Weekly Photo Challenge: Spaces

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I’ve been thinking about creativity and making and the spaces we need to thrive and grow. Watching my baby grandsons as they wake up and stretch from the tips of their toes to the tops of their nearly bald heads reminds me that we need spaces, both physically and mentally to grow and develop.

My cats seek out spaces, even now that they are old.  They are particularly partial to spaces with sun where they stretch and curl.  Phil even posed, turning his face to me and the sun when I called his name.

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I watched a little girl as I walked down the beach today, she came running from behind me at full speed in the shallow surf along the shore.  She was small, probably not more than 5 years old.  I wondered where the adult in charge was.  When I turned back I could see mom in the distance–and the girl kept running.

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She seemed so at ease, running with abandon and delight, occasionally looking back to see where mom was.  The distance between them was too far for my comfort, so I watched, especially as she got closer to the crowd near the lifeguard tower.  Mom did catch up before I left the beach–and she was mad!  I guess we have to find the balance in the spaces too.

I do find myself looking up…at the spaces between the earth and space where the birds and the clouds float by.  Birds are hard to capture with my camera, especially pelicans that tend to fly higher than my lens can see.  I was delighted today when I looked up and snapped these three pelicans in the spaces between the heavens and the palm trees. (Sometimes timing is everything!)

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Sometimes you have to make spaces in your life for micro vacations, time for a break from the everydayness and responsibilities of life.  Last night we headed to the beach to watch the sun set and put our toes in the sand.

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We watched a family with a bunch of balloons as a prop for a photo shoot for their daughter.  I have mixed feelings about balloons.  They are colorful and festive, floating and bobbing in the breeze.  And they are dangerous to the ocean and its inhabitants.  I both gasped and clicked when I saw the balloons float free into the expansive spaces of the sky.

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As the sun began to set, we walked back up the hill toward the parking lot and sat on some benches to watch the sun in the spaces between the palm tree and the sea.

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So where are the spaces in your life? Where do you find inspiration, relaxation, reminders to run free and appreciate the little things?

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

Take a look around for those spaces that allow you to grow, to create or even to breathe and snap that shutter!  I can’t wait to see the spaces in your life.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Shine

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Sometimes you meet someone who simply has a spirit that shines.  This week we had the opportunity to have Shannon MacMillan, the soccer player, speak to our class about the importance of following your dreams.  This talented and humble woman shared her story of hard work and dedication, of following her passions, and of the importance of a mentor to urge you forward.  We’re lucky, Shannon lives in the community where I teach and has a son that attends our school…so she was happy to share some time with us.  And we’re also lucky to have a successful and talented player remind us that being part of a team means helping each other, that being kind is more important that being good at your sport, and that passions don’t always have to be about sports.  She brought her Olympic and World Cup medals and let all of our students hold them and run their fingers over them.  She explained she had originally placed her gold medal in a safe deposit box–where it was safe, but not doing anything.  Thanks Shannon–your spirit, your message, and your medal all shine!

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We got to watch the spirit of our third graders shine as we scaled the walls of a local climbing gym.  We invite our outgoing class of third graders each year to go rock climbing and to dinner as a rite of passage in our class.  It’s fun to watch them gain confidence (like they have over the course of three years with us) as they navigate the walls and learn from each other. There’s something symbolic about finding the footholds, navigating new pathways, and cheering each other on.  And it’s lots of fun!

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And I find myself searching for the shine of the sun on these gloomy June days.  After the last day of school on Friday as I headed home I noticed the sun breaking through, bathing the afternoon in its warm glow.  This seemed like the perfect beginning to summer…

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Although I still have work ahead this summer–work I love…my heart was shining as I boarded a plane this morning to visit my grandsons.  And just to make things interesting, I decided to take BART rather than rent a car. It was fun to navigate the system…and frustrating to have to wait for the trains when my arms were aching to cuddle those little boys.  The journey was worth it…and I am happily writing this as those little guys sleep nearby.

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So…what is shining in your life this week?  What makes your heart sing, heals your soul, or brightens your day?

