Beauty Is...

My  own little "Mini Me" wanted to create a photograph to submit to the PTA "Reflections" contest.  Students are encouraged to "create an original work" of dance, photography, film, music, literature, or other visual art.  This year's theme is "Beauty Is..." 

With cameras in hand we set off in search of beauty in our community.  The flora and fauna found in and around a few local lakes offered plenty of beauty to be photographed. 



I was quite impressed with my son's ability to evaluate his subjects and the quality of the available light.  He certainly knew what he was doing and why he was doing it.   He was intent upon his mission to show us what "beauty is."  In several of my photos above it is obvious that he is quite confident and totally in control of his process.  In several other photos it is equally obvious that he is still just a little kid.  When we came upon the playground area, his face beamed as he darted off quickly to run, jump, climb, swing, slide, and simply be silly.  He concluded his romp and then proceeded to take several more beautiful photos.

I'm sure that the "Reflections" contest will astound us with the submissions of the students.  The lesson I learned is that "Beauty Is" the mind, heart, and spirit of an innocent child.  That's a tough one to capture in a single photo, but I'll surely keep trying...

Walk Now for Autism Speaks

October 4, 2009 - Jones Beach State Park

The fund raising walk to support the efforts of "Autism Speaks" was held on this beautiful day. I heard that there were 25,000 families in attendance. There had to be 50,000 people there showing their support. Hundreds of volunteers worked hard to organize this event. There's no way that this could have been anything other than a huge success!

I was there to simply take photographs. The results of my work can be found by clicking on the title above. It will take you to a page on my web site where one more obvious click will take you to the photo album. There you will see photos of cute kids, supportive families, enthusiastic teams of walkers, talented musical performers, and a guest speaker or two. All in all, it was a very enjoyable day!

You too can help to support this great organization in its efforts to find a cure. Just visit http://www.autismspeaks.org/ to find out how.