A single drop

Under tension
London, ON
April 2009
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The world is an ugly place these days. So please allow me to share a photo of a single water droplet on a tablecloth.

There, I feel better already. I hope you do, too.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #stilllife #water #macro #macrophotography #monochrome #photography #throwback #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #zoom #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Thematic Photographic 401 - Yellow

Butterballs
Toronto, ON
February 2017

It's been a while since I chose a particular color for a Thematic theme, and given our collective need to find brightness amid all the greys, I thought I'd start with yellow.

This particular yellow-themed shot would be a happy pic under any circumstances. But it's the context that makes me smile almost a week after I took it. I was at a conference, and a colleague and I arrived a bit early to the breakfast buffet in the brightly lit hotel corridor just outside the actual conference room where the event was about to be held. I'm pretty sure we were too early, and in retrospect I think the hotel staff members weren't anywhere near finished setting up by the time we walked into the nearly empty area.

But the carefully scooped balls of butter were beckoning my lens, even if I shouldn't have been there in the first place. One staffer, in particular, stood just across and watched quietly as I composed and took the shot. He smiled knowingly at me as I put the phone away and reached for the fruit plate. Sometimes, rules were made to be broken.

Your turn: Take a picture of something yellow. Or something that suggests yellow. Or simply evokes this week's theme, yellow. Post it to your blog, your social media page, or wherever you hang out online. Leave a comment here letting everyone know where to find it, and visit other participants to spread the yellowy happiness far and wide. We'll be celebrating yellow all week, so feel free to play again - or even bring a friend - if you're so inclined. For more info on how Thematic works, head here. Happy shooting and sharing!

Thematic Photographic 276 - More favorite photos of the year

Ladybug says hello
Laval, QC
August 2013

Normally I'd have a new theme for you, but this week I've decided our favorite-of-the-year theme, launched last week right here, deserves a little more time. Because we all want to share a little more from our best-of archives, I'm going to run this theme for another week.

Sound OK?

Your turn: Pick another favourite photo taken over the past year and share it on your blog or website. Leave a comment here letting everyone know where to find it, and drop by other participants to spread the joy. Tweet using the #ThematicPhotographic hashtag if you're into that kinda thing. For more background on how Thematic works, click here. That's it...over to you!

Thematic Photographic 263 - Multiples

Got a light?
London, ON
July 2013

It's Thematic's multiples week. At the risk of sounding redundant, I'm guessing you know what to do. If you don't, please click here.

Please also accept my thanks for making Thematic Photographic such a highlight for me. At the end of the day, these are just bits, arranged just so on a hard drive in some faraway data center. But shared and pondered just so, they become special for a rag tag global community of like-minded people.

I find that pretty neat, and I'm glad to be a part of it. Thank you for being part of the journey.

Onward...

Tightly woven

Step on me
London, ON, May 2011

About this photo: We're still sharing favorite pics of the year, and we'd like you to do the same. Click here to get the party started.

This picture exemplifies some of the ridiculousness that drives me. I'm sure no one ever got down on the floor and shot the carpet this closely, and I'm pretty sure no one ever will. I think they're missing out on some serious fun.

I've never viewed photography as a craft of "musts". When I go somewhere, there aren't any pictures that I absolutely must take, or poses that everyone feels compelled to bring back from their travels. So you won't see iconic pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge in my archives. Oh, I DO have pictures of that bridge, but not like any you've ever seen.

Because I'm a little different. I see the world differently. And I use my camera to share that kinda off-base perspective with everyone around me. Sometimes it scares them off. Sometimes it ticks them off. But that's OK with me, because it leaves me more time for the folks who get me, who smile at my weirdness, who shrug with a smile at strangers when I get up on the chair at the restaurant to capture the hanging lamp from just the right angle.

Because the world's a wonderful place. And I'd hate to see the same thing every time I open my eyes.

Your turn: How do you see your world differently?

