Tag Archives: photography

Weekly Photo Challenge: Curves

Life is filled with curves–just when you think you see what is coming straight ahead, the path curves and brings something unexpected.

It’s been hot, hot, hot here this week…and yes, we do complain about anything higher than 80 in these parts. Mostly we don’t have a/c…so last night after a sweltering few days in the classroom and sleepless nights at home, we headed to the beach to attempt to cool off. And while it wasn’t really cool, it was refreshing to have those coolish waves lap at our calves and treat our eyes to the beauty of the sun settling into the curve of the waves.

Earlier in the day my students were exploring water. They used pipettes to place water drops on a penny…and in the process discovered that water drops stick to each other and create little mountains or egg yolk shapes (in their words). You can see the curve of the surface tension in this shot.

Last weekend’s adventures led me to some beaches I don’t usually visit. And with high surf warnings, waves crashed in dramatic ways, shooting curves of salty water into the air…almost creating their own water version of a fireworks show!

Meanwhile, this dancer stood nearby as a photographer worked to create beautiful photos of her in her skirt of curved leaves.

A kite caught in a palm tree turned into curved ribbons of celebration–a festive sight to behold.

And back closer to home, I found a half dollar on the beach…or half a sand dollar! The curve that is visible suggests the curve that is missing, probably tossed and broken in the surf.

And I am drawn to the brilliant colors and elegant curves the prevalent bird of paradise. Using my zoom lens, I was able to focus on the bloom and yet, you can still see the ocean blurred in the background.

So where are the curves in your life this week? Did they sneak up and surprise you? Delight you? Create chaos or celebration? You might find your curves in the natural beauty of your surroundings or they might be metaphorical curves expressed in an image.

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

Take a look for your curves this week. I look forward to seeing them through your lens!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Beginnings and Endings

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It turns out that the last days of August mark beginnings and endings for some of us. This week was our first week of school with students, the beginning of the new school year…with sweltering heat (it seems to come only during our first weeks of school) and no air conditioning. And our students were excited to be back…even taking the time to pick a beautiful rose of two from their home garden to set the back to school mood.

And in spite of the heat, our learners dove right in, whether it was a first day team challenge to build the highest tower possible using only large index cards,

or collecting data in small groups to display in graphs to help us get to know each other better (and what student doesn’t love a clipboard?)

And while this new beginning was underway, we were also feeling the full blast of the end of summer. Who can resist the allure of the layers of color from beneath a pier, while dipping your feet in the cool salty water?

And it seems that the fishermen are also squeezing in the last of the summer fishing season…off the piers, in the surf…during the heat of the day or in the cooler evening hours.

And last night, to celebrate the ending of the first week of school and to escape the heat of indoors, we headed to the beach at sunset…which also happened to coincide with the moonrise…and a full moon!

It’s been quite a week of beginnings and endings for me. What is beginning and ending in your life this week? You can represent it literally…by capturing a moment, or use a metaphoric approach and use an image that reflects your feelings of beginnings and/or endings.

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

How will you capture beginnings and endings this week? I’m looking forward to seeing beginnings and endings through your lens!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Underfoot

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As I walk along the shoreline, I can feel the grains of sand under my feet. Along some stretches the sand feels smooth, almost like quicksand where my heels sink in the sponginess of the saturated surface. The sandpipers see this place as their seaside restaurant, poking their long beaks deep into the sand for a meal.

Some places are firm…firm enough for bike riding when the tide is low, with surfboards secured in sidecars to make them easy to transport.

Sometimes that sand underfoot can be scooped up to create magnificent castles, complete with moats and and a seashell flag on top.

Other times what’s under your feet is floating on the surface of the water.

When the tide is high, there’s not much place for feet at all…and even the lifeguards have to be careful that they can get their vehicles through as the tide rises.

And where are the feet that belong to these shoes? Probably out cooling off in the Pacific Ocean…the perfect summer solution for underfoot!

So what is underfoot in your life this week? Capture the surface your feet find themselves walking on this week, or maybe these things–physically or metaphorically–that seem to be tripping you up.

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

My feet seem drawn to the sand…where are you finding your feet? I look forward to seeing how you interpret underfoot through your lens!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Endless

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There is an endless quality to summer, especially those hot days in August. Endless sunshine, endless heat, endless time…well, not that. Time still seems to run too fast and I already see the end of that rare unstructured time.

But I have some other images of endless…this one from our local beach where I detoured on my way home yesterday after being stuck in what seemed like endless traffic. I love the sun going down behind the lifeguard and his vehicle, with silhouettes of the beachgoers in the background. This seems like a classic image of endless summer.

And there is the endless mirror-like smoothness of the water that when the light is just right, reflects both color and figures like in this photo of the cliffs reflected along the shore along with the sandpiper.

