Weekly Photo Challenge: #findjoy
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When I get up each day and make my way into the world, I find myself looking for scenes and images that speak to me. Sometimes I take ten photos and one “works,” the others lacking in something that makes them special. Sometimes I take one photo, seemingly a throwaway, and it sings, bringing me joy and helping me frame my day. I was reminded by a blogger/photographer that I follow, Joy over at Joyfully Green, that photography can be a way to find joy and peace in our turbulent world.
I walk this path frequently, it is familiar yet ever-changing. This week’s weather has brought lots of clouds our way–this day my attention was drawn to the clouds that seemed to be sitting on the horizon line. I was having trouble getting a shot that captured that sense of the low-lying clouds. This seagull caught my eye…and helped me frame the cloud formations as well.
Some days my photo opportunities are related to the errands I need to run. I noticed the moon the other evening as I got back into my car in the Trader Joe’s parking lot. And when I didn’t love the photo, I set to playing around with some apps to see if I could produce a different effect. I like the monochromatic effect and the way it helps bring focus to the moon peeking through the tree branches.
Another beach walk brought the light to my attention. I think my favorite time of day for photos is the time before sunset when the sun seems to kiss faces and highlight waves. Again, clouds were my muse allowing me to capture the color and light like a watercolor painting.
Sometimes it’s that one shot that calls my name. I stopped on my way home the other afternoon and was drawn to the silhouetted trees framing the ocean and sky in the background.
Rainy days as a teacher means the kids are cooped up inside all day long…no recess time, nowhere to go to eat their snacks or lunch. The classroom becomes a space for playing and eating as well as learning…blurring the boundaries and offering fewer outlets for youthful energy. It was a relief to have no rain on Friday so the kids could get out and RUN! I love the way the ponytail is flying back in this image, hinting at the action and the joy in releasing energy taking place in this still photo.
I’m sure our plants are always confused here in southern California. It’s hot, it’s cold, it’s dry, then it rains… The tree in my front yard recently burst into tender green new leaves…in December! And the trees outside my office at UCSD were raining down fall colors with the raindrops earlier this week, adding some liveliness to an otherwise dreary and gray day.
And when I look closely, I can find joy and beauty in the dry, dead blossom clinging to the orchid in my kitchen window. There is so much inspiration around us if we just take the time to look and pay attention to details.
So, for this week, take a look around, snap some picture that bring you joy. You might find it in the petals of a dying flower or the beauty of a sunset. Or you might notice an interesting pattern of light and shadow or the smile of a stranger. Maybe you take joy in preparing food or folding clothes for your family…snap a few shots and see what you notice.
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 #findjoy for this week and include @nwpianthology in your post.
Head out with your camera with joy as your muse…what will you find to share with the rest of us?
#haikuforhealing
It’s so easy to break a good habit, even after it has been well established. When I started this blog, I wrote daily for months on end. Of course, I did it because I knew if I stopped (and I was afraid to stop for even one day), I would have a hard time getting back on track.
I guess I was right.
This week, my friend and colleague Kevin posted a prompt on the NWP iAnthology, inviting some short-form writing in the form of Haiku, 3 line poems, for the purpose of healing the spirit. #haikuforhealing is a hashtag where people are sharing these poems meant to raise spirits. I noticed Kevin writing them in December, making posters of them with inspirational images as their backdrop. I enjoyed them…and thought about writing some of my own.
So when the prompt came up on Saturday, I decided to try my hand at it. I started with a photo I had taken and posted on Instagram. I imported it into Canva and added my words. My first #haikuforhealing was born.
On Sunday my schedule didn’t allow for a long photo-taking walk. Instead, I snapped a shot of the moon through the trees in the Trader Joe’s parking lot. I messed with it a bit in prisma, amping up the color. Hmmm…a Haiku about the moon? I could do that.
It rained quite a bit on Monday, but it had stopped by the time I left work. Knowing rain was in the forecast later in the week, I decided to take a walk on the beach on the way home. The clouds were sitting low, hugging the horizon, as the sun tried its best to peek through. Inspiration for another #haikuforhealing? Why not?
Should I go for four days in a row? One of the things I love about living near the coast is the proximity to the trains. I hear them as I walk on the beach, I hear them as I teach, and they frequently hold me up at intersections as the guards lower, the lights flash, and the train barrels past.Today I was walking toward my car when the rail guards dropped, giving me just enough time to snap a few shots…and think about a Haiku…
I don’t know if I have re-established a habit of daily writing, but I am four days into daily #haikuforhealing writing. I’m enjoying it. I like creating the poster with my photograph and words…and sharing it on Twitter (@kd062) makes me feel accountable (at least to myself).
Join in the healing, let Haiku shift your perspective and help you find inspiration, beauty, meaning… And if you have other ideas to keep the daily writing fresh and doable, I’d love to hear about them!
