Tag Archives: photography

Weekly Photo Challenge: Sky

Sunday marked the summer solstice (along with my anniversary…and this year, Father’s Day) and our gray skies are finally clearing to let the sun shine through.

And it was a beautiful first day of summer, especially as the setting sun gave a golden glow as I looked to the sky.

As the sun dipped low, the sky was painted in pinks with a tiny sliver of sun still shining through.

After a delicious celebratory dinner, we headed out for a walk on the pier. And as we looked to the sky, the moon appeared above the palms, a sliver accompanied by two bring planets nearby.

The nighttime walk was a perfect ending to the day…as the lights of the city reflected on the ocean water.

Earlier in the weekend, a beach walk allowed me to catch the sky’s sun silhouetting these surfers…making this unedited photo look like it was taken in black and white.

As our San Diego Area Writing Project’s Invitational Summer Institute began this week, I found myself not paying as much attention to the outdoors as I focused, instead, on developing this community of educators, writers, and thinkers. And then today, three days in, I had to take a few minutes at lunch to re-discover my surroundings on the UCSD campus. It’s cold inside the building, but outdoors the skies are blue and the scenery spectacular. I focused on this piece in the Stuart Collection (art on our campus). The Fallen Star is perched atop the engineering building–visible from the room where we hold the SI.

And when I turned around, there was the Geisel Library–another favorite subject for my lens, framed by the blue sky and the tall eucalyptus trees.

So, look up. What does the sky have to offer in your place this week? What are you noticing when you look skyward?

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

So look up toward the sky…what does the sky have to offer or what does it draw your attention to? I look forward to seeing what the sky will bring through your lens!

Objectify

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The word #object has come up a few times in the last week or so. First I heard about composing with things…and started thinking about how “things”…particularly photographs help me with my writing. And then Annelise Wunderlich at KQED offered a Do Now focused on selecting an ordinary object, experience, or material to represent or inspire you. (You can join in by posting yours on Twitter, Google+, Instagram, or Facebook using the #donowobject and #clmooc tags)

A number of ideas came to mind when I fhought about how I might objectify myself. Dandelions and other weeds come to mind…I love the way they thrive wherever they find themselves, rather than being dependent on others for ideal growth conditions.

But I think glass is the object I will pick. Geoff and I have been looking for beach glass on all of our beach walks over the last year. This glass on the beach is pretty rare–probably due to the ban on glass on the beach over the last decade. But we do find it–and that search for treasure on the shore has helped me to pay close attention the the interesting qualities of the glass.

Beach glass is not transparent. Unlike a window, it is not easy to look inside or through. Time and tumbling have created an opaque quality, no longer shiny and clear but instead the surface suggests a history hidden in the sanded surface.

My favorite pieces of beach glass are smooth to the touch and feel good in your hand. They are worn and rounded rather than sharp and angular. We often categorize the pieces of glass as we pick them up…some are young and sharp, juveniles in the glass world. But it’s the pieces worn smooth that are prizes in the glass game.

And beach glass plays well with others. It mingles with rocks and shells, sea creatures and seaweed. It hides in the sand, gets tossed in the tide, and reveals itself only when you take time to look.

Beach glass is my choice as an object of inspiration and representation.

Weekly Photo Challenge: On the Way

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This week I’m taking my inspiration from the Daily Post weekly photo challenge. One of the things I love most about photography is that it helps me pay attention to all I see…not necessarily at my destination (physical, mental, or emotional), but all along the way.

I happened to be down near Old Town the other day…and stopped for a few minutes at Presidio Park. Apparently it is a destination of choice for prom photos…there were lots of teenagers dressed in fancy attire. It was fun to watch them, but I focused my camera on the historic building and the lighting instead of photographing the kids.

And there is nothing like an old window to inspire an attempt at a window selfie. It’s certainly not spectacular in the selfie category…but the window is interesting.

And anyone who reads my blog knows how much I love a great walk on the beach. In spite of no sunshine in sight, there are always interesting things to see on a beach walk. I’m always trying a new angle on a pier shot…this one tries to get under and over at the same time.

I take lots of photos of seagulls and other seabirds. I love the way the brilliant blue of the pier railing helps focus attention on the seagull…who was quite patient as I took a few shots.

Last night was our annual outing with the third graders in our class. We took them rock climbing–it’s such fun to watch them challenge themselves higher and higher up the walls of the climbing gym. Even the most reticent climbers find their confidence…and beam as they do a little better on each trial. Afterwards we headed to a burger joint nearby for a shared dinner. Our students were fascinated by the pool table as they waited for their burgers…and I couldn’t resist playing around with this shot using the app Waterlogue to capture their curiosity and camaraderie. Learning isn’t confined to the classroom for these kids!

So what do capture with your camera as you’re on the way to somewhere else? What catches your eye before you reach your destination?

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

Keep your eyes peeled for interesting things to photograph as your are on your way to your destination. I can’t wait to see what you find through your lens!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Black and White

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This week we’ve been plagued with the notorious “May gray,” days with a marine layer so thick that it’s as if the world exists only in black and white. And in these days of digital photography, I take all my photos in color…but find myself sometimes wondering if a particular image would look better (or different) in black and white. So since our days have been lacking in color anyway, what better excuse for exploring images in black and white?

