Perspective

I saw this TED Talk and it reminded me that it's all about how you look at things.  And how to be grateful for the things you do have.  I hope this can help you remember to do just that.

Weather

This is a photo of my backyard.  I took it because the rain helped the weeds in my backyard look like grass, giving the appearance of a lawn.  I thought I'd memorialize it.

My iPhone has become my camera.  It is easier to use than a traditional point-and-shoot camera with auto focus.  With the iPhone, you just whip out the phone and shoot.  There is no focusing or adjusting, just shoot.  The iPhone and apps have created a new type of photography, iPhoneography.  One of the app that I used in this photo is InstaWeatherPRO.  This app and others, InstaPlace, and InstaFood, add a little information to your picture.  I feel it's like a tiny blog on the photo.  I try and post a photo  everyday, so follow me on Instagram.

Re-entry

I saw this TED video, I love TED, and had to post it.  I am trying to reacquire the habit of blogging weekly.  I am still shooting and posting.  I have switched to using my iPhone, 3GS.  Yes, it is one of the older models but I can't upgrade until after 4/15/2013.  So until them I'm shooting with the old phone.  Please follow me on instagram by clicking on the little instagram camera.  I am still posting on facebook and twitter, but I digress.

Here is the TED video, cute and concerning at the same time...



...cute and concerning don't you think?

"You can have anything you want if you want it badly enough.  You can be anything you want to e, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold that desire with singleness of purpose."

-Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States of America

Week 33 - Blue

This week's theme is Blue.  I was blue because of the level of humidity we had this past week.  As a native Angelino, I am not used to humidity.  I am used to dry heat.  Dry heat is different, as those of you who visit Las Vegas and Palm Springs know what I'm talking about.  It can be in the triple digits and the dry heat will bake you skins as the dry air blows your skin even dryer.  It's not my preferred weather, but if I had a choice, I'd choose dry heat over humidity any time.   But yet I digress.    

Our blue skies have been hidden by the clouds from all of the humidity.  Many local areas have sufferd from golf-ball sized hail and flash floods.  I had sweat more this past week than all year.  So to mark this unusual weather I have taken a picture of clouds that are formed by the moisture in the air, as the blue sky peeks through.  I wish cool summer days to everyone.

Week 32 - Flight

The theme this week is Flight.  In order to take a photo I ran through my mind all of the definitions I had of flight.  A flight on an airplane, to flee, the Hebrews flight from Egypt, birds flying, and a flight of stairs,.  Well with all of these choices, I chose a flight of stairs, and I had one particular in mind.

In Culver City, there is a commercial complex called Conjunctive Points.  It houses many types of companies, that I assume do business in movie or music industry.  This is a photo of the Gateway Tower, designed by Eric Owen Moss Architects.  There influence can be seen all throughout the Hayden Tract near downtown Culver City.  It is a flight of stairs that goes nowhere and leads to nothing except to the top of the flight of stairs.  At night it becomes a spectacle of lights, design and color.  Those photos you can see at my flickr site, (click the thumbnails to the right).

I've missed posting my website information to the FOCUS 52-12 websites lately, but I have continued to post on my site.

Week 31 - Water

This weeks theme was Water.  When I think of water, two quotes come to mind, "Water, water everywhere and nor any drop to drink." from Samuel Taylor Coleridge from the poem,  Rime of the Ancient Mariner and "Water always wins." from the Tenth Doctor, Doctor Who, David Tennet, in the episode, The Waters of Mars.  I know I should have put up a nerd alert for that... sorry.

Anyway, water in Southern California is an easy thing to find with the Pacific Ocean, Marina de Rey, lakes, and creeks all within twenty miles of my home.  So what did I shoot?  Kids at a fountain.  Out of all the photos I shot last week, this is the one that I liked the most.  It is summer and another quote comes to mind from the Sly and the Family Stone song, Hot Fun in the Summertime.  My favorite line is "Boo-boo-poo when I want to, out of school."  These girls are out of school and doing what they want to.  That is summer.

I hope your summer is as enjoyable as this moment the two girls are having.  Enjoy your summer and all of the fun it brings.

Week 30 - Floral

Vacation is over, for me!  I'm back at work.  But Summer is still here and the fun-filled events of summer are too.  Some of those things are nights at the Hollywood Bowl or the Greek Theater, the free concerts at the Santa Monica Pier and Culver City City Hall, movies outside at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery or Exposition Park.  All of these events mean food, friends, family, fun and an evening under the stars.  These recreational gatherings help you enjoy specific events, the people around you and delight your soul.

