Life: Through the Lens

As I may have mentioned before, motivation to get out in the cold and unappealing winter weather is rather difficult to muster sometimes. I had a discussion with two of the 'children', and they agreed. As you can see, laying in front of a register is a much more desirable activity than slogging through the heavy and slushy snow right now. Maybe we'll get a good snow storm, bringing us a soft and sparkling mass of photographic possibilities. But for now, the register, or fireplace, is our best friend:).

I think I've mentioned before that I work with school children, each year a different photography project. I'd like to expand and work with more classes, but have been blessed to have a superb 5th grade teacher to work with, one who brings creativity in education to a new level. We were co-workers when I was still teaching for the district and our teaching styles blend well. Last year's project was one the children came up with, in connection with a "Going Green" unit the teacher was introducing. The students wanted to clean up their community. With grant money they designed a sign - "Litter Bugs Me" - which they placed at each of the sites they visited, and cleaned. The student teacher in the classroom was active in helping students design their project, and carry it out. My role was to teach them how to document the project - how to take photographs which told their story. They would use the photos as they presented their project to various community ...

It's difficult to get out and take photos in the winter. We have to work hard at finding motivation when the cold wind blows and the skies are gloomy. Sometimes it feels like we live in Siberia. This particular morning I couldn't make myself go outside, so I shot through the family room window - how lazy can you get?:) I particularly liked the sun trying to peek through, the dark sky, and the red barn adding a dash of color. It is fun to play with angle of view - which is very limited when you use half a sliding door because there is a screen on the other half. There are also so many dog prints to work around, you know! So, I knelt down to try this angle. Then I decided to get in tight, leaving the sky and sun out of it as much as possible. This is a nice shot, I think. This weekend it's supposed to warm up a bit, so I'd like to get some dripping icicles, maybe some shadows and sparkling snow? We shall see. We need to get through the work-week first! What are YOU shooti...

Snow blankets the ground, the world is quiet...still...and cold. As we pull out knitting, books, woodworking projects, and other indoor activities we have to force ourselves to get outside and look for winter scenes to photograph. It's difficult to photograph snow, and get it to be "white." If you have a 35mm camera and you can adjust your settings, add about two stops of light to your photographs by using the +/- dial. Your camera wants to see "gray," so snow can look dingy. We are still struggling with that perfect setting, and the only way to do that is practice. So last Saturday this is exactly what we did. Braving sub-zero wind chill factors, we bundled up and headed for snow-country. You decide - did we get close to having "white" snow?

Merry Christmas from our home to yours. May you have a peaceful holiday- time with friends and family, space to meditate on all that is right with the world, and the ability to do at least one small thing for the greater good. Pray Rest Revitalize Laugh Take Photographs... The New Year will be fast upon us!

Up a Lazy River Sometimes I just wonder what we're doing, careening through life as we do. The balance between work and play can quickly become unbalanced, leaving us frustrated and irritable. Going into the holiday season, we really need to refocus, remembering what's important. Setting priorities. Living each day without stressing over tomorrow. In the spirit of my "rant," I have been playing catch-up this morning, as I had an unexpected cancellation in my schedule. The catch-up is with myself. My present "calling" is to take time to rejuvenate the spirit. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration - enjoy each moment.

When was the last time you looked at something you see all the time, like this tiny pod, and saw something new? The patterns and colors are truly beautiful, and worthy of more attention. Everything old is new again. What have YOU found lately that calls for a second look?