Nature – Wandering Dawgs

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #382 – Rejected

January 26, 2026Posted in Nature, PhotographyTagged Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, Rejected38 Comments

For this challenge Egidio is asking us find some photos that we have rejected because for whatever reason we have not previously published them. Maybe the lighting is wrong, they are out of focus, they are too busy or they just don’t look right.

Egidio gave us some great examples and ideas on how to improve a photo that didn’t turn out the way we hoped. I chose a few photos to work with and had fun using some of his suggestions to edit them to create a better image.

A year ago we took a boat tour through the swamp in a Louisiana Bayou. The conditions were terrible for photographs. It was winter and pouring down rain. I used my cell phone because I didn’t want to have my camera get soaked. As our guide was telling us stories about witches and ghosts in the swamp we passed by an old cemetery. In the photos below the first photo is the original unedited version I took as we went by the cemetery. It is out of focus and doesn’t have the creepy feeling I wanted. I started the editing process by cropping the photo. I then added an old paper filter and added texture to get the effect I wanted.

In the next pair the unedited version in the first photo was taken a few years ago on a jaunting tour through Killarney National Park in Ireland. I wanted the person in the blue shirt to stand out more so I cropped out the horse’s head and added some texture to the finished photo.

I took the original photo of the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming as we were driving towards the park entrance. I thought the original was kind of boring so I converted it to sepia tones and added texture to give the feeling of an old photograph.

My final edit is of a herd of bison in Custer State Park, South Dakota. The unedited original on the top is ok, but not great. For my edited version I started out by cropping for a closer image. Next I adjusted the color a little and added a texture to give the effect of a painting.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Ritva’s Minimalism in Black and White last week. I really enjoyed seeing all of your great responses.

Many thanks to Egidio for his challenge Lens-Artists #382: Rejected. I hope you will join us for the challenge. Be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and link back to Egidio’s post.

Be sure to check back on Saturday, January 24 at noon eastern time when Egidio will be hosting our next challenge.

You can learn more about how to join the Lens-Artists challenges here.

Every Day is a Gift

The Flower Hour – African Iris

January 20, 2026Posted in Flowers, Nature, PhotographyTagged African Iris, Photo Challenge, The Flower Hour, Winter Blooms21 Comments

This African Iris in my front flower bed bloomed the first week of January this year during a warm spell. Once the weather got colder the blooms went away. Hopefully there will be more flowers in the spring.

Many thanks to Terri for this week’s Flower Hour challenge The Flower Hour #14: A Friendly Amaryllis

Terri posts a new Flower Hour Weekly challenge every Tuesday. If you want to join in the challenge you can find out more about it here.

Every Day is a Gift

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #381 – Minimalism in Black and White photography

January 18, 2026Posted in Flowers, Nature, PhotographyTagged beach, Black and White, Lens-Artists, Minimalism in Black and White, monochrome, Photo Challenge42 Comments

Ritva has challenged us to combine minimalism and black and white photography. She tells us “This week, I encourage you to embrace this artistic fusion and challenge yourself to capture images that marry minimalism and black and white.” To help us get started she says to “Aim for simplicity by eliminating unnecessary elements. Harsh light reveals structure while soft light creates mood, and contrasting blacks and whites deliver a striking visual impact.”

This is my first try at using minimalism in my photos. I had fun creating these images and hope that I succeeded in meeting the challenge.

Sometimes colorful flowers look better when converted to black and white. Removing distractions by replacing the background with pure black allows the viewer to focus on the details of the flowers.

The next two images were found on the sand at the beach. I removed the sandy background with solid colors to create the minimalist images.

The final image uses negative space to focus on the surfer in the water.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Anne’s challenge last week. I enjoyed all the places you took us as you showed us your walks around the corner.

Many thanks to Ritva for her challenge Lens-Artists #381: Minimalism in Black and White. I hope you will join us for her challenge. Be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and link back to Ritva’s post.

Be sure to check back on Saturday, January 24 at noon eastern time when Egidio will be hosting our next challenge.

You can learn more about how to join the Lens-Artists challenges here.

Every Day is a Gift

Sunday Stills – Monthly Color: Aquamarine and Icy Blues

January 15, 2026Posted in Glaciers, Nature, PhotographyTagged Aquamarine, Caribbean Sea, Color Challenge, Glacier Blue, Icy Blues, Oahu, Photo Challenge, St Lucia, Sunday Stills21 Comments

Terri’s latest Sunday Stills color challenge is to feature the colors Aquamarine and Icy Blue.

When I think of the color aquamarine I think of warm sunny beaches and tropical seas so I chose some images from the Caribbean and one from Hawaii.

Far away from the warm Caribbean is another of my favorite places, Alaska. During our travels there we saw the icy blues of many Glaciers.

Glacier Blue in the Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska

Glacier Blue in ice floating in the waters around Columbia Glacier, Alaska

Many thanks to Terri for her Sunday Stills challenge Icy Blues and Aquamarine

Every Day is a Gift

The Flower Hour – Pink Camellia

January 13, 2026Posted in Flowers, Nature, PhotographyTagged Camellia, Photo Challenge, Pink Bloom, Pink Camellia, The Flower Hour, Winter Blooms20 Comments

I go out every day to check my camellia bushes to see if there are any new blooms. I see a few more every day. This pink blossom is my favorite so far.

Many thanks to Terri for this week’s Flower Hour challenge The Flower Hour#13: Desert Florals

Terri posts a new Flower Hour Weekly challenge every Tuesday. If you want to join in the challenge you can find out more about it here.

Every Day is a Gift