The FInal Shot of the Day #365

Shot with iphone, click to enlarge.

So, this was quite the experiment and quite the year to do it.

Honestly, it's with mixed emotions that I close out this little public online "installation" of sorts with a shot fittingly similar to the first shot taken around this time exactly last year. 2009 was truly a year of major highs and lows and I think the photos I took, cryptic or blatant as they may have been, hopefully reflected those peaks and valleys and everywhere in between. Looking back at them, which I've put into an easy-to-swallow page based on the day HERE (and some days, more than one), I clearly loved food this year, and the paunch under this laptop is proof that it's time to hit the gym with furious anger again in '10...that we took a LOT of walks, either with Banzai and/or with the newest edition to the family, Remy, who amazed me every day and I believe will continue to do so for years and years to come....that it was easier to capture an obscure moment to reflect the day rather than try to find the image that "perfectly" insinuated the day's events or a particular moment in time....oh, did I mention I enjoyed shooting food and my kid?

Originally I started this S.O.T.D. to be a prelude to my shooting of KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM, which is (hopefully) my next feature, so that I would have a log of every production day from a more personal standpoint, not the usual PR offerings. I only write "hopefully" because till I'm on set with a helmet and a sword screaming "Action!!" I can't trust shit. I'll probably still do it when we get to shooting in the spring, but it is a bit dissapointing that it wasn't part of this, aside from some fits and spurts of pre-pro action (lord knows we've done a LOT of work on it already and all I can say is...it's gonna fucking RAWK) and stay tuned on this blog for a lot more K.O.B. action. But it did capture moments from my directing two music videos for a band I love (a dream come true, although fraught with red tape bullshit that allowed me to learn a valuable lesson), work on some amazing projects both big and small, prep a major motion picture, be part of some HUGE events, meet a LOT of great people, peers and my heroes and most importantly, live through two of the most signifigant events in my life; the loss of my father and becoming one too with Remy being my greatest ongoing production yet, all in the span of a month. All this, and still have the undying love of a beautiful, caring, funny-and most importantly-PATIENT woman in my life?

Sure, it's easy to say "2009 SUCKED" but when you look at the glass half full, it could have been worse, and there were some really shining moments. It almost felt like 2009 was a "test year", to see if I could endure some major life choices, challenges and hardships and try to make it through to the other side, and well....here I am. More importantly, here WE are. Thinking about how many people I admired died in 09, it makes one reflect a little more on how short we have on this earth, and that Im still in love with my wife and now with our son, well...I'm a lucky man indeed.

Will I continue this experiment? Nah, been there, done that. Am I proud that I saw it through? Hell yes! It forced me to keep a discipline, to stay with the plan at hand, and while I might not keep this particular project up, I've now vowed to transfer the same energy I've used to spew images and words on another project, one that has been banging in my head, dying to come out, and I think it's time to unleash it. To that, I thank the S.O.T.D. for showing I can see something through on my own terms, and will attack this full force.

Oh, did you know it was a Blue Moon tonight? Now, I sees that as a sign...

Shot with iphone, click to enlarge.

Shot with iphone, click to enlarge.

To this I give my final thought out to you, Constant Viewer (a play on Unkie Steve's usual name for his "Constant Readers")...what do YOU think is the SHOT OF THE YEAR? If you have a favorite, please feel free to hit me up on the comments below as Im going to think about it for a day and probably pick tomorrow, the dawn of a new year, and then look forward to what I am already professing will be an even better, if not one of the best, years of my life. The cards are already stacked in favor for it, so with a positive attitude (and 10 pounds of hair off my head), it's time to raise up my sword and say....

"ONWARD TO 2010!!!!!"

Thanks to everyone for being part of this, I really appreciate all the love and support you all have given me and I promise to stay up with this, even if it isn't a daily effort. Who knows? Maybe Ill still keep it going if the shots prove blog-worthy. Most of all, thanks to my family, including my dearest friends (you know who you are), my parents from both sides of the bloodline and of course, the ever-lovely Briana and the most amazing new person in my life...Remy P. Here's to you kid...The Old Man is gonna make you proud.

Joe

PS:

Shot with iphone, click to enlarge.