When summer is over these events will go away until next year.  I am going to try and enjoy a few more of these activities before they do, but I need to change my recreations to more rejuvenating activities.  Work is stressful because of all of the new things that are happening in our organization such as,  layoffs, reconfigurations, limited resources and decision to be made based on a shifting reality.

This week's theme is Floral, which I thought little of at the time because there are always flowers available to shoot.  But because I'm back at work, I no longer have access to them.  For those of you that know me, I have a black thumb, literally and figuratively.  My plants are artificial or are cared for by someone eles.  So, I made a special effort to and find flowers.  In the process I was able to get some of the rejuvenation I will need for work.  I went to a local park, early in the morning and walked the around and finally ended up sitting at the pond and watched the duck and the flowers.  In those moments I was able to exercise my creativity, reflection and rejuvenate my soul.  Please enjoy this photo and see the others I've shot on my flickr site, click the blue and red dots to the right to go there.

Week 29 - Hit the Streets

Street Photography is one of my favorites.  For me, it's the ability to capture and hold a singular moment. It takes the mundane and raises it to something extraordinary.  When you look at some of the pioneers of Street Photography; Henri Cartier Bresson, Alfred Stieglitz, and Robert Frank who are the paved the way for many of us.   

When I found out about the discovery of photos by Vivian Maier, who literally came from obscurity to fame, I was truly inspired again.  The discoverer of her work, John Maloof, has a blog of her prolific work, if you get a chance please check it out.  In the digital age, the photos are instantaneous and can be sent around world.  Instagram, I am a huge fan, please follow me, just click the little camera to the right, has changed street photography for every.  

The week's assignment is Hit the Streets from my FOCUS 52 group.  I started back to work this week so my street time was down.  I did go the Hollywood Bowl to see Smokey Robinson and the Los Angeles Philharmonic and took photos of a long standing tradition of friends, food, wine and song, among other things.

 

Week 28 - Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

This is my last week of vacation.  I will be returning to a job that has become unfamiliar to me.  So I am grateful for the time away.  This vacation is the first time I've had to myself in over ten years.  I'm doing a little introspection and reevaluation.  There is nothing like a summer vacation to get that done.  The theme for my FOCUS 52 group is The Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer.

This summer, and my vacation time, I'm spending at museums.  Museums are places where you are suppose to spend time in quite meditation and reflection.  The origin of the word is a place sacred to the muses; to muse, to meditate to ruminate.  In Classical mythology the muses are any number of sister goddesses, but more commonly as  the daughters of Zeus and Mnenosyne who presided over various arts.  I'm focusing on photography exhibits, surprise.  I'm also spending time at the beach, another sacred place where the work of art, called nature called nature also allows for muse, meditation and reflection.  At the right time of day or a the right beach, it can be very calming.  Sunset at the beach is also soothing and rejuvenating.  You can see some of my library photo on either flickr or follow me on instagram.

Week 27 - Celebrate

This week's theme is Celebrate for our FOCUS 52 Group.  Week 27 is a week of celebrations for two of the larges counties in North America, Canada and the United States.  I believe most of our Southern neighbors celebrate their birthday's, Independence Days, around the middle of September.

Fireworks are nice.  I can say that because very few people dislike them.  I am not on of those fireworks enthusiast who attend any and every event that has fireworks.  I am not one of those who even say, "Oh there are firework at this.  That would be nice to see."  I can take them or leave them.  This past Fourth of July was the first one since both of my parents are not here and I felt like going somewhere and looking at them in the distance, far from the crowds.  My mom loved fireworks and my dad always made sure she and us little ones got to see them.  I at a barbecue that day and as it cooled off we went inside, began other social activities and completely forgot about fireworks.  Before we knew it, night time was on us and some of the fireworks shows had already begun.

I decided that I would try and catch some of the programs on my way home.  To my surprise as I turned the corner to my house, fireworks began to explode in an vacant lot of an old shopping center.  I whipped about the corner, along with other motorist and just pulled up to the curb and got out.  A new community was forming around the fireworks shoe.  People were pulling up, double parking and joining us.

I pulled out my iPhone and began to take pictures.  Those you can see on instagram.  Then I remembered my camera was in the car, so I got that one out.  This is an example of what I was able to capture.  For whatever reason, fireworks are mesmerizing.  We all stood there oohing and ahhing.  And applauded when it was finished.  Nothing else mattered for that thirty minutes.  We all left happier and some of us proud to be American.  I hope our neighbors to the North had the same sort of experience on the 1st of July.   Happy birthday to us all.