I noticed these motorcycles lined up across the street from me when we visited Julian over the weekend. With the gray skies and their headlights on, I wanted a way to focus attention on the motorcycles and their lights.

I loved the light in this photo of the dark red tulip and wondered what would happen if it were in black and white. The light is still the focal point, even with the absence of color.

That had me looking for an image with movement…like this one of the waves breaking under the pier. I miss the beautiful turquoise of the water, but love the vibrance of the splash against the pilings.

And there’s the ever iconic UCSD Geisel Library…this most recent photo was my attempt to capture the clouds behind it. There is something timeless about black and white images…

So this is your week to explore with the absence of color. What images will you capture in black and white? Which work well…which need color to bring out their beauty?

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

Even if you are not immersed in the gloom of “May gray,” experiment with black and white. I look forward to seeing black and white through your lens!

Getting Ready for #CLMOOC

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While I haven’t participated in #rhizo15, I have been intrigued by the ideas behind rhizomatic learning and the thinking that learners can direct themselves, learn from one another, and transform learning in the process. (If I have that wrong…someone please correct me!) And the Connected Learning MOOC, known as the #CLMOOC (massive open online collaboration) is starting up in a few weeks!

So instead of cleaning my house or working on report cards last week, I started playing with some photo apps, creating some photo art. And then yesterday Margaret Simon initiated a #digilit challenge…with the first week being focused on creating #photoart. How could I resist?

So I started with the image I had created using the app Waterlogue, creating a watercolor version of the photo I had taken. Then, because Margaret modeled adding poetry to hers, I decided to create a haiku to express why I had stopped and snapped the photo in the first place. I shared this image with her on Facebook yesterday.

And then today I decided to do some exploring and mess around with Thinglink to add some other media to the image. I started by adding a link to the original photo I had taken before turning it into a watercolor painting. I also decided to add a favorite piece of music, so I linked a YouTube video of Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World. And then, just for fun, I added the link to Margaret’s Pinterest page where there are examples of other’s #photoart. Here’s my result:

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/659592420828119042

I hope you will also join in the fun…create some #photoart…and join us at the CLMOOC starting in June!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Change

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Tonight was Open House at my school, that wonderful evening of celebrating all the learning that has happened all year. The third graders (and their parents and teachers) are feeling a bit melancholy, realizing that the end of three years is in sight and there is change in the air.

In addition to spending time chatting with families we currently teach, we also met many of the students who will be our first graders in the fall. Those shy, unfamiliar faces will soon be a part of our learning community.

Tonight’s Open House featured MACville–our student created community made up of twelve 32 x 32 inch grids. Each grid was planned by a group of four students working within the constraints of a building code. Here’s a peek at our cardboard community.

And when I got in my car to head home after a very long day, the sea and sky called to me. The weather forecasters have been predicting rain, but we often get a chance of rain in the forecast that comes to naught. But with the sun setting into the ocean and storm clouds gathering, I headed toward the beach with my phone in my pocket. As the wind whipped my hair and my jacket billowed around me, I snapped shots of the amazing colors of the sky and sea. No editing was needed, the light and clouds and water did all the work.

So where is the change in your life right now? In the weather? In your classroom? In your personal life? In your art?

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

Change is the air for me right now. What change will you capture through your lens?

The Quandary of the Invisible

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I’ve wrestled with this before…and yet, solutions are as invisible as the issue itself. How do we value and acknowledge what we can’t see?

On a windy day, we can see air. It moves flags and leaves and kites and pennants. We see it because we recognize that the movement means the wind is blowing, air is moving.

But when the air is still, we don’t notice the wind and the air becomes invisible, something we no longer notice or pay attention to. Work can be like that too. And so can learning.

We notice when someone is standing in the front of the classroom delivering instruction–that looks like work. We notice when someone leads a workshop, guiding teachers forward with their learning. But there’s so much work that is invisible to others.

We can see learning when students complete assignments, answer questions, lead discussions… But when that notebook is blank, when the assignment doesn’t get turned in, when the student fidgets with the shoelace instead of answering a question or contributing a comment, an absence of learning is often inferred.

In those moments when I get to talk to a student individually, having a casual conversation about a topic we’ve been learning about, I can sometimes recognize what was previously invisible to me. There’s more to learning than completing an assignment or answering a question. Just like there is more to work than punching the time clock or attending a meeting.

Behind every workshop, every lesson, every assignment or project are hours of invisible work. There is the planning and the thinking behind the planning. And behind that there is often reading and research, collaboration–sometimes in the form of a conversation over coffee or lunch, the gathering and production of materials…and more. And behind that, there are the phone calls, emails, and meetings that initiate the workshop planning. So much of the work we do is invisible to others and it’s easy to dismiss what we can’t see.

The trunk of a tree doesn’t sway in the breeze…but that doesn’t mean that the air is not there.

So how do we acknowledge, measure, and value what we can’t see?

