love you outfit, I love your styling, the hair, the make-up, the setting is STELLAR! Everything is just on point. Great job this week!

Kyle: www.flickr.com/photos/94274459@N07/16576489642/in/photoso...

What happened? This is such a huge step down from the past few weeks. There’s really nothing I like about this photo aside from maybe your hair and lipstick. I’m not a fan of the dress and it really doesn’t have that expensive look that I think was so important for this theme. The background really does you no favors either. I’m really disappointed with this Kyle; I know you can do better.

Ana: Last week you knocked it out of the park, I mean it was one of the best photos of this cycle so to see this coming from you is very shocking. I don't know f you had a bad week or what it is but this doesn't even look like you. The angle of your face is not very flattering and i'm not feeling anything Versace about this photo.

Aqua: www.flickr.com/photos/trendytwinzx4/15913259363/in/photos...

Danielle: I’m sorry, but I’m really not a fan of this Aqua. If I’m being honest, I think you look quite cheap and I think the pose is the one thing that keeps this photo from looking too cheap. Although I like the metallic look of your outfit, it really doesn’t look expensive and the spray tan and ombre hair are doing you no favors. I know you can do better Aqua.

Ana: I have to disagree, I like this photo! It's sweet but like expensive sweet if you get what I mean. It's so effortless but yet you are in control. Like, this photo gives e very different and interesting vibes. I find this photo interesting but in a very good way.

Hazel: www.flickr.com/photos/84271682@N06/16591494482/in/photoso...

Danielle: This is a beautiful shot from you Hazel. I love the dress and how you almost look like a statue or part of the décor in it and I think you made a smart choice by keeping your hair and makeup a little simpler. The set is great but I think it’s almost a little too busy. Still, nice job

Ana: You are on the edge of perfection. Unfortunately, I think it looks a bit too christmasy for me with the flowers, the candles and the red. If you would have went all gold, I mean your dress is magnificent, then you would have slayed everyone this week. My advice to you is to not overthink, sometimes less is more.

Kora: www.flickr.com/photos/that-doll/16428834669/in/photosof-9...

Danielle: This is a nice shot but that’s all it is. It’s not the best and it’s not the worst. I think your hair and makeup are nice and your outfit works quite well. The background for me is too white and plain though. I wish you had some gold or dark accents on the wall or a fancy area rug because it’s missing that extra something

Ana: It doesn’t feel like you pushed it enough. In this case, you kept it too simple. You look very beautiful but it's too basic coming from you and knowing what you capable of. Don't play it safe, you have a face that can pull off basically anything.

Liberty: www.flickr.com/photos/bratzrlife13/16409226137/in/photoso...

Danielle: You look stunning Liberty. I think your styling and dress are absolutely perfect but the background really brings the photo down for me; it’s just too simple. It doesn’t look glamorous and it looks more like you’re in your room getting ready for a fancy event instead of looking like you’re in a fashion magazine.

Ana: This photo tells a story which I really appreciate. You look very beautiful and you have a very dreamy look on your face. I have to agree with Danielle about the setting. It doesn't really suit the theme. But other than that you did a great job!

Charlize: www.flickr.com/photos/53199633@N02/16605149495/in/photoso...

Danielle: This is by far my favorite photo from you Charlize. I think you look absolutely gorgeous. The dress is stunning and your hair and makeup look great. Everything in this photo just works. My one complaint would be the effect on the sides of the photo but other than that, great job!

Ana: Not my favorite photo from you Charlize. I think it's just too much going on in this photo. It almost looks a bit fantasy-ish and not much Versace. Stylingwise you excelled but the lightning and the setting doesn't work for me.

Now it's time for us to score your photos and when I call you back, I will announce which one of you will be going home.

------------------------------------------------------------

I have 7 beautiful girls standing in front of me but only 6 photos in my hand and these photos represent the 6 of you that will still be in the running towards becoming Bratz Next Top Model.

