Beginnings and Endings

I am going to create an intermission within my series of summer photos entitled, "Here Comes Summer".  I will share one final photo within that series next week, but for this week. I wish to seize on a more timely topic --- back to school time.  

While summer extends well into September, the headline for these final days of August has been the return of children to school.  As I thought of that topic, I grabbed my camera and visited a nearby elementary school where I captured the photo featured in this week's blog.  Back to school time is truly a ritual (an event representing deeper religious, social, or cultural meaning) mixed with nostalgia and emotion.

The photo above is open to many storylines depending upon each viewer's personal experience. That smile on mom's face may be an expression of the pride she has in preparing her youngest for his first steps into formal education.  The smile may have been an unconscious response prompted by her older children who once were part of this same ritual. It may also be reflective of the time when she recalled the pride that her mother and father felt as she entered kindergarten many years ago.  The red haired boy is ready for kindergarten and is excited to enter a new stage in his life.  As with any new experience, it is good to travel with a bit of home such as a teddy bear to clutch in case the unknown becomes a bit scary.  Brother and sister look on as they welcome him into this annual ritual that includes getting new tennis shoes, art supplies and backpacks.  They are now his older sophisticated caretakers which makes them feel smug about no longer needing the teddy bear. 

As a retired school principal and lifelong parent, I have witnessed and experienced this scene many times during my lifetime.  I fondly regard it as being akin to a sacred ritual taking place in a public space.  The mom who is smiled so encouragingly in the face of her child may return to her car and collapse into tears of satisfaction that she courageously has taken the first step in releasing her child to walk within an unpredictable, larger world as a prelude to adulthood.  That tension between letting go and holding close is the greatest challenge and joy of parenthood.  Here's to parents and the kindergarten class of 2025!

PS  As I wrote this week's blog my heart kept returning to the parents and children at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.  To say that I will pray for them sounds cliche given how many times people repeat those words as if they are distancing themselves and ready to move on.  But in the face of such horror, all I can manage is, "Oh my God".  Pushing past the horror in this moment, my considered response is to make a consistent effort to resist apathy and personally initiate reponses that show mercy and undeserved kindness to strangers I encounter.  It is not the answer to this stupid violence but is one step I can take to push back at its evil core.

 

 Summer Sandcastles

        History is a child building a sand-castle by the sea, and that child is the whole majesty                

 of man's power in the world.

Heraclitus

This week's photo may be my favorite photo that I have taken in 2025.  This photo was taken mid evening during an intermission at a water ski exhibition. Since I anticipated shooting skiers and power boats skimming across the water, I brought my longest lens, the Nikon 200--500 f5.6.  For the majority of my frames that evening this lens was a perfect choice.  It was during the intermission, when the all activity on the water briefly paused, that I took the best photo that evening.  As I think back on my photography experiences, I am so grateful for the wonderful pictures that came to me when I least expected to see them. There are a multitude of classes and videos that can help you become a better photographer, but there is no way to cultivate serendipty.

When I saw the little girl at the water's edge trying to reconstruct her sandcastle, I was immediately drawn to the solitude and serenity she exhibited as she sifted through the sand for its missing pieces,  Her sunbleached hair and the summer sundress in the soft evening light made her a compelling subject.  The setting sun had turned the water to a golden tone with a few speckled strands of silver dancing through it.  Even before I squeezed the shutter button, I could see the final picture developing in my mind. 

I took two quick snaps of this scene knowing that children do not hold genuine poses for long.  For one shot I zoomed in and other I backed out to bring in more of the scene.   It's the later one that I felt offered the most compelling story.  The story within my mind was not about a little girl but about a child's innocence while exploring a bigger world.  In fact, that was the very reason for choosing the image showing more of the scene and for adding a warm glow filter to soften the child's features and smooth the water.

