Some weeks I feel inspired and find lots to take photos of…I spend time outdoors, exploring the beauty of the natural world.  And some weeks, like this one, I feel a bit overwhelmed with the responsibilities in my life and it seems like a stretch to find anything at all interesting to photograph.

But this week, in spite of only feeling like I have had mere minutes to devote to photography, I have been trying to take photos of things I might have otherwise overlooked.  I’m sure my neighbors think I’m crazy as they watch me crawling around my front yard taking photos of dandelions!

I also noticed the way the light was playing with this crazy thorny tree near my driveway.  The leaves have recently sprouted, bringing a bit of spring green with it.

With our kitchen remodel done and my hubby back to cooking, we are getting more interesting (and yummy) meals again.  This week he experimented with a “South of the Border” pizza.

That’s enchilada sauce, red bell peppers, cilantro and avocado.  Delicious!  And today he was baking these vegan raspberry thumbprint cookies in his shiny new oven.

We had a much-needed rainy weekend that continued into Monday morning…and my morning playground duty (conveniently timed between rainy squalls) had me looking skyward, hoping students would have a little time for outdoor play before being cooped up inside most of the day.  It was hard to overlook the rare dark clouds framing the playground.

Today I was at the university, thinking about how much time I spend driving around and around the parking lot looking for that elusive parking spot.  I decided I should capture that struggle in a photo…which also had me noticing the light and shadows…and the many white cars!

I’ve been noticing the jacarandas in bloom this week as I turn from the major thoroughfare into my neighborhood.  The pinkish purplish blossoms are stunning against the lengthening daylight as I head toward home from work.  Today I took my big camera with me to work and reminded myself to stop, park my car, and take some photos on my way home.  Here’s what I saw.

So, for this week, take a look around at what you may ordinarily overlook as you go about your busy life.  What’s right under your nose?  Out in your yard?  Along the road on your way home from work?

You can post your photo alone or along with some words: commentary, a story, a poem…maybe even a song! I love to study the photographs that others’ take and think about how I can use a technique, an angle, or their inspiration to try something new in my own photography. (I love a great mentor text…or mentor photo, in this case!)

I share my photography and writing on social media. You can find me on Instagram and Twitter using @kd0602. If you share your photos and writing on social media too, please let me know so I can follow and see what you are doing. To help our Weekly Photo community find each other, use the hashtag #overlooked for this week and include @nwpianthology in your post.

So take a look around, what can you photograph that you may have overlooked in other circumstances?  I can’t wait to see overlooked through your lens!