Category: Photography

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #341 – Personal Favorites

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For this challenge Tina is challenging us to show no more than five of our all time personal favorite images representing special moments or memories.

This is a really hard challenge for me. I have thousands of pictures in my archives. Most of them remind me of a special time, place or event. The sunrise in the header image was taken in my own back yard. It reminds me of how grateful I am for the gift of another day.

One of the most memorable events from our very first long RV trip occurred in Arches National Park in Utah. We wanted to take the hike for a close up view of Delicate Arch. The hike involved walking up slick red rock and included walking along a narrow ledge before getting to the Arch. I am terrified of heights and the idea of the ledge terrified me but I managed to get all the way to the top to take this picture. This picture reminds me of how I overcame my fears to see this beautiful sight.

Henry standing underneath Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah

This silhouette of Henry at sunset reminds me of all the wonderful memories we have from our RV trip traveling south from Washington to California on Highway 101.

Henry watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean in Washington

I have literally thousands of images from our 2013 RV trip to Alaska. We saw amazing landscapes and wildlife and visited many unique places. I chose this image because it brings back happy memories of our fun filled week in Haines. We took the time at the end of each day to enjoy this spectacular view from our campsite.

Watching for whales at the end of the day in Haines, Alaska

The last image reminds me to take the time to stop and enjoy a sunset when I get a chance. I call this tree the bird tree because I often see herons, egrets, wood storks, roseate spoonbills, and other birds perched on the dead limbs. The tree is located on the road to our neighborhood. I’ve driven past it many times over the years and have captured many beautiful sunsets here but this one is my all time favorite.

My favorite sunset image

Many thanks to Tina for this challenge Lens-Artists #341 – Personal Favorites

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #340- Portraits

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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.

Many thanks to Ritva for this challenge Lens-Artists #340 – Portraits

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #339 – Life Changes

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For this challenge Anne asks us to share what has enriched and/or changed our life.

I’ve had many changes in my life but what changed my life the most was surviving ovarian cancer. In July, 2010 I began a ten month battle with ovarian cancer. I am grateful that my cancer has not returned since I finished treatment.

Most cancer survivors I know say that the cancer changed them. I know it changed me. I look at the world differently now. I have learned that life can change in the blink of an eye and no one knows what tomorrow will bring. I have learned that life is too short to put things off. I have learned it is important to enjoy life every day. I know that every day is a gift.

Two of my passions are travel and photography. One of the things that kept me going during treatments was planning an RV trip to visit family and visit a few bucket list places. We began the trip two weeks after I received the good news that I was in remission.

The RV trip was just what we both needed. We called it the “Celebration Journey”. Every day was an adventure and I was never at a loss for something interesting to photograph. The header image of the two seahorses was taken at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga near the end of our journey. The rest of the images are of some of the highlights from the trip.

We camped with a view of Cypress trees at Lake Bistineau State Park, Louisiana
We met some Texas Lounghorns at Copper Breaks State Park, Texas
We explored the Petroglyphs at Petroglyphs National Monument in New Mexico with my brother and his wife
We visited the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado
We saw lots of Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
We saw herds of Bison in Custer State Park, South Dakota
We went to the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Itasca State Park in Minnesota with our daughter’s family

After we returned home I continued to enjoy my photography and we have been on many more fun adventures since then.

Many thanks to Anne of Slow Shutter Speed for this challenge Lens-Artists #339 – Life’s Changes

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #338 – Pick a Word

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For this challenge JohnBo of Journeys with JohnBo has asked us to pick a word and feature three or four images that represent that word. I have chosen the word river for this challenge, specifically the Mississippi River.

We recently returned from a river cruise on the lower Mississippi River from New Orleans to Memphis. All of these images were taken during our journey the last week of February. I was standing on our veranda in our stateroom when I captured the header image of vessels passing under the twin bridges over the Mississippi River at the Port of New Orleans.

Tugboat pushing a barge on the Mississippi on a foggy morning near Natchez, Mississippi

Barge on the Mississippi between Vicksburg and Memphis

Sunset over the Mississippi River near Greenville, Mississippi

Many thanks to JohnBo for this challenge Lens-Artists #338 – Pick a Word

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #335 – Exploring Color vs Black and White

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For this challenge Patti has asked us to show pairs of the same image in color and black and white. She also asks us to compare the differences in mood, texture and light and which version we prefer.

I have featured this bright yellow house in St. Kitts before so I decided to see what it would look like in black and white. The color version looks like a happy place while the black and white version feels like a scene from an old movie set in the tropics. I like the color version better.

The next image is of an old gold mine along the San Juan Skyway in Colorado. The color image shows the details of the aged wood contrasted with the green trees. The black and white image brings out the texture of the wood and trees. I prefer the black and white image because it reminds me of an old photograph.

The following image was taken on a sunny day at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, Georgia. In the color version the blue of the sky and ocean give me a feeling of a beautiful day at the beach. In the black and white version the dark sky and shadows give me the feeling of a storm coming. I prefer the color version of this pair.

Many thanks to Patti for this challenge Lens-Artists #334 – Exploring Color vs Black and White