How Do You Measure A Day?

 

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Moments so Dear
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure - Measure A Year?
In Daylights - In Sunsets
In Midnights - In Cups Of Coffee
In Inches - In Miles
In Laughter - In Strife

How About Love?

 from RENT (the musical)

I have always loved the intro to this song. I have been humming today as I tried to think of what I might do to measure my day today. It seems that today, the twelfth day, of the twelfth month of the year two thousand and twelve, we are being given many invitations and opportunities to mark the significance of this date in our own personal histories. People are documenting their days at 12.12.12. It's interesting because it is just one day...just one day that will never happen again. And so goes our lives right? A collection of days that will not ever happen again. I started thinking how I could mark the date for myself, what will place on the "date"?One friend has chosen to step into a lifelong commitment with her partner. It's thrilling for them to know that the significance of this day will be historical.

What about the rest of us? What about those of us that will not be touched in such a way that seems important? We will wake up, make tea, drink tea, brush our teeth, shower, put our hair in a braid, a little lip gloss, a cozy t-shirt, a warm sweater, some slacks and off we go... What could be our measure today, how can we create an opportunity to honor ourselves in a way today that is significant, not for any other reason but that TODAY is a date that will not be repeated. I have decided to check in with myself at twelve minutes past the hour, every hour. Yes, it's true, I've set my phone alarm to twelve minutes past the hour for every hour that I anticipate being awake. At that time I will stop, take a photo of myself and ask myself " in this moment, how do I feel, am I to being loving and kind to myself; do I feel anything in my body that feels tense or uncomfortable". I am going to attempt to measure my day in love. How loving can I be to me? This will be a good exercise for me to consider how much time I spend not in the flow of self-love. I will use this day to observe and learn and step into active choice of measuring my own story, my own way.

What about you? How will you measure your day today?

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b is for blur

Because it's how I remember things. It's how memories unfold in my mind. when I close my eyes and try to remember, this is what I see: lovely, blurry scenes. I've been shooting this way for a while, for three or four years now. Not exclusively, of course, but more and more. I intentionally throw the focus until it feels rights. Until it looks like what I see in my mind. So often, these are the images I revisit, the ones I come back to again and again. These are the photographs that tell the real story. They spin like records on a turntable-- soft, scratchy, inexplicably magic. 

If you've not yet tried it, go ahead. Today, I invite you to intentionally throw your focus. Fiddle with the lens til you find magic. And please, share the blur. Share it with us here today.  

sunrise sunset

Sifting and sorting through the many images of starts and stops of each day, I was delighted and inspired by how much beauty the sunrise and the sunset offer. But for me, the start of the day that most touches my deepest soul are the sunrises that begin when I see pictures like this one. It's my own personal view of sunrise and it's as refreshing as seeing the first light peek over the highest mountain top.

But, of all the photos taken, of all the various subjects and times of day, my guess is that sunset must be the most photographed experienced to date. I have a feeling the inspiration that will come from the images we share today will be awe-inspiring, whether they are of sunrise or of sunset or both.

Share with us the very start to a day or the very stop...the time when nothing else matters but beauty and all the possibility a heart can hold.

looking down

There was an air of nervous excitement in the air as the kids headed out to the field to begin their first day of band camp.  Being the high school band photographer, I accompanied them and stood back a bit, watching, waiting to snap photos here and there as I begin to document the first days of the their new season. I watched as the kids haphazardly dropped their belongings on the ground, gathering in small groups here and there.  In one group, the 'seasoned' band members talked excitedly about their upcoming junior and senior years while in another corner stood the quiet freshman, looking so serious with their 'first day' jitters.  As I moved around, I almost tripped over this gathering of items on the ground and had to smile.  In looking down, I realized the story of the day was right there in front of me: bottled water, sunblock, an instrument.  So simple, yet so telling.  

Today, share your 'looking down' photos.  Be sure to tag your images #sselevate and play along with us.

mustard yellow

In seeking out and shooting color images, I have found that some colors only really beg my attention when they are next to another color. Such is what happens with mustard yellow. It's not often I am drawn to the color on it's own but paired with another hue and mustard yellow might appear like the most beautiful color on the spectrum.

Today, watch for mustard yellow and see how it plays with other colors only to subtly steal the show.

We're back into our quest for color this week as we continue a full month of color. Tag your mustard yellow images with our tag #sscolorweek. And don't forget to find us on Instragram.