Penning Photography Daily

It’s been a busy day.

I spent most of the day, with these folks. That’s me in the back row on the right, with my remote trigger activating the camera.

This was a one day retreat for persons with disabilities, their caregivers and other community folks. The local Catholic diocese of Springfield in Illinois, of which my church, St. Agnes is a member church, coordinated and sponsored this retreat. I was asked to be a team member, providing the music for the retreat. I volunteered to take the group portrait, which is traditionally given to each person at the end of the day, in a packet of other mementos and information.

I had fun!

I learned as much from each of them as they did from me.

We sang songs, listened to mostly lay folks give talks on their own disabilities. How they struggle and find meaning in life, sharing how God works through their disability to touch others with his love and kindness. We shared discussions on the talks, and on our lives. At the end of the day, we shared a celebration of Mass together.

Some of the disabilities cannot be seen, and in some sense of the word, we all have some disability. Other disabilities are evident. All of us are called to live our lives to the fullest extent possible.

I’d say each one here is very happy to be alive and able to live life to the full.

A full day of life worth sharing.

Loving my new Sprint Palm Pre phone. 

It came overnight instead of next week as I was expecting.  Great customer service, Sprint.

Not a perfect picture, I’ll be exploring that over the next few weeks. Practice makes perfect.

A busy weekend ahead. 

I hope yours is wonderful. Stop & take in the wonder when you can. I find it everywhere.

– Sent from my Palm Pre

Steve, Dan, Kevin, Sarah & Chris, along with about 15 other Springfield folk, gathered at a local watering hole tonight.

The connection between us (Karen & I went as well)? Social media on the Internet. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc. The large world made small through the connections we made using the common media of the Internet.

We each had something to add to the conversation. The discussions varied wide as well as local. Putting a face to what online is a sometimes anonymous, and at other times more revealing than “real” life.

Just a small grouping of the larger group. When Karen & I first came into the bar, I was intimidated by the collection of strangers. I didn’t take the group photo then. Heck, here I was, ready but shy. I have to work on that next time. Silly me.

I’m looking forward to the next gathering.

Thanks to Chris, @Gotshoo for putting the meetup together.

Good folks, every one. Behind every connection on the world wide web, is a person of interest, a story to be told.

Sunset over the tall corn.

A familiar sight on the Great Plains States of the United States of America. Illinois to be specific.

Karen and I were heading home after a delicious meal together. I saw the sun casting rays through the clouds, and asked if she minded a slight detour so I could grab at the shifting light of sunset. “Sure” came the word, from my beautiful bride.

I took Hazlett Lane to the North, exclaiming “Wouldn’t you know it, there’d be corn this year all down the lane.” Crop rotations usually puts either soybeans or corn in a field. One year to the next it used to be certain that one year’s cornfield would be followed by a soybean field. Soybeans are a low, earth hugging plant, whereas corn reaches up high in the sky, far above my head when mature. I was thinking the corn would block my horizon.

Silly me.

The corn added to the frame of beauty. The rays of the sun, accentuated by my small f-stop, f22 being near the smallest on my Pentax K20D with the Sigma 10-20mm on.

The blue sky above, the green corn, topped by tassels turning gold as they mature, and kissed by that golden late-day sun. The clouds, painted with the colors of the sunset.

Just about a perfect view of a sunset on the farm.

I have plans, but I’m adaptable. The surprises are worth not minding a change in direction.

Portrait session in Washington Park, and when I arrive, it looks like this.

Hmmm. Not perfect conditions.

The good news was that the dark clouds were heading East, and plain old overcast clouds bringing the diffused light that I was hoping for were in the West. So I set up in the open, with flowers all around.

Just as I had everyone – about 20 family members in position, the sun burst into full brightness. No clouds. Harsh shadows. Ugh. I finished quickly in the sunlight and herded everyone into the shade.

See the trees? Lots of nice tress spaces to take photos in Washington Park.

If circumstances don’t always come together in your favor, look around. There’s usually an alternative. I’m hardly ever stuck with no place to turn to, if I keep looking.

It’s easier to be open to the possible, than to cling to the impossible. Or, at least it feels much better.

A beautiful combination of color and texture.

Before a portrait session this weekend in Washington Park, I was looking over the flower beds by the arboretum. I became entranced by this fuzzy taill amidst the purple and green.

All because I had a few minutes to wait for my clients, and that I took time to explore.

The gifts are all around us, sometimes inside us. Waiting to be noticed, unwrapped and savored, utilized, enjoyed, shared.

It takes time to explore, but the benefits usually tilt the balance of effort into your favor.