I think that friendship is valuable, and having friends is the best most valuable thing going.

Are you seeing a friend today?  If not what else do you find valuable?

Cleaning, laundry, errands, commutes. We often think of routines as dull, but necessary evils. But not all are. My husband and I have a fair-weather routine of packing a picnic breakfast to take downtown. We people- and dog-watch while enjoying time together free of distractions. It’s a pleasant routine that we look forward to when the sun is out.

What routine do you look forward to? A work-out? A place you routinely visit? A hobby? Let your picture give us a glimpse of this welcome routine. 

The joke in my family is that I am steam-driven.  I always have a cup of some kind of liquid with me...and each kind of liquid has its own designated cup.  Pink for water.  Purple for iced tea.  Red for coffee.  

What's in your cup?

When non-photography folks take photos with their phone or camera they will generally place their subject right in the middle of the frame.  As we learn about composition we quickly learn that centering a photo is not always pleasing to the eye.

However, there are times when centering a photo is actually a good compositional technique.  When you want to make your subject dominant and draw attention to it, centering is a good way to do so.  Centering allows the viewers eye to settle on the subject.  In the photo above I placed the golf ball and the tee directly in the centre of the frame.  Centering makes it dominant in the photo while also creating scale.  Another time where centering works is when you want to create symmetry in your photo.

As you look at taking your photo today, consider how centering your subject can enhance its composition.

Today is the 5th of the month... which means? That's right! Picture my World! Show us your world today. Some of us are taking photos in the same spot, some of us are taking photos of coffee and pastries, some of us are using our letterboards. There is no wrong answer! Just show us!

Living in the land of tornadoes, we talk about what we need to grab if things get bad.  After the humans and animals in our house, my guitars are next on the list for me.  Music is what calms my soul and brings me peace.  I need it in my life.   

What would you take to the tornado shelter?  What is that must have in your life?

I love the streets that I wander down. What do you wander down that makes you happy.

Our usual aim is to take well-focused photos with no camera shake. But ICM or Intentional Camera Motion is a rule-breaker: we deliberately move the camera. The result imitates abstract or impressionistic painting! 

ICM photos are obtained by panning with a long exposure, so we need settings that avoid overexposure. Not only DSLRs, but phone cameras that allow adjustments can capture ICM results. Here’s how.

Choose a time of day or a shady area where the light is diminished. Find an uncluttered background so your subject stands out. I chose a row of bright flowers in the shade surrounded by greenery.

Choose your lowest ISO and set your aperture to f/22 or higher. Set your shutter speed between .5 seconds and 1.0 seconds. (This combo will take experimentation.) Optionally, use autofocus to lock on your focus, then switch to manual focus. A tripod will eliminate wiggly lines. 

Your subject will determine the direction you will pan. At the beach, you’ll likely pan horizontally. Similarly, with trees, you’ll choose vertically. Aim just below or to one side of your subject, hit the shutter button, and pan until the shutter clicks. This will probably take many shots until you have the right balance of settings and panning speed, so be patient.

Don’t limit yourself to straight panning. Try circles, zig-zags or whatever comes to mind. Consider if cropping your photo will improve the appearance. Most of all, don’t stress about this, but enjoy the unexpected results! 

These boots were made for walking!

Yes!  I am a lover of boots!  I love my Doc Martens (three pairs), my cowboy boots, my Uggs, my Blundstones, my motorcycle boots and especially my hiking boots!   Do some walking and take a picture of your favourite boots today.  

Today is going to be double the fun! It's our colorful monthly prompt combined with our exciting quarterly scavenger hunt!

• Prickly
• Printed
• Pillowy
• Patterned

Short on time? No problem! Just look for one purple item to add some color to your day!

Spices are very photogenic and versatile to photograph. You can make patterns, add props such as cups and spoons, or simply photograph some fresh herbs. Let's see how spicy you can get today!

Close encounters of the sheepish kind...almost twenty years ago, on a family trip, we bought this bat of wool.  I dyed it.  Then life happened.  Fast forward to today.  Both of my girls are knitters.  My now ex-husband encountered the long neglected bat of dyed wool in a forgotten bin and has recently spun it into what you see in the photo.  It is now up for grabs by my daughters or me for an upcoming knitting project.

Is there something that you encountered many years ago that may have been forgotten but has taken on new life in the present?  Looking closely at these kinds of situations as well as looking at the close up details of "the thing" sheds much insight on the big picture as well.

What little big thing will you encounter today?

The Grieving Parents by Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945) at Vladslo German war cemetery.  

In Belgium there are a lot of war graves, unfortunately.  These stone statues 'talked' to me, as there are no winners of war.

What Stone statue talks to you?  It could be in your garden, down your street, or in your town square.

It was 82 degrees at 9 AM and if it wasn’t for volunteers like these two folks, this charming garden designed with plants mentioned in the Bible wouldn’t survive. 

Find someone “doing their bit” to lend a helping hand. It might be a family member, neighbor, or a Good Samaritan. It might be YOU!

If you want to be a party animal, you have to learn to live in the jungle - Kelly LeBrock

Are you a party animal?  

Or are you a chill homebody?

I welcomed Garnett to my jungle!  I think she was pretty scared, but, honestly I play the party animal on 365 Picture Today but I am somewhere in between party animal and chill axing critter!  

Take a picture today that shows your fun side.  You might want to photograph someone else being a party animal, or an animal at a party, or, you might want to show the chill homebody you!

By definition, a weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular location, a plant that grows wild and profusely, and a plant that outcompetes other plants. 

It seems that something is always growing somewhere; somebody doesn't want it. Today, let's give that plant its 15 minutes of fame, as they say! 

