Life: Through the Lens

I find myself trying to decide what my next photo venture will be. I would like to learn more Photoshop skills, and I would also like to try some of those techniques you see in magazines and say, "I'd like to try that." In fact, I have two such photographs I plan on creating...and maybe now I'll have more time. In the meantime, I am going through the archives and revisiting some of our work. This photo is one my husband took, and it gives me the chills just looking at it again. What a thrill it was for him to fly in formation. A passenger, not the pilot, Daryl got some extraordinary shots of historic aircraft, reliving history. We take photographs together, and enjoy the commonality of the joint interest, yet there are photos only he will take. This is one of them.

I keep using the word "interesting" to describe this course. It's been 8 long weeks photographing in unfamiliar territory and I have enjoyed almost every minute. I don't mean "enjoyed" like - oh how fun:). I mean enjoyed as in stretching my way of thinking. There were many great photo shoots, and an equal number of frustrating ones. My last assignment was "cake." So how many ways can you photograph cake? I chose the cupcake option. What do you think? I also created my first photo collage! I think I'm more excited about that than the cake (Well, except for how much of it I ate while making it. And the left overs!).

Color week really got me looking in all directions, noticing things in more detail, and giving me lots of ideas for photos. Actually, it's spilling over into my wardrobe thanks to Kendalee , who focused on that theme for the week. I love my neutrals still, and when I took this photo of marbles in a fountain I began thinking about sea shells as a lovely subject. And sand. Association is a wonderful thing:). However, it will be a while before those subjects materialize. I seldom make prints of images such as these, and I don't know why not. Or at least greeting cards. I might play around with a border of some sort, or a cut-out? Does anyone else use images such as these for a specific purpose? I'm thinking it could be a great look, on the right wall, or with the right decor. Actually, does it always have to "go" with something? I'm not a decorator, but I do know what I like in the way of photographic images. Let me know your ideas on this subject. Have a wonder...

In keeping with the neglected monthly theme of "sweet", I need to share one of yesterday's finds. We took a road trip to a lovely town on Lake Huron, spending the day walking the pier, eating ice cream, and trying to stay warm. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day, other than the cold wind:). Oh well. As we walked the pier we came upon three families of Mallard ducks, all a bit territorial, all trying to share the same waterfront. This family in particular caught our eye. Enjoy!

I loved the Color Week challenge, and find it's important to keep trying new things, and looking around at our environment in new and interesting ways. This is one of the reasons we like to take photo workshops, and classes. I am currently finishing up an Online course, through the Picture Perfect School of Photography , on taking images for Stock Photography. This is an interesting business, which I was totally clueless about. A member of our camera club has been selling stock images for a couple of years and did a presentation on the process, and results. Intriguing. Basically you take a certain "type" of photo, depending on the agency you're interested in, upload a few images for approval, and once you're "in" then they handle sales, taking a cut of the profit. The idea is to sell your images multiple times, so your sales increase over time. Interesting. Here is a sampling of one type of image. I have noticed that the white background is important f...

Each year on Memorial Day weekend, our community hosts a Highland Festival and Games event. Parade, arts and crafts fair, Highland Dancing competition, Highland games competitions and exhibitions, reinactment demonstrations, Scottish fare, including a traditional Ceilidh. In other words....a rich cultural cavalcade, and photographic challenge. Here is a sampling of our very busy day, which ended with our 4 1/2-yr-old granddaughter competing in her first Highland Dancing competition...she was SO excited:). Enjoy. Some of many bands and drill groups who participated in the events. I was amazed at the variety of wares available...including this tea pot chime. What a lovely sound, though I personally don't care for the shiny display. I was looking for pottery or something more subtle. Maybe wood. But this must be a new rage. What do you do with old silver? I have a box of my mother's and another two boxes of my mother-in-laws silver. Lovely at the time, I'm sure. But we just ...

Here we have it...the last, and most distinguished, day of c o l o r week. Thank you for orchestrating it, Lisa . It's been such a great photographic journey, one we should definitely revisit. The greatest challenge of this week was finding a purple door..or entryway...or something. I actually wish I had a cafe, such as Lisa, to use today:). As it is, here is my best shot - a two-toned purple house in the middle of renovations. Spring is a perfect time to shoot colors, isn't it? The floral display at this time of year is amazing. Here are a few of my favorite purples right now. Taking pictures of flowers is tricky, as you have to take into consideration all the natural elements at work around you. But when the timing is right, and the light is perfect, and you have a fabulous subject, and no wind....the results are very rewarding. I love using natural light when working with still-life photography, and being able to capture the essence of a mood. I got a new lens for Christma...

This entire entryway deserved attention today, not just the door. Isn't this Victorian style inviting? I love how the lilac bush drapes over the left, creating a cozy area within. This was an easy find:). This red panel was actually part of an old postal box. The entire box was interesting, but the panel needed it's own recognition. Another find from the street fair, I don't normally look at pink things. I'm just not a "pink" girl, I guess. But the glass caught the light and I just knew it would be just right for color week. The irresistable pink frog drew my eye, and the fact that she was reading just made my day! Let's promote literacy in any way we can. I was even thinking this would be a great writing prompt for kids. This is such a typical picture at my house. Meesha is a "helper." Especially when flowers are involved. The only flowers she hasn't dug up or dragged around the house have been the lilacs I've cut for the table. The...

