Seven Super Shots

Schoolyard games just never seem to lose their appeal, no matter your age.  Of course the games evolve and take on a new level of sophistication, but they are still the same game at heart.   The folks at HostelBookers have tapped into this enjoyment to create a virtual game of tag.   This game of tag centers on photography, and sharing your favorite shots in a category before tagging some friends to share their favorite shots.

When I read the categories, some photos instantly popped to mind as the perfect choice, while other categories took some looking to find the perfect shot.  As a result, I had an opportunity to take a visual tour through years of travel memories to find the perfect shot.

 

A Photo that… Makes Me Laugh or Smile

To be honest, this photo also makes me squeal a little as I remember the craggy claws of the not at all shy pigeons in St. Mark’s Square in Venice.  I have never seen my kids enjoy something so utterly and with such gusto.  This photo also makes me feel a mixture of sadness and gratitude.  Just a few short months after we visited Venice, feeding the pigeons was outlawed.  Knowing that this experience can never be recreated makes this picture even more meaningful.

A Photo that…Makes Me Dream

It’s an unlikely place to find a dream worthy scene-out in the middle of a field, at the end of dusty road, in a tiny Texas town.  It’s an unlikely subject, as well-airplane engines brightly painted and jutting out of the sprawling field dotted with cow patties.  But, these art installations, along with several other unique sculptures are the work of a retired farmer who, in the words of his brother “just wanted to do it and he done it.”  My dream would be that I always have the courage and the gumption to follow my passions in that way.

A Photo that… Make Me Think

There is possibly nothing that is guaranteed to get me choked up like feelings of patriotism.  It is certainly easy to feel patriotic in Washington D.C., especially while visiting Arlington National Cemetery.   Silent contemplation beckons from between the rows of headstones, reminding visitors of the cost of freedom.  During our visit, the hushed mood was violently broken by the sound of shots-twenty one shots, to be exact.  A funeral in progress was a stark reminder that military sacrifice happens every day and is not something of the distant past.

A Photo that… Makes my Mouth Water

If this isn’t the perfect picture of summer, I don’t know what is.  I can almost taste the warm sweetness and feel the juice running down my chin.  It is also a great reminder of spending the day picking strawberries with three young boys.  Remembering those chubby hands holding fistfuls of strawberries is memory I keep stored in my mind for rainy days.

A Photo that …Tells a Story

Can’t you just feel the emotion in this picture?  Fists clenched, partly in trepidation partly in determination.  The look on his face, as if he is holding his breath in anticipation of making the leap-a leap that might as well be the Grand Canyon.   Trust me, there was just as much emotion on the other side of the camera, as I watched my little boy take steps of independence and hoped that he didn’t get wet.  There was elation for both of us when he reached the other side, dry and triumphant.

A Photo that…I am Most Proud Of (AKA My National Geographic Shot)

I actually didn’t take this picture, meaning it wasn’t my finger that pressed the button.  We were attending the release of Kemp’s Ridley turtle hatchlings, and naturally there were boundaries in place to protect the animals that made photography difficult.  A kindly Park Ranger was happily taking spectators cameras to take closer pictures of the action, so I waited my turn.  Unlike the others, though, who were content with a simple point and shoot picture, I had a specific shot in mind.  I adjusted my settings and handed the ranger my camera and then began giving instructions on angle and composition and focus.  It was a challenge to explain verbally the things that I do naturally with the camera in my hand, but finally we found a way to work together.  She pushed the button and I got my shot.

 

A Photo that…Takes My Breathe Away

It's not a particularly fantastic shot.  The lighting isn't perfect and composition isn't quite right and with faces into the sun, the subjects couldn't help but squint a bit.  But, it is a deeply personal picture that represents a story of pain and triumph.  It is a picture that was three painful years in the making and was serendipitously graced with rainbow at just the perfect moment.  Those facts alone make this picture breathtaking to me.  But, there is something more in the picture that takes my breathe away-well, actually four more things. 

To quote the Lonestar song "Front Porch Looking In"

It's anywhere I'll ever go and everywhere I've been
Nothing takes my breath away
Like my front porch looking in

I have been blessed beyond measure to travel to see some of the best the world has to offer.  But, nothing, truly nothing is more breathtaking, or more awe inspiring than these four smiling faces. 

 

Thank you to Wandering Educators for tagging me for Seven Super Shots.  Now it’s my turn.

Tag!  You’re It!

Keryn at Walkingon Travels

Lisa at Gone with the Family

Anwar at Beyond my Front Door

Jenna at This is My Happiness

Curt at Somewhere Over the Rainbow