Tag: Photo Challenge

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #393 – Lucky Shot

Posted in Birds, Photography, WildlifeTagged , , , , , , , , , 34 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

The Flower Hour #24 – Eastern Redbud

Posted in Flowers, Nature, PhotographyTagged , , , , , 17 Comments

There are no eastern redbud trees where I live but I enjoy seeing their beautiful blooms when we travel. We were in North Carolina one spring when I captured these pink blossoms.

Eastern Redbud Blooms

Many thanks to Terri for this week’s Flower Hour challenge The Flower Hour #24

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 #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