Week 26 - Half

This week marks the half way point of the 52 project with FOCUS 52.  We are half way through the year.  The weeks leading up to here seem to have gone by quickly.

I have missed the posting deadline to the Focus 52 site for several weeks, so my photos have not been shared on that site.  I've continued to post here consistently.  I thank all of my followers who have signed up and the occasional visitors for taking a look and seeing what i'm doing.

I started this blog, as you can see on the side, in 2008 when I was reading a book, Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age by Suzie Boos and Jane Krauss.  It is about integrating technology in the classroom through the use of Project Based Learning.

I have been using the sire with greater regularity over the past two years because I have been trying to developing my photographic eye through the participation in the 52 projects.  Now that you have the history, heres the photo.  This a street lamp on Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica.  This one of my Drive by Shootings.  I chose the because of the deep blue sky in the background and the half of the reflector pedals being lit from my angle.

Weeks 24 & 25 - On the Windowsill and It's a Guy thing

For the past two weeks I have been closing up the end of a crazy school year.  This year there will be  staff leaving at different times, vandalism, staff being laid off and preparing for a new year not knowing who will be there.  I was a little distracted and could not make my posts.  I did do some shooting.

Week 24 (6/10 - 6/16) 
On the Windowsill
I shot the outside of several windows on an industrial building.  I was downtown for a meeting and drove by this edifice that has been around since early part of the last century.  This is also one of my Drive by Shootings* series.  

I'm not exactly sure what this building is but it's been around awhile.  If anyone in the LA area knows, please fill me in and I'll put the info in here.  It's a great old monolith of a building and is still being used.



Week 25 (6/17 - 6/23) It's a Guy Thing  
This was officially my last week of work, although I has been in this week several times, and the only thing I had on my mind was closing out work.  Now a days it's hard to find anything that is specifically "a guy thing".  Most things are pretty unisex these days.  I was at a meeting held at The Huntington.  The Huntington is a library, art gallery, botanical garden and restaurants.  So, we walked through these lovely gardens to get to the Tea Room where we were having our meeting.  On the way I had to take photos, with my iPhone 3Gs - the old one, because the flowers were so beautiful.

Home gardening, for the most part, is a girl thing.  Most of the home gardeners I know are women.  But at The Huntington all of the gardeners I saw were guys.  So, these flowers are my guy thing.  The guys I was were working hard at keeping these lovely grounds immaculate.



*Drive by Shooting is what I call the photos I take when I am driving by something.  I do mean driving in a car, or a passenger in a car driving by.

Another Voice on Public Education

I found out about Adam Bellow today through the ISTE Remote Conference.  The annual ISTE, International Society for Technology in Education, conference was in San Diego this year.  I was not able to make it, but like the true practitioners they are, they provided access to a portion of the day of the conference online.

I enjoyed the entire day viewing the Keynote Speaker for the day, Dr. Yong Zhao, three sessions and a visit to the virtual lounge in between sessions.  The running chat within each session allowed for the interaction of participantes that I had not counted on.  I felt a sense of community and could interject and learn in return.  Virtual community at it's best.

I would have preferred to be there, but still it was a very fruitful day for me and everyone I chatted with.  Adam Bellow was a new discovery for me.  I'd like to share him and his ideas with you.  His website edutecher.net is a great resource and he's developing something similar to Pintrest that is a little more education specific.  Visit the sites, view the clip and enjoy.  I did.  Let's continue the conversation.

Father's Day 2012

Back in February 2011, I wrote a blog about my Dad's 90th birthday because he was awesome guy. I say was because he passed onto his next life on July 12, 2012.   I am sad beyond belief, but he passed away peacefully and in his own home. That's how he wanted it and how I'd like to go.

The night before he left, we had a long conversation about life. We talked about the family and friends who have passed on and how they spent their lives and eerily enough, we also talked about future plans that he wasn't involved in.  His wife, my mother, passed on eighteen months earlier in January 2010 and he seemed to miss her terribly.  He said on his 90th birthday, "this was the first one that Mother, has missed."  The inside joke was that my mother was the older women because she was born a month earlier.

He signed all of his greeting cards to all of us, "Your Ever Loving"

Well Daddy, Happy Father's Day!  I miss you so much.  With all of my love, you daughter, Kim, Your Ever Loving.

