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.  

33/365 A Shadow

"Flying"

I am envious of many of the folks on the Capture Your 365 forum because they have little ones at home to provide endless photo opportunities.  So when Erin came over with her rollerblades, I decided to take advantage of the situation and grab my camera.  

Though the shadow is not the predominant feature in this picture, I love the angle that it creates with her body.  In fact, this image is all about angles.  I shot this on the diagonal in an attempt to de-emphasize the less than perfect background.  I don't know if that worked, but I do like the overall effect of this one.

Here is another shadow image.

Erin and her skates also gave the opportunity to practice taking action shots.  I was shooting for clarity. Next time I'll work on motion blur.  This girl is serious about her skating.

In between laps around the circle, we talked about how kids used to spend weekends at the local skating rink, about how much fun that was and the exercise that it provided.  Now kids sit on the couch, drink soda and eat chips and play virtual sports. No wonder today's children are plagued with health issues.

She did lighten up and smile.

There were moments when the expression on her face emanated pure joy.

Even youth tires.  She took a break and offered me the opportunity to take a spin on her skates.  As an adult, I owned a pair of rollerblades and I actually used them, but that was a long time ago.  Without giving it much thought, I kicked off my shoes and buckled those skates around my ankles.  Off I went . . .sort of.  Suddenly I realized just how long it had been since I was on skates.  Suddenly I realized that my shins hurt.  Suddenly I realized that I had to play a gig that night and if I fell and broke my arm I was going to be in a world of hurt both literally and figuratively.  If that all wasn't bad enough, I suddenly realized that my beloved child had picked up my camera and was documenting all of this.  That was enough to make me determined not to do a face plant in the middle of the circle.

All things considered, I did pretty well.  I was reminded of how much I like to skate and how weak my ankles have gotten.  I did have fun and I managed a smile as well.

Erin is trying to convince me to get a pair of rollerblades.  Doing so will either keep me young or accelerate the aging process.  Once I figure out which of those is more likely, Ill make a decision on whether or not to buy some skates.  

We both had a good afternoon of fun.  Hopefully there will be more like it.

Am I too old for this??

32/365

"Words of Wisdom"

One of the nice things about teaching at the college level is that you can become friends with your students without being fired or arrested.  When this happens, I find that the learning is a two way street. One such student brought me this quote this week.  As someone who has been married longer than I have been alive,  I am going to trust her and Twain on this one!

31/365 On the Thirds

"My Boots"

Today's task was to create an image that clearly illustrates the "rule of thirds."  If your frame is divided into nine equal blocks, the interest in the photo should be at the intersection of a vertical and a horizontal line.  With a little imagination, this one works.

As an added bonus, while shooting for today's prompt, I also accomplished the second assignment for the online class that I am taking, which was to photograph "half".  What's up with the fractions today?

This image may be pushing the parameters a bit.  One boot divides the frame in half vertically and the other one divides it horizontally.  I suspect that if I am held to the letter of law, I will be told that this picture has too much in it.  We'll see.

I have always been one to push the limits.  I don't see that changing any time soon.

30/365 Faceless Portrait

"Evening in the Park"

I love silhouette shots though I have never taken any.  When I first saw the "faceless portrait" prompt earlier in the month, I decided that I wanted to try to take a silhouette.  What I failed to do was figure in some time to learn how to do it before today.  So, armed with little knowledge and little time, we headed to the park to give it a try.  I can say two things: 1) I tried. and 2) I have a lot to learn.  On a positive note, I am a sucker for just about any image of this guy in his hat so I'm OK with this first attempt.  Everything worth doing in life has a learning curve.

29/365 Circle

"Making Yogurt"

Some days you just have to take the path of least resistance or simply go with the obvious.  This afternoon I was making our weekly ration of yogurt.  I should have done this two days ago but time got away from me and I didn't get it done.  As I was pushing the "On" button, I was struck with how many circles were present in the yogurt maker.  The maker itself is round; the lids are round; the "aesthetic interest" in the lid also has a couple of circles.  A photograph of a yogurt maker is not exactly the image that everyone wants to hang on the wall in their living room, but it was an important picture in my day today and in our lives in general.  I have to remind myself that my goal here is not to create a masterpiece everyday.  It is to Capture my 365.  Perhaps I waited until today to make the yogurt so that I would see the beauty in a simple thing like the yogurt maker.

One of the things that I love about having a photo prompt every day is that it causes me to look at the world, my world, completely differently.  I am becoming constantly aware of every place's, person's and thing's possibilities.  I have made yogurt every week for a year or more, but today the simple beauty of its many circles leaped out.  As I went through my day I noticed the roundness of many other things as well - my morning tea's K-cup, the "Caution Automatic Door' sign as I entered school, my travel mug, my hair band and the list goes on.  Tomorrow I will notice different things.  My routine will be the same, but my attention will be drawn in a different direction.  I like this newness.  It reminds me that every day brings with it gifts  just waiting to be unwrapped.

Here is today's runner-up photo.  It contains more circles than did  the above image, but it is less obvious what it is.  Which one do you like best?

"Yogurt Circles"

28/365 Sunset

"At Sunset"

Beautiful sunsets are not uncommon around here, but today, when the prompt was "sunset", there was no sun to be found.  During the golden hour the sky was blanketed in heavy gray clouds being blown around by some fairly strong winds.  I had two choices for today's picture.  I could have dug through past images and found a sunset picture to satisfy the day's topic; or, I could take a picture that reflected my day today.  I opted for the second option.  A picture AT sunset rather than OF a sunset.  What''s a little shift in prepositions between friends?

We had just enough time to head home after school, let the dogs out, grab my camera and head to the park.  I was hopeful that maybe the sun would peek out just for a minute or two.  No such luck.  I took some pictures of the bare trees against the gray sky and some of the ducks swimming on the rippled water.  Weber then pointed out this egret catching the breeze.  It was so windy that I had a hard time holding my camera steady and he/she was moving quickly.  I wish this were a little sharper, but its not. I'll have to live with that.

I like the way the water looks.  Its texture is the result of the wind and the aperture setting.  The color is the reflection of the overcast skies.

Today is one of those days where credit comes from remaining faithful to the process of taking a picture every day rather than from creating an exceptional image.

I'll have to put a picture of a sunset on my to-do list.