random | Thinking Through My Lens

I don’t cook, but I love watching cooking shows. Competition shows are my favorite. I love figuring out who will be eliminated, where the flaws are in their technique, identifying just what crisis will put the contestant in some kind of dire possibility of failure. But somehow, they do not motivate me to head to the kitchen. (Luckily, my husband, who does cook, also enjoys these shows and does get motivation from watching!)

Why is it that now that it is officially spring, the forecast for tomorrow is summer? The irony is that summer in southern CA generally arrives late…like July. But we are expecting temps near 80 tomorrow and Wednesday. Summer-like weather does NOT bring out the best in students.

Shoes make the outfit. At least that used to be my thinking. Lately I seem to base my clothes choices on which will allow me to get away with wearing tennis shoes. And somehow, I also seem to have more tennis shoes to wear! Granted, teaching means being on your feet all day long, so comfy shoes have always been a must, but looking fashionable (or even professional) has taken a back seat these days.

Just some random thoughts on a Monday afternoon in March (when I should be finishing up report cards)! What are you thinking about today?

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!