Like this honeysuckle that is slowly taking over this stone wall.

We are surrounded by small wonders every day.  All we have do is look for them.  A small wonder can also be considered as a small miracle.  I think happiness comes from finding small joys as we go through our daily lives.

When we were going through the pandemic a few years ago folks began to decorate rocks and leave them out on paths for others to find.  These rocks were colourfully decorated and many of them had inspirational sayings on them.  It's become a tradition that I've grown quite fond of and I hope that people continue to leave these rocks for people to find.  It's these small wonders that brought joy to my life when all around us was such negative news.

What small wonder will you find today to bring you joy?  

As photographers, we are always looking for the light.  I find the streaking light of an ocean sunrise one of the most beautiful kinds of light, especially when the clouds choose to dance in that light.

Keep your eyes open today for the beauty of streaking light.  It may not be as grand as a sunrise over the ocean, but there is much beauty to be found in the simple light of our everyday surroundings.  

Let your light shine...and streak...today!

Today is a blank canvas for which all of the other prompts have prepared you.

Keep your eyes open and have fun!

What's "natural" in photography you may ask?

Well, let's approach it from the opposite, "artificial". "Natural" vs. "Artificial" is usually emphasized by professional photographers in the context of portraits, family shots, wedding photography; they advertise that they are capable of producing natural rather than posed, artificial photos. In my “natural” photo, the girl was drawing on a blackboard, with full dedication and concentration, completely unaware of my camera.

Candid portraiture is all about observing, patience and timing. So today, let's put ourselves in the shoes of a “natural“ photographer who manages to make the subject forget our camera. 

As you observe your subject, think about creating a single, strong focal point in your frame and avoid unnecessary items. Find a subject engaged in an activity, adjust in advance for a correct exposure, maybe Aperture Priority or Portrait mode so that you are ready for the decisive moment(s)!  

Who will you choose for your portrait? How can you capture them as naturally as possible?

It's Challenge Day!

On challenge day we recreate the prompt picture with the directions given!  However, remember that you get to put your own creativity and twist into the photograph you take. Today it is super simple and should be really fun too.

It is "story day".  Let's tell a story with a coffee mug! 

"You've been punked!"   Let's punk someone.

 Write a message on the bottom of a mug and photograph it.  I used a sharpie but you can also use any app that has a text tool if that appeals to you more.   You do not have to write the message I wrote!  Write any message you want.  You might want to send a message to someone in this group, or to your partner or child or friend, or you might just want to message the world.  

Have fun with it!  I cannot wait to see all the story the messages sent will tell!

"You have to be still for a moment to even notice that there is silence outside." Eckhart Tolle

What made you stop and take notice today? Share it with us!

Sometimes focusing on a small part of an object in your photo will make you see the details that make up the whole.  Most times we focus on the whole rather than the parts.  Zeroing into the small details or just a part of an object can make you see it in a whole different way.

For this photo I used my macro lens and focused on the outer edge of the petals.  Using a wide aperture, it allows for just the tips of the petals to be in focus.  I didn't need the whole flower to produce a pretty photo.   Just a part of it turned out to be just as pretty in my opinion.

Try photographing just a part of something today.  Photograph many different parts of your subject from different angles and see how it changes the view of the overall object.  What part do you prefer?  

Today we want you to show us your jewelry. It can be a piece that is special to you, your everyday earrings, your wedding or engagement ring, an heirloom, or a plastic ring out of the gumball machine. In the example photo I am wearing my Mother's pearls and my fancy special occasion ring. Since its Picture Me day, make sure to include yourself in the photo!

I love books and belong to a book club. The club helps me to continue to read new books; otherwise I am always revisiting old books.

Books do make a great prop for a still life. Show us a book you are reading, or do a still life in which you have some books.

I rarely drink from a teacup, but I have a few with sentimental value. The Johnson Brothers “Rose Chintz” at the bottom was my mother’s pattern. The Wedgwood “Mirabelle” at the top is mine. And the blue one in the middle “belongs” to Felicity, the American Girl doll who lived in Williamsburg, VA. Who would have guessed that I would live here one day too?

Do you have any teacups at your home? How will you shoot them? Lined up? From above? With accessories? If there’s no teacups, use mugs instead and share their story too!

A spoon?  Yep!  Today is spoon day and we are going to photograph this most basic tool in all it's glory.  Get creative with it.  It is a perfect model.  Dress it up with food or in a beverage, use it's shiny surface to show off it's beauty, get silly with it and hang it off your nose....what ever you do, just photograph it! Then use it for lunch!

It is so hot here in Texas that the birds are hiding and severe allergies keep me away from most insects with pretty wings so I turned to our pair of mallard drakes that have been living in our front yard since early spring.  Ducks have gorgeous wings.  These guys and their wings, however, are like Texas drivers and turn signals; they don't use them.  They are content to sit here in the shade.

Today is a great day to get out and try some street photography.  Wander around and see if you can find an interesting person to photograph.  They can be completely unaware that you are taking a photo of them.  Using your cell phone when photographing people can be less intrusive and often times you are able to take the photo with them remaining completely unaware that you are doing so.

If street photography is not your thing, see if you can catch someone you know and take a photo of them without them knowing.  

Water droplets are one of my favorite subjects! Hopefully it rained for you last night and you can go out and snap a picture. If it didn't, you can make your own rain! Use the hose, a watering can or a spray bottle. Find or create some water droplets, or splash in a puddle, or find a puddle reflection. Have fun today!

It's the last day of the month and inquiring minds want to know...Where are you standing today?

Get as creative as you like, just don't forget to include your feet!!