Looking Back

It had been a long day; the neighborhood arts festival kept the crowds coming through the restaurant steady and hungry, and Susie stayed on her feet, cooking and serving. Finally, it was closing time, and she got a chance to sit and eat her dinner as she watched a bit of television, her spoon traveling absentmindedly from the bowl to her mouth and back again.

I remember walking by the storefront and stumbling upon this scene. I was moved by how beautifully mundane this image was, and I've often thought of what I saw that night over the next several months.

We are quickly approaching the end of 2010, and now is a good time to look back on the past year of photos you've taken and take an inventory of the images that have remained in your heart over the months. Please share with us a link to one of those images and why it has stayed with you all this time.

love lights

I set up my tripod on the loose gravel at the base of the trail. I take a few shots to start with, I'm just so curious these days about experimenting with photography that I almost can't wait to get started. {counting breaths counting seconds counting minutes... through this new obsession, I learn the zen of long exposure photography} It's cold but not too cold, so I take my time and think about the view from the top of the trail. It's pitch black when I make that steep rocky climb with my tripod and my gear.

I feel giddy, like a kid again.
Photography, I love you.

This is the part of city life I am often drawn to: the edge of it, the cliffs, the overlook. Being above and removed from it gives me permission to view it's wonderment with space and silence. It's just what I needed. I hiked slowly back down, sure of my footing, bringing home with me exactly what I had come looking for.

Light.

'Tis the season, right? I seek it in many forms. Fairy lights, city lights, holiday and festive lights, reflections, or firelight. They are all equally beautiful and warming. Today, please share with us your favorites, and enlighten us all.

ready set go!

Laughter bounces in the darkness.
Freeze tag. Karate tag. Skip tag. Jump tag.
Giggles are bouyant bubbles rising up up up then popping in mid-air.
"Tag! You're it!"
This is more than just time well spent in the backyard while dinner simmers.

A guaranteed way I can get this almost six year old infront of the camera is to catch him doing a stunt, then showing him the instant replay and how cool it looks. It's fun to jump, it's fun to catch someone at play, and nighttime can even spark creativity with a seldom used flash. For this shot I used my speedlight SB400. How do you catch action? Share your thoughts on flash photography today in the comments and enjoy the playful side of photography .... light or dark!

Some Things Never Get Old

I have for some time now had a love affair with the city of Chicago at night.  I self-identify as a night owl and often prefer the amber glow of street lights or cold fluorescents to the glare of the mid-day sun for my photographic adventures. I find the required long exposures and improvised tripods both challenging and magical. I love how deep blue the sky often looks in contrast to the white clouds. And the star-like flares from any points of light are simply irresistable. I just don't get tired of wandering the streets, camera in hand, long after most sensible people in the city have gone to sleep.

What are some of the things that never get old for you to photograph? Please share your images with us today.

try something new

I learn by doing. 

If I let the world guide me, I find it leads my eyes to different photographic styles and new-to-me techniques. (This is what I love about flickr, it is a vast pool of inspiration!) Lately I've been intrigued with nighttime. Possibly it's the season change that brings night on early, or just a truth that as a single mother to a little one, I am seldom out after dark. This life fact bleeds over into my creativity (this sometimes self perceived lack of freedom.) Regardless of why, I find myself curious about long exposures and playing at night. There is a taste of exhilaration of being out in the world while most people are asleep.

This photo is the result of this nighttime curiosity. (Taken in my backyard at 5am on 10.10.10 while my son slept inside.) This is certainly not the first time painting with light has ever been done, but that's not what matters, it's the first time it was done by me. A 30 second exposure, low ISO, and fun with invisible penmanship performed with a flashlight.

Stretch your art.
Stretch your mind.

Through the process of trying something new. I learn more about photography in bits and pieces that are easy for me to digest and process. I don't have the desire to compete with those more technically savvy than me, I let curiosity be my guide. I have given myself the permission to not know everything, and to not have the superhuman ability to learn it all at once either. With that permission slip in hand, I have given myself the freedom to open up to new experiences and explore art through trial and error.

Learning just for the sake of learning.
Creating just for the sake of creating.

This week pay attention to your curiosities. For me it's catching the night. What styles are you gravitating towards right now? Is there anything you want to try? When I'm feeling this pull towards newness I do the research: notice similarities/themes/patterns in my favorited photos, explore EXIF data on photographs I love, read "behind the image" stories, google "how-to" techniques, and feel the excitement of trying something new.

Share with us in the comments, an experiment you've tried or simply a technique you'd like to try. And this week, give yourself permission to try something new with your camera ... just for the fun of it.