I love the way my camera makes me pay attention.  I’ve said it before–and it’s true.  On a walk last weekend I waited for a while at a crosswalk.  It’s one of those new systems styled to prevent serious injury by pedestrians hit by cars by stopping all the traffic at once and allowing people to cross not only from corner to corner at an intersection, but on the diagonal as well.  And as I crossed I noticed the fire hydrant–painted like a cow!  I couldn’t resist this bit of whimsy and knelt to snap the photo.

On the beach not far from there I found myself watching a family with a kite.  It was sunny, but cool and breezy along the beach–perfect kite flying weather.  As they launched the kite, I noticed it was a panda…complete with long legs.  I snapped away eager to capture that panda in the air.  I do love the whimsy of the panda skimming the surface of the ocean.

Sometimes you have to make the best of the errands you need to run.  I headed down towards the airport in the middle of the week to pick my husband up from a trip.  I had fifteen minutes before his plane landed…and rather than park and wait at the airport, I veered off toward the waterfront downtown.  I found a parking place, grabbed my camera and started walking.  The masts and rigging of the historic ships beckoned, even with the sleek lines of the massive cruise ship in the background.  I looked up and noticed the sun peeking through the sheets of the sail, with clouds providing background texture.  I love the whimsical interplay of nature and design, organic shapes and sharp angles.

Sunsets are always a favorite, the golden yellows and oranges lighting up the sky as the sun dips below the horizon.  But sometimes, shooting near the beach, the view looks similar shot after shot.  Last week’s sunset photo had me searching for something more and I found myself kneeling near wildflowers, behind tree branches, framing the setting sun with a whimsical extra.  Here’s one of my creations.

A meeting with our writing project state network had me on a quick trip from the southernmost corner of our state where I live to Sacramento, our state capital, about three quarters of the length of the state away.  With such a large state, there are many differences from place to place, including climate and sunlight.  Away from the coast I was noticing the heat…and smelling the agriculture surrounding us.  I love these little wheat-like plants I found growing near the parking lot.

I’m always in wonder about the work of architects.  As I walked into the building for our meeting, I was struck by the high ceilings and the light.  There’s a wonderful whimsy about the blue beams framed beneath the white ceiling, making me wonder about the intents of this design by the architect.

And I love that so many airports have embraced art as an iconic symbol of place.  I’m not sure why the Sacramento has a giant red bunny  perched between the escalators–but I love the whimsy of it!  And for me, it seems to represent Sacramento as a quick hop–a place I seem to bounce in and out of as I meet with colleagues across the state.

So take a look around you, where are you finding whimsy this week?  What strikes you as playful or odd or a combination of the two?

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

Be on the lookout for the whimsical…and share your whimsy with us!