It’s July! For Americans, the beginning of July is celebrating our nation’s birth. For France, that comes another 10 days later. (sorry, that’s as international as I get today).
So, since one of the colors of the American flag is red, this week’s theme is RED!
Just a little photographic hint. Red is a very powerful color. You really don’t need a lot in order to make it stand out. A little goes a long ways!
I have a confession to make.
I’m a morning person.
I may not be bounding out of bed in the morning, but I love the fresh start. Especially in summer, when it’s cool and fresh.
So, since the June store collab is “Summer Morning,” I thought it would be fitting to have that for the challenge this week!
This is a normal part of my morning:
Yes, we have FOUR day-by-day calendars. Two are funny, two are pencil puzzles. And iced coffee is a *must*.
I’m not very detail-oriented.
Don’t believe me? Ask my husband. There’s a reason I’m the one with the roller and he’s doing all the cutting-in while we paint.
But I do occasionally notice important details, like this morning.
My son’s eyelashes. He has the best lashes in this house.
The freckles. They’re already getting more pronounced, but they’re still sweet and innocent. (and subtle, unlike the ones on MY face!)
The need for a haircut.
The innocence. He’s such a sweet, awesome little guy.
Now it’s your turn! Find something that may be a normal sight, but that you see with “new eyes” this week. It’s a great chance to use your macro lens if you have one (or macro setting on your camera), or your prime lens if you have one (I used my 50mm f/1.8 for this), but even without those, just capture some details before they’re gone!
There’s always a lot of movement in summer. This week, why not take some time to photograph it??
Then don’t forget to come back and show us!
My daughters were in a ballet performance last weekend, and this was one of my favorite shots from the rehearsal the day before. I love how high she gets, and she got excited about how pointy her toes are. She’s a fabulous ballerina, already at 5!
June is a time of weddings, of graduations…both are new beginnings, but also the end of something.
For me, this year, June is a time of transition. We’re taking the first steps toward a big move out of state. It’s the end of this chapter of my life: the city where I had all three children, the state where I was born and got married, and the climate I’ve almost always experienced.
The first step of that is getting the house on the market. Taking pictures of the finished rooms is a chance for me to reminisce, on top of actually getting shots for the listing.
I hope you take the time to slow down and look back this week. And if you get a picture of that, please come share it with me! If you post it on your blog (hint, hint, dear cousin-of-mine), come back with a link!!!
What would we do without memories?
For one thing, our dreams would be really boring.
But I think photographs would be even more important, if they could somehow bring the past back to life for us.
(I’ll believe that, anyhow, and not that pictures would be unnecessary because they didn’t mean anything to us without the memory there. Go with me, okay?)
So this week’s theme is “memories.”
This year we explained to the kids what Memorial Day is about, and then took them to see a parade. Everyone dressed in red,white and blue, and the kids all stood and saluted the military as they came by. Jasmine (7, not the one pictured here) told me after it, “today was a good day and a sad day, too.” I love that they have the tiniest little inkling how powerful it is, but also how much it can cost, to be an American!
“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” (Greg Anderson)
This week’s challenge is to capture the journey. Whatever that means to you.
To me, this is best summed up in a collage of pictures of my husband’s experience on Sunday. My Christmas present to him last year was a 16-lap race car experience, and the date we booked back in January finally came!
As the path is a circle, this experience really is about the journey!!
Let’s face it. Sometimes we’re not perfect.
Well, I can’t speak for you. I’m not perfect. I might like to put up a good front, but I’m not.
Sometimes the shot that I have in my head…just doesn’t quite make it into my camera.
So this week’s challenge is ‘letting go of perfect.’ It could be an “outtake,” or it could be something beautiful that itself isn’t quite perfect.
I recruited my friend, the amazing Bryn Clark of Moxie Blue Photography, for this week’s challenge.
What makes you happy?
I’m in the midst of taking pictures of the youngest ballet classes. I’m absolutely loving it. Even though I don’t know the girls, it’s fun to capture their personalities. And nothing is quite as cute as a 5-year-old in a leotard and skirt!
What’s your muse? I can’t wait to see a picture of what makes you happy!
It’s May!! Time for all the gardens to be looking lush and green.
So this week’s photo challenge theme is simple: Green!!
*sigh* green is so peaceful and serene, isn’t it??
Have fun!