Thematic Photographic 167 - Edible

Let them eat cake
London, ON, July 2011

I'll leave it up to you whether the subject of this particular photo is, in fact, edible. I'm not entirely sure what goes into cake icing, but I'm quite certain it's as far from natural as you can possibly get without enlisting the assistance of a team of Iranian nuclear scientists (who will swear it's all for peaceful purposes, but that's an entirely different story.)

Whatever. It was our son's birthday. And you can't have birthday without cake. So there we were. And we ate it. And we were happy. Most importantly, he was happy. Which is the only thing that matters.

Which brings us to the whole point of this week's theme, edible. Food isn't just a nutrition/survival thing. It's a happiness thing, too. Preparing and consuming food has become the core of an extensively complex modern sociological reality. It's easy to understand why the kitchen is such a central component of the modern home, and why life seems to revolve around this pivotal space.

So for the next week, let's celebrate all things edible. If we put it in our mouth, let's shoot and share it. Then eat it. Because I'm hungry, and I'm pretty sure you are, too.

Your turn: Please share a pic on your blog that reflects the new theme - or simply point to something you may have already posted online. Leave a comment here letting folks know where to find it. Visit other participants to spread the photographic happiness. New to Thematic? Click here to learn more. Otherwise, dive right in and have fun!

Thematic Photographic 163 - Eat your veggies

You say tomato, I say...
London, ON, September 2011

Mom always told us to eat our veggies. If memory serves, they were supposed to help us grow big and strong and healthy. Because moms are always right, and because we always want to respect their wishes, I'd like us to spend the week exploring the world of vegetables. I hope you're ready to share some of your own veggie tales, too.

Your turn: Please select a picture of vegetables. Or a picture that reminds you of vegetables. Or one you've already posted. Then pop over here and leave a comment to let everyone know where to find it. Visit other participants to share the joy, and feel free to pop by through the week to add to the fray. For more info on how Thematic Photographic, our weekly non-competitive video-sharing activity/meme/party thing, works, please click here.

Small leaf. Big meaning.

Sweat the small stuff
London, ON, July 2011

I'd like to end off our week-long exploration of "big" with a picture of something that's actually small. It's a leaf, something most of us would simply walk past without giving much of a second thought. But in the overall scheme of things, I believe it matters. It ensures we breathe, that our air is clean, that we have shade, that we have something to sit under when the world offers us no shelter otherwise.

I took this just before we bundled the kids into the car and set off on the long journey east to visit family. It reminded me that the little things matter as much as anything else, and it sometimes helps to stop and take them in.

Your turn: What other small things matter to you?

One more thing: Our new Thematic theme, red, kicks off tonight at 7:00 Eastern. We hope you'll pop back in then.

Thematic Photographic 139 - March Madness

Let them eat cake
London, ON, March 2010

This week's Thematic theme, March Madness, comes to us courtesy of Dana, better known online as Awareness. A writer, a poet, a photographer and an incredibly astute observer of the human condition, her blog has been a must-read for me for years.

As you mull over what photos to share this week, keep the following in mind:

• It must have been taken during the month of March
• It should illustrate some semblance of madness, silliness or irreverence. If it makes you smile, it's good.

That's it. Off to the races we go...

Your turn: Share a March Madness-themed pic on your site (or choose something that you already uploaded) and leave a comment here letting folks know where to find it. Visit other participants' sites to share the joy. Repeat as often as you wish through the week. Don't forget to smile. Thematic instructions, if you need 'em, are here.

About this photo: Why did I choose cake as my launch photo? Because closeups of cake are kinda silly. And it makes me smile every time I get ideas like this in my head and reach for the camera.

Rorschach test?

Water, metal and cold
Bowling Green, OH, December 2008

It's been a while since we did a first-three-words-that-come-to-mind exercise. Since it's Friday, I thought it would be nice to reintroduce it.

So...what three words first come to mind when you see this pic?

P.S. New Thematic theme is coming. Tonight. 7:00 Eastern. What would you like it to be?

Thematic Photographic 129 - Wet

Dewy
Delray Beach, FL, January 2010

I dig water droplets. Not sure why, but I do. I think it's a lovely way to launch our first new Thematic Photographic theme of the year, wet.

