Spontaneous: a Photo Essay

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There are so many routines…and they help me get things done. They get me to work on time , allow me to accomplish the mundane and the inspirational work in my life, and remind me to make time for work and play, relaxation and exercise, books and art and more. But sometimes my routines get in my way.

I almost let that happen today. I had a meeting at a school site near a picturesque part of our city. As I pulled up to park I thought about taking some time after the meeting to drive the couple of miles to the cove and see if there was anything to photograph.

After my meeting I wanted to go home. I knew the traffic would be bad… and it gets dark so early these days…I had lots of excuses. But then I decided to take that short drive anyway, even if it meant some miserable traffic on my way home.

And I’m so glad I did! La Jolla Cove is truly a treasure. This little protected piece of ocean is a refuge for wildlife…and for people. When I pulled up and immediately found a parking place, I knew this would be worth the spontaneous decision. I first noticed this little structure with sea gulls roosting on top. Through it I could see a small fishing boat in the surf.

As I continued up the walkway, I heard barking. But it wasn’t dogs…it was sea lions! Some sunbathed in the cool December air while others seemed to play hide and seek in the waves.

I looked up and noticed pelicans cruising the coast…almost close enough to touch! (Of course I missed photographing the ones that were close!)

I noticed this big seagull cruising the park area. He had been perched up on the tree, but had moved on by the time I close enough to use my camera!

I was right about the traffic, by the way. It took me more than an hour to get home after this excursion. But it was so worth it. My photos don’t begin to do justice to my experience. The sights and sounds and smells along with the crisp, cool air and low afternoon sun made for a perfect respite on a work day.

When I got home it was dark…and I noticed the sliver of moon rising. Geoff and I headed out after dinner to get gas for my car…and decided to stop by Starbucks for a cup of coffee. And spontaneously, as we turned the corner and spied the moon we headed off to the beach where we knew the view would be spectacular.

And we weren’t disappointed. That shy smile of the moon reflected on the surf below. The colors were incredible…whites and golds. The moon made the water glow…and the froth of the surf curled in frosty waves. I tried my camera…with little success.

But standing side by side in the dark appreciating the beauty of the moon and water in the cool of December with a hot coffee in our hands was priceless. A reminder to be spontaneous now and then. Routines can return tomorrow.

Opportunities to Iterate

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My teaching partner and I have been working with our students on coding this year (see here and here and here). We’ve figured out how to make coding a regular part of our week…and our students are having success with planning, creating, and debugging. We’re planning a “winter scene” challenge for next week to celebrate the Hour of Code…more about that next week.

Related to this coding effort is our goal of helping students to cultivate “grit” and to see mistakes as learning opportunities. (See It’s the Little Things for more on grit.)

So this week in addition to our digital work as programmers, we have given students a design challenge…making snowflakes.

These southern CA kids have limited experience with snow (as do I), but learning about snowflakes is fascinating. We started by reading Snowflake Bentley about Wilson Bentley–a man obsessed with photographing snowflakes using a camera attached to a microscope (back before the technology was very developed). He showed a tremendous amount of tenacity and grit in his efforts…and finally published his book of snowflake photos when he was 66 years old.

We knew that creating hexagonal snowflakes (by cutting paper) would be challenging for our students, but we decided that this purposeful opportunity to iterate…study mistakes and learn from them for their next attempt, would be a perfect platform for helping to build grit and tenacity.

And then to add to the challenge, inspired by Zoo Flakes ABC, our students are creating hexagonal snowflakes in the shape of animals. Yesterday they learned to fold and began drawing their animal to cut. Today they tried out their design by cutting out their animal. There were many failures–unconnected pieces that looked nothing like animals or snowflakes, whiny “this is hard” comments, and requests for help cutting (we deferred, reminding them it was a perfect opportunity for practice). There were some semi-successes with 6 intact “arms” of something like an animal shape. And there was lots of concentration and studying of the results.

We studied our successes and failures…and then looked at some more “expert” attempts online. We considered ways to improve even those attempts that were “successful” (in the sense that a snowflake-like shape resulted). And students are ready to try again tomorrow.

But best of all there were no tears and everyone gave it a try today. Our students were focused on their design and their cutting…and desperately want their snowflakes to work out.

We’re excited about this project…and all that our students will gain from these iterative efforts. I’ll let you know more as we progress through this project!

What do you do to help your students study their mistakes and try again?

A Change in the Weather

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The weather in San Diego is regular…regularly mild and as the weather reporters on the nightly news say, “Night and morning low clouds, with afternoon sunshine.” Or something to that effect.

So when our weather changes, it is an event.

Today started out cool and overcast. One of my first graders told me how freezing it was as we walked to the classroom this morning. She was dressed in a short sleeved t-shirt, jeans, flats without socks, and a faux-fur lined vest. In contrast, I was wearing a cotton sweater with a corduroy jacket and a windbreaker-like jacket over the top of that and a knit scarf around my neck…along with my slacks, short boots and socks. I’ve learned over the years to layer since mornings are cool and the day usually warms up.

