i had a beautiful subject all set up this afternoon. a five-fingered virginia creeper the color of a gulf of mexico sky 20 minutes before sunset. it sat on the dining room table until almost dinner time, when my 13 year old son in the midst of a testosterone surge swiped it out of the way and tore off four of the five leaves. i thought my still blog shot for the day was ruined until i looked at this photo, and decided it was more poignant and compelling than any perfect virginia creeper specimen could have been.

five-leaved ivy vine

uzès, languedoc, france

collecting sea glass on a french mediterranean beach normally involves an overwhelming percentage of one particular color that should come as no surprise: wine bottle green. but the last time we went to the beach, a storm had dug deep from somewhere offshore, apparently, and these white/clear, and pale celery green, and even (gasp!) blue samples were waiting for us among the mussel and oyster and clam and snail shells. it may be time to start coordinating our beach outings with the weather. not waiting for sunshine, but waiting for post storm sea glass.

sea glass

the mediterranean at la corniche, sète, france

olive trees are everywhere here. they actually, scientifically, define this region of the world. they consistently give me a feeling of cultural contentment that, as a photographer who takes at least one image every day, i feel i should be able to capture in an image. i have failed at this more times than i’d like to count, and every time i have tried.

olives in transition from green to black

autignac, france

actually two of our neighbors are featured in this photo, but only one is visible. there is the gecko, clinging to the wall, focused and stalking. and just outside the bottom of the frame, there is a fly. the flies here have been an endless torment, buzzing around the room. landing on food. landing on exposed skin just out of reach, perching on noses and foreheads and ears and the tips of bare toes. we are rooting for the gecko. we hope she lives a long, full life, and makes lots of babies with a taste for flies.

baby gecko

autignac, france

look at a magnolia leaf in bright sunshine and it appears as glossy and hard as ceramic. but check out how  the diffuse light in this photo reveals a matte, almost velvety surface on both sides of the leaf. it’s not an illusion. just a perspective. the right light can accomplish almost anything. and bad light can ruin almost anything. just look at your best friend’s instagram from last night, in that dark bar, under the fluorescent tube. by the way, tell her not to do that again.

magnolia leaf

collioure, france