Weekly Photo Challenge: Weather or Not..
We returned to school, deep in winter. Flurries of white (paper) mounded as students began their study of snow and inquiry into how to cut hexagonal snowflakes from a square piece of paper. Outside was cold by San Diego standards with students mostly in long pants and surfers in their full wetsuits.
Weather is rare in these parts. We hear stories of snow and ice across the country and across the state, but here weather changes are subtle. Clouds change the looks of our mostly blue skies, creating opportunities for dramatic photo images.
More common for us is the grayness of fog. Sometimes it’s just the grayness of cloudy skies that obscure the sun. Monochromatic landscapes emerge from the grayness, like these birds in flight near the shore. I am struck by how much this one looks like a painting with the hints of sunset in the background.
Our oft-promised rain actually materialized this week, giving us a full day cooped up inside the classroom. At UCSD, the fog rolled in with the rain, painting the world white as the sky crouched low to the ground. (And what is better than a polka-dot umbrella to brighten a gray landscape?)
Arriving home later that evening after a late meeting, the half moon beckoned, daring me to try to photograph it. The result, better than I had hoped (no editing or filter here)…with the palms across the street appearing in the dark photo.
And after the rain, yesterday dawned bright. To cap off the workweek, I headed to the beach for a walk on the beach to clear my head and breathe deeply. I was treated with creamy sun-kissed waves washing up on the shore as the tide crept to its peak. I was reminded of a poem we had studied in class with our students about “bubble and froth.”
“Life is mostly froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone.
Kindness in another’s trouble,
Courage in your own.”
― Adam Lindsay Gordon
When I looked up, I noticed the moon again, this time in full daylight. This is the blue sky I am used to, punctuated by the palms on the cliffs above the beach. Sometimes it’s about the weather…and sometimes not.
So, what will you find when you consider the weather…or not? How does weather impact your choices in photography? Do you choose subjects differently? With weather (or a lack of weather) as your muse, what will you find?
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 #weatherornot for this week and include @nwpianthology in your post.
How will the weather impact your photography this week? And weather or not it does, be sure to share some of your images!
One Little Word 2017: Possibility
I’ve never been a resolution maker. The idea of changing my life by making pronouncements on January 1st just never appealed to me…and I know me, sticking to “rules,” even those I make, doesn’t seem likely over the course of a year. But when I heard about the idea of one little word a few years ago, I was intrigued. The concept of choosing a word as a muse, as inspiration and aspiration seemed like a perfect idea.
In 2014 I chose the word play, and let it guide my year. And play I did. I took some time for reflection on my word before choosing a new word here. In 2015 my word was explore. Explore helped me take play to a new level. It had me searching for new experiences and seeking out new places. I know that I surprised my husband with my willingness to do things he didn’t think I would do–and I know I surprised myself as I faced fears and branched out in new ways. By fall of 2015 I learned that 2016 would be a year of change for me and my family as we welcomed new family members–babies! I selected expand for 2016, going beyond the literal meaning of adding family members. I knew that I would need to expand my horizons and perspectives in addition to embracing my new role as grandma to three baby boys!
Learning the power that one word can have on my life over the course of the year raises the stakes on choosing a new word. I often wait a few weeks into the new year to make my selection; pondering, trying on, discarding. I like to see others’ choices and read their thinking as another window into the selection process. This year has been the same. I’ve been reading the choices of others, reflecting on my past choices and considering potential words for 2017. And even though it’s only the second of January, I feel convinced that I’ve found my word.
I’ve been looking for a word to help me push beyond my usual boundaries, to see past barriers–perceived or real–that limit my thinking. I want this year to be about possibilities. Possibilities like dandelion seeds, taking root where they land and thriving in unexpected places.
I want possibility to encourage me to be kind and curious, strong and creative. To reach out to others and seek new collaborations with possibility as a signpost.
I want possibility to frame my thinking and take me to new understandings…and new actions. I want to keep growing, personally and professionally, going beyond the usual and predictable and maybe even comfortable paths I have already traveled.
I look forward to a year with possibility as my muse, a reminder to branch out, consider alternative solutions, blaze new trails, and push myself and my thinking. I want possibility to help me build stronger relationships with family and friends and create better learning opportunities for my students. I look forward to the possibilities that photography offers as I explore my world, familiar and beyond.
Right now, the possibilities seem endless.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Best of 2016
The year is winding down, we can count the hours until the ball drops and 2017 enters. That also makes it a perfect time for reflection…and a bit of curation of this year’s photos. Instagram is helping folks out this year…creating a #2016bestnine collection based on the number of likes your photos got. Interestingly, my best nine according to Instagram did not make my best five I had culled to share here. Don’t get me wrong, I like these photos and I’m excited that they are not all beach photos! There are two images from UCSD, one from Atlanta and one from Tucson…and even one that I stopped my car and took a photo on a street near my neighborhood.
