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.

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!