Tag Archives: iphoneography

Weekly Photo Challenge: Random

Some weeks it seems that the photos I take are a random assortment of things…and this was definitely one of those weeks. A peek into my camera roll reveals pictures from school like this science lab from last Friday when students were exploring how the visibility of colors change as you plunge deeper into the ocean.

And this week’s lab where students looked closely at taxidermy birds to notice the differences in their beaks. (In both cases I played around with filters to make the context less familiar and obscure the identity of my students.)

Painted in Waterlogue

In between those two science labs, life has been busy! Last weekend I traveled to LA to visit my firstborn grandson (you can read more about that here), staying at this funky hotel (actually renovated old fashioned motel) not far from his house. I love the neon sign!

And while I took lots of pictures of my new grandson, I won’t be posting them on social media. So when the baby was sound asleep, I took a walk around the neighborhood exploring through my lens. The dandelions were in bloom…everywhere! I tried to capture the abundance of the puffballs (without laying down on someone else’s lawn!).

And I fell in love with this magnificent tree. The thick branches and sturdy trunk give away its age. I wonder how long it’s been standing there surrounded by sidewalk…

Back at school after a weekend of family, baby, and love, my students were out in the garden building a wooden trellis they designed. They delighted in the opportunity to use “real” tools! Screwdrivers and screws, hammers and nails…they learned the definition of elbow grease!

And after studying two-voices poems (like Fireflies by Paul Fleishman) and learning about bioluminescence (from a parent who is an expert on the subject as a marine biologist), students illustrated their own versions of the poem Fireflies. I couldn’t resist snapping a photo of this darling representation of a firefly by a talented first grader!

And maybe I would have had a more coherent photo week, but Monday I learned my other daughter-in-law would be delivering their twins…who arrived early Wednesday morning (yes, all are healthy and doing well). Needless to say, my mind and attention have been on three grandsons (in 8 days!), checking in on their health and welfare. As a result, my photos have been an odd assortment of photos that I snuck in here and there.

So…what random images tell the story of your week? Or maybe don’t tell a story at all! Check out your camera roll or maybe just take out your phone or camera and snap a few shots.

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

Take a look around and snap a photo or two or dive into your camera roll and pick a few to share with the rest of us. What random photos have you taken recently? I can’t wait to see random through your lens!

Weekly Photo Challenge: One Tree

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We have a quirky tree that grows along the side of our driveway. At one time it was nearly choked to death with ivy growing up its trunk. It has a strange spiky trunk and a few broken branches that jut out in odd directions. But it is that very character that draws my attention to it almost every day. And it makes a perfect frame for varying light and sky conditions. I have tons of photos of this one tree. I took this one earlier in the week when I noticed that it was blooming…and the sun was reflecting off the leaves.

A few days before that I was noticing the sun, bright and summer-like, a very different kind of glow.

We had a foggy morning recently…and I had to stop as I got ready to get in my car to head to work to pull out my phone and capture the mistiness in a photograph. I love the way the morning sun creates an almost silhouette effect

Sometimes this one tree is the perfect frame for the sherbet colors of sunset, with soft and wispy clouds.

Or with the reds and pinks of a clearer sky. (You may also be noticing that the tree wasn’t in bloom for these pictures.)

The moon sometimes peeks through its branches, partially hidden in the milky white clouds.

Gray clouds with just a splash of blue appeared on one of those rare stormy days.

And the white puffballs look so soft you can almost feel them against the brilliant blue of the sky on this day.

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There is just something about the twists and turns of the branches of this one tree that creates interesting angles and draws my eye. It reminds me to look up, to pay attention to the light, to the clouds, to the moon…and more.

So, this week be on the lookout for your one tree (or one building or one hillside or one street corner) and document how it changes in different light, in different weather, at different times of the day or night.

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

Fine your one tree (or one something else) this week and spend some time noticing and documenting. I can’t wait to see what you learn when you pay close attention to your #onetree.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Treasure

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How many photos is too many to take of the beach? That question runs though my mind as I take photo after photo at this place I treasure. Looking through my lens I see the constant change…in light, in tide, in surf, in people, in rocks, in sand, in shells, in surfers, and more.

The unseasonably warm temperatures (80’s in February) and convenient after-work low tides collided to make perfect conditions for walking and taking photos all week long. I found the most unexpected treasures as I walked.