Why wet? Because water is, literally, life. It's elemental. It's renewal. It's how I think we all want to start the new year, and I hope you'll come along for the ride with us.

What's Thematic Photographic? It's our weekly photo sharing and learning activity, and it's simple: We post a new theme on Thursday. Over on your blog, you post a picture that interprets the theme, then return here to leave a comment. Repeat as often as you wish, and feel free to pull in a friend, too...the more the merrier. That's it! Complete details are here.

Your turn: Appreciating certain subjects, yet you can't explain why. Please discuss.

Rainbow connection

Stringy
London, ON, March 2010
[Click here to share your own favorite photo of 2010]

I'm pretty sure the colors are in the wrong order to properly reflect an optically pure rainbow. But I'm not one to disturb a subject - even an inanimate one - for the sake of some aesthetic ideal, and the journalist in me says just shoot it as it is. Mucking around with it would kind of violate the entire point, no?

Alcoholic blues

Would you drink this?
Laval, QC
November 2010

About these photos: We're sharing our favorite photos of the year for the next little while, and this photo is one of my faves. Please click here to share your own.

I grew up with this bottle. It sat on a shelf in the basement of the home where I grew up, slowly gathering a thickening layer of dust over the years. My dad collected all sorts of exotic bottles of liquor. Didn't drink them: Just added them to the collection after picking them up on his travels or receiving them as gifts.

This bottle, in particular, always fascinated me. How couldn't it? It was - and apparently still is - a particular shade of blue that almost seemed to be its own light source. While I played in the dimly lit basement, I'd occasionally glance over at the dusty bottle, wondering how neat it was that someone, somewhere, decided to make something that looked so lovely.

I couldn't imagine that anyone would ever want to drink it, though. Staring at it and appreciating it for its pure aesthetics seemed enough for me.

Fast forward a whole lot of years and I found myself in at my mom's early last month going through some of my dad's things with her. She's been slowly winnowing things down, and on this visit, she made her way to the liquor collection. I helped her distribute what she could to friends - yes, I filled the hatch of my car with booze and, yes, I've included the picture here, too - and ended up bringing a few representative and well-packed bottles back to London with me.

Not because I'll ever drink them, but because they were a part of my childhood and it brought me a certain degree of comfort to know I had held onto these things that had brought my father a certain degree of comfort, too.

That I was able to set up a quick photo shoot on my mother's dining room table and end up with a wicked cool shot that instantly takes me back to my childhood was, and is, a welcome and unexpected bonus. Life and loss still suck, but I'm learning to find snippets of brightness amid the murk.

Your turn: Do you remember a seemingly ordinary object from your childhood?

Screw it

Phillips head
Laval, QC, July 2009
[Click here for more black white Thematic]

Remember the other day when I wrote about looking for things that no one else would (link here)? Well, our son, Zach, seems to have inherited the same gene, as he captured this closeup of a screw head during one of his shoots. He didn't need a reason to take it, which was the whole point of the exercise.

Because not everything needs a reason, and I hope my kids learn this lesson whether or not they've got a camera in their hands.

Your turn: Do you learn life lessons through your photography? Would you like to share one with us?

Sunflower in the shade

Yellow petals
London, ON, September 2010
[Please click here to share your yellow-themed perspective]

The world can be an ugly place. Flowers make it prettier. Please discuss.

Loafing around

Holy?
London, ON, August 2010
[Click photo to embiggen]

About this photo: We're wrapping up our "savour" week and getting ready for the new Thematic Photographic theme. It bows tomorrow (Thursday) at 7 p.m. Eastern. If you haven't done the savour thing yet - or even if you have and are still addicted to the insanity - click here to get in under the wire.

Bread may be the carb-laden enemy of new-millenium good health zealots everywhere, but there's nothing like hanging around the house as the bread machine works its magic. I grew up in a part of the world where bakeries were integral anchors of virtually every neighborhood, and to close your eyes and smell fresh-baked bread throughout the house is about as close to olfactory heaven as you'll get in this Age of Wonderbread.

