In a place where clear blue skies are the norm, clouds are a novelty. Puffy white clouds catch my eye, drawing it upward.  There is something about the organic nature of these floating shapes that captures my imagination.  I find myself taking photo after photo, like this one of the clouds reflected in the windows of the buildings at our local university.

Or this one that makes if feel as if you are walking on clouds.

I know that clear skies create perfect sunsets, but there is something about clouds that give dimension and the unexpectedness of organic designs to the colors and reflections of the setting sun.  Halloween is my husband’s birthday, and this year also included a perfect low tide for a sunset beach walk punctuated with organic streaks and shine.

And when the sky isn’t enough, there are many organic treasures revealed by the sea. With low tides all week, the ocean revealed rocks covered in these organic skeletons.  I’m not sure exactly what they are, but I love the textures.

And I always feel rich when I come across a sand dollar, especially one that is mostly whole.  I love the simple design, almost like a delicate pencil sketch.

And then there is the human form, organically represented in these clay skulls arranged in alters celebrating ancestors in honor of Dia de los muertos found in our meeting room at UCSD last weekend.

My students are currently fascinated with rocks and minerals as we’ve dived deeply into the study of geology.  Today’s “museum” featured a specimen from each student and created an organic opportunity for some interesting informational writing (I plan to feature some of that writing in a future post).  Here’s one of nature’s organic beauties.

So look up, look around, maybe even catch a reflection of something organic.  What’s catching your eye because of it’s organic quality?

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

Head out with your camera in search of organic…will you represent it through the natural world? Express an organic idea? Explore the intersection of organic and geometric?  Take the prompt wherever it leads you and share your photos with us!