The warm temps created different layers in the sky…and early in the week an almost misty condition. These seagulls seemed to be playing tag, chasing each other into the sun. I love the golden glows in this treasure.

Early in the week the tides were particularly low, exposing large expanses of reef. I walked way out toward the end of this outcropping where the treasures of tide pools were exposed.

Walking north instead of south another day revealed the treasure of tiny shells instead of rocks under my feet. I love the colors and textures of the thousands of shells.

There are lots of varieties of seagulls too. These guys always crack me up…I swear they look like Groucho Marx with their thick eyebrows and funny hairdos. And I caught this guy in quite a pose!

And thanks to my husband and my friend Janis, I can’t walk the beach without noticing the trash that washes onto shore. This was a week for interesting trash…shoes, pvc pipe, electrical cord, and many surfboard fins. I’m kind of a trash snob, I prefer to photograph and pick up the most exotic trash…like this piece of shoe that seems to be turning into its own island! (Thanks #litterati for featuring this one as your Facebook and Twitter photo of the day on Thursday.)

Yesterday as I bent down to photograph this fin, I was in the perfect position to catch the surfer in the background. I can imagine him thinking, “Where did that fin go?” Once photographed, I pick up the trash and carry it to the trashcan (or sometimes take it home–I seem to be starting a surfboard fin collection!).

And I can never resist taking my favorite shot as I head toward the parking lot…one that features the sun setting behind the lifeguard tower, truly a treasure to behold! (Complete with sun flare)

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So where do you find your treasures? Are they revealed as the snow falls? As you dig in the garden? Exposed by the light shining through the window of your house?

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

The beach revealed many treasures for me this week. I can’t wait to see the treasures you find through your lens!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Quiet

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Some weeks the noise and activity of daily life build up to a roar and I crave quiet. Quiet doesn’t always means perfectly silent, instead it is a place where I can hear myself think…or not think at all.

It seems that when my feet are moving, my brain can quiet. Sunday’s hike in the Torrey Pines Reserve helped me find that quiet space. While it wasn’t isolated, the iconic beauty of these rare trees, the endless blue of the sky, and the calming white noise of the waves let me focus on the natural beauty and the movement of my feet instead of the much too long to-do list and the busy week ahead.

There is something about looking down on the freeway where I spend so much time commuting through the frame of a bare tree that feels calming. The freeway was a whisper instead of a roar, my attention was drawn to the layers of hills and sky instead.

The beach called me all week, inviting quiet walks after work several days this week. I watched the seagulls playing in the wind currents as the sun settled into the sea.

I picked up a tulip plant at Trader Joes over the weekend, treating myself to the quiet beauty of the blooms. It was also an opportunity to play with my iris macro lens attachment for my iPhone, looking closely from a variety of angles.

Pulling into my own driveway offered a moment of quiet appreciation of the sky framed by this crazy, interesting tree. The tree doesn’t grow particularly well, but makes an interesting focus for sky gazing (I take way too many pictures that feature this tree!).

I was back at the beach again after work today, walking in the quiet, soaking in the sea air, enjoying the solitude. I picked up this sea fan (not really sure what it is called) and played around with photographing it. I like the way the sun peeks through this view.

I saw quite a few of these turban snail shells. This one was snuggled into the sand…much bigger than the ones I usually see. Instead of picking it up, I stooped low to collect the photo rather than the shell.

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I noticed the colors…the green of the algae, the blues of the sky and water, the gold of the setting sun and the darkness of the shapes silhouetted by the light behind them…and I heard the quiet of nature’s beauty. I felt my shoulders relax and dropped my burdens for a while. I still have some work ahead of me…but the quiet allowed me space to recharge–both my energy and my spirits.

So, where do you find quiet? Is it amidst the noisy clatter of the kitchen as you work magic preparing food? In your garden, tending the plants trying to survive unpredictable weather? On the playground watching your child at play? With busy hands as you knit, crochet, sew, paint…?

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

How will you express quiet through a photo? Where do you go when you seek respite from the busy of your life? This week go out and find your quiet…and share it through your lens!

Weekly Photo Challenge: On and Off the Wall

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This week I’ve been working on reminding myself to take pictures, even when they seem ordinary. Today I got lucky and had a bit of time to spare as I headed off to get my hair cut. I knew I would stop and get some coffee…and remembered some wall art I had seen some weeks before but hadn’t stopped to look more closely. I parked near my coffee place, but headed off in search of the walls I remembered.