Best photo this week goes to...

1. Cesaria: 24 (12+12)

Congratulations, you are still in the running towards becoming Bratz Next Top Model.

BEST TO WORST:

2. Hazel: 22 (10,5+11,5)

3. Aqua: 21,5 (12+9,5)

4. Liberty: 21,5 (10,5+11)

5. Charlize: 21 (9+12)

Kyle and Kora, please step forwards.

I only have 1 photo in my hands and this photo represent the girl that are still in the running towards becoming Bratz Next Top Model.

It is very sad to see you 2 standing here in the bottom because you girls have produced some of the best photos of this competition. You stand here for the same reason, you played it too safe. Playing it too safe in this competition doesn't take you far.

So who stays?

------------------------------------------------------------

6. Kora: 20,5 (10+10,5)

Kora, don't ever play it safe. Safe doesn't suit you, you are always the one pushing your creativity. Don't lose that. Congratulations, you are still in the running towards becoming Bratz Next Top Model.

Kyle, it really really breaks my heart to see you go. I thought you would stay all the way til the end. You are an amazing model and a beautiful girl and you will make it. Don't forget that one eliminated girl will be coming back later and I want you to BRING IT. You will be very missed xx

Midas is king and he holds me so tight, and turns me to gold in the sunlight.

Florence. Beautiful video.

I'm not the same person I used to be. I'm still in the process of deciding if this is a good thing.

Watching Friends. I've missed it. "I wanna be Mr Wigglemunch!" Ohh, Joey.

Today was ok. I read a lot of Hamlet. I usually spell it 'okay', not sure why it was 'ok' there. Need to stop overthinking. The tone of this 365 has been remarkably confusing, no? Even I don't know what I'm thinking.

I did a King Midas shoot with Harry D and Amy, I quite like the results, you'll probably see them soon. That's what inspired this.

I never know the right thing to say!

Prompts: Sittin' in the garden, I'm a couple glasses in. I was tryna count up all the places we've been. You're always there, so don't overthink. I'm so over whites and pinks.

Made with #midjourney

Thank you for your visit, faves, and kind comments. 😊

WEEK 12 – Southaven Gordmans Liquidates Again (VI)

Looking here at the right side wall, close to where it meets up with the back right corner (just out of frame to the left from this vantage point). Again, as I noted, despite all the merchandise you see on those many clothing racks belonging to the boys’ department, Stage curiously put up a baby poster in the frame on the left, and a girls poster in the frame on the right. Granted, there was always going to be one duplicate poster regardless of how you split it – we’ll see later that ultimately it was the girls’ department that wound up with two posters instead of just one – but it just feels to me that a second boys poster would have better reflected the actual locations of the merchandise. But I’m probably just overthinking things anyway; I’m not sure how many people ever really paid attention to this stuff besides me.

(c) 2021 Retail Retell

These places are public so these photos are too, but just as I tell where they came from, I'd appreciate if you'd say who :)

I have been doing a small art drawing every morning for some time now. I don't plan or overthink, I just do. Postcards are my substrate a manageable size for a quick drawing. It's interesting to see how the work evolves.

...overthinking...

I'm not usually one for shots like this, but it's been so long since I saw a decent sunset...

Lady Antebellum - Need You Now.

Tagged. Merci,

Sarah, Ailsa, Lily. Three beautiful girls and awesome photographers, check 'em out.

facts (because I did the questions before :))

1. I'm still buzzing from fixing the computer (explained on my previous photo :))

2. I'm frustrated because I can't find two folders of lovely photos on either of my computers, and I reeeeally want them back.

3. I'm a child of summer. And autumn. My birthday is september, so I always look forward to a summer full of memories and finishing it off with what's effectively the end of another year. Winter doesn't suit me - it cracks my skin and hates my face.

4. I dreamt that my purse got stolen the other night, and I was most concerned about losing my Two Seasons' loyalty card, since I'm on my 6th stamp so I get £10 off my next purchase. Even though I have gift cards, money, and all sorts of more important things in there. Weird.

