Election Night

 

On election night, we loaded up the car with lawn chairs and a picnic dinner and headed to a friend's house to watch the results roll in. The news broadcast was projected onto the side of the house and several computers were set up in the yard to track the results. At one point there were more than one hundred friends, neighbors, and passers by squeezed into the small front yard. The conversations were primarily of the political nature, from the smallest local propositions and bond initiatives to the house/senate races to the presidential election. This election-watching party was a family event to be sure. There were so many young children that night running around without a care in the world...children of loving straight couples, children of loving gay couples, children of loving single parents, children of loving affluent parents, children of loving parents struggling to get by. You hear a lot about voting as a civic duty, and I love and appreciate that our children are learning that the act of voting is truly an individual's chance to voice how they want their world to be. All the worry, all the hand wringing, all the emotional investment that bound us together that night represented the world we want for our children—a better, kinder world. A world that embraces the diversity around us and affirms that differences can deepen our understanding of one another instead of driving us apart.

Show us a better, kinder world today through your lens.

Images and words courtesy of Jote of Bless Her Heart.

today

"There is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time. There is always something to see, something to hear." -John Cage

What did you see today? I mean really, really see? What made you stop? What had you reaching for your camera? Won't you please share it with us here today?

shoes

We are all quite obssessed with picturing our feet in cute shoes to show wherever we are standing, aren't we? So I thought I'd propose something new! How daring! :)

Today I invte you to share a shoe with a story. 

These ones picture above were my daughter's first chucks! She had just taken her first steps when I bought them, and so they marked a whole new beginning for us. I am forever grateful I pulled my iphone and actually snapped this as soon as I unwrapped them. As much as we can see her wearing this pair in all sorts of photos, this is my favorite shot because it tells in itself the story of an important milestone in our lives. Simple and quick to do. It will last a lifetime.

How about you? Show us that special pair you wore in that first hot date, the one you wore at your wedding, or the one your dog chewed on over the weekend. Tell us your cinderella moment if you must! We want to see and hear it all. 

Give us a shoe with a story.

the strays

 

Would you believe that all  of these beauties are stray dogs? Yes, you probably would. Because they all seem to be in their own world. Lying somewhere alone, trying to make themselves invisible.  They might surprise you though. A whistle or a kind word would make them jump up for a cuddle.

I captured these dogs as part of shooting a photo documentary of a spay and neuter campaign in Bosnia.

Being prepared for the worst scenarios it left me speechless to find so much trust and kindness in the dogs I met in the streets. That melted my heart. Dogs like this have to work so hard to find their daily meal. Getting a kind gesture or even finding some love are rare things for most of them. In spite of the hard side of life they welcomed me with warmth and love.

Photographing animals makes me forget all that is around me. It is a healing process for me. Moments to cherish.

Photo essay and story courtesy of Jolanda Boekhout (aka Jofabi). She can be found on her website. More of her Strays series (and more about her trip) can be found on Flickr.

Todays prompt: Collection

The Nap Series

 

When my son Max was about 7 months old I was so keenly aware of how important nap time was. Not for him, but for me. I needed Max to go take his nap so I could eat my lunch, decompress, have an hour or two dedicated to “ME TIME”. But Max didn’t get the memo. He would stare up at me and laugh and laugh while I thought about all the things I wish I was doing instead of rocking him back and forth for what felt like an eternity. I finally realized that this nap time business wasn’t going to go away. I needed a way to shift my swirling thoughts back to the present moment.

I decided to bring my iphone to bed and once he fell asleep I took a photo of the two of us in whatever position he ended up in. Seeing that first photo, I was hooked.  When I saw how the light was falling on this frustrating situation my mind quieted. My heart burst open at the sight of the two if us, peaceful and content, tangled together in a compositionally pleasing snuggle. I started to notice deeper clues about our relationship that showed up within the photograph. Our closeness, and our deep connection was revealing itself to me in a way I felt inside but had never really seen in this way before.  The Nap series was born.

Two years later, I am so grateful for the collection of Nap photos of the two of us that document a time in our lives that is short lived and so precious.  I didn’t realize that I was trying to leave a situation that was truly incredible. What was the bigger lesson for me? Don’t leave before the miracle happens. Use the camera to shift perception from mind to soul. I remember this whenever I find myself frustrated, stressed out, or in fear. Bring it back to the present. Grab your camera and see with your heart.  Creating this nap series has increased my ability to “see” in ways I didn’t expect. It continues to help me connect more deeply with the preciousness of these fleeting moments.

Photo essay and words courtesy of Catherine Just. You can view a larger portion of the nap series on Catherine's blog.

What better photo essay to share when our prompt is "bed"? Share with us how you get cozy in your bed today and tag your snuggly shots #sselevate.