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

Capture some shine in a photo (or two or three…) and share your shine with the rest of us!  What will shine look like through your lens?

Weekly Photo Challenge: Oasis

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Some days I need an oasis: a place to refresh and hydrate, to lie in the cool of the shade, to set my worries and must-dos aside and just be.  This week, with my camera in my hand, I found some of these spaces and places…

With the change in the month, in these parts we have shifted from May Gray to June Gloom–our affectionate terms for the pervasive marine layer that blocks the sun and dampens my energy level.  This week I have found myself revisiting this image of a lily pad (a lotus flower?) that I took when the sun was shining, feeling the energy of the sun through the image…creating a mini oasis for myself.

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But in spite of a gloomy weekend, I did find some spaces of oasis.  I know I can never go wrong when I head out to the Torrey Pines State Reserve. This is an amazing natural resource and place of beauty not far from home.  Walking here feels like a vacation, even when it is gray and damp. (And bright yellow native flowers always help!)

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And not too much further south you can find seals enjoying a swim in the ocean…or laying on the nearby rocks or beach.  These wild seals were playing, racing each other in the surf and rolling in the sand, and brightening this gray day for me at the same time.

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Who doesn’t love a parade?  This week was Ocean Week at my school, an opportunity to teach students about the importance of the resource that lays outside their front door.  We end the week with a parade (walking around the field wearing “costumes” and singing ocean songs).  You’ll notice the “duck butt” hats our students are wearing…highlighting our study of the lagoon and its importance to the ocean environment.  And in spite of the gray and fog, we had an amazing time!

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Jack reminds me that animals also seek oasis from time to time. It’s not unusual to find one of my cats laying in a patch of sunlight on the floor–his own private oasis right in the middle of the kitchen floor!

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So…where are your moments of oasis?  Are they indoors or outdoors? Places of beauty or interesting and unusual?  How do they help you breathe, unwind, regain your perspective?

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

Where will you find oasis through your lens this week?  Head out with your camera and share your your images with us!

Watch Them Soar

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I can watch them for hours as they coast on the air currents high above my head. They seem to play with each other…follow the leader, tag, red rover red rover won’t you come over… Some arrange themselves in perfect formation, vees of aerodynamic perfection performing intricate maneuvers in mid flight. Others fly solo, seemingly free from the attachments of family or community.

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Birds are hard to photograph.  Maybe that’s the draw for me.  They don’t sit still and the slightest movement sends them to the sky.  They seem spare and compact, unlimited by the constraints of time and space.

“In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.”

― Robert Lynd

Birds require patience and silence.  I have to sharpen my senses, still my heart, and settle into the landscape to have a chance to watch them in action.  And when I pay close attention I learn a lot about the unique qualities of the birds I am watching–and maybe something about myself too.

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Watching birds is a lot like teaching.  The most important part of my work is getting to know my students.  I have to recognize the subtleties of their behavior, knowing when to let them grapple productively and when to step in and offer support–a place to perch until their wings are ready for the next flight.  I have to remember to be still and let the learning come rather than force my pace. Patience and silence are important here too.

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Like students, birds often seek cover, blending in with their surroundings rather than risk standing out in the open, exposed and vulnerable.  But when the space is safe enough and if you listen carefully, you’ll hear their song.  And with time you recognize those voices, even when you don’t see them.

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When the light is right for a mirror-perfect reflection, I realize that I love birds in the wild but resist the idea of caging these creatures. Yeah, they’re easier to get close to and photograph in a cage–but something essential is missing.

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But mostly, birds and students give me hope.

In the words of Emily Dickenson:

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –

That perches in the soul –

And sings the tune without the words –

And never stops – at all –

Watching birds reminds me to expand my self-imposed limits and to give my dreams flight–to take to the metaphorical skies and soar.  And that’s what I want for my students too.  Their lives are awash in possibility. I hope that my small breath under their wings helps lift them to pursue their interests and passions.

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So they can soar.