5. Today was the first time in a looong time I've been to lincoln and got everything I needed; Hannah's presents, an outfit for london, fluffy warm gloves, photopaper, and a little pair of grey boots too :)

6. I overthink things. I lose sleep over stuff no one else cares about, and re-write conversations in my mind.

7. I really want to go to anti-valentine's day, even though I currently have a boyfriend. He'd kill me if he read that.

8. One day, I'm going to go sit at in Heathrow's arrivals lounge with my camera, and just watch people's faces light up with happiness and re-fall in love to restore my faith in human nature. How dare anyone think they have the right to take someone's life? Let alone an attempt at eighteen lives?

9. I've had a relaxed weekend, yet still managed to do no work whatsoever. Good one, Louise.

10. I'm in need of new music suggestions, any ideas?

xx

It's unhealthy

This is a very fresh shot of myself overthinking. Sometimes, I am on my way somewhere, feeling very calm and joyful, when all of a sudden other thoughts creep in, where I don't know what I want in anything. Sometimes, I don't know what I want in a relationship even though I feel like I know very clearly what it is I want/need/seek. But if I was offered what I was seeking I would turn it down, due to not being ready to take care of such precious love. I would drown the person with me.

You can't save someone from drowning if you can't even swim.

I guess I was taught how to swim a long time ago and I forgot how to now, because I was always on boats. Now, God, has thrown me in the water and forced me to learn to swim on my own. Of course it feels like I am drowning sometimes.. But I am glad I was thrown into it to teach myself from scratch something I was taught was so easy. It's not easy.. It's the most special thing in the world to know how to love and to nourish it with everything you have got. Just like swimming; if you stop swimming you'll drown. We can't survive without oxygen just as we can't survive without love.

So yes, I am sometimes in conflict with myself. I just want to be ready for the real love.

My goal this morning was to work fast without overthinking colors and placement. I pulled the bits randomly...a Starbucks bag that once housed a bagel, bits of a handwritten letter, Washi tape, neocolors, acrylics, pattern tissue under it all....it makes me smile....(daisyyellowart)

The self-portrait theme for April was "film noir" and I made the silly mistake of thinking it would be relatively easy. I was wrong. Instead of being easy it became fraught with my worst tendencies towards overthinking, as I confused environment, portrait, mood, and style in an unfocused muddle. After several rejected attempts, I finally had to step back, keep the style simple and coherent, and concentrate mainly on the portrait aspects of the task. I learned a few things from this one.

Our Daily Challenge - 3 Colours ONLY

Now when I post this, I'm thinking is silver/ stainless steel a colour? Is white a colour? Is this open to overthinking? Uh YES!

Great challenge :)

This picture shows a female avatar having a revenge on another female avatar. And it has nothing to do with what's going on in my Second Life at the moment, so don't overthink it ! ;).

I find this style more witchy than deadly but that coffin was waiting for me there and I REALLY had to do something with that ! For the RL thanatophobic person I am, this shot wasn't that easy. You go like "yes, but do I want to stare at a coffin for minutes as I'm overworking those pics in photoshop ?". Anyways, this look is all but recycling, for once ! It doesn't include so much older items but a lot of group gifts from different stores so you can make yourself fabulous and less expensive at the same time. Isn't that wonderful ? Yes it is !

I am wearing the crop shirt and tank from ISON I showed yesterday in another outfit, this one in a very dark version : shows how versatile SL items can be !

