House Finch – Wandering Dawgs

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #401 – More Tips on How to Focus on the Subject

June 9, 2026Posted in Birds, PhotographyTagged Focus on the subject, Hot Air Balloon, House Finch, Lens-Artists, Nature, Photo Challenge42 Comments

For this challenge Patti has given us tips on how to focus on the subject in our photos.

She asks us to “Select 2 or 3 tips and then use them to compose several photos. In your post, share your photos. Try to limit them to 4. Identify what tip you used. For an extra challenge, post a “before and after” photo of the same scene/person/object. Identify how you could improve the first shot and then reshoot it, using one of the tips mentioned here.”

Vary your subject placement

I placed this curious House Finch on the right and also used negative space and selective focus to blur the background

Get Closer to the subject

I used a telephoto lens to get close to this little bird

Use Negative Space

The colorful hot air balloon stands out from the negative space of the blue sky

Use Leading Lines

The leading lines of this road draw the eyes to the beautiful green fields on the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland

Last week Tina challenged us to use the Rule of Threes in our photos. Your responses were wonderful. Thank you to everyone who joined the challenge..

Many thanks to Patti for this week’s challenge. If you would like to join the challenge please be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and include a link back to her post Lens-Artists #401: More Tips on How to Focus on the Subject.

Be sure to check back on Saturday, June 13 at noon eastern time when Sofia will be your host for the challenge.

You can stay up to date on all of the Lens-Artists challenges by subscribing to the Lens-Artists team members websites: Tina, Patti, Ann-Christine, John, Sofia, Anne, Egidio, Ritva, Beth.

For information on how to join the Lens-Artists challenge please click here.

Every Day is a Gift

Sunday Stills – Feed the Birds

February 5, 2026February 5, 2026Posted in Birds, Nature, PhotographyTagged Eastern Bluebird, Feed the birds in February, Georgia birds, House Finch, Photo Challenge, Sunday Stills, Winter Birds18 Comments

In Terri’s latest Sunday Stills challenge she reminds us that February is Feed the Bird month. Her challenge is Let’s Feed the Birds in February. For this challenge I am focusing on two birds I photographed in February earlier this week.

I went out in my back yard the first day of February to see the dusting of snow that had fallen overnight. A few small birds were searching for food on the ground and at the feeder. The featured image is a House Finch. The following bird is probably a female or juvenile Eastern Bluebird perched in the snow.

Many thanks to Terri for her Sunday Stills challenge Let’s Feed the birds in February

Every Day is a Gift

Birds with stripes, spots or freckles

June 16, 2021Posted in Birds, Nature, PhotographyTagged birds with stripes freckles spots, birdweekly, House Finch, Limpkin, NeNe10 Comments

Our Bird Weekly challenge this week is to show birds with stripes, spots or freckles.

Thanks to Lisa for her Bird Weekly Challenge: Birds with stripes, spots or freckles

Bird Weekly Challenge – Birds I’ve seen this week

April 15, 2021Posted in Birds, Nature, PhotographyTagged birdweekly, House Finch, ruby throated hummingbird, Seen in past week, Tufted Titmouse27 Comments

Lisa has challenged us to show birds we’ve seen in the past two weeks. All of the ones here are from this week.

I’ve been enjoying the variety of birds that have been coming to the feeder in my back yard this week. They are eating the seeds as fast as I can fill the feeder. Some days I just sit and enjoy seeing them without running to get my camera. In addition to the birds featured here there were also Carolina Chickadees, Cardinals, Doves, and a male Painted Bunting in my yard. One day I spotted a Great Egret pruning in the marsh.