Who can resist the endless sweet and saltiness of Garrett’s popcorn? After trying it while I was in downtown Chicago, I had to seek it out at the O’Hare airport and get “one for the road.” Endless yummy!

There is this quirky little park not far from where I live that once belonged to an old time movie star named Leo Carillo. The park features some historic structures, wide open spaces…and peacocks! Peacocks are endlessly fascinating to me…tall and graceful…and loud! There are tons of them there, all descendants of the peacocks that Leo Carillo loved and nurtured.

I was so surprised when I noticed the peacock in the trees. And as much as I wanted the amazing photo of the peacock in the tree, I love the way this photo captures the range of colors I saw–including the colorful plumage of the peacock.

Bees are in endless motion, seemingly never at rest. I found these guys doing their pollination work on a colorful bird of paradise.

And of course, there is the endless curiosity of cats. Phil and Jack, even in their golden years, never let anything new go unexplored. Here they are camped out on the new printer that arrived to replace the one than gave up the ghost last week (right when we needed it most, of course). This new one even prints from my phone! Endless innovation!

So what seems endless in your life right now? Endless outdoor play? Endless picnics and fresh squeezed lemonade? Endless preparation for the new school year?

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

The dog days of summer are upon us…look around for evidence of endless. Endless might be literal or figurative…or maybe a wish for more illusions of endless. Take some shots and share them! I’m looking forward to seeing endless through your lens!

Urban Mountains

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I’ve spent some time over the last year exploring mountains…and testing my body and my endurance. I’ve walked for miles, enjoyed wildflowers, listened to birds, noticed clouds, smelled pine trees and the musky aroma of sage. I experienced California’s drought, seeing hundreds of dead trees and dangerously low water levels and reveled in the beauty that nature has to offer.

As I walked through downtown Chicago over the weekend, I found myself thinking about how the skyscrapers are like urban mountains standing tall and proud, shading one side while the sun shines on the other, reflecting the sky and creating canyons and valleys between them.

I’ve logged lots of miles in the last few days and I love the way that walking brings me up close with the city. Old sits next to new, the homeless rubbing shoulders with the wealthy, sweet smells of Garrett’s carmel popcorn on one block, sour smells of trash and filth on the next.

And I was seduced into joining the throngs of other tourists (from all over the world) to experience the view of Chicago from 103 stories above. What was formerly Sears Tower is now known as Willis Tower, the tallest building in the US (and there are some who insist in the world). 110 stories tall with radio towers making it taller, this building is a feat of engineering that was built in the 1970’s. And in spite of having been in Chicago a number of times before this, I had never gone up…or even walked by this building before!

I was determined to not only brave the long lines and go up…but while up there I decided to battle my intense fear of heights and walk out on the plexiglass sky bridge, looking straight down at the ground so far below my feet!

Yeah, it was scary…hand sweating, vertigo-inducing, catch your breath scary. I’ve been up high before…the Space Needle in Seattle, the Empire State Building in NYC, but the sky deck took away the comfort of window ledges and railings, leaving me with clear plexiglass as safety from falling. But I went out there not once, but three times. Each easier than the one before, although I can still feel my hands dampen as I write this.

I was even able to snap a few playful selfies with my husband, who enjoyed every minute of this sky high experience.

Once down, we circled the building to find those plexiglass outcroppings from the outside. The height is even more impressive looking up–the sky deck is barely visible from the ground! (Look closely–maybe even click on the photo to bring up a larger version to see them!)

You don’t have to be in the wilderness to enjoy the outdoors. There is lots to see and experience right outside the door. And I fell in love with the interactive art in the park spaces in downtown Chicago. The bean in Millennium Park encouraged people to come close, stand back, group up…and of course, take plenty of photos, while also reflecting the beauty of the urban mountains.

And on a hot summer day it was fun to watch people interacting with these tall brick fountain structures that also include projections of faces, facing each other.

I’m glad we spent time exploring the urban mountains of Chicago, walking miles and seeing the city up close. It might not be a National Park, but it was fun exploring the great urban outdoors!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Golden

Public Privilege

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I spend a lot of time on the beach, walking and thinking and taking pictures. In this public space, even in a crowd, I feel a sense of solitude. Wrapped in the sounds of the sea, the wind on my face and the sun on my shoulders I pay attention the rhythms of the earth. I notice the ways the landscape changes, the habits of the seabirds, the movement of the sun and the moon, and the way the tides ebb and flow. No two days are ever the same…and yet this place is always the same.

I also notice the people who come in many shapes and sizes. I notice that they are more the same than different, looking like the people who live in my neighborhood and attend the school where I work. Of course there are visitors, vacationing along the shore…and the ever present #beachpeople who constantly interest, inform, and surprise me with all the things they do at the beach.