The Revenge outfit has been created using :

Body/Head/Shape :

Body : Legacy (f 1.3)

Head + Piercings : Lelutka Evo Head Fleur 2.5

Custom homemade shape

Skin, Make-up, Hair & Nails :

Skin : PUMEC Nadya RARE 1 January + body skin (

Eyeshadow : Velour Winnie in grey

Lipstick : IDTTY Wild Babe 6

Blush : Essences Blush Contour Middle Peach

Eyebags : Izzie's Eyebags

Smeared mascara : Izzie's smeared mascara

Nose blood : Izzie's bloody nose dark

Scar : Suicidal Unborn Scar #01 tone 7 left (group gift)

Eyes L&R : Suicidal Unborn Nova (group gift)

Tattoo : Mister Razzor Bonnie tattoo 75%

Hair : DOUX Cyanna Hairstyle (Equal 10 2021/01)

Ears : PUMEC Gothic Longing mesh ears (group gift)

Knee wounds : Izzie's Knee Wounds

Outfit & accessories :

Nails : Nylon Outfitters Art Nails - murderer

Glasses : Triggered Witchcraft glasses

Rings : Cultxx Midnight rings (FAMESHED)

Leg warmers : Cultxx Poe (were on sale last weekend !)

Shorts : Asteroidbox Natalia shorts with fishnet & garters (Equal10 2021/01)

Tops : ISON dayami tank & crop shirt in black (Collabor88 2021/01)

Shoes : Ricielli Adira Shoes (I think I found it at Cosmopolitan 2021/01 but have a check !)

NB : My blog is migrating to another platform. Use Flickr until further notice :)

I tend to see this vehicle every day come down Anlaby Road around 16:40 however i've not got a photo of it till today. I believe this is either deadrunning to the depot from Hull Collegiate or on a school run from that said school. Wouldn't it have a destination blind on if it was, though? I've seen this turn onto Albert Ave before, not sure if that adds anything onto it. Maybe i'm just overthinking this.

Seen either deadrunning to the Beverley depot or on a collegiate contract, is Acklams of Beverley 2016 enviro 400 YX16ODC which carries branding for "Coaches2Concerts".

Head: Catwa - Queen

Eyes: Sintiklia - Fairy Eyes [Free Gift]

Lips: Luxrebel - Do You Boo Lipgloss [Saturday Sale 3/20]

Nails: Livia - Gradient Solid Nails

Hair: Sintiklia - Bethy [Happy Weekend 3/27]

Tattoo: Mister Razzor - Bridget Tattoo [Happy Weekend 3/20]

Top: Lybra - Wynn Tee [Group Gift / free join]

Shorts: Tres Blah - Lulu

Shoes: Cult - Mika [Saturday Sale 3/20]

For Slurls: mkvelinov.blogspot.com/2021/03/im-queen-of-overthinking-t...

View On Black

Generally I prefer to keep a rather emotionless front but sometimes it gets difficult.

I've just been really unhappy lately, too many things are bothering me, I thought this break would prove to be good for me but it's not. I have too little time for some things but too much time to overthink and get ridiculously moody about others.

Too often I dream of restarting, losing my memory about everything but maybe if that did happen I would be struggling to remember.

It's late now and I'm sinking deeper into the pit of self pity and used tissue papers. I should sleep it off.

Forgive my lack of imagination in titling but I needed to get this out in a hurry! Finesmith has an amazing new release and it's half price only until 9 pm slt tonight, Jan 16th! This jewelery set is Finesmith Roxaane in onyx. It also comes in pink and diamond. But you can't overthink it. Just go and grab this amazing jewelry set that will give you classic style as well as artistic avant garde styles. retro styles too, you see. and goth! ;)

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Azure%20Island/114/205/8

You also see the new Castiel dress and fur set, "russian doll" which I adore. this comes in white too! I will be showing this off more soon!

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ocelot%20Valley/56/22/0

and I LOVE No. 7 stores amazing makeup lines!!! Look at this beautiful circus boop makeup!

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SAIKIN/145/104/699

also showing the Glam Affair lashes which are now in store!

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Beauty%20Avatar%20couture/...

This skin is no longer available but shows the amazing tone "Ghost Milk" from cStar. you can always hunt around in store for this tone and if you are lucky find a resold copy of this Hurricane skin in store, or fill out a skin request notecard for it!

