40/365 Through the Looking Glass

"Through the Looking Glass"

One of the goals of the is year's Capture Your 365 Project is to include a self-portrait each month.  Not to be too blunt, but I hate this.  You may remember my thoughts on this last month.  Well, it wasn't any easier this month.  When you are not one who is prone to looking decent in pictures even when a skilled photographer is taking them, it is highly unlikely that the results are going to be even marginally good when you are taking the photo yourself.  All I can say on this one is that I did it.  It involved bathroom mirrors, camera self-timers, crawling under the tripod and making sure the "good towels" were hanging.  (They are the ones that didn't stick out in the background.  I'm now free from such torture until March.  

39/365 More Than One

"life is good"

As is patently obvious, I was not inspired or creative today.  For the prompt "more than one" it is the more than one "life is good" coffee mugs that we use each day to drink our more than one cup of coffee.

38/365 Senses

"Inner Vision"

Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes 

doesn't mean he lacks vision."  - Stevie Wonder

Of all the senses, I'm not sure why I chose to photograph sight, the weakest of my own senses.  

I love food; taste would have been a fun capture.  With all of the noise makers in my world - dogs, cats, music - hearing would have been easy.  I thought about stopping at the store on my way home from school and buying flowers, particularly nice smelling flowers.  And touch, with all the yarn of differing textures that I have in my stash, would have been a breeze as well.  I chose none of these.

As I made my way home thinking about whether or not to stop for flowers, I was struck with the realization that I needed to photograph sight.  Perhaps this is because I had been reading a book about the photographer's vision during lunch earlier in the day.  Whatever the reason, I was drawn to photographing sight and I could not resist the pull.

As I think about this now, perhaps this image is the picture of acceptance.  Being legally blind is not really something that you overcome; it is something that you learn to accept, accept in a positive way.  Sure, there are lots of things that I can't do, but there are things that sighted people can't do either.  More importantly, there are lots of things that I can do.  Some of them I can even do competently. To accept any kind of disability, one has to learn that she herself must be the one to define her boundaries and limitations.  Not someone else.  Not society.  

She must have a vision for herself.

In the words of Helen Keller,

"It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision."

37/365 Backlit

"Heaven's Light"

36/365 Nap

"A Long Week Ahead"

I thought today's picture would be a piece of cake.  There is always some furry four-legged critter napping around here somewhere.  Harley is usually asleep on the couch.  Adidas is usually in Weber's chair and Frankie is usually curled up in the divot that she has created for herself on the back of the chair in our bedroom.  I figured Frankie would be the easiest shot because she enjoys an afternoon nap with the sun shining in on her.

Just in case, I took the above picture at school this morning.  As I was walking through the student union, I saw this poor boy napping on one of the couches.  I'm not comfortable taking pictures of strangers and I'm not a stealth photographer, but this image was just so perfect for the prompt.  I had my iPad in my hand.  I quickly snapped the shot;  I didn't want to look like some crazed stalker or anything like that.  It is not a great picture technically, but it definitely conveys the idea of a nap.  You know it is going to be a long week when you find yourself this way at 9 am on Tuesday morning!  

The truth is that I didn't think that this would end up being THE picture of the day.

When I got home, I grabbed my camera and went hunting for my intended subjects.  Frankie was not in her typical spot.  She was on Brooke's bed - not really asleep.  She gave me this look that said, "I might be napping if you weren't in here with that **** camera."

 Adidas was having nothing of a nap.  Quite the contrary.  He was wide awake and gave me his sexy old Lab look as I headed toward him with the camera.

Harley, always wanting to be the one to please me, finally settled in for a little snooze, just long enough for me to get a picture of those scrunched closed eyes.  Harley may be sound asleep, but the ears never rest!

Naps of one of those awesome luxuries in life that I wish I experienced more often.  I definitely don't have enough of them!  Oh to be a cat or a dog . . .until they sound you out in the back yard to pee.

35/365 Beat

"Lifted Drum"

"We lift our drums confidently
or cautiously
and begin to play loudly
or softly
Wildly
or with reserve
From the heart
or from the head
Knowing our place in the song
or doubting ourselves."

34/365 A Splash of Red

"Grading"

I had  lot to do today to get all my ducks in a row for the upcoming school week.  I had told myself that I could not work on today's photo until all of my real work was done.  I was OK with that because I wasn't sure where I was going with the "splash of red" idea.  I didn't want one of those trite Valentine's Day candy shots like I have seen way too many of already.

As I was finishing up my grading, the above is what was in front of me.  It doesn't get much redder than that!  The funny thing here is that I almost never grade in red.  I prefer purple, but could not find my purple pen when I started this process.  I was more interested in getting it done than searching for my "real" grading pen.

After I got home from Resounding Harmony rehearsal, I played around a little with red.  This shot was just for fun.