March 20, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #139 Special Moments

“It’s the special moments that keep you going and smiling, make you the person you are and give you a lifetime of memories.” – unknown With so many special moments over the years it was hard to limit it to a few pictures.  The birth of my children and marriage to my husband is at the top of the list.  ‘Aha moments’ also count as special moments; they capture my full attention, causing me to pause and savor the moment!  A few of these memorable moments are shown below. Could not resist showing this special moment as one son sorted through his easter basket and the other one waited patiently for…

March 2, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #137 SOFT

So many things can fit the description of soft.  For example: soft foods, soft to the touch, visually soft colors, soft movement, soft sounds.  Ann-Christine would like for us to show examples of a few soft things.  Remember walking in soft mud or sand and having it squish through your toes, and how good it felt? Swans and other water fowl can  softly glide over the water without making a sound even when paddling frantically underneath.  And speaking of soft, what could taste better than a soft, delicious donut!  Unless it is ice cream or banana pudding…. Yummy!  Flower petals, animal fur and Spanish Moss are a few things of…

February 11, 2021

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge: #134 From Forgettable to Favorite

There are many Forgettable pictures in my archive files due to camera shake, wrong exposure, etc.  So, they end up being either deleted or ignored.  This week Tina wants us to revisit the Forgotten ones to see if it is possible to make them into a Favorite. (Not an easy task in some cases.😊)  Thank goodness for editing software programs like Photoshop, Lightroom, Nik, Topaz and Luminar to name a few.  Plus, some of these programs even have AI capabilities (artificial intelligence).  They do a remarkable job of analysing an image and suggesting ways to improve it. In my editing workflow, Adobe Photoshop (PS) is the go to software program.  Initial…

January 2, 2021

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge: #129 Favorite Pictures of 2020

“The best images are the ones that retain their strength and impact over the years, regardless of the number of times they are viewed.” – Anne GeddeHeader 2020 was a year like no other since 1918, everyone in the world seems to be suffering one way or another.  In spite of this, I continued to look forward to the assigned weekly word for the Lens-Artist Photo Challenge.  A big thank you goes to four talented leaders; Anne-Christine, Amy, Patti and Tina!   This week’s topic is Favorite Pictures from 2020.  The banner shot above was taken on Kiawah Island in SC.  Notice the little trails in the foreground?  They were made…

October 22, 2020

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #119 A HIDEAWAY

Being outside with nature has always provided special hideaways; a wonderful place to relax and surround myself with beauty and tranquility.  “Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy while cares will drop off the autumn leaves.”  John Muir, Our National Parks This week Ann-Christine wants us to think about our hideaways, where we like to retreat for relaxation and solitude.  So many wonderful places such as early morning walk on the beach while watching Sandpipers feed, sitting by the river’s edge observing canoes idly drifting in the breeze, observing gorgeous sunsets or…

October 10, 2020

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #117 PHOTO WALK

This week Amy invites us to take a walk with our camera.  Taking the time to look around at sights which are normally taken for granted.  It was shortly after sunrise on a cool, foggy Maine morning when I grabbed the camera for a photo walk.   “In nature, everything has a job.  The job of the fog is to beautify further the existing beauties!” – Mehmet Murat Jldan  There are several ponds close to our neighborhood so instinctively I headed there.  What a lovely sight.  The sun was trying to break through the fog, bright light reflected off marsh grasses and a few ducks out for a morning swim.  Ordinally,…

September 30, 2020

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #116 SYMMETRY

Symmetry in nature and architecture is all around us in one of its many forms – horizontal, vertical or radial. “Symmetry is what we see at a glance.” – Blaise Pascal This week Patti wants us to explore a few types of symmetry.  Simply put, symmetry can be described this way; if the subject is divided in half, both sides will look similar or the same.  See Patti’s post to learn more and enjoy her beautiful examples, click here.   The first image (the header) is an example of radial symmetry.  The raindrops are making beautiful concentric circles as they hit the deck floor. Think of how many times have we…

September 23, 2020

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #115 INSPIRATION

This week Tina is inviting us to show images that Inspire us.  I had a hard time narrowing down this topic because the truth is, whenever outside there are many Inspirational things all around to see and photograph!  My husband and I are in southern Maine now so I decided to feature some Inspirational pictures taken in Boothbay Harbor. On a couple of occasions we visited this area with our friends to play golf, spend the night and enjoy the town.  It is quite picturesque as you can see; a popular yachting and tourist destination, known for lobster fishing, boat building and numerous celebrations throughout the year.  Plus, Boothbay Golf…

September 15, 2020

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #114 NEGATIVE SPACE

“I frequently leave areas of raw, unprimed canvas unpainted…’Negative’ space has just as active a role as the ‘positive’ painted space.  The negative spaces maintain shapes of their own and are not empty.” – Helen Frankenthaler This week Amy is inviting us to explore the use of Negative Space in our photography.  By definition Negative Space is the area surrounding the main subject in a photograph which is left unoccupied. Creating this Space around the subject helps communicate the composition of the photograph and automatically draws the eyes to the subject. These pictures show how incorporating Negative Space can enhance the overall image.  For example, in this first picture notice how…

August 29, 2020

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #111 EVERYDAY OBJECTS

Everyday Objects or Things is the word challenge for the week.  Things we normally see and take for granted, hardly giving them a second glance. “There’s a world out there.  Open a window, and it’s there.” – Robin Williams This week, Patti, http://pilotfishblog.com, is challenging us to spend an extra second or so to really look at something and view it from a new perspective.  We recently arrived at our home in Maine so I decided to walk around the house with ‘new eyes’, looking for a topic.  When in the kitchen/dining room area, out of habit my eyes automatically went to the windows.  So easy to take windows, curtains…