Week 23 - Get Down

This week's theme from FOCUS 52 group is Get Down.  The intent was to shoot at the ground level.  If you didn't want to get on the ground and shoot, the suggestion was to shoot blind.  Shooting blind means to put your camera down to that level and shoot and see what you get.  I thought it would be adventurous and kinda exciting.  I shot with the hope of finding pearls hidden on the ground level.  Not so.  I didn't like any of the photos I shot.

This week, 23, I was near Pasadena on Saturday, I love Pasadena, and had to travel by the Rose Bowl and Suicide Bridge.  I snapped a few shots of Suicide Bridge and the surrounding Arroyo.  As I was under the bridge and thought that shooting up at the bridge would fit the down portion of getting down.  It is not Getting Down as the theme suggests but I was down underneath the object I was shooting.  At times like this, I try to think about what Jan, the moderator of our 52 Group, writes at the end of each week, "Whatever you decide to do this week, follow the prompt or no, ... just have fun".

So I had fun shooting the Arroyo and it's surrounding.  I know I will return to Pasadena and shoot some more.  I didn't even have it on my list of what to shoot.   But it is now.  A few of those photos are on my flickr site.

Week 22 - Right Now

This week I took many photographs at my school's Academic Challenge Medal Ceremony, Annual Spelling Bee and the Star Party all in four day week.  This week's theme is Right Now, something captured in the moment.  This week, was so busy that I captured this light.  You can see this light while in the Drive Thru window at the McDonalds on the way to my house from work.  I was in one of those moods where I was so tired and the wait in line was taking too long.  I looked out the window, and for what ever reason, I thought this was interesting shot.  I took my iPhone and snapped it.  I gave it some effects from an app and this is what I got.  I like it and I'm sharing it with you all.

I am really enjoying this group, FOCUS 52-2012.  I get to know many of the photographers and their styles which help me.

Week 21 - Delicious

The theme this week is Delicious from FOCUS 52-12 group, the project 52 group I participating in.  When I hear that word, I think of food or drink.  Food photography for me takes time, lighting, and a whole bunch of stuff I don't have this week.

I did, however, take a picture of the annual solar eclipse on the West Coast.  I was returning from the seeing The Avengers, a good movie, when I remembered that the solar eclipse was occurring.  I pulled over and realized I had no special equipment to view the eclipse.  I could see people staring at the sun, a big no-no. So I started shooting something else, when it began to get dark.  I don't know if it was the marine layer or cloud coverage but the sun was visible to the naked eye.  I pulled out my iPhone and began to shoot when it moved behind som trees.  I realized I had my camera with me and got out and began to shoot.  This is one of the better one.  It may not be food or drink but it was delicious to see this very rare spectacle.

Week 20 - Nurture

Week 20 theme, Nurture, I saw in many places, just not when I had a camera or my old iPhone 3G was not fast enough to capture it.   But shooting every week and having fun are what we are encouraged to do my by group, FOCUS 52, so that's what I do.  

This is part of my Driving by Shooting series, to be seen on my flickr page as it grows.  These photos are taken as I drive by something interesting.  If you are like me, my brain click over into beta and just floods with non-sequitur thoughts.  This is when I'll just see something and think that scene would make a nice photo.  So I shoot it!  I don't get out of the car.  Rarely do I circle back, therefore I call it a drive by shooting.  I hope your like my non violent adaptation of some thing horrible.  My version of senseless acts of beauty. 

Week 19 - Free Week

This is the first time I can remember working a seven day week with late night events.  The week started with a Big Sunday event at my school.  I had to go in to turn off the alarm.  Tuesday was Open House which started with our Academic Challenge Science Super Quiz and ending with the LEGO Robotics culminating display.  Wednesday night was a CUELA Board of Director's meeting.  Thursday and Friday were normal days with student injuries and disciplinary issues.  Saturday I have to open for psychologists to so testing.

I say all of this because I shot more photos this past week than I have in the past several weeks combined.  I don't know if the fatigue that lowered my filter on what I could shoot, or not having a prompt freed me to shoot everything.  This week's prompt was Free Week.  Either way, I had a great time.  I also found out about Instagram, an iPhone photography App on Wednesday.  I've had an fun time learning that too.  If you get a chance, you can see some of the items I shot this week.  Just take a look at my flickr photostream to the right of this post.

And Happy Mother's Day.