Day 14 10/31/08- Halloween

Halloween.. good times.

I find myself "playing" with the camera again. When I got my first SLR Film camera I was playing with the F-stop, shutter speed and what ever else I could find. When I went digital that all went away. Even with the digital SLR where the options are all available, I just kept shooting on the auto setting, but through this project I am back to playing. It feels good.

The picture is a long shutter exposure of a trick-or-treater. The shutter was open for so long the actual subjects left the frame, but their spirits remained.

Day 13 10/30/08- Lost Cat

I have lost many animals in my life; lizards, dogs, and mostly cats.

Growing up we always had at least two cats. During that time we had 4 litters of kittens, that I can remember, some were as small as one, some were as big as nine. Good times. Now as a family man I find it hard to believe that my parents had the patience to give us the experience of kittens (and puppies) in the house.

These cats were all outside cats, never a liter box, until the coyotes moved into the backyard, teaching me about life span outside of civilization. So when my indoor cat escaped last Sunday and did not return by Monday morning I assumed the worst. But still up went the fliers and as they say, we will keep hope alive.

Day 12 10/29/08- Go to the Light

Still shooting from the hip, but it is hard to keep up with a 4 year old on a bike and take pictures.

I have a noticed thought this journey that most of my pictures our of my kids. Now this was not the intention. In fact when I started I thought it would get me to take pictures of something other than my kids, but I cannot stop being around them. So this picture I am trying to find new an interesting ways to photograph them.

I really like the light effect, but I think the lines male the picture. The parallels of the side walk and street; then the parallel shadows.

Day 11 10/28/08- Story Time 2

I have an interest in out of focus pictures. I used the action setting in low light to achieve this shot and the blurriness just seems to do more then the brightness of the auto flash.

Day 10 10/27/08- Go Crazy

Some days you just need to run around and say blababababaab!

Day 9 10/26/08- My Nemesis

The power of the red pen. It can ruin weekends, take away driving privileges and even end a romance.

I love my job. It is unique, it is empowering, it is full of freedom. As a high school teacher at a small charter school with links to Montessori, to only am I able to focus on learning not information, I am also able to take on responsibilities which I have no business doing. I call that adventure.

However, no matter how great my job is, no matter what amazing things I do, I can never escape grading. Grading is an important part of schooling. It can and most of the time is a clear assessment of a student's learning, but for the teacher it can be shining sign of failure.
Weeks on a project, daily discussion of expectations, a step by step rubric, multiple drafts, and still students find a away to fail. I can say I did all that I could, and it was in their hands, but the thought that I some how am at fault, and if I had done something different they would've passed, will always be there.

Day 8 10/25/08- Hand of a Warrior

After 2 tours in Vietnam as a gunner, two bronze stars, a marriage to a childhood friend, two careers, and four daughters who are five years apart, what has this hand not accomplished?

With only two years of life, what will this young hand do?

While cliche`, old meeting young is always powerful to me. It is the possibilities versus the reality. Photographs tell a story, but they are never complete. Images that portray beauty ignore the evil of this world, while pictures capturing evil, ignore the gentle spirit within us all.