Tag: Lens-Artists

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #393 – Lucky Shot

Posted in Birds, Photography, WildlifeTagged , , , , , , , , , 41 Comments

Sofia’s challenge is to see how luck can play a big role in capturing some of our best shots.

Most of my lucky shots occurred because I was in the right place at the right time with my camera and the right lens. When we are traveling I always have my camera or my phone handy just in case we see something by the side of the road. When we are home I keep my camera close by so I can grab it if I see something interesting outside. Full disclosure: I have previously posted photos of all of these animals except for the Bald Eagle.

I would never have captured the birds in the following gallery without a little help from friends. Last week a neighbor called to let me know there was an American Bald Eagle perched on the power pole across from our house. I had to scramble to get my camera and telephoto lens ready. Lucky for me he stayed perched on the pole long enough for me to set my camera on burst and start shooting. I grabbed my camera on my way out the door one day last year after a friend texted me about a Roseate Spoonbill in a tree beside the road.

I captured the next three shots as we were riding along in our truck. For each of these shots Henry had to pull over on the side of the road so I could take a few photos. In each case the animal totally ignored us.

Black Bear in field of dandelions on the side of the road, Canada

Bull Elk beside the road in Banff National Park, Canada

Big Horn Sheep posing for the camera in Zion National Park, Utah

I was walking along a beach in Oahu when I came across this sea turtle on the sand. I was so glad I had my camera!

Green Sea Turtle on the beach, Oahu, Hawaii

I’ll finish with my favorite Lucky Shot. The look on this woman’s face is priceless.

Alligator with an attitude at Shark Valley, Everglades National Park

Patti’s challenge last week asked us to explore using the foreground, middle ground, and background when framing our shots. I enjoyed all of your creative responses.

Many thanks to Sofia 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 #393: Lucky Shot.

Be sure to check back on Saturday, April 18 at noon eastern time when John will be hosting the challenge

You can keep up with all the 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 Len-Artists challenge please click here.

Every Day is a Gift

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #392 – Framing Your Shots: Exploring the Foreground, Middle, and Background

Posted in PhotographyTagged , , , , , , 47 Comments

For this challenge Patti asks us to focus on the photographic technique of framing the shot using the 3 grounds (or layers)—the foreground, the middle ground, and the background. She describes the 3 grounds like this:

Foreground: the part of the scene that’s closest to the camera. Think of it as the introduction to the scene and an invitation for the viewer to explore the image.

Middle Ground: the central area of your image, between the foreground and the background. It’s often where the main subject is located.

Background: the farthest point from the viewer. It provides the context and completes the visual “story.”

I wasn’t able to get out to practice this technique this week so I dug through my archives for some examples. I discovered I sometimes use this technique without even realizing it.

In this photo of Cinderella’s Castle at Disney World in Florida, the crowd creates the foreground showing a busy day at the park. The Castle in the middle ground is the main focus of the photo. The castle is framed in the background by buildings on either side and the clear blue sky behind the castle.

The following example was taken while on a train trip on the Alaska Railroad. The sky was clear when Mt. Mckinley (or Mt. Denali) came into view. The lake and green trees form the foreground. The mountain in the middle ground is the main subject. The blue sky is a perfect background for the image.

Mt. McKinley, also known as Mt. Denali, Alaska

The final example shows the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado. The foreground is the green grass and bushes which are on the edge of the sand dunes. The middle ground is the sand dune which is the subject of the photo. If you look closely you can see the people who look like tiny dots on the sand indicating the enormous size of the dunes. The cloudy sky is the background.

Great Sand Dunes

Thank you to everyone who shared your great cell phone images for Tina’s challenge Phone Photography.

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 Anne’s post Lens-Artists #392: Framing your Shots: Foreground, Middleground, Background.

Be sure to check back on Saturday, April 11 at noon eastern time when Sofia will be bringing us another challenge.

If you don’t want to miss any of our challenges you may want to think about subscribing to the Lens-Arrists team members websites: Tina, Patti, Ann-Christine, John, Sofia, Anne, Egidio, Ritva, Beth.

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

Every Day is a Gift

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #391 – Phone Photography

Posted in PhotographyTagged , , , , , , , 45 Comments

Tina’s challenge is Phone Photography. I usually take my DSLR camera and telephoto lenses with me when I am going anywhere to try to capture wildlife shots. Otherwise, I always have my phone in my pocket or purse when I am out and about. I never know when something photo worthy will come up.

I like to use my phone to capture close ups of flowers and critters I find on flowers when I am on a walk or in my garden.

Bumble Bee on Rue

This Brown Pelican was close enough to capture with my cell phone.

