The 'Non' Pose

 It seems you can always find someone willing to do something different or silly for a photo.  For awhile, photos of people jumping on hotel beds seemed to be the thing.  So much so, they've devoted a whole website to it (I so know you're going to check it out!).  More recently, planking was the popular thing to do.  It's so popular, here's what Wikipedia has to say about it:

 Planking (or the Lying Down Game) is an activity consisting of lying face down in an unusual or incongruous location. Both hands must touch the sides of the body. Having a photograph taken of the participant and posted on the Internet is an integral part of the game.

I, myself, haven't tried jumping on hotel beds (well, not for a photo to be posted on the internet, anyway. Oh, and it wasn't me.  It was my kids, I swear) nor have I tried planking.  What I have recently photographed is people doing a 'non' pose, which usually consists of people (or person) standing still, arms down at their sides and not smiling.  It can be anywhere from one person or more.  You can even find a Flickr group for the 'non' pose.  I tend to like this one the best because unlike hotel bed jumping or planking, I seriously doubt there's much chance for being injured (though there's always a first time, I suppose!).

When I did the above prom shoot I explained to the kids what I wanted to do but I could tell by the look on their faces that they thought it was a strange request.  However, once I shot the photo and they saw it, they were quite pleased with it.  It's different, and I like it.  Or, as my girlfriend commented when she saw my photo, "Very 'Children of the Corn'-esque, but I like it!".  Hey, works for me. :)

How about you? Have any hotel bed jumping shots, planking pics or photos with uncoventional poses? If so, share away!  We'd love to see them. 

when the planets align

We were returning home from an afternoon spent with some friends when we remembered the solar eclipse was about to start. We pulled our cars over near the coast to take a look. Far too bright to really see, we struggled with make-shift ideas of how to knock down the glare enough to make out the shape as our sun was slowly being covered by the moon. Three pairs of sun glasses, looking through the tinted glass of our car windows, seeing it via reflection...some methods worked better than others but after a few minutes we all got back into our cars, a little defeated, and headed home.

Back at home we tried a few more of my crazy ideas (why we didn't Google it is beyond me) but we couldn't see it like we'd hoped. The family had pretty much called it an event but I kept walking outside every few minutes to see if anything had changed.

Imagine my delight when in rolled in the most ideal layer of thin coastal fog I had ever seen. Like a sheer curtain, the marine layer filtered the sun just enough to be able to get a perfect and clear glimpse of the eclipse. I screamed for the family and when they all came running outside, they were as tickled as I was.

The next time this will happen here, my kids will be 19 & 25 years old. In other words, I knew we were witnessing something very special. Click, click, click went my camera as my girls, now 8 & 14 danced along the sidewalk, squealing and giggling. I'm not sure if I'd have been able to capture the eclipse at all if it weren't for the perfect timing of that marine layer but it didn't matter; the planets had aligned quite literally and I had the honor of documenting it.

If you captured the eclipse, we'd love to see your perspective. It's Best Shot Monday, so share any image you'd like where the planets aligned and got you all aglow!

weekending by tamar haytayan

Tamar Haytayan shoots images like this with her Nikon D80 and D5100 and spends her weekends with her family in beautiful rainy Vancouver, relaxing, cooking, clicking, and trying to find some time for herself in between.

Tamar can be found online on her blog Colour of Pomegranates and on Flickr.

Won't you share with us the kinds of things you discover while you're weekending?

To be featured on our weekending series, email us an image that tells your weekending story.

sweetness

Some people seek adventure and prefer constant activity in their lives. And while I fully admire these personality types, I am not naturally that way. It's not that I don't enjoy new and exciting experiences. But my pace to life is slow and steady. And while this fact often makes me feel guilty or lazy, I am finally starting to come to terms with it.

My idea of a perfect day includes a bright Sunday morning spent drinking coffee and sharing cinnamon rolls with my family. Throw in a walk to the park and I'm a happy camper. Simple and sweet.

What's your idea of a perfect day?

positive

I discovered this quote recently from a very inspiring talk... It's funny how certain things find you just when you need them.

Be careful what you think
For what you think becomes what you say...
Be careful what you say
For what you say becomes what you do...
Be careful what you do...
For what you do becomes your character...
Be careful of your character
For your character becomes your destiny.

It's adapted from this quote.

As a habitual worrier previously, I'm switching to this thought process, especially when it comes to my creative journey.

What positive words & quotes do you hold close to you? Or have helped you in your creative process?

Please share with us today.