Ritva’s challenge is Portraits. She says “Whether you choose to ask a stranger, do a self-portrait, take the portrait of a friend, family member, or acquaintance, or photograph animals and birds, the goal is to connect with another person or subject and tell their story through your image.”
I enjoy nature and wildlife photography and am not comfortable asking strangers if I can take their picture. I didn’t have to ask this young man to pose for a portrait. I was holding up my phone taking pictures of a Junkanoo Band from the Bahamas performing as part of a St. Patrick’s weekend celebration when he walked over to me and posed. He liked having his picture made!
I’m much more comfortable capturing bird and other animal portraits.
This bear and the female elk seemed to pose for me.
I will end with my favorite portrait of Blondie, our beloved Yellow Lab who was part of our lives for many years. She’s been gone since 2017. I still miss her every day.
The color rosy red makes me think of Roseate Spoonbills. A few years ago I captured these beauties when we visited the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Wading Bird Rookery. During nesting season wading birds come to nest in the trees there. These nesting birds are wild and can come and go as they please.
Shared Terri’s Sunday Stills color challenge Rosy Reds
Feeding and watching the birds is a favorite pastime of mine. I have many bird pictures in my archives but I chose a few recent ones for Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge.
Great Egret
House Sparrow at the feederNorthern CardinalRed-Bellied WoodpeckerSnowy Egret, Cormorant, and Seagull
All of the Lens-Artists hosts once again have challenged us to show our favorite images of 2024.
My Favorite Flowers
My header image of Dogwood blooms in the spring is one of my favorites from last year. The camellias brought bright color to my winter garden last year. This one was blooming in January.
My Favorite People Image
These two cooks were working hard grilling lobsters on the Viking Sea during our February West Indies cruise. I love the smile on the face of the cook in the middle.The lobsters were as delicious as they look.
My Favorite Bird image
While at the Savannah Scottish Games we stopped to see a presentation of Birds of Prey from the Oatland Island Wildlife Center. Wassaw, a rescued American Bald Eagle, seemed to pose for me.
My Favorite Wildlife Image
This iguana ignored the people in their beach chairs on the beach at our hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
My Favorite Sunrise and Sunset
I watched some beautiful sunrises and sunsets last year. This sunrise in coastal Georgia and sunset on our West Indies cruise are my favorites.
My Favorite Landscape Image
The famous Pitons in St. Lucia are a beautiful sight to see from the water.
Two Random Favorites
The Tybee Island Lighthouse went through a major renovation last year. Even though the old paint had been removed the lighthouse proudly flew the American Flag on Memorial Day.
I loved the yellow umbrellas on the beach in Tortola.
Many thanks to all of our Lens-Artists hosts for this challenge and for all the challenges from 2024. I’m looking forward to seeing what we are challenged with in 2025.
All of our Lens-Artists hosts have asked us to share some of the images we loved that didn’t quite make it into any of this year’s Len-Artists challenges. Here are a few of my favorites.
Wishing you Peace, Joy and Happiness this Holiday season
Wandering Dawgs 