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Charmed%20Death/192/63/1033

woots! *rushes off and leaves fur tufts in the air* (no time to properly blog)

Soooo I've been feeling pretty down about my art lately and having art block and that sorta stuff. I just watch other artists on YouTube or Flickr and I get inspired like "wow I really wanna draw now because that art looks so good, and maybe I can draw that good," but I go to actually draw and I just feel discouraged because I don't think my art is on that level. I know I'm probably overthinking it and shouldn't be comparing myself to other artists, but the art pieces I imagine in my head just don't come out the same way I want them to when I draw. It's not that the reason I want to draw is because I want my art to be good, it's just that I want my art to be good while I have fun drawing.

I've been able to recover from this art block a bit by drawing in my sketchbook more often. It helps me get rid of the stress to do amazing, and instead just focus on actually improving with no self-pressure. Plus I can do goofy doodles so yeah :)

Anyway this is something I drew a couple months ago but never finished due to aforementioned art block. I based the design off of Japanese Lolita fashion because I think it looks cute, and I just wanted to draw something fun, you know? I love the shoes and I kinda want them, but I feel like they'd be hard to walk in XD

2 of 2. This is the wife - to go with the Husband piece from yesterday. Her blouse posed a bit of a challenge to me. Such a large area of white with no significant details. I played with a number of ways to add in my own idea of something she could be wearing. Eventually, I decided I was overthinking it and left it white and simple. Instead of trying to add detail that wasn't there, I decided to embrace the white, adding only enough blue to give it a hint of texture - and relying heavily on the texture of the brush strokes for the rest. It goes against my instincts to have such a heavy white area. Feels a little off balance.

Details & original scan:

wp.me/s6v7hP-wife

This year I had high hopes and had set quite a few goals to achieve personally and professionally as many of you must have for yourselves. But with this pandemic much of it has come crashing down.

After spending quite some time overthinking and reflecting upon everything, I have started to accept this situation made well use of it to learn many things and appreciate for some of things which never took off. As they say, always try to see the positive out of a negative situation.

This image sort of reminds me about my current scenario.

For the four people who lost their lives in this crash may their soul rest in peace.

BBC News - Dubai aircraft crash:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-48301828

I was keeping company with a friend who was in need of a car rental. Inside the rental office building, while he conducted his business transaction, I scouted for a suitable stranger to approach to photograph.

In a scan of the long room, I observed this young woman enter with a small group of people. The others went to a rental counter leaving her to stay back in the waiting area. She was alone with a single roll aboard suitcase. I approached her with my introduction. She was familiar with Flickr, and agreed to participate without missing a step. Meet Kelly, 36/100 of my 100 Strangers.

I suggested we move a few paces closer to a large window, to permit a portrait with some natural light on her face. She was less than three feet from the window. I used a reflector to fill in areas on the side of her face that was closer to the interior of the room. The effect was only mildly helpful. Because of her hat, I couldn’t bother to bounce a fill off the ceiling; it would only have placed greater shadows down onto her face.

When we concluded our creative portion of the encounter, we sat on nearby seats and chatted a bit. Kelly is 23 years-old and came out to Albuquerque from Dudley, Massachusetts. She is visiting New Mexico for the first time. Kelly and her group were renting a car to drive just outside of Santa Fe. They were about to embark on a landscape painting workshop in Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, NM. Their destination is an educational retreat center known for both excavated dinosaur fossil discoveries and more famously as a site of rugged landscape inspiration for 20th century American painter Georgia O’Keeffe.

Kelly studied business at Worcester State University and minored in Art. I asked her to describe herself to me:

“I always overthink things,” Kelly confided.

Once we finished the exchange of email contact information, I offered her recommendations for dining in Santa Fe; also, a convenient side trip for unusual landscape scenery between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, in case they were to have time before leaving the area.

When Kelly replied to confirm receiving her portrait, she said that she thought it was beautiful. That made my day. It was gratifying to portray her as a work of art as she was embarking on a week of making her own art.