When I left my school at midday to head off to the university for the other part of my job, I carried my jacket and scarf…but knew I would bring them inside with me when I arrived.

And I’m so glad I did! By the time I left the university it was raining! I pulled the hood up on my jacket and tried to figure out how to capture a photo of the rain. (It continues to look invisible through my camera lens). Students walking across campus had their sweatshirt hoods up…but there were no umbrellas in sight!

As I got into my car I was hoping that I was ahead of the rush hour traffic. Remember, the slightest moisture in San Diego brings out the crazy in drivers.

The rain had diminished before I got very far down the road…but as I got closer to home the clouds were mesmerizing. Big, white clouds were layered with gray clouds that looked like the stuffing from grandma’s quilt. As I drove, I was thinking about where I could get off the road to try to capture the beauty of the clouds. (And it is not okay to stop on the freeway!)

I pulled off near my school, watching the streaks of sun shining through the clouds along the coast. I drove to a spot I see most mornings where tall thin palm trees stand like sentinels overlooking the sea.

And I captured this view looking out to the ocean where the sun was getting ready to set on this short December day.

Change in the weather also means a change in the view…and it was spectacular this evening! I like the way that change brings a new energy with it. I can see it in my students when we change up the routines or like today, embark on a new topic of study.

As I look for new photo opportunities, I appreciate change even more than ever. A fresh view, a new angle, a different frame, a change in the light…they all offer opportunities for photographic magic. Just like change in the classroom creates new spaces for learning magic…and routines serve as anchors when the seas get rough.

I love the regularity of our weather here…and I love when it changes. And I still need to learn how to capture a photo of rain… Now to wait for another one of those rare occasions…

Shadow

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There is no doubt that my photography inspires my writing and my writing refines and refocuses my photography. (There is something about the reflective process of examining the photos and critiquing them for myself that pushes my “eye” in terms of photos I shoot.)

This evening I noticed on A Word in Your Ear that the A Word a Week Photograph Challenge was shadow. And that single word got me to flip back through some recent photos thinking about shadow and just what that word means to me.

This accidental shadow from the weekend caught my attention. I struggled in the bright sunlight to capture a photo of these pea fowl that really captured their beauty, their markings…and made them show up. They tend to blend in with the dirt.

I think the shadow of me taking the photo is crisper than the photo of the peacock. As I noticed my shadow I found myself shifting and turning as I figured out how to work the sun and shadow. I found that my best photos of the pea fowl were a bit later when the sun dipped behind the clouds.

Earlier that week I had been at the beach taking some photos. I love the way the shadow in this picture of Elli (a long-haired chihuahua) plays with her image of herself as a big dog. She seems to think she is the protector of her people–and fiercely protects them as though she were five times her size. (Like the shadow suggests!)

And I like playing with light sources…and the resulting shadows. This post was all about light and its impact…and how it often results in shadows or silhouettes. I love this silhouetted view of my husband looking to the light.

And one of my favorite photos of shadows comes from my visit to the Giant Redwoods a few weeks ago. These magnificent giants cast shadows that veil the forest floor, keeping the air cool and the sun at a distance. The shadows create a magical world where the sun sneaks in to make unexpected appearances…creating an otherworldly glow here and there.

Shadow…revealing, playful, contemplative, magical… But what about the shadow of tragedy, sadness, horror, poverty, crime? Not that I am looking for darkness, but I am sure there are many more shadows to explore.

It’s the Little Things

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Yesterday I dug out my macro lens and started playing with it again. It’s one of those things that I love, but I have to stop what I’m doing, take the cover off my phone, unscrew the macro lens from the wide angle, attach it and then lean in to photograph my subject. Using the macro means coming close, taking time to steady myself and my breathing, and holding still for the perfect shot. It’s easy to get the focus wrong and come away with a blurry shot.

And in spite of all of that, I love the vantage the macro lens offers. I get to see small things in new ways. Things that are easily overlooked suddenly come into focus, creating a stunning new way of understanding the subject.

A familiar TED talk also crossed my Twitter feed this morning. Angela Duckworth talking about her research about what makes students successful…was it intelligence or something she calls grit? She found in case after case, holding all other variables steady, that grit made the difference.

This 6 minute video is well worth your time. But it’s also important to think about not just students and how hard they work, but also how teachers view persistence and effort. A growth mindset, as described by Carol Dweck, means that errors are seen as part of the learning process. Mistakes are an opportunity for learning, not an indicator of lack of effort or lack of intelligence.

So back to the macro lens and the little things. With the help of the macro lens I can appreciate the beauty of things I hadn’t paid much attention to before, like this half blown dandelion in my yard.

