Self-portrait

I knew that at some point during this one-year project, I would want us to do a self portrait. It's always a lot more fun to do this outside, and to do it when the weather is nice. It occurred to me suddenly that we're rapidly running of nice weather, so I decided this would be the week.

I think it's important when doing any portrait, whether it's yourself or another person, to do it in a setting that says something about that person. I always feel at peace when I'm alone in nature. One of my favorite places close to my house is Maple Woods Nature Preserve. It has a few miles of hiking trails, and for an afternoon I can pretend I'm far from civilization.

This was a challenging shoot. I wanted to use a long lens so that the foreground and background would blur out. That required that I place the camera about 50 feet away. I would set the timer, click the shutter release, and then dash through the woods to that log in 10 seconds or less. Then, with whatever time remained, I had to compose myself so that it looked like I was relaxing on that log the whole time. I did at least a couple dozen exposures, so let's just say I got my workout. -Cort

 

Here is a photo I took of me taking a photo of myself.  :) -Dina

Next Week's Theme: Memories 

Animal

My dog Johnny and I attended two pet blessings this weekend. The first was at Cathedral and there were a lot of fun animals there. I adore how the Police make sure to bring one of their horses and one of the police dogs along. They were even mentioned in the blessing...prayers for the those animals who help protect us. What I love about this photo is how the dog is standing on his police officer partner and looking back at the horse. I don't know if he is saying my officer is cooler then yours or just checking in to see if his horse buddy is still there. The horse has such a gentle look on it's face. The added bonus to the photo is the awesome photobomb: the man in the back whom I assume is asking the boston terrier to pull his finger.   -Dina

I attended the Kansas City Renaissance Festival on Saturday. There was an interesting assortment of animals there, including horses, camels, and donkeys, and I got some photos of all of them. However, I was most drawn to the stage where they were showing birds of prey. The bald eagle has always been one of my favorite animals, and I couldn't resist focusing in on him. This poor guy is in captivity because he was hit by a car and his wing was broken, leaving him permanently grounded. It took awhile for him to position himself in such a way that showed off his magnificent profile, and it took awhile for me to position myself in such a way that the background was not cluttered and distracting.  -Cort


Next Week's Theme: Self-portrait

Half

In addition to the requirement of shooting a photo that satisfied this week's theme, I also gave myself the assignment of shooting the photo on my new iPhone! The quality of camera on this phone ranks right up there with any other point-and-shoot model, which was one of the selling points for me. I will continue to use my Canon 30D whenever I can, but I don't always have that with me when a good photo opp arises, while I always have my phone with me.

I bought some peppers at the farmers market this weekend, only $2 for a whole basket. I had to think of a dish that uses up all of them, so I grilled stuffed peppers for dinner, which involves cutting them in half, and spooning in the filling. I love the bright colors, interesting shapes, and varied textures, and those elements almost always make for a compelling photograph. -Cort

I love this time of year, especially all of the fall color. It was fun to catch this leaf that was half way through changing from green to red. -Dina

Next Week's Theme: In honor of the Feast of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals (which falls on October  4th), the theme is Animal. Special challenge: Ringo, Johnny and Bella the pug are ineligible to be photographed for this theme. :) 

Statue

If you visit the older section of many cemeteries, you will find the headstones to be much more elaborate. They often have statues attached somehow....angels, Mary, crosses, and more angels. It's pretty interesting to see how beautiful all of these grave markers are. This is one of my favorite, found at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery. This angel is almost life size and is standing to the side of the headstone. She is writing "In Memoriam" on the stone. It's so unique and so beautiful; what a great piece of history.   -Dina

Do you ever wonder what is underneath all of that stone and bronze on these statues? This guy is daydreaming out the window, longing for the day that he will become a fully-formed statue, enjoying the birds and the fresh air. 

Actually, this is a teaching skeleton in the osteopathic manipulation lab at the medical school where I work. There are at least a dozen of these spread throughout this large room, and they usually end up randomly scattered throughout the space. Sometimes their poses amuse me, and I tend to affix human emotions and motivations to these wire and plastic "statues."   -Cort


Next Week's Theme: In honor of reaching the halfway point of our Double Exposure project, the next theme is Half.

Roughing It

For those "Lost" fans out there, this looks like something straight out of the Dharma Initiative. I went to a backyard barbeque of some friends who live in a rougher part of the city, and this is what I saw in the small alley between their house and the neighbor. I don't know if someone actually lives in that van, but if they do, it would certainly qualify as "roughing it." -Cort

 

I love spending time outdoors. One of the things I miss when it's not summer, is being able to go outside whenever I want and eat, read, garden, play, etc, etc. Having said that, I would have no trouble roughing it, as long as I get to come home and sleep in my bed at night. So maybe I would have trouble roughing it. :) As comedian Jim Gaffigan says, "My wife always brings up 'camping is a tradition in my family'. Hey, it was a tradition in everyone’s family until we came up with the house." HA! -Dina

Next Week's Theme: Statue

Poetry

I chose this theme because one of my favorite poems is called September Afternoon at Four O'clock by Marge Piercy. I thought it would be fun to try to capture the poem in a photograph. A line in the poem that makes me think of fall is "There is a turn in things that makes the heart catch." I love, love, love that line and it's so true as fall approaches. On one hand, we say goodbye to summer (sometimes wistfully), but on the other hand there is so much goodness that comes with the season of fall. It's a bittersweet time. I took this photo today a few minutes before 4:00pm and even though it was at least 150 degrees out, the light was a different light. You can tell it's not the same light that is normally found on a late summer afternoon. And when you happen to notice the difference, it really can make your heart catch.  -Dina

I love how poetry can sort of be a nonobjective literary art form. You can use letters, words, and phrases to convey a concept or feeling without saying something literal. It still uses the building blocks of language, but in a way that lets the reader form his own idea of the message.

Sometimes I like to try the same thing with photography. People aren't used to nonobjective photography - it's usually the most literal visual art form. I like using the building blocks of photography - color, value, shape -  to convey a feeling without actually taking a picture OF something. -Cort

Next Week's Theme: Roughing it

Decay

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of the locked gate leading to the abandoned neighborhood pool. Now it's time for a peek inside. It's been sad watching this once-vibrant gathering place decay. Paint is flaking off, concrete is crumbling, weeds are taking over. The pool itself is filled with trash, leaves, and putrid, green water, as well as at least several dozen frogs. The entire property reeks of decay, in every sense of the word.

Fortunately, there is hope on the horizon. I am on the board of the neighborhood association, and we're proceeding with plans to demolish and clean up this eyesore later this year and convert it to green space. Eventually, we want to put in a playground, picnic shelter, or some other useful community resource. It will soon be a place not of decay, but of growth and happiness. -Cort

There are always a few casualties when growing tomatoes. Due to either birds, squirrels or gravity, a few tomatoes end up on the ground. Hopefully they still end up as food for someone, and in this case, it looks like some bugs were having lunch, which sounds super cute and sweet, but looks pretty disgusting in real life. I decided not to zoom in and get too graphic of a shot. I think experiencing a decaying (but still food giving) tomato from afar is the way to go! -Dina

Next Week's Theme: Poetry