To see my set of strangers up to this latest submission to the 100 Strangers Flickr Group, visit this link: flic.kr/s/aHsk9s8ZQb .

Learn more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page.

How's this one going for you friends? It's one I definitely like to do in the comfort of my own home and try to keep simple and not overthink. And I followed my urge to use a mirror tool and double myself (just for flirty fun).

I read this poem today too and it made me think of y'all and our prompt...and our journey as a whole:

Document the moments you feel most in love with yourself - what you’re wearing, who you’re around, what you’re doing. Recreate and repeat.

-Warsan Shire

confession...i wasn't really all that excited about this week's lesson. probably because of my tendency to overthink things. so after two days of going around in my mind, i finally decided to just walk around my house and pick out some things that make me happy.

well lo and behold...wouldn't you know. here i am with all my little bits & pieces. things i love. and if it doesn't just tell the story of me.

so here i am - a southern woman, lover notebooks, and of all things vintage and green. gardener, collector. and finally...getting ready to turn 45...finally at a point in my life where i am really ok with all of it. so proud of my journey. happy to share a few pieces of it here with you.

Doing this class on top of a 6 week workshop I’m doing - it is all needed but I’m in a raw place in general right now.

I tried a few things on the photo - this is what felt right. I’m not letting myself overthink it. ❤️

To my critic - I know you’re having a rough time right now and I just want to wrap you up in a big hug. I get you just want to try to “protect” me in a round about way. But I need a break from the berating and the negative comments. It’s not needed right now. I love you but your words don’t define who I am.

(That’s the ASL sign for I love you. I’m fluent in ASL.)

Couldn’t think of a better place to start than the Narrows on a chilly winter day at sunset!

What’s on the horizon of my life for 2026?

- Year 10 of daily photos.

- Pete’s 50th Birthday in March.

- Madison’s 21st Birthday in May.

- Golden Girls weekend in June.

- Our 15th Anniversary in July.

- Cottage life in August.

- JJ’s 19th Birthday in November.

- My 50th Birthday in December.

- Another year of Ruby Tuesdays.

- Another year of monthly family photos?

- Concerts.

- Thrifting.

- LEGO.

- Delicious food.

- Precious time with friends and family.

- Living life.

- Less pleasing everyone.

- Saying no to things I don’t want to do.

- Stop treating rest like something I have to earn.

- Giving energy to people who give it back.

- Stop overthinking. This one will be tough.

- Knowing and being my true self. ❤️

I wanna look back on 2026 as a GREAT YEAR! Let’s do this!

Newport Beach, Calif.

Mushrooms aren’t vegetables….are they?

Fori had a habit of overthinking things. He was already exhausted from the long trek to Dungeon Crossing, but the ambiguity of his Wheel of Wonders spin wasn’t helping. Upon arriving at Dungeon Crossing, he’d made a modest offering of wildflower seeds to the Questing Beast and then spun the Wheel of Wonders. It had landed on a mushroom, but he’d been tasked with finding….a vegetable? A simple clarifying question probably could have cleared things up, but that wasn’t really Fori’s style.

So he’d gone in. The cave was cozy enough, and he’d thought finding a vegetable would be pretty straightforward.

….of course it was filled with mushrooms. Was this a test? Already? He contemplated grabbing the closest mushroom and heading back to the Questing Beast. But what if he was supposed to bring the largest? Or the brightest? Or the….weirdest?

Too many decisions. Fori sat down, unsure of what to do. He stared into the Guiding Light, that heirloom lantern that was *supposed* to be guiding him. He slowly let his eyes follow the beams of light shining from the lantern….and caught a glimmer of something further within the cave.

He sprang to his feet and ran toward it, and found it - a golden carrot. A true vegetable after all! Maybe he really was capable of wielding the Golden Light.

Fori brought the carrot back to the Questing Beast, having learned something about his lantern and himself.

