Author Archives: kd0602

Enveloped in Possibility

I love this time of the school year. At least the part that is about my students. (Yeah…there are too many meetings, too much drama about which students are going where for next year, too much paperwork…filling in forms, checking off boxes, signing off forms for this and that.)

As a friend of mine recently said in an email, this is a time when we get to witness a fuller blossom of our students. We get to see what they can do when given time and space and opportunity…if we give them time and space and opportunity.

Like this slightly chewed and fully blossomed tulip, students open up at this time of the year. They dig into projects and expose their interests and thinking. They are enveloped in possibility.

Our students recently went to the San Diego Natural History Museum on a field trip. Their goal was to explore the new Coast to Cactus exhibit that features San Diego’s diverse ecosystems and find something that interested them. When they returned to the classroom. they researched this interest and then create a movie or blog post to teach someone else about what they learned. With time and a bit of technical support from us, our students inquired, composed, and created.

Here’s a couple of examples:

Ana (a third grader) got very interested in ghost shrimp…and couldn’t wait to learn more. She researched and wrote…working hard to explain what she learned in her own words and voice…and included her own drawing of a ghost shrimp. Here’s an excerpt:

Moist, murky water embraces the wetlands, cattails sway in the salty breeze, lush growth is everywhere. The wetlands are teeming with life. They are homes to birds, fish, and many mammals. However, many people ignore what’s happening deep down in the mud flats. The mudflat is a home to an amazing creature, the ghost shrimp

You can see her work here.

Eli (a second grader) noticed a mouse at the museum and couldn’t wait to learn more. And when he didn’t find the answers to his questions during his time researching in class, he went home and got his parents to help him with his research. He has also become our residence expert on iMovie…mentoring many of his classmates, helping them record and upload their own videos. Here’s his movie.

And those two are just the tip of the iceberg of what is happening in the classroom. Our students have cross-pollinated, pushing each other to consider new possibilities. Like the bee on this sunflower, they depend on each other as they reach and strive for new heights, solidify what they already know, and reach with a helping hand to lift their classmates. They are enveloped in a community of learners that allows them to bloom, to stumble, and to get up and try again.

And I am so lucky, because I am part of this community too…reaching and learning, enveloped in the energy and excitement of possibility.

Silent Sunday: May 17, 2015

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Delicate

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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!

Quiet Forces of Nature

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When we think of a force of nature, our thoughts often turn to those terrifying and often devastating earthquakes, tornados, avalanches, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, and wildfires. But sometimes in nature, forces whisper and almost go unnoticed.

In the solitude of the hiking trail, the rhythm of our boots joined the whoosh of the wind as it races through the tree tops. When I look closely I can see how the wind shapes those tall sentinels, bending and curving them with its quiet force.

Could have been wind or water (or the lack of water) or something else that worked this tree trunk loose from the ground. Now it continues to contribute to life in the forest as it decays, providing a home to insects and fungi, enriching the soil…and providing a natural frame for this photo!

Tiny flowers spring up, planted by the wind and passing wildlife, watered by the increasingly rare raindrops, and nibbled by the local inhabitants. In the meadows they create a carpet of color, a delight for the eyes.

Look closer and you can see the individual blossoms as they sway in the breezes, their beauty fleeting…it won’t be long before the blooms dry up and fall off and this colorful carpet will turn to dry brush.

The barbed wire hints at the cattle that graze these spaces. As I see the fences I remember a photo recently posted by a friend…and it becomes a mentor for one of my own.

I hear birds and look up. On this hike I have seen birds of prey floating on the wind currents and what I think are local woodpeckers, with bright red heads, chatting with one another in the tall oaks high above me. I see other evidence of their presence, the creation of granary trees where they store their acorns.

There are so many forces of nature at work in this magnificent place in our local mountains. Nature’s forces weren’t roaring, but they whispered their power, begging me to take notice and appreciate the intricacies of her systems at work. I’m part of this system too, and when I care I can make a positive difference, remembering that my needs and desires need to stay in balance with those of the trees and the birds and the wildflowers.

Silent Sunday: May 10, 2015

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Two

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Looking through photos I’ve taken lately, I’ve noticed twos. Not really pairs, like shoes or gloves, but instead two of something finding their way to a prominent position in the photo like these two bike riders pedaling along the beach.

And as I stood along the edge of the lily pond at our local botanical garden a few days ago, I noticed a turtle swimming toward me. And as I continued to watch, there were two. They swam along snapping up small fish, slipping around and under the lily pads.

The water lily blossoms also appeared in twos for me, a riot of color atop the brilliant green of the lily pads.

