Life: Through the Lens

Looking for the right  angle and composition. Finally a break in my very busy life, which gives me time to get caught up on my writing and sorting of photographs.  This narrative is Part 2 of a Field Trip adventure I was on a couple of weeks ago with another photo enthusiast. I love how the light plays on this flower, and that though the background is  blurred out, there are still  pops of color for interest. When Viki and I were finished shooting ducks, wildflowers and water, we moved across to a beautiful garden to see what we could find.  The woman who owns the garden was afraid we wouldn't find anything worthwhile to photograph, but gardens are more than the riot of vibrant blooms and color found at its peak.  Doesn't this photo capture a sense of movement?  Love the curves.  Look for the details, patterns, colors and "visitors."  The end of the summer brings a delicious fade, a softening as we change to earth tones an...

Viki works to get a wildflower shot, remembering that it's much better to get down to the level of your subject to get the best angle of view. Now and then it's important to drop everything and go take pictures.  It's also wonderful to share that experience with someone. Decide what our subject is,  then make sure it's obvious to your audience. Yesterday I had the opportunity to work with a talented novice photographer, someone who wanted some pointers.  We had agreed to meet at a local park where we could photograph sunrise on the river, the wildlife in the area, and then a friend's garden.  There was a lot of opportunity to share skills and ideas and get down and dirty as we collected photographs in our own "back yard," so to speak. The sun had technically risen, but had not reached it's beautiful fingers to the park.  As we talked a little about our experiences, and what we each liked to photograph the most, the color on the tree tops...

View of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey from the London Eye. I do wish Kate had given birth while we were in England.  I have been enamored with British heritage since I was a very young girl and how perfect to be there for such a momentous event.  But it was just not to be:). Next to Buckingham Palace - green space for all. We loved London much more than we thought we would.  There were crowds of people, and lots of noise and congestion, but there was also an energy and vitality and pride which shone through.  This is a country proud of its heritage and the British people are generally more than willing to share their pride and knowledge with anyone.  Tower Bridge While waiting for this little prince to be born it's been fun to watch the news and see glimpses of the locations we visited on our adventure last month.  Here are just a few of the highlights.  Though I go back to work in just a week, I still p...

We have had a spectacular adventure, one full of surprises.  That's one of the special things about going somewhere new, where everything you see is new and engaging.  You operate on your loose agenda, in our case, and then are amazed as you stumble upon the unexpected.  Such was the case in Oxford, England. Our itinerary became a little tight as we made our way from Cornwall, the southwestern area of England, with two stops prior to our time in London.  The first stop was Bath, the second Oxford.  Both stops would be relatively short, so we knew we would have little time to fully explore these towns.  In Oxford, we had one full day, so we set off for the visitors center to get a town map and formulate a plan to see some of the colleges which make up Oxford University.   It's always great fun to explore someplace new... and the history and literary atmosphere in Oxford is so rich.  We happened to be there on graduation day f...

Ready to Shoot We had a lovely day in Holland this week...Holland, MI.  Every year there is a huge Tulip Festival, a week-long event.  You would think that the festival activity would mostly be on a weekend.  Well, not so.  We were there on Wednesday, and as we pulled in to the first tulip gardens we counted approximately 12 buses, from all over the country, and Canada!  Who knew?!  However, we counted ourselves lucky to have  a perfect spring day, where the sun was bright, the air was warm and our spirits were full of joy.  A day to photograph and experiment and create...so rewarding. I spent the day testing equipment.  What photographs could I get using my new point-and-shoot, the Canon G15, as well as my Lensbaby gear.  The Lensbaby is a selective focus lens I received a few years ago, but never got the hang of using.  In April I took an Online class through the Picture Perfect School of Photography whic...

Vibrant Setting on the Canon G15 I can NOT believe I haven't posted since February!  This has been a very uninspiring winter, with long, cold days and a very busy work schedule.  But one exciting thing to look forward to is our wonderful adventure this summer!   We are taking my Bucket List trip to England - a trip I have wanted to take since I was a little girl.  You know, back in the day when I knew I would be strolling along the banks of a scenic river in rural England and happen upon Prince Charles, who was quite appealing in those days:).  He would be fly fishing of course, and we would strike up a conversation, have a picnic lunch which I would have brought with me, of course.  And that, as they say, would be that. Fish Eye View,  Shot in My Office Now, however, I may still want to stroll through the picturesque countryside, but this time I want to capture images, not a prince.  My real-life prince will also be on this adventur...