Week 39 - windows

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“Our senses are indeed our doors and windows on this world,

in a very real sense the key to the unlocking of meaning and the wellspring of creativity.”

-Jean Houston

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Whether we think of them as metaphoric portholes to a deeper understanding of the soul and the world,

or treat them as the literal objects of interest that they are, windows are ripe for photographic attention.

During week 39 (Thursday, August 20th at 11:17 a.m.) of our humble little project, we explored windows,

the world they let in, the life they frame, the light they filter, and the stories they inspire.

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Aziza - was shooting a session with a sweet little girl in her tutu. With the light from the window

behind her, she positively glowed with childish delight.

Kristin – quiet, still, breathe

RC - I sequestered myself in a room with no distractions, including windows, in order to finish grading.

The pictured stairwell window was photographed as I was on a break-- tempting me...

Cory – finds a wondrous world every morning as she peers out her basement window to greet the day

and be greeted with beauty. 

Rachel - by the light through her kitchen window she noticed a drama unfolding between a glass, a

counter and the purest light of a warm sun. 

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tara.mama.wendy 

 

keli h 

 

rhonda gibson 

 

hollyindavis 

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xandthe berkeley

sassysmoore

ELK

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Leaca

susiej35

pink.goldfish

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jimmyscrumbs / Narrelle

DebbsGa

Michelle Haurilak

zen granny

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Week 38

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Adornments

Assignment Week 38: The Jewelry You’re Wearing

symbols of love  *  the natural draw to adorn ourselves with charms we find aesthetically appealing  *  Ornaments worn by people on the body  *

anklet  *  band  *  bangle  *  bauble  *  beads  *  bijou  *  bracelet  *  brass  *  brooch  *  cameo  *  chain  *  charm  *   choker  *  costume  *  cross  *  crown  *  diamonds  *  earring  *  finery  *  frippery  *  gem  *  glass  *  gold  *  ice  *   jewel  *  knickknack  *  lavaliere  *  locket  *  necklace  *  ornament  *  pendant  *  pin  *  regalia  *  ring  *  rock  *  rosary  *  silver  *  solitaire  *  sparkler  *  stickpin  *  stone  *  tiara  *  tie pin  *  treasure  *  trinket 

 

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Kristin  My shutter sister necklace and hope necklace on my neck

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Rachel   Wedding Ring and Elopement Necklace.

We eloped nine months before our wedding, to the Oregon Coast.  Between the airport and our cabin we stopped to buy hubs a silver temporary ring (the one I got for him prior to the trip was the wrong size). I spotted this charm. Two hearts nested together. It felt perfect. Two souls, binding further together in a common goal.. a life well lived. It was a beautiful, wild, stormy, winter occasion. It was perfect. 

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RC  * close-up moment * itty-bitty sheep earring-- hiding a little quirkiness... or maybe not :)

 

Cory This is all I wear; all I ever need to wear

As it was, these are the only decorations I was wearing. My engagement ring was custom made by a designer on the coast of northern California in the Redwood forest, where we lived at the time of our engagement. My blue titanium wedding band matches my husbands, both custom made by a seller on Etsy. I used to wear toe rings, anklets, necklaces and even a tongue ring for a while...but now this is all I wear; all I ever need to wear

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Aziza I was out shopping. I was not wearing any jewelry but I did buy these earrings. when the moment

struck I stopped sat down, took it out of my bag and clicked.

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The always sparkling much treasured

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Flickr Group

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E L K * Silver Moment * eating dinner at 6:40 Saturday night...stopped mid pasta for this shot...my family just

shakes their heads!

Cosi! * creative jewelry moment * I made this bracelet for myself a couple of years ago to remind me that I'm

an artist. You know, sort of so I wouldn't forget to "create". In the midst of homeschooling my kids and being a wife and mother priorities shift and my wants and desires have to go on hold until I have me (photography) time. When the moment arrived I was looking over my new to me brownie I picked up at an antique store. Really would love to put film in it some time!

zen granny * This along with earings are about the only jewelry I ever wear. My husband Mike had this

ring made for me many, many years ago by a guy in Scituate, MA. The stone is Mexican fire agate and it usually reflects light perfectly. I was at a family party or I would have taken more time to get a better shot with light reflecting, but hey, it was Saturday night after all!