I actually picked these photos for another reason…as my contribution to Bonnie’s annual year end video compilation (I’ll add the link once she publishes it on her blog). She asked for photos and captions to represent myself. I have found tremendous peace in nature this year, noticing the beauty and experiencing the wonders of the natural world. I love this moss covered branch that I spotted on a walk around the reservoir when visiting my grandsons in the Bay Area earlier this fall.
“Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” John Muir
Many of my photos evoke connections to my precious grandsons…three 10 month old boys, sons of my two sons. (You can read about my anticipation of their births here.) I take many photos of them, but none will appear on social media because of my sons’ request that I not post. But I carry them in my mind and heart constantly. When I saw this “found heart” on a prickly pear cactus, I loved the idea of the spines protecting the heart from danger. I’m not sure I have those prickly spines protecting my heart–but I know that I will do anything to protect those sweet boys! (I had them in my arms this week–and am already missing them terribly!)
I love the ordinariness and simplicity of the dandelion. I’ve taken many photos and written many posts focused on them. This particular dandelion caught my attention as I walked out my front door to head to work one morning. Instead of seeing them as weeds, I think of dandelions as wishes–and possibility. They seem to be an icon of childhood, a symbol of nature’s playfulness.
And it wouldn’t be a best of collection for me without a beach photo…or three! I love the beach all the time, but it is special in the fall and winter when the crowds fall away and the sun’s angles change with shorter days and longer nights. There is a sense of silence amongst the sounds of crashing waves, gusting winds, and calls of birds.
“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” Ansel Adams
And there is nothing like a photographic mentor. Studying Adams’ photos helped me figure out how to create the contrast needed for this black and white view of a walk I take regularly. I like the way the lack of color creates a mood just right for the concept of silence.
I do find myself looking at the sky as I walk the beach. There is something about the clouds and the birds that draw my attention. It’s hard to get good photos of birds in flight with my iPhone and even with my Sony since I seldom have the zoom lens on (too limiting for everyday). I do love the crispness of this pelican–even at a distance as it swoops over the waves. It also reminds me of all the photos I am not able to take, which helps me realize that there is more to photography than the photos I take. I see so much more when I’m walking with my camera.
But there is nothing quite as special as the beach at sunset. This image is from Halloween–my husband’s birthday–and the romantic and peaceful walk we took before heading out to dinner to celebrate him. The colors were spectacular as the sun sunk into the Pacific…and the reflection on the wet sand creates the perfect mirror image. Ahhhh…
So, take a little time and find your best of 2016 images. You might look back through the whole year…or just the past few months. If you haven’t taken many photos this year, you might just head out with your camera and take a best of today to get yourself started!
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 #bestof2016 for this week and include @nwpianthology in your post.
Share your favorite images this week and create your own #bestof2016. I look forward to seeing the best of 2016 through your lens!
Weekly Photo Challenge: Light
During these short days, light becomes a focus. And many of the winter holidays include light as an aspect of celebration. There’s something about light that brings out the reflective qualities–those caused by the light, and those internal reflections provoked by the magic of light. As a photographer, light has become an obsession for me. I notice it, but don’t always master all I need to know and do to create the shots I envision.
We’ve had stormy weather here this past week, bringing some much needed rain to our parched earth. I love the period after the storm (or between storm cells) when the sunlight peeks through the dark clouds creating a magical sky view.
Sometimes light becomes quite literal. I noticed these industrial lights when we were at Home Depot picking a Christmas tree. Even though it was mid-day, the light was on. I couldn’t help noticing the brilliant green of the leaves behind it and the bright blue sky.
With the tree home, we set to work decorating. Sorting out the string of lights is just the kind of job the cats love to help with (Jack is just outside this shot). I like the way the lights glow and reflect on the wood floor.
It was nice to take a break from the cleaning and decorating and shopping for a dinner out with my hubby. As we waited for our pizza at a local brewery, I noticed the lights reflecting off the window. I like the way the inside and outside come together–it was a perfect way to spend a rainy evening.
With a short reprieve before the next rain storm hits later tonight, I squeezed a quick walk on the beach into my schedule. It was as empty on the beach as the roads and stores were full today. I appreciated the quiet of the rush of the waves and the wind in my face as the light played with the clouds and water. This is where I come to think–and to not think.
If you look closely, you can see the pelican. It was soaring and diving, obviously enjoying a pre-storm lunch.
So, take a look for light in your life. You might find it in holiday celebrations, in nature, or maybe just in a quiet moment of reflection.
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 #light for this week and include @nwpianthology in your post.
Share the light in your life this week–literal or metaphoric–I know I am looking forward to light through your eyes, and your lens!
Thinking Through My Lens 