Fifty-two on Friday-Week Forty three!

 A blog circle of photographers from all over the world, both amateur and professional alike, sharing their interpretations of a common theme.  At the bottom of each post, click the link for the next photographer until you come full circle, back here to my blog.

"darkness"

I try to start every day with a walk.  I get out of bed, put my sweats and sneakers on, grab the dog, his leash, my pepper spray (for both my protection and in case of another dog that mine may not like) and, of course, my cell phone.  I really like to walk before work, which means leaving the house by 6:30.  The problem with walking at 6:30 during the fall, winter and early spring months, is that it's dark when I start out.  The one truly good thing about starting out in the dark is that I get to watch the sunrise.  We've had some gorgeous sunrises in the last few weeks.  I love  when the sky is full of color...pinks, oranges, blues and the whites of the clouds and just before you actually get to see the rays of the sun. It's what I like to call, the edge of darkness.  Both of these are taken with my cell phone and are unedited.  

Sometimes the best camera is the one you have with you!

  To see what the rest of the circle found for "darkness" start here with Stacy Vitallo of D'Lara Photography, Downer's Grove, IL

Fifty-two on Friday-Week Forty-two! Ten more to go!

 A blog circle of photographers from all over the world, both amateur and professional alike, sharing their interpretations of a common theme.  At the bottom of each post, click the link for the next photographer until you come full circle, back here to my blog.

"jewels"

It took some time this week to come up with an idea for our theme.  I spent the beginning of the week editing some pictures I took of two of my nieces on a recent outing.  They'd been going through a bit of a hard time due to the loss of a close family friend.  It was the kind of experience that is hard enough to understand as an adult, much less a child.   While I spent the day with the girls, I marveled at how resilient these kids could be in the midst of turmoil.  Many of my shots that day were of girls deep in thought, but then there were the times when the happy-go-lucky innocence of being eight and six shined through. 

The girls are no strangers to my camera.  I've used them as my practice models since I got serious about photography. They like to be silly and come up with their own poses, but they're good about taking direction too. These two girls and one of my other nieces came along much later than nine of their other cousins.  

They're almost a whole different generation and we treasure them, like jewels.   

 

To see what jewels Christa Paustenbaugh of Okinawa, Japan and the rest of the group found,

 click here

Snapshotofagoodlife.com...

...that's the online photography class that got me started.  Karen Russell is the girl, or lady (I hate using that word, because if she's lady then I'm an old lady and I don't want to be that) that teaches the class and continues to be involved in her students successes.  She recently sent an e-mail asking for a little help.  I'm so happy to be able to give something back to her! 

Soooo......

Because she asked. Because she is the inspiration behind my wonderful journey into photography. Because she teaches in way that makes it easy to understand. Because she encourages you to do your best and find your style, not someone else's. Because she gives her heart and soul to all of her students, both past and present. Because she asked, I give her my best, one of my most best, one of my favorite shots!

Fifty-two on Friday-Week Forty-one

A blog circle of photographers from all over the world, both amateur and professional alike, sharing their interpretations of a common theme.  At the bottom of each post, click the link for the next photographer until you come full circle, back here to my blog.

"far away"

I had the opportunity this past weekend to take my camera to someplace that I've only ever driven past on my way to my husband's family's vacation home.  I was, actually, scrapbooking for the weekend when I decided to take my camera and check out a Pagoda that sits way up on top of a hill outside the town of Reading, Pennsylvania.  The Pagoda was really neat, but the view from the Pagoda was spectacular.  I wish that I'd thought to ask my husband to stop at this location years ago.  I hope to get back in a couple of weeks when the leaves are changing color.  I imagine the view will be even more amazing.   The city just seems so far away, but in reality it was just a few minutes from where I stood.
(note: I actually had a really nice panoramic to share but the file was too large.  I will try to resize it later, after work, and post, so you might want to check back!) 

Here's a panoramic I took but wasn't able to post this morning.

 
To see more far away things start here with Faye Kingston of Miramichi, NB

Fifty two on Friday-Week Forty!!!

A blog circle of photographers from all over the world, both amateur and professional alike, sharing their interpretations of a common theme.  At the bottom of each post, click the link for the next photographer until you come full circle, back here to my blog.

"family"

 I tried to think a bit outside the box for this week's shot.  My youngest son, Kevin, was coming home from college last weekend, when I began brainstorming ideas for a family portrait.  I wasn't coming up with any unique, but in the course of explaining why he was coming home to a friend,  I got a better idea.  

Kevin is senior at Penn State University.  For years the students of Penn State have participated in the largest student run philanthropic organization in the world, know as THON. THON is a year long fund raising event that raises money to benefit the Four Diamonds Fund at the Hershey Medical Center and more specifically, two families who have had children with pediatric cancer.. 

One of the ways the students of Penn State raise money is by canning.    Groups of  students usually travel to someone's home for a weekend. (they do this multiple times during the year.) They sleep on couches, floors, or beds if they're available. Then they get up early on Saturday morning and actually stand on street corners, outside of grocery stores, or where ever towns will let them and with cans in their hands they collect donations.  It doesn't matter to them what the weather may be, they just go.   And they do it all again on Sunday. Some are even ambitious enough to start when they get where they're going on Friday evening.

The culmination of the fund raising is a 46-hour  dance marathon in February.  More than 15,000 Penn State from all campuses volunteer their time to raise money to help the families of Brittany and Katelyn.  The students of Penn State have sponsored Brittany and Katelyn for the last several years.  

This past February THON raised a record $10, 680,000 towards the elimination of childhood cancer. The efforts of these students doesn't end there, though.  They just don't help out financially, but emotionally as well.  These students spend their weekend time throughout the year going bowling,  on picnics, or to the local amusement park or any other number of activities to raise the spirits of the families they have pledged to help and grown to love. 

For my shot this week, I chose to highlight just a few of the kids that so unselfishly donate their time.  These kids are part of Kevin's fraternity family.  Alpha Kappa Psi is a business fraternity that Kevin is proud to be a part of.  They are brothers.  They are family.  I'm honored to have met these kids and am looking forward to hosting a canning weekend at my house in November so that I can get to know them better and support them while they support their 

THON families.

To continue around the blog circle, start here with Christine Baylock

Part of the AKPsi family:

Yvonne, Rita, Lindsey, Emily, Steve, Kevin, Luke

 

Kevin (on right) and his friend Steve have known each other since first grade, were roommates for their first two years of college, and now live in the frat house, along with ten other "brothers."

 If you'd like to learn more or even donate to THON click here. The link will take you to Alpha Kappa Psi's THON page where you can read more about the event.  If you choose to make a  donation, there is a link at the bottom of the page. Please select "organization" in the Designation Selection box.  Once you save your info at the bottom of that page, and continue onto the next page, you'll be able to select Alpha Kappa Psi as the specific organization getting credit for the donation.  

Ninety-six percent of the the total donation amount goes to the Four Diamonds Fund to help with research and to support the families affected by childhood cancers. 

If you are unable to donate at this time, please keep these students and the familes they support in your thoughts and/or prayers.

It all means so much!