Out in the school garden students were invited to reflect on their experiences in the garden during the school year (it’s our garden teacher’s last week). It was such fun to watch them settle in, perched on stumps, leaning on the fence under the sunflowers, garden boxes serving as writing desks…and I caught these two surrounded by the colorful, fragrant sweet peas as they took time to reflect and write.

Somehow my photo of the flax also focused on two blossoms. I love the color of these red blooms!

And even as the petals fall off the sunflowers, they remain interesting and somehow beautiful as they go to seed. I noticed that this one has two petals still hanging on.

So where are twos popping up for you? Are you noticing traditional pairs and couples or unusual combinations? Are they people, animals, plants, man-made items?

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

So, start looking for two and share what you find through your lens with the rest of us!

Silent Sunday: May 3, 2015

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Lines

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Not too long ago my son and I were looking at power lines…those big metal structures made up of lots of crossing lines that also hold up more lines. And then some weeks later, I found myself noticing more power lines in a different place. I’m drawn to the lines and angles…and to the question, why are there more power lines in poorer communities?

And thinking about those lines got me looking for other lines…like these that make up the water tower in a small coastal town in northern CA.

Or these on the lifeguard tower along the pier in San Clemente. (Notice the line of the pier railing and then the railings and the scaffolding of the tower above)

Some lines are more organic, like the lines along the cliff that delineate the different rock compositions. Up close you can see the a line of conglomerate pebbles about halfway up the cliffs.

The surfboards lined up against this building are each a line individually and then come together to make a line of boards against the wall.

Nature seems to like lines too. Like the line of this milkweed stalk behind the caterpillar. (I’m loving these seed pods that burst open and expose fuzzy seeds that take off in the breeze…almost like dandelion puffs!)

And the rotational symmetry of this plant, with lines emerging from the center, spreading in all directions.

So starting looking for lines in your photos. The straight lines of buildings or the more organic lines found in nature. Are the lines made of something else? A row of trees? Scraps of fabric? Your child’s toys?

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

So, find the lines in your life and share them with the rest of us! I know I can’t wait to see lines through your lens!

Exploring Technique: May’s Photo-a-Day Challenge

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It’s been a while since I’ve focused intentionally on photographic technique…lately I’ve been much more focused on exploring places than working on the more technical aspects of creating interesting photos. So it seem to be time to create a challenge that encourages me (and you) to explore (my one little word) how the tools of the trade might impact the images created.

So for May’s #sdawpphotovoices photo-a-day challenge, we’ll focus on a different aspect of photography each week.

After you shoot, post a photo each day with the hashtag #sdawpphotovoices to Twitter, Instagram, Flicker, Google+ and/or Facebook (the more the better!), so that we can all enjoy the posts. If you are game for some more playfulness, compose a blog post about a photo, a week’s worth of photos, write a photo essay, make a video or slideshow or try a learning walk! (More about learning walks here and here) You are invited to create a pingback by linking to this url or post your blog address in the comment section. It’s fun for me to see what others are doing with the same prompts I am using!

Week 1: Playing with Composition

1. Simplify the scene—move in closer to remove distracting details

2. Rule of thirds (or simply avoid the middle)–what happens when you frame your subject off center?

3. Use leading lines—frame your shot by letting the natural lines (fences, roads, walls…) direct the viewer’s eye

4. Use diagonals—shift the angle, tilt your camera…

5. Check your background—what’s behind your subject? Experiment with finding a background that works with your subject

6. Fill the frame—zoom in or step closer to fill the frame with your subject

7. Break the rules—experiment with your own compositional style

Week 2: Playing with Light

8. Shoot into the light to create a silhouette

9. Capture a shadow

10. Find the light in a dark setting

11. Make light the centerpiece of the photo

12. Experiment with light and dark in one photo

13. Include a reflection (water is useful here!)

14. Try something new with light (either natural light or some other light source)

Week 3: Playing with Perspective

15. Get low

16. Shoot from above

17. Create an optical illusion

18. Play with negative space

19. Get close

20. Try a wide angle effect

21. What other perspective have you tried?

Week 4: Playing with Genre

22. Architecture

23. Black and White

24. Children

25. Landscape

26. Macro

27. Nature

28. Street photography

Week 5: Play with filters and effects

29. Abstract

30. Adjust the color

31. Your choice!

Our goal is to explore, share with each other, and learn from each other as we shoot our own photos and study the photos others shoot. Each week includes seven suggestions for exploring the technique, and the final days offer opportunities to play around with filters and effects. You are welcome to follow them in order, mix them up, or exchange them for a technique you want to try on. You can post every day, once a week, or even sporadically throughout the month…whatever works in your life. Be sure to share and tag your photos with #sdawpphotovoices so we can find them!