Looking Beyond Ugly

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When I walked into the house today after work I noticed that the tulips in the vase on my dining room table were ready to throw out. They were leaning over, their dried blossoms hanging upside down nearly touching the table. I started to move them to the trash can…and then the afternoon light through the window shining on the near-dead plant caught my eye. And suddenly I could see the beauty in the crumbling blossoms that had seemed so ugly only moments before.

A photography tip aside: It was just last week that Joy from Joyfully Green had posted an article where she described the place–her dining room–that served as a photo studio because of the light it offers. (Joy has many tips to share…about photography and about living green.)

As a teacher, it’s my job to look beyond the ugly–the spaces where learning isn’t happening in the ways we want or expect–and figure out how to find the light that transforms. And it isn’t always easy. Sometimes it just seems easier to place blame, give in to frustration, or pass the buck. But then the light shines through my dining room window and I can look beyond the ugly and find the beauty.

(Five Stories…not sure if I followed the rules, but thanks for encouraging me to tell a story today!)

Enveloped in Possibility

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I love this time of the school year. At least the part that is about my students. (Yeah…there are too many meetings, too much drama about which students are going where for next year, too much paperwork…filling in forms, checking off boxes, signing off forms for this and that.)

As a friend of mine recently said in an email, this is a time when we get to witness a fuller blossom of our students. We get to see what they can do when given time and space and opportunity…if we give them time and space and opportunity.

Like this slightly chewed and fully blossomed tulip, students open up at this time of the year. They dig into projects and expose their interests and thinking. They are enveloped in possibility.

Our students recently went to the San Diego Natural History Museum on a field trip. Their goal was to explore the new Coast to Cactus exhibit that features San Diego’s diverse ecosystems and find something that interested them. When they returned to the classroom. they researched this interest and then create a movie or blog post to teach someone else about what they learned. With time and a bit of technical support from us, our students inquired, composed, and created.

Here’s a couple of examples:

Ana (a third grader) got very interested in ghost shrimp…and couldn’t wait to learn more. She researched and wrote…working hard to explain what she learned in her own words and voice…and included her own drawing of a ghost shrimp. Here’s an excerpt:

Moist, murky water embraces the wetlands, cattails sway in the salty breeze, lush growth is everywhere. The wetlands are teeming with life. They are homes to birds, fish, and many mammals. However, many people ignore what’s happening deep down in the mud flats. The mudflat is a home to an amazing creature, the ghost shrimp

You can see her work here.

Eli (a second grader) noticed a mouse at the museum and couldn’t wait to learn more. And when he didn’t find the answers to his questions during his time researching in class, he went home and got his parents to help him with his research. He has also become our residence expert on iMovie…mentoring many of his classmates, helping them record and upload their own videos. Here’s his movie.

And those two are just the tip of the iceberg of what is happening in the classroom. Our students have cross-pollinated, pushing each other to consider new possibilities. Like the bee on this sunflower, they depend on each other as they reach and strive for new heights, solidify what they already know, and reach with a helping hand to lift their classmates. They are enveloped in a community of learners that allows them to bloom, to stumble, and to get up and try again.

And I am so lucky, because I am part of this community too…reaching and learning, enveloped in the energy and excitement of possibility.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Delicate

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There’s a storm heading our way (or promised, at least), and clouds have gathered. I’ve caught myself staring up into the sky, noticing the ways the clouds race across the sky, gather in delicate puffs, and capture light. At UCSD today, I was mesmerized by the clouds behind the Geisel Library…a very space ship looking building. I played around with the app Paintereque…I love the way it draws attention to the sky.

I’ve been paying a bit more attention to the ways my surroundings impact the way I feel…and have been picking up flowers now and then and putting them in my dining room. These red tulips were closed buds on Saturday, began to open up on Sunday, and yesterday I noticed them drooping gracefully and casting delicate tulip shadows when I got home from work.

With a late meeting earlier this week I couldn’t resist stealing away for a few minutes at the Torrey Pines Glider Port. This interesting place just a few minutes from the university offers breathtaking views of the ocean and, as an added bonus, opportunities to watch the hang gliders float on the breeze. From a distance they are like delicate birds, surfing the currents. Up close, they are much more ungainly.

Up in the mountains over the weekend, I explored the forest and meadows and noticed forces of nature as they whispered. The quiet was soothing and as I breathed deeply, I noticed this delicate butterfly (or is it a moth?) that settled long enough for me to take its portrait!

I loved all the wildflowers carpeting the forest. I noticed that many of the flowers were small and delicate…and often close to the ground like these tiny beauties.

And there is also a delicacy to these large, old oaks. Looking up I could appreciate the delicate branches reaching into the sky. Some were lush, with brilliant green leaves and others, like this one, seem to be declining. Maybe because of our persistent drought?

So what evokes delicate for you? Is it in the flight of a man-made object or the curve of a tree branch? Maybe you notice delicate in the smile of a child or the whiskers of your pet.

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

So take a look around, what strikes you as delicate? I’m looking forward to expanding my understanding of delicate by seeing it through your lens!