So when my wife loaded up our bread machine and hit the on button, I waited patiently until she set the resulting loaf on the counter to cool. It seemed appropriate to remember the sight with a picture. Sadly, my Nikon wasn't able to capture the delicious scent.

Your turn: Do you make your own bread? Why is this simple domestic act so comforting?

Where the branch ends

Blooming
London, ON, September 2010
[Click here for more branch-themed insanity]

As you can tell from this shot, I'm a fan of texture. Soft light combined with soft surfaces can create the kind of texture that can actually make you feel something that isn't even there; a neat optical trick given the fact that typical picture is little more than two dimensions of unreality.

This is the kind of picture I like to return to later on, as it brings me a sense of peace that comes in handy when the planet seems to have other plans.

Maybe "unreality" was a little harsh, because the feelings are real indeed.

Your turn: Why does the dark appeal to us?

Thumbellina

Curvaceous
Toronto, ON, August 2010
[Please see here for more Thematic letters & numbers]

This isn't my BlackBerry. It belongs to a friend, but it nevertheless reminds me how much time my thumbs, my poor, poor thumbs, spend dancing over a keyboard much like this one.

I really think it's time we came up with new ways to cram our thoughts into the devices that we use to communicate. Current forms of text input are, for most of us, too slow and cumbersome. And in some cases, they're even hurting us (RSI, anyone?)

One of the most often-cited solutions to the keyboard conundrum, voice recognition, doesn't do it for me: Too noisy and zero privacy. I wonder if the Star Trek cupboard of technological goodies has something to hope for. Like brainwave recognition or implantable communication chips. My thumbs cry out for a solution. And soon.

Your turn: What ever did we do with ourselves before we texted and e-mailed everyone from our mobile devices? Have we truly advanced ourselves? Or not?

Thematic Photographic 115 - Letters & Numbers

Dialup (voice) networking
London, ON, March 2010

I wanted to keep things simple and fun for this week's Thematic Photographic theme. If it has either letters or numbers or both in it, I'm hoping you'll share it with us. That's it!

I knew I wanted to use this picture to launch the theme not only because it qualifies on both fronts, but because it's something that over the next few years will likely become less prevalent in our day-to-day existence. Like vinyl albums (iTunes), typewriters (PCs) and floppy disks (flash drives), the basic telephone is morphing into something very different. As I stare at my BlackBerry, for example, I realize it looks nothing like anything the 1980s-era Carmi would have recognized as a phone had someone shown me this futuristic-looking smartphone way back when.

The world moves quickly. The things we take for granted today likely won't exist in their current form - if they exist at all - tomorrow. I'll suggest we avoid blinking for a bit.

Your turn: Please post a letter/number-themed pic on your blog, then leave a comment here with a link to your entry. Repeat as often as you wish. If you've got tech issues with the pasting thing, no worries: A basic comment should be enough, as the blog automatically includes your blog link with every comment. When you're done, visit other participants and spread the Thematic word. My goal is nothing short of spreading photographic goodness as far as it can go, and I'm hoping you can help make that happen. More Thematic background can be found here.

Let there be light

Shine on
London, ON, August 2010
[Click photo to embiggen]

About this photo: Thematic Photographic explores "reflective" this week. My spidey sense senses you want to explore it, too. Go here to see what everyone's yammering about.

There's something to be said for the carefully shaped sculptures of plastic and glass that adorn most modern vehicles. I know we don't give them much thought unless they're blindly accelerating toward a particularly sensitive body part or two, but a closer look at the average car today reveals an intricate little micro-world of light management that ensures the vehicle can both see and be seen. Observe an older car next to a newer one and the difference is even more obvious.

So if you see me scrunched down on the sidewalk with my camera mere inches from the corner of a car, you'll know why. My wife will be the one walking briskly in the opposite direction, hiding her face lest anyone realize we're together.

This particular scene is from our family's car, Chloe (see here for her introduction.) Her rear turn signal is particularly fetching, I think.

Your turn: Find a car. Look at the lights. Tell me what you see - or better yet, show me.