The Flower Hour – African Iris

African Iris

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.

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

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.

Waiting for the perfect wave.

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

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.

Aquamarine water in St. Lucia
North shore of Oahu, 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

The Flower Hour – Pink Camellia

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.

The Flower Hour – First Camellia

The first camellia of the season bloomed a few days after Christmas. There are several camellia bushes in my garden that are covered with buds that will soon be opening.

Many thanks to Terri for this week’s Flower Hour challenge The Flower Hour: Yellow Trumpet Flower

Terri posts a new Flower Hour Weekly challenge every Tuesday. You can find out more about this challenge here.