And with a growth mindset I can also appreciate the little things about my students as I notice how they approach a math problem or understand a science concept or even where their struggles are with decoding. Instead of seeing what they can’t do, I pay attention to the beauty of what they do know and help them use their strengths as tools to make progress where things seem hard.

Like these tiny, ethereal dandelion seeds, learners can take the seeds of understanding from one subject and plant them in others. And as teachers paying close attention, we can help our students identify their strengths and repurpose them in other situations.

When I went outside this morning the cactus flower blossom in the pot near my front door was closed…looking droopy and like it might be ready to fall off. But since I was playing with my macro lens, I leaned in and got close…and captured this.

Without the lens, my eyes did not capture the beauty and colors that my camera could see (all of these photos are unedited originals). I noticed later in the day when the sun had reached the door that the blooms opened, yellow and vibrant.

I’m glad that I took some time with my macro lens today…and with Angela Duckworth’s TED talk. Tomorrow I return to my classroom after a week away for the Thanksgiving holiday. And I’ll be looking closely and leaning in to notice all that my students bring to the learning…even when it seems hard…to appreciate their strengths and re-view their mistakes. We’ll be developing our grit…together.

Uncovering History: A Photo Essay

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Photography takes me to interesting places. Today my search for interesting and different subjects for my photography took me to a place I had never been–practically in my own backyard!

Traveling back in time I met Leo Carillo, of The Cisco Kid and Pancho fame. (Old cowboy movie from the 50’s) Turns out he was Angelino (from Los Angeles) and an actor turned rancher who needed a place for weekend respites away from Hollywood. As he said (in the short video I watched), “My birthstone is adobe…”

The Leo Carillo Ranch is a park not far from where I live that transports you to another time. Old adobe buildings are set in a valley just enough removed from housing tracks and road noises that you don’t notice you are in a middle of a bustling suburban development.

The first thing I noticed as I walked around were signs asking for people not to disturb or feed the pea fowl. Pea fowl? That piqued my curiosity! I started looking around for evidence of pea fowl…and boy, I was not disappointed!

Peacocks and pea hens were everywhere! And they were totally nonplussed by people taking photos. The woman who works in the visitor center told us that these pea fowl are all descendants of the original six that Leo Carillo brought to the ranch. There were the showy males with their bright blue heads and gorgeous tail feathers that they spread and show, smaller and plainer females in shades of brown, and smaller still were the youngsters. There must have been at least 50 that I saw strutting around the grounds. Apparently Leo brought them because they eat snakes and lizards and are loud enough to keep coyotes (which are very common in our area) away. I love this guy posing on top of the truck!

This park is the result of an effort to preserve historic buildings and provide open spaces in the community. There are antiques windmills and rustic old buildings…beautiful to look at and fun to photograph. We saw many professional photographers shooting family Christmas photos throughout the park.

I love the old adobe buildings…and I found myself photographing windows and doors. There is something beautiful about the imperfections…and the colors are amazing!

The foliage was also gorgeous. Bright orange birds of paradise, the most enormous prickly pear cactus I’ve seen, palms and eucalyptus…and even a “young” redwood (60 years old). These are only a fraction of the photos I took today!

I had a wonderful adventure today and learned some interesting history about my area. I look forward to taking others to see this hidden treasure…I’m sure I will enjoy some more afternoons exploring the past and envisioning the future.

What treasures lie undiscovered in your place?

‘Tis the Season: December’s Photo-a-Day Challenge

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Short days, long nights, decorations, parties, presents, shopping, vacation, lights, food, family, and friends… December is full of fun, frenzy, tradition, and celebration. No matter your religious beliefs, December is filled with signs of the season–whatever that season means to you.

Let’s take this month to interpret the season in ways that make the most sense for us as photographers. Here’s a list of 31 seasonal prompts to be used in whatever ways stir your creative urges. You can use the prompts daily in the order they are displayed…or you can pick one to use all month, you can mix and match them, combine them, focus a week on one or two…it is totally up to you!

Be sure to post a photo each day with the hashtag #sdawpphotovoices to Twitter, Instagram, Flicker, Google+ and/or Facebook (the more the merrier!), so that we can all enjoy the posts. If you are feeling daring, you might compose a blog post about a photo…about a week’s worth of photos…create a photo essay…the possibilities are endless! Be sure to link back here to create a pingback by linking to this url…or post your blog address in the comments (or create your entire response in the comment section). It’s fun to see what others do!

Here’s the list to get you started:

1. green

2. deal

3. gift

4. garland

5. candle

6. bargain

7. decorate

8. poinsettia

9. feast

10. red

11. Santa

12. hearth

13. tradition

14. elf

15. tree

16. present

17. holiday

18. star

19. festive

20. frosty

21. winter

22. candy

23. celebrate

24. bells

25. wreath

26. fruitcake

27. retrospective

28. light

29. party

30. parade

31. new

Have fun, be creative, explore the limits of your photography…after all, 2013 is nearly over! You can post every day, once a week…or sporadically throughout the month, whatever works in your life. Be sure to share…and to tag your photos so we can all find them!