Welcome to the third day of color week- yellow and orange. The colors are found together a lot and it's been fun trying to decide my focus...if any. It's also become a challenge to find the colors on doorways. I'll open the day with an orange door, found on a miniature dutch village house. Orange or yellow don't seem to be popular door colors where I live:). I am already dreading the purple challenge! I have been wishing for a garden...something I wish for every spring but we travel too much during the summer to really take care of one. Yesterday we took the first step and purchased some fencing to go in front of the front walk-way, and my wish is to plant bulbs and flowers and create a seasonal "mess" of color. I also would like an ornament for my area, and find myself drawn to garden ornaments wherever we go. This one is lovely, I think, with the bird perched jauntily on top. I love how the surrounding area is caught in the reflection. What would I have done...

I aleady know I probably won't be able to continue my "door" theme- within-a-theme, but I think of doors as a point of entry, a beginning- in this case to color exploration. This lovely scene suggests a quiet summer's day; a cozy spot. I love the color and texture in this photo - the rich green of the leaves against the brick. Just plain fun, the street fair we attended last weekend gave me this colorful photo. I love taking pictures of interesting people doing interesting things. I'm also getting hooked on graffitti art. Supposedly a photo of my green front porch, this little caterpillar decided he wanted to be highlighted as well. He may actually reappear on another color day...we will see. I'm looking forward to browsing everyone's Green sites today, with a cup of green tea at my side. As a predominant color in nature, it should also bring us a soothing day! E n j o y !

Opening the door to color week we start with BLUE. This is not a difficult color to find, yet to find unique images of this color was the challenge. These doors were a perfect start. An arts and crafts festival brought me a second blue find - the eyes on this giant sculpture caught my eye as they reflected the blue sky. Such fun! A cold night, with a freeze warning (in MAY) triggered a trip to the yarn basket, and my knitting project. The fire in the background is to demonstrate, again, the fickle weather in Michigan. And last, but not least, Blue is not complete without some sort of water picture. This beautiful tiled fountain was a treasure found at the Bahai Temple, north of Chicago last weekend. Blue is everywhere.....and happens to be my favorite color! Great start of the week for me!

I love this photograph. You can see the natural world through the outer ring of circles and again through the purple around the center. The colors are important, and take your eye around the circle and into the center. Color describes something you see, but it can also describe feelings, and hopes and dreams. We're looking forward to seeing what everyone has to offer as they open their color wheel this week:).

Ready for color week? We're gearing up here. Today we went to an outdoor art fair and had a lovely time...and I looked at color everywhere. All I could see were the delightfully colored bags and glasswear, the glittering jewelry and mobiles, the flowing scarves and silk tops. There was color and pattern everywhere and my eyes delighted in it. Open your eyes and look for the colors around you this week, joining in the fun. Monday - find something blue Tuesday - green Wednesday - Orange and yellow Thursday - pinks and reds Friday - purple Look at "things" or look at "nature." Color is everywhere. Happy hunting:).

We do love to travel and take photographs, but we also like to learn new things about places. Sometimes the places are those we've been to before, but find new ways to explore. And sometimes we have that accidental find....the kind where you turn a corner and there it is. Something new and interesting and explorable. This happened on our trip to Chicago last weekend, when we were exploring the northern suburbs. We like to drive and explore, and on this excursion we turned a corner and there was Fort Sheridan. A town. And a fort. What a unique place! Originally established in about 1670 as a French trading post, it was on the trail between Green Bay, WI and old Chicago. The fort evolved from a crude stopping place into a formidable fort. And now the original vintage late 19th Century architecture blends with 21st Century convenience with this northern neighborhood - the fort has been converted to condos, town homes and single family residences. Amazing. Quaint. When I looked for mo...

The Spanish designer of Crown Fountain says about his concept: A fountain is the memory of nature, this marvelous sound of a little river in the mountains translated to the city. For me, a fountain doesn't mean a big jet of water. It means humidity, the origin of life.- Jaume Plensa The two 50 foot towers stand at each end of a shallow reflecting pool, and are basically glass block towers. They are at one corner of the 24.5 acre Millenium Park - an oasis in a busy metropolis. A great place to escape summer heat, and enjoy being in nature, we seldom think a trip to Chicago is complete unless we spend some time here. Enjoy!

There are so many great places to go and things to do in Chicago. Besides the fact that we love to travel almost anywhere, this city is one of the cleanest cities we've been in, and one we feel safe in. Millenium Park, downtown, has something for everyone. When the weather gets warm, this water area comes alive. Check tomorrow to see another surprise about this play area:).

We went to the Field Museum today and had a marvelous time. The 2 year old is fascinated by dinosaurs, so had lots to look at, and the adults wanted to go to the pirate exhibit. Very well done. We rounded the corner at one point, and this floor to ceiling photographic display appeared in all its colorful glory. I was mesmerized, and so was the little one. We looked at all the pictures, talking about them, enjoying them, and being surrounded by them. They were lit from behind, so everything glowed. It was fabulous....most sensory experience of the trip. If you don't count all the delicious meals we've had in the last few days!

What a beautiful morning here in Chicago. We'll spend it outdoors, mostly, with one of our children and her family. The two-year-old will be spending the night, so we have a pool party planned:). Happy Mother's Day to everyone. Taking any pictures today?

Oh well. I wasn't able to meet the May challenge of posting every day. But I have an excellent reason. We are currently in the Chicago area, where our son-in-law just graduated with his doctorate from Northern Illinois University. It's a fabulous occasion, with more than one photo op. Normally we take a lot of scenic photos, and nature, but on this occasion we've had to sneak in some human interest and people. The entire weekend will be wonderful, of course. Mother's Day is always more special when you spend it with your children. And grandchildren. And today we've spent a grand time driving the Lake Michigan shore, photographing the water and various architectural areas. I will be sharing some of these photos over the course of time, with little snippets of history to go with. The weather is good, the company is excellent, and travel and photography are the icing on the cake. Grab a camera and have a great time taking pictures of friends and family...and then take...