Skip to main content

Genius Hour Post #3 - My Sentence

When I embarked on this Genius Hour journey of wanting to become a better photographer, I had the end goal of my spring break trip to New Zealand in mind. I envisioned the breathtaking landscape of New Zealand and wanting to learn how to capture the beauty and majesty of such an incredible place in photographic form. However, as I have been tinkering around with my DSLR camera (and my iPhone's camera) over these past two weeks, I've noticed that beauty is actually everywhere...

In my sweet niece's smile...









In my grandmother's face whose ailing memory was jogged by listening to an Elvis singer in her assisted living facility...


And in the first peek of sunshine that Chicago has seen in about two weeks.


I have really enjoyed capturing some of these beautiful moments and this project has challenged me to find beauty in the mundane. So perhaps my biggest takeaway from this project so far is that you don't have to be in a foreign country to find photographable moments, but rather, beauty is all around us. My sentence for this project stems from this thought...

She captures the beauty around her.

As I continue to work on my photography skills over the next several weeks, I will keep searching for beautiful moments to capture, especially in the unexpected and the mundane. The best photography subjects don't always have to be around the world, perhaps they're just around the corner.

Comments

  1. EricFebruary 4, 2020 at 12:36 PM

    I love your sentence because I think that is what photography is all about. There is so much all around us that is worth capturing and yet it can be so easy to pass over. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Julie HafnerFebruary 19, 2020 at 7:44 AM

    Jessica you are a photographer! Look at that image you captured of your niece! I love it! It also helps that she is the cutest!! I love your inspirations and allowing the simple joys of everyday beauties drive your work! Keep snapping away, girl!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lorene HimpelmannFebruary 21, 2020 at 2:59 PM

    I also love your sentence. That is exactly what photography is about. I've always been intrigued by photography and I even dabbled in microphotography - taking super close-up photos of plants, flowers, etc. That is why I'm drawn to your idea of finding beauty in every day things.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownFebruary 23, 2020 at 9:01 AM

    Jessica,
    I love your sentence! I think it is so great to capture those simple, but joyful moments! And, finally, some sunshine!
    -Meghan

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Genius Hour Post #1: Topic Selection

For this E-Learning course, we are focusing our energies on a Genius Hour project - curveball: for ourselves! I've had experience with taking students through the Genius Hour process for several years while I was still in the classroom, and I've also helped to lead our district staff through education-related Passion Projects, but I've never completed a Genius Hour or Passion Project of my own. This is EXCITING! I'm the type of person who never stops learning and trying new things, so this type of project is right up my alley. Now, what to focus on? I love to journal in my free time and one of my entries a day or two before the new year was a bucket list for 2020 (pictured). On that list I included things I've always wanted to try, to learn, or to experience, and so what better place to start my Genius Hour project than there? Some bucket list items that could make for excellent Genius Hour projects include: 1) Capture beautiful moments with my camera Two Ch...
1 comment
Read more

D181 - Better Together

In our 21st century ed leadership course, we planned a district-wide challenge. Our goal for this project was to improve culture, foster collaboration, and encourage innovative teaching practices across our district.  We brainstormed ideas together in class and then collaborated digitally in between meetings to move our plan forward. We came up with a great plan to get our teachers excited about technology and trying new things! Each week, teachers will have a new set of tech challenges to complete and they will earn points which they can cash in for laptop stickers and other swag. We plan to implement this challenge in January as a way to jumpstart the new year and to spice up the winter blues. This capstone project was fun to plan but it also had many challenges. First, working to plan a large-scale event with around 20 people is no easy task, particularly since much of the planning was done via digital collaboration instead of in-person discussions. During our second c...
1 comment
Read more

Genius Hour Post #2: Exploratory Experience

This week, I dabbled with a few of my Genius Hour topics. My three potential topics - learning to use my camera, learning to surf, and learning to cook - came directly from my 2020 bucket list and are all things I've been wanting to tackle for years now! I took my camera to my niece's 1st birthday party to try to capture some special moments and I did the best I could with what little photography knowledge I remember from the one 6-hour class I took two years ago. My results were mediocre at best, and it certainly didn't help that my adorable 12-month old subject absolutely never. sits. still. However, the feeling I get with a camera in my hand is magical. I love trying to find just the right angle and capture just the right moment or expression.  I was laying on my stomach on the floor in the middle of the party at one point just to "get the shot." Unfortunately, it is disappointing when I look at the tiny screen on the camera to see that the vision I had for a...
3 comments
Read more