Tag Archives: writing

Beach Hues: Monochromatic

The beach offers me endless inspiration, stimulating my senses with the light, the life, the variety…and the sameness.

The ocean and the shoreline is an endless variety of blues, whites, and grays. Some days the colors are vibrant and fully saturated, other days, they are muted–layering hues of a single color in subtle textures like this image of a seagull taking flight toward the wave rolling in.

Sometimes the sky is reflected in the wetness of the ground. Clouds to walk in, waves to walk in…echoes of each other.

And look up and see the clouds like waves, a backdrop for a tiny airplane, perhaps a biplane, awash in blue and white.

It is the monochromatics of the beach that help me see texture, that force me to look closely to notice the daily changes and the endless variety of the cliffs, the waves, the sky, the shoreline…

Light and angle–twin photography tools–teach me about seeing and finding the beauty in the extraordinary sameness of the beach.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Red

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: Summer Favorites

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Summer doesn’t officially end for a month still, and it will seem like summer for longer than that in these parts, but the beginning of the new school year has me thinking about some of my favorite photos of summer.

Exploring Malibu with my son led me to take this photo of seagulls from behind. There is something wonderful and whimsical about this shot of seagull butts!

And there is nothing quite like spending time at the San Diego County Fair–a huge extravaganza of animals, food and light. I never seem to tire of photographing goats.

I’ve also been messing with some night photography this summer. Here a few of my favorites. Nighttime with the moon at the fair,

Oceanside from the pier,

and a Chicago sunset reflected in the windows of the Signature Lounge.

And I love to photograph nature as I find it. Bees at work,

the beauty of a spider’s web in the early morning dew,

and black sage in bloom.

I never tire of sunsets,

or fireworks,

and water seems to be my life-force!

So this is your week to look through your summer pictures and highlight a few favorites…or head out with your camera and capture some new favorites before the summer makes an exit.

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

Putting this post together encouraged me to do a bit of photo curating…something I need to be more systematic about…and as I browsed through I also got to reflect on a wonderful summer filled with whimsy, fun, and lots of love. I hope you enjoy a week of thinking about your summer favorites! Can’t wait to see a glimpse of summer-in-review 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!

Savoring Summer: August’s Photo-A-Day Challenge

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It’s so easy to barrel through life, focused on all the tasks there are to do, checking things off on the mental to-do list, looking ahead and planning ahead…and missing what is right in front of you. My camera helps a bit, when I am taking pictures I tend to slow down, look closely, consider angles and light…and I also seem to notice sounds and textures, smells and even tastes because I am paying attention.

I recently read something about a savoring walk…it was part of a post about ways to practice gratitude, but I was immediately drawn to it as a way to pay attention and really experience the moments in front of me. In their explanation, you should take a walk for 20 minutes each day and notice as many positive things as you can using any and all of your senses. They encourage you to acknowledge each of these in your mind–truly savor them–don’t just let them slip away.

This struck me as an interesting way to consider taking photos. How could a photo account for an experience I noticed with my sense of smell? I could document that sweet candy smell that permeated the area when I walked into Dylan’s Candy Bar in Chicago by sharing my picture of the giant lollypops that hung overhead, and looking back at it would bring me back and help me remember and savor that experience.

Walking through Millennium Park I noticed the flowers blooming, and when I moved closer I could hear the soft buzz of bees at work. My husband is always reminding me to be careful, there’s bees there. But I love to lean close and watch these fascinating creatures hum…they never seem to be still. The macro lens is my friend when it comes to bees, helping me savor these buzzy moments!

As I motored up the river on an architectural tour, the buildings were the main focus of attention. And they deserve attention! They come in all shapes and sizes–tall boxes, some with exoskeletons, some made up of triangles. These corn cob shaped ones are quite distinctive, with their layered rounded edges creating interesting and unique textures you can almost feel with your eyes.

And as I attended to the buildings, I noticed all the window washers hanging off the sides of these metal and glass giants! Even after my fear-conquering trip up Sears Tower, I’m sure I wouldn’t like hanging off the sides of tall buildings as my work! I wonder how many window washers are employed in Chicago?

And sometimes savoring is all about standing back and taking the broad view. I savored this moment looking across the Chicago Institute of Art and noticing my husband taking a photo of the Chicago skyline through the long lines of the Art Institute windows.

A ferris wheel? Yep, an iconic landmark…and a fun way to enjoy the view of the lake and the city. And as we stood in line to buy a ticket, I noticed that I could see the cityscape framed in silhouette through the wheel…another moment worth savoring!

Shoulder to shoulder with thousands and thousands of locals and tourists, I enjoyed an evening at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion watching the taping of the NPR show, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me with some NWP friends. There was a sense of community and warm summer night relaxation in spite of the large crowd. People were friendly, laughter flowed, and fun was had by all!

And the festivities continued into the evening as the smell of wet concrete mixed with the glow of the blue moon and the lights of the city to create the perfect nightscape for summer play. It was fun to watch these young people invent games to entertain themselves as they cooled off and enjoyed a warm July evening.

So take some time to savor summer throughout the month of August, slow down and go beyond your eyes to use all your senses as you notice and appreciate your world. Here’s some prompts to get your started.

1. Sweet

2. Whisper

3. Smooth

4. Salty

5. Textured

6. Up

7. Complex

8. Layers

9. Loud

10. Crinkly

11. Below

12. Constant

13. Sweaty

14. Rhythm

15. Slick

16. Rough

17. Fresh

18. Down

19. Squished

20. Sharp

21. Melodic

22. Savory

23. Wet

24. Blue

25. Distant

26. Crisscrossed

27. Soft

28. Rolling

29. Transparent

30. Spin

31. Refreshing

Our challenge will allow us to learn from each other as we shoot our own photos and study the photos others shoot. Every day of the month includes a word prompt to inspire and challenge you as you savor your experiences . You are welcome to follow them in order, mix them up, or throw in a new word prompt for the rest of us to try. You can post every day, once a week, or even sporadically throughout the month…whatever works in your life.

Be sure to share and tag your photos with #sdawpphotovoices so we can find them! You can share on Twitter (follow me @kd0602), on Instagram (@kd0602), in the CLMOOC community on G+, on Flickr, or even link back to my blog here.

I’m looking forward to seeing how you savor your summer experiences…through your lens!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Night

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…