✨ Entry for the Heroes of Fur and Feather campaign by @brothersbrickofficial ✨

Finding the 100th stranger started to feel like an odyssey.

I had set my mind to find a very old person, ideally 100 years old to finish my 100 stranger experience. Those rarely stroll in the streets and, also, those approaching 100 are among the hardest to convince to have their picture taken by a total stranger, at least in my experience. Never had I received so many refusals in a row.

I was overthinking this. So today, I just did, what I always do: Walk around and try to capture that stranger and situation catching my eye and giving me a rush of excitement.

Noemi did not bat an eyelash and said 'sure', when I entered the small cafe, asking for permission to take her picture through the window.

This picture is # 100 in my 100 strangers project. To find out more about the project and to find photos of other photographers go to www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/.

To discover my stranger set go here.

Day two:

After waking up, still with that breath filled with garlic and onion, me and Nixon set off to do a secound wall. As accustomed, we had decided to start painting early to have the whole day ahead of us but we ended up only reaching the wall at around 4pm. We called up a bunch of people to see if they where up for painting but in the end everyone either couldn't or had to work. Then we spent some time talking with the dudes at the paint shop. Nixon had this spot he wanted to take me to so we headed out.

I decided to take a break from those styles I was doing for this peice, kindof a way to refocus a bit. Messed up the curve of the bottom E but other then that I like this peice ... a more boucy funk feel to clear my head from overthinking. I really enjoyed this day painting and talking with Nixon ... as someone said on the previous pic I posted, this guy is a blessing to know and hang out with.

I had the worst of luck that day paint wise however. While waiting for the bus I ended up sitting on my paint bag and emptied out a half can in it. Shame as I had a good idea on how to use that particular color. Furthermore right after finishing the outline of the letters in black I dropped my can to grab a new one and it landed on a sharp rock blowing up on the spot. Lost a full can of black that way ... I also was therefore unable to fix the bottom left curve in the E.

Sometimes it seems we are virtually tripping over subjects who come into our lives unexpectedly. Today I was on campus of Toronto’s downtown university, looking at the steps of the new Student Learning Centre building, figuring out if the light and the pattern of the steps would make a decent location for a street portrait. I turned around and nearly collided with her as she was making her way into the building. I apologized and was struck by her attractive features, beautiful eyes, and businesslike path to the doors of the building. I caught up with her in the lobby and introduced myself and my photography project. She was clearly intrigued and friendly and said she’d be glad to help out. Meet Manal. “It’s an Arab name, but I’m not Arab” she explained.

I told her I was the man who nearly tripped her on the steps of the building a few moments beforehand and either the near miss didn’t alarm her or she was just polite enough to say she hadn’t noticed. I explained I wanted to use that spot of our initial meeting for the photo and she was happy to oblige. I had to play around with angles a bit because of students sitting on the steps toward the top of the frame but it worked out pretty much as I had envisioned it and Manal was a very cooperative and easy person be with. I added in a couple of over-the-shoulder poses and we were done.

Because it was a chilly Toronto October day and it was spitting raindrops, I suggested walking Manal back into the lobby for shelter to finish our conversation. In the warmth of the Learning Centre lobby I found out Manal is 18 and came to Canada with her family from Pakistan at the age of 4. She is studying business administration but her goal is to do further education in the field of Economics. I was struck by how open and friendly Manal was as we chatted. She said she wants to be part of positive changes in our world but is a firm believer that we must understand how things work before we change them. She is still in the process of studying how things work but definitely does not want what she learns to stop with the academic. She wants to put it into action. “Sometimes we study and study and fail to act. We can’t put off improving the world forever.” It was an interesting and thoughtful point of view.