I hope you’ll join me as your photos help you express your experiences of the season!

Let There Be Light: A Light Study

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What started as a photo-a-day challenge for a month over a year ago has become a daily practice, a hobby, and maybe even a passion for me. I’ve noticed how my photographic eye has changed over time and how I am now thinking carefully not only about the subject of my photos, but also playing with framing, considering the rule of thirds, thinking about foreground and background, and studying light and its influence on the photo.

Today…Black Friday in the commercial, frenzied bargain hunting world…had us out early on this rare rainy day-after-Thanksgiving checking out bargains and enjoying time spent together. And after the errands and lunch, I desperately wanted to go to the beach on this stormy (at least by our standards) day.

As we drove along the coast toward home, I was on the lookout for an interesting place to stop with a clear view of the beach. We frequently go to the same beach, so today’s goal was to find another place–a new view–to explore.

We stopped at Ponto. And it was surprisingly crowded. The waves were big and the surfers plentiful. People were in bathing suits, full wetsuits, shorts and flip flops, and boots and jackets…it is Southern CA after all.

I already had my eye on the jetty in the distance. I knew I wanted to climb up on the rocks to get a great view of the sea. But on the way I was sidetracked by the collection of lifeguard towers and found myself trying many different angles to capture the light and the ocean in the background. I was struck by the dramatic differences in light and shadow. All of the photos were taken with my iPhone and are unedited and without any filters.

I know the rule about having the sun at your back for the best photos, but sometimes I find myself wanting to shoot into the sun. I love the way that shooting into the light creates silhouettes like in this picture of my husband looking out into the ocean.

And I also played with angling the light behind me to capture more light…and in this case, the movement of the water and waves as well.

When I pivoted 180 degrees in the other direction, the light my camera captured changed dramatically.

Understanding the light and being aware of the source of the light makes a dramatic difference in photography. By studying my photos I’ve learned some techniques that help me make more intentional choices rather than only happy (or unfortunate) accidents. It’s fun to play around and see how shifts in lighting change the photos.

Light can change the mood and tone of the photo, make it more pensive, more dramatic, or lighter and more playful. It changes colors, brightening or softening, creating depth and layers. Earlier today I was trying to capture raindrops with my iPhone, without much success…because light and reflection were working against me. I just couldn’t get enough contrast behind the drops to make them show through my lens. But you can be certain that I will keep trying…whenever the next rainy day comes along.

What have you learned from the light today?

Picture Perfect

An Unexpected Appearance

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I’ve been on the lookout for unexpected since I saw the Weekly Photo Challenge over at the Daily Post. But when you are looking for the unexpected, somehow it just doesn’t show up.

With a day off from work today, I decided it was time to tackle that pile of odds and ends that ended up in an unused room because of some work we had done on the house…and we have some new urgency to get it dealt with since we are doing some more work on the house. This is the pile that ends up in a cupboard somewhere because you can’t quite part with it, but you really don’t know what to do with it either.

Anyway, I picked up a green bound book that I thought was an old address book (back before we kept our contacts on our phones or computers). When I flipped it open I discovered it was an old photo album. Most of the pictures were of my husband when he was a baby with a few other odds and ends tucked into the pages. And then what I thought was a postcard fell out.

It was that perfect postcard size that is so often used for advertising. It had that “old school” look that modern apps work so hard to achieve. But upon closer examination I discovered it was a picture of me!

This is a picture of the photograph taken with my iPhone, so you lose the actual size and some of the background off to the sides.

This unexpected photo brings back so many memories…most of them good ones. I worked for McDonalds for more than 12 years before I went into teaching. I learned so many skills and practices through my management experiences that have helped me as an educator.

It’s kind of scary to read those menu board prices (hamburgers 39 cents!) and realize that I was quite competent at calibrating that soda machine behind the counter (back in the day before serve yourself soda machines). I inventoried and ordered all the raw product, scheduled employees for their shifts, kept ledgers of all the sales, hired, fired and trained employees (mostly teenagers a few years younger than I was), and so much more…

While it wasn’t rocket science or engineering, I did lots of systems thinking in my work at McDonalds. There were many interconnecting components to consider each and every day…and sometimes I had to suffer the consequences when the decision I made didn’t have the intended result.

I like the way the unexpected spurs thinking. This old photo has me thinking about so many things…my McDonald’s experiences, the changes in photography, wondering what happened to my old friend I used to work with and haven’t seen in years, and even the changes in fast food and the restaurant business.

My youngest son and his wife are coming home tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with us. I think I’ll leave the photo out for him to see…