obsession

i can't help myself.
photography has created a bit of a monster in me.
i go places and instead of just being there, i seek.
i visually scan looking for interesting colors and compositions.
at home i shoot our moments,
but when i am out in the world my eyes are forever scanning.
this summer has been the year of the beach umbrella for me.
i have always loved shooting them.
see...  and here...  yep more...
but now i have a new toy, a tiny little ipod.  it is slim and portable and i can hide it or carry it with me anywhere. so i can be sitting right next to a group of unsuspecting beach goers and shoot their umbrella and they are none the wiser...  most times they never even see me take the shot.  or if they do "catch" me they think i am shooting at the pretty blue sky....  i am sneaky like that.
aren't they just happy?
all those colors and stripes.  like rainbow sprinkles for the beach. 
i am drawn to the old school umbrellas.  you know the ones.  the older vintage ones, with their wooden supports and heavy thick canvas flapping in the ocean air. those are my favorite.   every once in awhile you find a really old one, all vintage yellow & floral with fringe,  ooh-la-la!  SCORE!  when i find one of those standing tall in the sand i  imagine how many generations have sat in its shade, or how many babies fell asleep under it, all sweaty and salty. yes i can romanticize a beach umbrella.

last year was my summer of pie.  this year is the summer of the beach umbrella.
what are you loving this summer.