Weekly Photo Challenge: One

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When I’m out taking pictures I tend to depend on two cameras–either my trusty and ever-present iPhone 6s or my mirrorless Sony a6000.  And although I have more than one lens for that Sony, I mostly use my 16-55mm lens.  So on Sunday, I broke out of my usual and put my zoom lens on as we headed out onto the beach for a walk.

I noticed right away that I was looking at things differently.  The change in focal length meant that I had to look into the distance for my subject.  As I walked down the ramp from the parking lot, this kite caught my eye.  I was able to zoom in on the single image…a butterfly on a string!

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And sometimes it’s just about timing.  I looked up and this seagull flew right into my line of sight.  Just one bird on the edge of the frame.

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Later on my walk, I spied this pink bucket sitting solo.  There was something about this bucket, alone that had me zoom in and focus.

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But as I looked at this week’s photos, I realized that I didn’t need my zoom lens to focus on one.  As we stopped by the botanic gardens to enjoy the sunny afternoon, I found myself mesmerized by this swallowtail butterfly.  It’s hard to take pictures of butterflies. In my experience, they seem to want to fly away as I am trying to get them into focus.  But this guy seemed to want to pose.  He let me come closer and closer as I snapped away–so I could see the intricacies of his wings as he sipped nectar.

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Geoff and I decided to visit a new outlet mall on Saturday evening–one some distance away from home.  As sunset grew close, we grabbed a coffee and headed to a nearby beach.  He walked the rocks, searching for sea glass and picking up trash and I snapped photos of the sunset.  Here I captured a single lifeguard tower silhouetted in the setting sun.

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And Tuesday’s foray away from the most traveled path took me to the Mt. Soledad park.  There’s a veteran’s memorial, a controversial cross, and amazingly breathtaking views of the coast and the city.  I noticed this one American flag fluttering against the puffy white clouds.

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So…what one subject will you capture in your photo(s) this week?

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

Head out with your camera and look for one…and capture it in a photo (or two or three…).  What one will you choose?

The Path Not Taken

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Sometimes I find myself in a rut–stuck in the mud, sinking lower and lower so that it seems that all I see are shoe tops.  Instead of appreciating the beauty around me, I get mired in the minutia of everyday–dishes and laundry, report cards and meetings, and traffic!

When I’m in that rut I don’t always see the possibilities.  I find myself traveling the same paths, butting up against the same barriers…and even thinking the same not-so-inspiring thoughts!

And I know that I am lucky.  I enjoy my work–most of the time–and all it entails.  My students are a source of energy, my colleagues keep me learning and growing, and the end of the school year means my work will change–adding variety and new stimulation to the mix.  But…there’s that rut…and at this time of the year lots of others are in it too.

Yesterday, after a long work day I was heading to a planning meeting with some colleagues.  And instead of the provocative thinking I knew I would experience when I got there, my mind was on the traffic and the frustration of the snail’s pace I would experience as I got on the freeway.

So I ventured out in another direction.  There was some traffic as I set off, but as I crossed the intersection that could have taken me to the freeway, I headed into the hills. The road was narrow and steep as it curved through neighborhoods with breathtaking views.  As I reached the top I pulled off into a park–well known in these parts.  A place I had been before, but never think to visit.  It’s off the usual path, less direct, with a lower speed limit.

And this path not taken led me to wonder and inspiration…and jubilation!

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I was treated to amazing views of my city.  I could look north to La Jolla shores and the Scripps pier, east toward the mountains and the communities between.  As I looked south I saw the iconic structures of our downtown and the bays and ocean that frame it.

I felt like I could touch the clouds from this place on the hill.  And in spite of the clouds I could see forever in all directions.  The sky was clear and the sun peeked through, brightening my outlook and my attitude.

I don’t have to stay in the rut, mired by routine and overwhelmed by the demands of the end of the school year.  But I do have to find the spaces of inspiration, make time for moments of vacation and renewal even when time is in short supply.

This is one of those lessons that I need to remind myself of over and over again.  It’s easy to stay in the rut, to do the same thing, travel the same roads, talk to the same people, see the same sights.  I’m already thinking about other ways I can shake up my ordinary and pull myself out of the rut…the view is so much better here!