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

Black and White

I chose this theme because, as much as I love black and white photography, I am always drawn to making my photos as colorful as possible. So I wanted to challenge myself to take a nice, colorful photo and see if I could make myself like it more as a black and white. Don't get me wrong, I really do love a good black and white photo, and have enjoyed processing many a picture black and white. But, I thought it would be fun to choose a photo that I would normally do in color.

I love how this one turned out. Miss Nora is running around having a blast (despite the intense heat). I like how the black and white make the texture of the trees and grass really stand out. I also think that since the photo is black and white, you focus a bit more on what Nora is doing, rather than say, the color of her dress or hair. It's always fun to see things in a different light. I might have to do a lot more black and white in the future!!!!

Quick side note that has nothing to do with black and white, but everything to do with Nora. Nora just turned the big 6 and I am going to hire her to style all of my photo sessions. (What child labor laws????) She brought props, told me how she was going to pose, suggested places to stop to snap away, brought a really cool change of outfit and advised me on the best way to photograph her. And she was right!!! The photos turned out great! :) -Dina 

Whenever I travel, even to a relatively frequent destination like my sister's place on some rural land near Kearney, Neb., I relish the opportunity to take photographs in a different setting. It seems like every time I go there, no matter what season, I see something new that catches my attention.

This time it was an old piece of farm machinery - a rickety tractor that apparently still works. I've always been interested in using farm implements for artistic inspiration, whether it's photography, painting, or sculpture. Shooting it in black and white adds a certain timeless element to it.  -Cort

Next Week's Theme: Decay

In The Shadows

I usually end up walking my dog right around sunset, so I had my eyes peeled for interesting, long shadows as the sun dipped toward the horizon. This week's photo was right at my feet as I looked down while walking across an empty parking lot. -Cort

 

I "encouraged" (or cajoled or threatened...isn't it all the same?) my nieces to play in front of their fence after dinner tonight. Love this shadow shot of them holding hands and twirling and dancing. And sometimes you never know what you will see in the shadows: I think Sophie's shadow looks like a genie! -Dina


Next Week's Theme: Black and White