As I walk on the beach I often notice the pelicans flying above.  I never tire of watching these pterodactyl-like birds.  They are huge and graceful, soaring over the shoreline, often in formation with one or two or a dozen others.  They exchange places seamlessly, the front fliers moving to the rear, always regaining their formation. (You can tell from my photos that the marine layer has been thick here…gray and damp, blocking the sun.)

Here’s a triad flying by in formation…

Looking low formations also came into view.  These rock sculpture formations crop up now and then on the beach…this one was standing all alone and caught my eye.

A demonstration lesson by one of the SI participants had us exploring wind and air pressure through an experiment with a soap cap on a coke bottle.  When we placed the bottle in warm water, a bubble formation appeared at the top!

And today we engaged in an activity that requires the formation of thoughts and responses to some provocative quotes from readings we have done.  We still call it Chalk Talk even though we use markers on chart paper!

So, go on a search for formation.  You might spy some that form naturally or they might be manmade.  Be on the lookout for esoteric formations too–you might find evidence of the formation of thought or action or change!

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

So grab your camera and find formation in your world this week.  You can look indoors or out…or maybe combine with last week’s prompt of #makeart and create a formation of your own!