This photo made me think about the informal process I use to tell a story with a photograph.  Recognizing what is before me even when I may be searching for something else is the first critical step.  Stories sometimes just unfold unexpectedly.  To capture the moment, I took two photos because I didn't know then which option would speak to me more when I reviewed it later.  (Sometimes I don't know what I am seeing at the moment other than my mind prompts me to act on what is happening right now.)  Step two took place in post processing after making the decision on which photo to publish.  At that moment, I began to focus on how to best share my feelings about the image.  To make sure that the viewer would be lead to a similar feeling about the photo, I began to eliminate any elements within the photo that were not necessary and identify which areas to enhance that would strengthen my storyline.  The third and final step was to review the nearly final result to determine whether I had remained consistent to the scene and my feelings about what I viewed as the theme.  I look for additional subtle cues which my viewers may need to understand my story or build a similar story for themselves.

For me, this photo is about exploring our world with childlike innocence.  There is an aloneness in childhood that is critical to their development.  This aloneness is not to be confused with loneliness.  These periods of aloneness allow a child to ponder peacefully the world on their terms and to explore some of mysteries within their environment.  Sandcastles are a magical and imaginative structures to build, but they are not a structures to be remodeled once the waves sweep their pieces back into the waters. However, with a bit more experience and knowledge, newer versions of future sandcastles can be built, but this time with the understanding that they are ephemeral structures to be cherished in the present state before they return to their natural form --- grains of sand on the beach.  This little girl will learn that special joy that comes from building sandcastles which is an activity unlike gathering and collecting seashells. And when the waves once more reclaim the beach it is not perceived as a melancholy experience but a mutual understanding about waves of change that carry us through life making these serendipitous moments exquisite as they welcome us to new places yet to be explored.

Here Comes Summer Series #4

Water, Wind, and Waves

Here is a slice of midwest surfing to showcase summer's energy. The water featured in last week's blog portrayed a soothing view of summer but this week the water portrays a source of summer excitement challenging the body and energizing the spirit.

This week's photo was taken at a local ski event one evening this past week. My challenge in shooting that evening was that the sun was fully setting directly in front of me prompting me to be cautious of blowing up highlights which isn't my preferred style. The sun's position limited the variety of shots I could take. The water's blue tones transformed slowly into golden tones as the sun continued to sink into the horizon. Actually, I was suprised to note how quickly our summer days are growing shorter. Summertime is flying by and the kids will be returning to their schools next week. By 8:00 PM. this evening, daylight was nearly gone signaling that summer's exit is drawing nearer. 

For me, photographing water skiing is all about the splash and motion. To avoid background issues and to minimize highlight blow outs from the intense setting sun, I needed to hold a tight crop on the subject and only photograph the subject using certain camera angles. Because I like to get the athlete's facial expression in any sporting event, the tight cropped shooting fit my style.  Her shades added style.

What scene could better express the essence of summer than jumping across the waves while being chilled by their spray?

Here Comes Summer Series #3

 Soaking Up Summer

Okay, this is not the photograph I expected to share when I wrote last week's blog about the scenes of summer.  This photo doesn't come close to beckoning thoughts of summer favorites like "Surfer Girl" or "Fun, Fun, Fun".  But in a back roads sort of way, it does present itself as the rural response to the summertime favorite "Summer in the City" by the Lovin Spoonful.  These porkers are getting the backs of their necks all "dirty n gritty" while enjoying a fragrant "Summer Breeze" of their own making.

What appeals to me about this photo is that it portrays a viewpoint that is not commonly associated in our typical scenes of summer pleasures.   But look again at that ruddy jowly grin and tell me you can't see satisfaction on a blistering August day.

Did you know that pigs wallow to regulate their temperature and protect themselves from sunburn? For pigs, wallowing in mud is a social behavior that encourages a sense of belonging.  Now, picture with me a crowded California beach packed with beautiful sun tanned bodies who are picnicing while trying to escape the summer's heat.  Urban mimics rural!

While photography is a way to express a point of view, our personal viewpoint may not be exclusive or even the one that resonates with the viewer.  Once a photo is shared,  it takes on a story of its own creation within the viewer's mind.  Sometimes photography can be used to share an alternative view that is not readily noticed even within a similar context --- yes, like the literary children's classic, Charlotte's Web.    

Here Comes Summer Series #2