xandthe berkeley * Precious Pendants * I have wore this necklace everyday for years and years.

 
first i received the small heart, from my lovely man as a birthday present. a few years later he gave the second heart, with a tibetan wish for happiness/health to all living creatures. my mum gave the star, i love stars!.... finally my collection was completed when we lived in Thailand... an om, a symbol very important to me.

tara mama wendy * camera ring * I love my new ring. I wear it so the camera is facing me and

put it on and am happy

rhonda gibson * I wear this ring everyday. It was on ebay and it has a story and it called to my

heart. It is old, it is scratched and the band is worn. I love it.

hollyindavis * camping with friends in the redwoods on the California Coast...in the middle of making

dinner for everyone (we divide up meals). a great end to our summer.

DebbsGa * Summer means anklets. I love them!! Seashells from Tybee island and dolphin from a local

store.

sunnyroadmum * Today's Jewellery

Week 37: Perspective

perspective is generally thought of as either a construct that describes a person’s unique psychological state given a particular circumstance, or as a physical orientation of objects in space. In the realm of photographic discovery, both are apropo.

Photography (and art in general) is all about exploration and representation of one’s psychological perspective. We snap a photo, alter it, dress it up or down, and otherwise mangle it because we feel we have to.. because there is something inside of us that sees something in the photographed scene that we feel must be unleashed, experienced, shared. Whether it’s due to nostalgia or a yearning for some future state, we are all drawn to particular subject matter because of who we are, were and want to be (or don’t want to be). We all share in this fervor, and yet are unique in our particular experience of it.

This is why there is an ever expanding amount of space for art, why there is room for so many creative souls to share their work and passions. Nothing we know of can be as varied as the human mind, the human perspective. When applied to reflections on living, reactions to others’ lives, there in no end to the variety of visual representations of perspective.

When we begin to push ourselves to previously undiscovered methods or subjects in art, we are not only challenging the status quo of our body of work, we also challenge our perspective, our vision, our take on the world. Sometimes this is frightening, or disheartening. Sometimes it is exhilarating.

This week, we challenged ourselves, and our fellow momenters, with just such a task. Change your perspective. Photographers were asked to (as described by the ever imaginative Cory):

 Take a picture from a different point of view. Put your camera on

the floor, over your head, or imagine life through the eyes of your

cat, refrigerator, coffee table, street curb. Think of a perspective

that you have never takena picture from and use it to get a

creative shot.

These were the results. Enjoy! 

 

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Kristin – Cory – Rachel - RC

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From our beloved Flickr Group:

 

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Xanthe Berkeley - pink goldfish

 rhonda gibson - keli h – suseij35 

hollyindavis

gis 00 – Maria - redorgray

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momenters

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I’m proud share with you, as a little cherry on the top of our project, that we now have

in our flickr group. How amazing is that?!?!

Week 36 – Friday July 31st at 12:11 - take your seats please

 

“Nonviolence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part

of our being.” Mahatma Gandhi

“The seat of knowledge is in the head; of wisdom, in the heart. We are sure to judge wrong, if we do not feel right.”

William Hazlitt

“A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy.” Albert Einstein

This week’s assignment: Take a picture of the chair you are sitting in, the one you last sat in, chairs at the restaurant you are having lunch at, the chairs in your classroom, the one you spend all day working in, or even your favorite chair, bench, stool, recliner, etc.

If there is one thing I have learned from this project it’s that no subject should be overlooked as fodder for camera play nor for philosophical musing. “Take a seat” can seem like such a simple theme. But really, focusing on these everyday trappings of our lives act as windows into our worlds, our habits, our daily gestures which make up the being in our existences. So many moments are spent in these seats. So much of life can pass by while focused on our lunch, paying bills, sitting at a laptop. Having any reason to stop for just one moment and take in the simplicity of our lives is a gift. Here we share these gifts with each other, and I am so privileged to be amongst them.

Another, no less important, lesson has occurred to me.  The simplest, most straightforward theme makes the most room for creativity and reflection. The evidence for my thesis? See below.

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Rachel * RC * Aziza * Cory

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 rhonda gibson * Cosi! * redorgray * keli h

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tara.mama.wendy * xandthe berkeley 

 DebbsGa * hollyindavis

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