happy 4th!

Because of so many other responsibilities lately, I've morphed into a person who doesn't make pictures every single day. I've always felt strongly that our picture making muscles - the ones required for visualization, framing, composition and timing - need to regularly be stretched, strengthened, pushed and conditioned. So tonight, as dusk was setting and the pops and cracks of Independence day celebrations were lighting up the sky, I got out my camera and went for a walk. The clouds were filling up with moisture and growing more ominous with each passing minute. Kids and their parents were busy with sparklers, smoke bombs and firecrackers. I walked through the thick Midwestern air, an occasional raindrop falling here and there, with the sole purpose of making pictures... maybe nothing important or even worth saving. But for me, the act of simply carrying the camera always leads to a sharper look around - and a fuller appreciation of what surrounds me. I did manage to make a picture I like, though what was clear is that I need to get back into a regular exercise program.

My extraordinary friend and fellow photographer/blogger, Aline Smithson, asked her readers to submit pictures that conjure up the spirit of Independence Day, Lots of readers responded. When you have a few minutes, treat yourself by scrolling through Aline's 4th of July Exhibition.There are, of course, as many interpretations of a subject as there are people with cameras, and here you really get the full sense of that.