the spirit of summer

The end of July means we’re slowly creeping close to the end of summer. But, there’s no need to rush it just yet. Many of us have quite a bit of lovely weather left to enjoy. This means there will be no shortage of sun-kissed skin, bare feet, picnic blankets and wild flowers. The gorgeous capture we’re featuring today by Hilde (Hilwegner) sings of the spirit of summer and is a poetic translation of our word summer for the month. We have featured many others on the One Word Project page, not to mention all the shots that grace our flickr group. Take some time today to dip your foot into the OWP flickr pool. It’s full to the brim with refreshing and fun seasonal shots.

We are excited to announce our new word for August and will kick it off on Aug 2^nd so be sure to pop over then for all the warm and wonderful details. It's going to be such a great month to look forward to!

In the meantime, we wind down this month and we ask that you share the best of the best today; something that just melts your carefree summer heart.

Superhero Photo Challenge: Dance

"While I dance I cannot judge, I cannot hate, I cannot separate myself from life. I can only be joyful and whole." -Hans Bos

Those two year olds have got that thing, right? They know how to let go, to be completely immersed in their joy, in their delight, or even in their upset. They don't live live half way, but dive in totally. 

In yoga this week, the instructor brought this question into the space: Where in our lives are we living half way? Perhaps it's in our relationships, or in our jobs, maybe we say no too much when we should be saying yes. I think this question humbled all of us, for wherever we are living big in our lives, there are places that we live small. And I'm not necessarily talking about heroic feats of living here, just about diving into each moment, each dance, and the arms of your loved ones with as much aliveness as you see pictured above.

Do you have any photos that show the aliveness I am talking about? Let these images be our teachers today... I am excited to see what you've got.

water, water everywhere

I've always loved the organic nature of water -- I've even dedicated an entire project to it on my blog.  So last week, when the temperatures in Houston were hovering near the 100s and I decided to take my daughter and her friend to play in the fountains of Discovery Green in downtown Houston,  I relished the opportunity to shoot some more water shots.

So on these hazy, lazy days of summer, share with us your own water shots, whether they be of a glass filled with icecubes, or a serene beach shot.

splashy

Happy Summer everyone! I know it's been summer for a while now but around here it never really feels like summer until July. Even though southern California has good weather almost always, here on the coast we get faked out in June. They call it June gloom and it doesn't lift until, well, July. So, here we are...enjoying sun and summer and all that goes with it. The beach, the pool, bike riding, dog walking, you name it.

So with this month also comes a new word for our One Word Project. What better word to mark all things warm and wonderful than the word summer? We've got so much to look forward to in the coming months, why not celebrate it? We're featuring a ton of your pictures and posts in the Your Local Picks feature, The Shutter Suite at BlogHer and soon after Picture Hope officially kicks off with trip #1.

So many good things coming it's true but for now, let's bask in the glow of the summer sun and appreciate today. Share with us all the things that speak of summer. Leave links in the comments and submit them into our One Word Project Flickr pool. Let's enjoy the season with a splash.

Superhero Photo Challenge: Superhero

I am in love with this photo I shot recently of my son and husband... Without realizing it, I had shot Ben's superhero portrait-- my two year old at his most heroic, proud to be standing in such a precarious place all by myself. The only thing missing is his cape. 

One of my favorite all time superhero portraits was shot by fellow Shutter Sister Maile, and I love this polaroid by Kate Pulley. 

Who are the superheroes in your life? Let's see em! and then tell us why.