April 24, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #144 Taking Flight

“No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.”  William Blake The phrase, Taking Flight, made me think of birds although it can easily describe other things flying like butterflies, bees and balloons.  Looking through my photo archives, I found pictures showing several species of birds Taking Flight that I’d like to share.  (Double clicking each image shows a larger version).    These two pictures are of the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) as he gracefully glides through the air, so quietly he can hardly be heard in spite of his size.  These owls are the largest common owl in the eastern United States with a wing…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Birds, Kiawah Island SC, LENS-ARTISTS, Nature, Photography

April 10, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #145 My Choice – A Morning Shoot

With such beautiful weather on Kiawah Island now, I was compelled to grab my camera and head out to photograph a few interesting birds for this week’s challenge.  Too bad the birds were not aware of this.   The location I chose was around Cinder Creek.  A rustic clubhouse is beside the marsh along with a lovely gazebo out over the Creek.  Directly across the road is a large swamp area and a ghost forest.  This is where birds had been spotted several days earlier.  Although, unfortunately there was only one White Egret to be seen.   Since I was already there, to make the best of the situation, I decided…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Digital Art, Kiawah Island SC, Landscape, LENS-ARTISTS, Nature

April 3, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #141 Geometry

The world is full of squares, circles, triangles which can be seen most everywhere.  Boston Massachusetts is one of many cities filled with beautiful geometric, architectural designs both old and new.  For this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Patti wants us to focus on geometry—shapes that are visually interesting and form a pattern or rhythm.  She suggests we think about geometry and the many examples seen everyday that we might not notice.  Be sure to check out her post here.   Once one understands what each geometric shape symbolizes it is easier to understand why certain shapes are associated with certain buildings.  Rectangles or Squares represent Balance and Tradition; Circles –…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Architecture, Boston Massachusetts, LENS-ARTISTS, Photography, Travel

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…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Animals, Birds, Kiawah Island SC, Landscape, LENS-ARTISTS, Photography, Red Knots

March 13, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #138 Natural Light

“Light makes photography. Embrace light. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.” – George Eastman Light from the sun is constantly changing throughout the day.  Clouds play a big part in this and also shadows which are created as the sun reflects off another object.   Natural sunlight can shine directly on an object, it can also be seen as back light, the golden light just before sunset plus the beautiful colors seen in sunrises and sunsets. Here are a few images showing examples of natural light.  This first one was taken after a heavy rain…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Abstract, LENS-ARTISTS, Maine, Natural Light, Photography, Sunsets

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…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Abstract, Animals, Fine Art Photography, Landscape, LENS-ARTISTS, Photography

February 23, 2021

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge: #136 The Letter S

The challenge this week is showing subjects that begin with the Letter S.  For the fun of it, I also decided to use multiple words starting with “S” to describe each photograph.  Interestingly, the common thread surrounding these pictures is the ocean.  This was not planned ahead, it just happened – Humm. Silhouettes showing people waiting for the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico.  The sun’s rays streaming through the clouds created a beautiful display. Shadows, silhouettes, and a sunset as several men fish and watch the soaring seagulls overhead. Swirly S shape carved in the beach sand the ocean tide advanced onto the shore. Sun and clouds casted shimming…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in LENS-ARTISTS, Nature, Ocean, Sunsets

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…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Abstract, Flowers, Landscape, LENS-ARTISTS, Photography

January 14, 2021

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge: #130 IT’S A SMALL WORLD

This week Lens-Artist’s guest host, Anne Sandler suggests we think about close-up and macro photography.  She skillfully describes the difference between the two.  Be sure to read her post, It’s a Small World. I have a macro lens but find that it is not used much.  Instead, I tend to photograph small objects using a long lens with a short focal point. This particular picture below was taken with a Nikon 18-300 lens, focal point of 145, f/5.7. My banner shot is the beautiful variegated Shell Ginger flower from Florida. This was taken with a Nikon 18-105 lens, focal point of 42, F/4.8.  Interestingly, months ago before being introduced to…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Flowers, LENS-ARTISTS, Nature, Photography, Wabi Sabi Photography

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…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Landscape, LENS-ARTISTS, Photography