When I asked Manal the biggest personal challenge she has faced in life she smiled and said “Well, I’m only 18, but it’s a challenge I’m still facing. I put a lot of pressure on myself because I never feel I’m working hard enough or doing well enough. I overthink things and put a lot of stress on myself beyond what is necessary.” When she typed her email into my phone notes to receive her photo I couldn’t help noting that her strong work ethic is reflected in the email address she chose for herself. It is refreshing to meet a talented young woman who is so directed for achievement and success but I think Manal is wise to be reflecting on the need to “give herself a break” from time to time. I told her that some people with her personality type and strong work ethic find meditation and/or physical exercise to be useful tools for stress management.

As we parted with me thanking Manal and wishing her well, she told me that the few minutes we spent together constituted the break she had allowed herself and that she was returning to the books.

Thank you Manal for sharing your break time with me and for participating in The Human Family on Flickr. I am sure you will find success in life but don’t forget to stop and smell the roses along the way!

This is my 99th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.

You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.

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I went to Niagara Falls in the beginning of March, and it was incredilbly warm for the season (8°C or so). The mist was strong as ever, and the sun was just right to produce numerous rainbows. You can just barely see the second one to the right of the frame.

This photo was taken with my Sigma 10-20mm wide angle lens. I was paying a lot of attention to the composition here, and I hope that I did not overthink, or over do it. I cropped the photo just a touch so that the prominant rainbow started almost at the right third of the frame. I also intentionally positioned the crop so that the sky was the top third of the frame and no more. On top of that, I really liked how the arch of the rainbow matched the bridge in the background. By the way, that bridge is known as the Rainbow Bridge. Behind the mist, on the right is the "Bridal Veil" waterfall. This waterfall is also known as the American Falls for Niagara.

If I recall correctly, I metered off the snow in the foreground at +2/3. With all the white and blue, I didn't really have anything "neutral" to use for light metering. Although now that I think about it, the sky may have been a good option. Usually I find something that is the equivalent of light grey, and meter off that for my exposure. But in this case, I metered off the snow, and compensated accordingly.

I am very pleased with this photo as it came out of the camera. My only edits were to crop it a touch (I think that less than 5% of the original was cropped out), and to reduce the exposure another 2/3.

11mm: f/16 @ 1/40s and ISO100

Started to frame level 0. The problem now is the heights of the slopes towards. They are not really too heigh BUT I need space to create the landscape for level 0. Seems I ve not had that in mind while designing the layout. Time to overthink the whole situation and perhaps re-work the heights.

shot this a million years ago but never got around to upload it. i am not sure if i managed to express the concept i had in mind though.

I'm slowly running images through Lightroom and testing out processing choices etc...still uncertain about alot of the options I have but just tagging and sorting is a big plus.

Deleted 4000 images yesterday and today. Some by accident. The learning curve. Everyday just little bit more comfortable. Try not to overthink it. Just ride the wave.

Nowadays, it's a bit unpredictable from the developer side. Faced similar situation 2 years back when they faced staff change and peak in orders. Didn't see long queue but do see orders of 18 or 25 rolls (nowadays everyone is shooting in such volume?). Anyway, it's just part and parcel of process. So far, I can safely claim that more than 98% of work done by them are without issues. A few ambiguous cases but can be treated as learning lessons. Compared to another cheaper developer, only 50% of the work can be used and I really doubt it's due to me or the tools.

Perhaps it's also a good time to reflect how am I doing so far. Shooting around 3 rolls a week. Wow, I can't believe it myself. With EOS 7 and now F4, things do move faster (can’t say if it’s good or not). But I still have 90 over rolls of 35mm film stocks and 40 over rolls of 120 to clear. Plenty enough to shoot till next year.

Regarding the question of shooting film or digital, I self check and feel that I just shoot what keeps me going. Of course, there will be situations where digital cameras will be more appropriate. Going back and fro between digital and film has allowed me to learn from both sides and understand why certain flow is smoother. Keeping a universal way or habit of taking photos will let me be independent of whatever tools I am using. It's a long drill(I am still making mistakes on and off). So, there's no need to overthink or worry too much, just enjoy it.