As I walked, I noticed some other places to explore. When I saw this wall, it was even better up close than I had noticed at a distance. I love the way this painting on the wall also interacts with the planters jutting off the wall and the building features.

I crossed the street and headed back in the other direction where I had seen another wall mural. But first I came across this incredible Eucalyptus with a huge trunk, rounded by years, thick and sturdy. I started to think about the ways our bodies change with time. And even if we work to stay thin, mature bodies thicken and bulge as time passes. I always feel like I want to judge my thickness, push it away, hide it…but admiring this incredible tree made me start to rethink my attitudes. I’m still working to embrace the aging process.

Apparently this wall mural is part of an ongoing art contest, featuring a local artist’s work on the side of the building. On the side of a local restaurant, this larger-than-life art helps to draw attention to the business. I didn’t get close enough to read carefully about the contest, but the art is interesting and definitely attracted my attention.

I cut through the parking lot and remembered another painting on the side of the liquor store. I turned my phone sideways to capture the perspective of wall, liquor store, and parking lot.

Around the corner from the coffee place, I remembered this wall painting of cats with colors raining down onto them.

And remembered the deluge of rain on Monday at school–water poured off the roof and the walls. I have yet to master the art of photographing rain, but I think you can see the water pouring down.

So take a look at the walls around you. What’s on the walls…or maybe off the wall in the places your frequent? Maybe you won’t find wall murals…but as you look closely, what will you find? Will you notice a rounded mature eucalyptus tree–and rethink the shape of your body? Will you notice the beauty of randomly stacked odds and ends? Or maybe the sun slanting down on an old building?

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

So take a look around…what’s on or off your walls? I can’t wait to see walls through your lens!

Some of My Favorite Things: October’s Photo-a-Day Challenge

Silent Sunday: July 12, 2015

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Silent Sunday: July 5, 2015

Weekly Photo Challenge: Change

Staying Afloat

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I love my job. And yet, I still need time off to refresh and recharge…to stay afloat amid the demands of the work I love. Sometimes I am tempted to use my time off to catch up on the work details that build up in the course of my daily work life or to tackle those cleaning and organizing projects that take so much time. But this week, I mostly spent time exploring, enjoying…and not too much else.

And for this week staying afloat meant climbing the California Tower with my sister and looking out over the beautiful city where I live. The tower, that has been closed to the public for most of my life, offers 360 degrees views…to the ocean, to the mountains, and more. And because of the unique flight path in San Diego, I was watching planes descend right over the city skyline.

We also met up with this mallard duck couple enjoying a private swim in the small garden fountain. The morning light in this unedited photo seems to emphasize the beauty of the ducks and the surrounding fountain and gardens.

We found these overturned boats and flowers near the place where Geoff and I lived many years ago, right after we first got married. In the background you can see the boats that are afloat and the brilliant blue of Mission Bay.

And as much as I love this place I live, getting away helps me to unwind and push work into the background. So afloat, high in the air (is that a stretch of the word afloat?), we journeyed up the coast to San Francisco. This is one of those places I have been to many times, but sometimes forget to “see” it. As we headed out of the city to a destination further north, we took the time to stop and appreciate the towering icon that is known as the Golden Gate Bridge.

I love San Diego beaches…but northern California beaches are a different breed. These are rough and wild…and in the springtime, adorned with beautiful wildflowers. As we stood looking off the cliff near the Point Cabrillo lighthouse, we watched an osprey soar toward us with a fish gripped in his talons. We heard about the migrating whales another couple had just seen, and watched this squirrel nibble near the edge of the cliff.

A highlight of our trip was a visit with my son and daughter-in-law. They treated us to a hike up a local mountain…Mt. Diablo. As we drove the curving mountain roads, dodging intrepid bicyclists, my son told us about this peak’s unique qualities—including unobstructed views for miles around. Our day wasn’t crystal clear, but the views were breathtaking!

And all too quickly, our trip must end. As we drove back to the airport for our trip home, I caught another glimpse of beautiful San Francisco and its golden gate…from the Bay Bridge. And with a bit of editing on my iphone photo, you can see what my eyes noticed as we said goodbye.

I’m wishing for one more day…to wash clothes, pick up some groceries, and maybe catch a nap. But alas, I will be back at work tomorrow…loving every minute and squeezing those essential chores into the creases of my day, and I think that’s where they belong anyway.