Sunday marked the summer solstice (along with my anniversary…and this year, Father’s Day) and our gray skies are finally clearing to let the sun shine through.

And it was a beautiful first day of summer, especially as the setting sun gave a golden glow as I looked to the sky.

As the sun dipped low, the sky was painted in pinks with a tiny sliver of sun still shining through.

After a delicious celebratory dinner, we headed out for a walk on the pier.  And as we looked to the sky, the moon appeared above the palms, a sliver accompanied by two bring planets nearby.

The nighttime walk was a perfect ending to the day…as the lights of the city reflected on the ocean water.

Earlier in the weekend, a beach walk allowed me to catch the sky’s sun silhouetting these surfers…making this unedited photo look like it was taken in black and white.

As our San Diego Area Writing Project’s Invitational Summer Institute began this week, I found myself not paying as much attention to the outdoors as I focused, instead, on developing this community of educators, writers, and thinkers.  And then today, three days in, I had to take a few minutes at lunch to re-discover my surroundings on the UCSD campus.  It’s cold inside the building, but outdoors the skies are blue and the scenery spectacular.  I focused on this piece in the Stuart Collection (art on our campus).  The Fallen Star is perched atop the engineering building–visible from the room where we hold the SI.

And when I turned around, there was the Geisel Library–another favorite subject for my lens, framed by the blue sky and the tall eucalyptus trees.

So, look up.  What does the sky have to offer in your place this week?  What are you noticing when you look skyward?

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

So look up toward the sky…what does the sky have to offer or what does it draw your attention to?  I look forward to seeing what the sky will bring through your lens!