In this place, people shower in public,

play in public,

hangout in public,

and learn in public.

And with my camera in my hand, most people pay little attention to me even while I pay a lot of attention to them.

After all, this is a public place. Everyone is welcome. Or are they?

Sometimes I wonder about the gulls, often looked upon as pests. I’ve heard them called “rats,” a nod to their role as scavengers…and maybe to their highly adaptable behavior.

But who else is not welcome here? I notice patrols on the beach, mostly lifeguards but sometimes sheriffs in their vehicles cruise the beach. Are they keeping beachgoers safe or looking for troublemakers? Do those mean the same thing?

And where does public end and private begin? At the no trespassing sign?

What does my privilege allow me to see? And what does it blind me to?

So much to consider as I walk this beach…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Group

Weekly Photo Challenge: #Make Art

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Some days finding a photo to take and post is a challenge. Most of the photos I take are “found”–meaning that I don’t stage them other than moving around to get a better angle or to change the light. I seldom arrange things or stage a shot. But yesterday was different.

First, I was thinking about the idea of re-mediation, a concept being explored in the second make cycle of the CLMOOC. My photo-a-day prompt was shadow…and I had just gotten home from a full day at the Summer Institute. As a break from working on my #beachpeople documentary, I grabbed my camera and headed outside to look for a shadow opportunity. Nothing was grabbing my attention–the shadows I noticed seemed ordinary.

That’s when I decided to pick a dandelion puff. As I looked at it I wondered how I might photograph it in a different way. I thought about blowing on it…but couldn’t figure out how to hold it, blow on it, and photograph it at the same time…and where would I get shadow from that? Instead, I started holding the dandelion out to see how it cast its shadow. I tried the sidewalk, the side of the house, my car mirror, and the shiny paint of my car. I had to work to get the focal length of my lens right so some portion of the shot would be crisp. I took a number of shots.

When I headed back inside to study my work, I noticed some interesting images…but I wondered if I might re-mediate them in some way. I rejected my go-to apps and started to explore some that I seldom use. PicsArt caught my eye–could I transform this experiment into something that looked like art…rather than a photograph? (I do think photos are art–but I was looking for something that looked less like a photo and more like a painting or some other kind of art.)

Here’s what I started with–the original, unedited photo.

And here’s the art I made as I re-mediated the image.

I love the resulting image–the crispness of the near dandelion and the echo from the shadow. I might need to print this one and hang it in my house somewhere!

So, make some art! That might mean playing with some new editing apps, staging the perfect scene, or maybe even catching someone else making art like I did on today’s beachwalk! (Love catching #beachpeople in action!)

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

So grab your camera and make some art! You make the rules…and feel free to re-mediate and let your imagination run wild!

#beachpeople: a documentary

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As I have worked to grow and stretch with my photography over the last few years, I discovered a genre of photography called street photography. The idea is to document the people and activity on the street. I haven’t studied much, but it seems that this photography comes out of cities…places where activity on the street is common, especially if you are paying attention.

This is a harder kind of photography for me, my natural inclination is to pay attention to nature and scenes rather than people and their activity. It’s also about feeling intrusive, taking pictures of people instead of things. I’ve read that many street photographers talk to their subjects and ask permission to take photos of them. And this makes sense to me…but also takes away some of the candid nature of capturing the action in the moment.

So, I have been exploring this idea of street photography on my own terms, in my own place. I started to capture interesting moments and interesting people on my beachwalks and hashtagging those photos with #beachpeople. I love the variety of #beachpeople I come across. They are interesting and diverse. Some are obviously tourists visiting from other places–across the county and across the world. And some are natives, the beach is their place.

As this week’s make cycle in the CLMOOC comes to an end, I’ve been considering what the idea of re-mediation means for me…and what my make might be. And I started thinking about this collection of #beachpeople images. I decided to I would take these still images and create a documentary-of-sorts.

That took some doing. I considered using animoto and just tossing my photos in and letting animoto do the work. But I felt constrained by the 30 second free movie and the lack of editorial control. So I decided on iMovie–I’ve fiddled with it before (here and here)…but that also meant if I didn’t want to use the overly familiar iMovie music, I would have to figure out how to access open source music. I found this track called Folka Dot Tie by Mr Crispy–The Rat Room that created the sort of mood I was looking for and went to work.

As the mother of a filmmaker, I know what I want things to look like…but not necessarily how to do those things myself. I did discover some options that I didn’t know about as I positioned the photos and got them to move. And after spending hours getting to this point, I’m going to let this be good enough for now. I hope this re-mediation captures the variety and character of this small subset of #beachpeople, documenting just a few of the many reasons I treasure my beachwalks…and enjoy viewing the world through my lens.

I’d love to know what you think when you take a peek at my #beachpeople