I need calendar photo ideas.

[Longhorn]

I've been giving my family calendars featuring my photos every Christmas for at least ten years. Some of the themes have been:

*scanned photos of past family trips (before I got the digitial camera)

*photos of my mother's paintings

*our 25th anniversary trip to California

*a trip to Hawaii

*nature/landscape photos of Central Texas taken each month

*Austin landmarks (this year's calendar -- most of them taken all on one day)

I need to be thinking about next year's calendar so that I can take the photos throughout the year, if necessary.

Some ideas I've had are:

*Sunsets (I already have a few but would need more and don't want them all from one location!)

*County courthouses of Texas (I would need to research where some of the most interesting buildings are and then map out some travel to get to them.)

If we get to go to Japan to see our son this year, I could do a calendar of photos from there but that's a big "if." I have a bunch of photos of Joshua Tree National Park at 29 Palms, California that I could use. We're going to the Rose Bowl and Rose Parade next month but a calendar full of parade photos doesn't sound that exciting to me.

Thanks for your help!

[SiouxJ]

1. How about family pets?

Oh, I love Joshua Tree! I used to go hiking there a lot when I lived in California. It's a very cool place to photograph.

[Longhorn]

2. I've thought about it -- I have four dogs.

I just wasn't sure if everyone in the family would enjoy seeing photos of my dogs all year long. I guess if the photos are good enough, it doesn't matter whose dogs they are.

We were at Joshua Tree in April of this year and it was gorgeous! Wildflowers everywhere, warm in the sun, cool in the shade. We went on the 49 Palms Oasis hike and it was wonderful! We also drove all the way through the park to the Palms Springs side over a 4-wheel drive trail and it was gorgeous but also a little scary, since there were times the "road" was a pile of rocks!

Our son was stationed at 29 Palms while he was in MOS school so I made two visits out there, both in April. I understand it's not such an oasis a few months later!

[SiouxJ]

3. Well you could

also include photos of other family members' pets. That would be a fun surprise for them.

I love doing those Oasis hikes. Spring is the best time to go because of the wildflowers, and also, you work up a sweat on the hike and then relax in the cool oasis. It's a nice way to spend the day.

I've done some off-roading out there too. Found an old mine once and had fun finding old shoes, bottles, cans etc.

[NV Whino]

4. Don't know if this would work in Texas

But I've seen wonderful series of doors or windows or window boxes. I did a series of window boxes from Scotland.

Maybe boots for Texas. Spurs? Adobe buildings? Armadillos?

I have a wonderful pair of pink boots that I got in Amarillo when we had to have a flat tire repaired. Had a flat tire in Arkansas that time, too, but all we got there was a dead skunk in the road close to where we changed the tire.

[Longhorn]

5. What a great idea!

I guess the best way to accomplish that is to have several ideas in mind and as we make our way around the state, I can take lots of photos and just file them away. I like that, thanks! :yourock:

I like your suggestions and another one that pops into my head is rocking chairs. We've occasionally gone antique shopping trying to find old rocking chairs to line up across our porch. So far, we have one. ;) But since we're looking for them anyway, why not get some photos? As long as people don't mind us stopping and getting pics on their porches! :D

In fact, porches is a good idea, too! Boy, did you get me started!

[NV Whino]

6. You're welcome

Think simple.