I often use my cellphone to capture food images like this bowl of Tortilla Soup.

When I don’t have time to grab my camera I use my phone when I see a beautiful sunrise.

On a road trip I often take pictures through my car’s windshield when I am not the driver.

The Brown Pelican was taken with my old IPhone 7 Plus. All the rest were taken with my current IPhone 13.

Thank you to everyone who shared you wonderful images in Egidio’s challenge Color in Black and White.

Many thanks to Tina 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 Tina’s post Lens-Artists #391 – Phone Photography.

I hope you will check back on Saturday, April 4 at noon eastern time when Patti will be our host.

If you don’t want to miss any of our challenges you may want to think about subscribing to the Lens-Arrists team members websites: Tina, Patti, Ann-Christine, John, Sofia, Anne, Egidio, Ritva, Beth.

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

Every Day is a Gift

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #390 – Color in Black and White

Posted in PhotographyTagged , , , , , , 25 Comments

Egidio’s challenge is Color in Black and White. I wasn’t quite sure how to approach the challenge until I read his post and saw his amazing examples. In his post he tells us “Even when a scene is presented entirely in shades of gray, our brains—conditioned by a lifetime of experience—can effortlessly “see” the familiar hues we expect. We project our own memories onto the print.”

At first I wasn’t sure how to respond to Egidio’s challenge. I ended up having fun as I searched through my archives. I hope you are able to “see” the colors in these images.

American Flag
Palm Trees
Field of Sunflowers
Have you ever tasted a juicy peach? This one is a Georgia peach.

Many thanks to everyone who shared their beautiful relaxing images for Anne’s challenge Time to Relax.

Thank you Egidio 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 Egidio’s post Lens-Artists #390: Color in Black and White.

Be sure to check back on Saturday, March 21 at noon eastern time when Tina will be hosting the next challenge

If you don’t want to miss any of our challenges you may want to think about subscribing to the Lens-Arrists team members websites: Tina, Patti, Ann-Christine, John, Sofia, Anne, Egidio, Ritva, Beth.

Would you like to join the fun of the Len-Artists challenges? Please click here to find out more.

Every Day is a Gift

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #389 – Time to Relax

Posted in Georgia, Photography, Road Trip, TravelTagged , , , , , , , 37 Comments

Anne’s challenge is Time to Relax. For this challenge she is looking back to the challenge from July of 2018. She asks us “But what relaxes you? What gets you away from the stresses of daily life. What’s your passion?”

This challenge couldn’t come at a better time. I haven’t been able to travel or go on photo excursions for several months due to health issues. My husband and I were badly in need of a break. We finally were able to go for a short two day getaway this week The beach is my happy place and being by the ocean is my favorite place to relax so we chose Jekyll Island for our destination.

Jekyll Island became a Georgia State Park in 1947. The island is managed by the Jekyll Island Authority. Most of the island is undeveloped to preserve the natural beauty of the maritime forests. There are 24 miles of bike trails, miles of beach with several parking lots and picnic areas, a beautiful National Historic Landmark District, wildlife, hotels and restaurants, and a golf course.

We like to stay off interstates so we took a leisurely drive south to Jekyll Island on the Coastal Highway, also known as US Highway 17. Our goal for the trip was to kick back, relax and not have an agenda. We succeeded!

We stopped for a lunch of wild caught Georgia Shrimp at Skippers in Darien. I had to take some photos of diamond back terrapins in a pond just outside the restaurant.

Diamond Back Terrapins in Darien, Georgia

Our room had a balcony overlooking the pool and maritime forest. Beyond the trees is the Atlantic Ocean, Other guests were relaxing by the pool while we were relaxing on our balcony.

The hotel pool was a great place for guests to relax

I enjoyed seeing the ocean and hearing the waves when we walked out on a walkway too the beach. There were only a few others relaxing on the beach on this warm, sunny March day.

I couldn’t resist capturing this guy chill-axing at the beach.

This cardinal was easy to spot in the tree.

The next day we visited the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, the only turtle education and rehabilitation facility in Georgia.

Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island

The beaches on Jekyll Island are a great place for a relaxing family vacation.

Thank you to everyone who shared you memorable journeys for Ann-Christine’s challenge Journey in 5 to 10 images.

Many thanks to Anne 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 Anne’s post Lens-Artists #389: Time to Relax.

Be sure to check back on Saturday, March 21 at noon eastern time when Egidio will be hosting the challenge

If you don’t want to miss any of our challenges you may want to think about subscribing to the Lens-Arrists team members websites: Tina, Patti, Ann-Christine, John, Sofia, Anne, Egidio, Ritva, Beth.

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

Every Day is a Gift