The Thousand Picture Project: Jumping into June

Last year, I discovered the June is for Jumping group on Flickr late in the month, but so enjoyed looking at everyone’s shots (really, click through, they’re quite impressive!) that I looked forward all year to this year’s edition. I was full to the brim with enthusiasm as I headed into the backyard on the evening of June 1st to start contributing what I thought would be the first in a month’s worth of clever, well-composed and perfectly executed shots.

This was, I kid you not, the best of the 20 shots I took.

Best by quite a margin, I might add. You might think me brave to post such a ridiculous shot of myself; you only say that without having seen the other 19 exponentially more ludicrous shots for comparison. Out of focus shots, shots of me standing flat-footed with a look of consternation on my face thrusting the remote toward the camera in a distinct “is this thing on?” sort of gesture, shots that prove that perhaps June Jumping is a game best left to women who are less than 40 or have borne less than three children. Really, you should THANK me for not posting them. Trust me.

I remain undeterred, though. And besides, the bar is low for considerable improvement to my jump shots through the next month!

As you can see, I’m taking a lot of inspiration from groups and themes on Flickr lately. I blame Angela! This is my second “Bench Monday” shot, and I’m quite pleased with it. I like how the bench and the fence in the back intersect at my sparkly shoes. Okay, fair enough, I just love my sparkly shoes.

And speaking of things I love, things at the park, and TtV pictures, how adorable is this? We were playing pop-up peekaboo, and both of us were laughing. I called it “Golden Boy” because of that delicious evening light, and because he is truly worth his toddling menace weight in gold.

These next pix are a little less frivolous. (But perhaps a little less, um, interesting??) At my Friday photography class, we were discussing the elements of composition, and then had to go out onto Dalhousie Street and shoot several examples of each element.

The elements in question are: line, shape or form, texture, colour, value and space. Line is one-dimensional; shape and form are three-dimensional. Texture and colour speak for themselves. Value is the amount of light or darkness. Space can be positive (the amount of space taken up by things) or negative.

Here’s four of the shots I particularly liked and the elements I thought they represented.

1. Space, colour and form:

2. Colour, shape, texture and line:

3. Line, value, colour, shape and space:

4. Colour, texture, shape and space:

I’m not sure how on-track I was for the assignment in the interpretation of the various elements. I’ll tell you after tonight’s class!

This one really belongs above, from a thematic perspective, but I wanted to end with a strong picture and this is another one of my faves for this week. It’s another theme-inspired picture, this one for Positively Ottawa’s Lyrical Thursdays: photos inspired by music or lyrics.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer. And in the 1970s, when IBM Selectric Typewriters were the latest technological toy, it was this kind of machine that I envisioned pecking out my Great Canadian Novel.

Inspired by The Beatles: Paperback Writer.

Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?
It took me years to write, will you take a look?
It’s based on a novel by a man named Lear
And I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.

It’s the dirty story of a dirty man
And his clinging wife doesn’t understand.
The son (The Sun) is working for the Daily Mail,
It’s a steady job but he wants to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.

Paperback writer (paperback writer)

It’s a thousand pages, give or take a few,
I’ll be writing more in a week or two.
I can make it longer if you like the style,
I can change it round and I want to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.

If you really like it you can have the rights,
It could make a million for you overnight.
If you must return it, you can send it here
But I need a break and I want to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.

Actually, I just love it when word and pictures so perfectly intersect. THAT’s my happy place!

Edited to add: Apparently my brother felt the Jumping shot lacked a caption so he sent me this. All these years later, he’s still a pain in the ass.