There’s a storm heading our way (or promised, at least), and clouds have gathered.  I’ve caught myself staring up into the sky, noticing the ways the clouds race across the sky, gather in delicate puffs, and capture light.  At UCSD today, I was mesmerized by the clouds behind the Geisel Library…a very space ship looking building.  I played around with the app Paintereque…I love the way it draws attention to the sky.

I’ve been paying a bit more attention to the ways my surroundings impact the way I feel…and have been picking up flowers now and then and putting them in my dining room.  These red tulips were closed buds on Saturday, began to open up on Sunday, and yesterday I noticed them drooping gracefully and casting delicate tulip shadows when I got home from work.

With a late meeting earlier this week I couldn’t resist stealing away for a few minutes at the Torrey Pines Glider Port.  This interesting place just a few minutes from the university offers breathtaking views of the ocean and, as an added bonus, opportunities to watch the hang gliders float on the breeze.  From a distance they are like delicate birds, surfing the currents.  Up close, they are much more ungainly.

Up in the mountains over the weekend, I explored the forest and meadows and noticed forces of nature as they whispered.  The quiet was soothing and as I breathed deeply, I noticed this delicate butterfly (or is it a moth?) that settled long enough for me to take its portrait!

I loved all the wildflowers carpeting the forest.  I noticed that many of the flowers were small and delicate…and often close to the ground like these tiny beauties.

And there is also a delicacy to these large, old oaks.  Looking up I could appreciate the delicate branches reaching into the sky.  Some were lush, with brilliant green leaves and others, like this one, seem to be declining.  Maybe because of our persistent drought?

So what evokes delicate for you?  Is it in the flight of a man-made object or the curve of a tree branch?  Maybe you notice delicate in the smile of a child or the whiskers of your pet.

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 #delicate for this week and include @nwpianthology in your post.

So take a look around, what strikes you as delicate?  I’m looking forward to expanding my understanding of delicate by seeing it through your lens!