I'll admit that the Family assignment coincided with a shoot that I had been planning to do anyway. This is a shot of my father in law in his element, spending time working in the "backyard."
This backyard is a bit more involved than most, with two donkeys, a pony, chickens, rabbits, and pigeons. There is a small fish pond and wood cabin as well, making this a full time job in retirement.
It is a labour of love to take care of this place, and there are stretches of time each day during our visits that he'll disappear for a bit to get something taken care of.
It was December when I took this photo, in the cabin early in the morning. While I took other shots that took in more of the surroundings, this portrait was my favorite of the bunch.
The bright red jacket is Ohio State scarlet and he wears it proudly. If there's a Buckeye game on, the day pauses until it's over.
The light in the cabin is from a south facing window. It was cold and quiet on this morning where we talked about Buckeye football and my kiddo.
Like the caption says, he is all about family and it was great to finally get a chance to take his picture out back in a place where he feels most at home.
On Taking Assignments
I frequently listen to the On Taking Pictures (OTP) podcast, which I highly recommend to anyone looking for good conversation about creativity, especially as it related to photography. In January 2014 the hosts, Bill Wadman and Jeffery Saddoris, began a new segment of weekly assignments that they gave to listeners. Results of the assignments are posted on the OTP Google Plus group. I decided that I would commit myself to the assignments for a year without interruption, and that I would complete each one before the next assignment was announced on the show each Tuesday morning. My 'On Taking Assignments' blog posts are the culmination of my year-long focus on these assignments.