Sometimes I notice that I need to study my subject carefully through my photography.  I find myself taking photo after photo as I work to capture the mood, the personality, the intricacies of what I am photographing.

Last week, it was seagulls that served as my muse.  I worked to capture them in flight, up close, from behind…fascinated by their movement, their expressions, their antics.

Today it was a ladybug who happened to catch my eye as I knelt to study an interesting plant.  It climbed around and around…seemingly playing hide and seek with my camera lens!

Sometimes it’s light…at night.  Trying to figure out how to frame the glow, capture the shine, or the way light plays with dark.

So your #sdawpphotovoices challenge for February is to find your muse and study it carefully.  You might take a number of shots of your subject or follow you subject over a series of days.  Here are some possible prompts to help you find a focus:

Week 1:  (February 1-7)   Place

Week 2:  (February 8-14)  Nature

Week 3:  (February 15-21)  Light and shadow

Week 4:  (February 22-28)  Composition

So spend February following your muse.  Let your eye wander, and then settle on that subject that captures your attention and spend some time with it.  Try shooting from different angles, up close and further away, from below and above.  Pick a single photo to post or create a gallery of your efforts.  Post a photo or gallery each day with the hashtag #sdawpphotovoices to Twitter, Instagram, Flicker, Google+ and/or Facebook (the more the better!), so that we can all enjoy the posts. If you would like to expand your exploration, write the story that the photo tells, compose a blog post about a photo, a week’s worth of photos, write a photo essay, or make a video or slideshow. You are invited to create a pingback by linking to this url or post your blog address in the comment section. It’s fun for me to see what others are doing with the same prompts I am using!

Take some time to be inspired by that ladybug, your furry friend, the buildings you pass each day as you head to work…   You can post every day, once a week, or even sporadically throughout the month…whatever works in your life. You can post your pictures in the order of the prompts or post the one you find on the day you find it–or make up your own prompt for the day or the week! You get to make your own rules…and find your own muse.  Be sure to share and tag your photos with #sdawpphotovoices so we can find them!

Head out in search of that muse…and follow it for a while.  What will you learn by following your muse…and letting others see it through your lens?