November 6, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #172: A Day in My Week

“Right in this moment, I can’t even remember what unhappy feels like.”  – Maggie Stiefvater A few days ago around sunrise, I decided to take a long walk on the beach, something I try to do at least twice a week.  When walking down the boardwalk my attention was immediately drawn to the beautiful sweetgrass brushes growing beside the sand dunes.  “Nature unfolds her treasure at the first ray of sunrise.” – Kishore Bansol The beach looked magical this particular morning.  It was low tide and the sun was casting bright rays of light off the ocean surface and wet sand.   For the first half an hour the ocean and…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Atlantic Ocean, Kiawah Island SC, LENS-ARTISTS, Nature, Sunrises

May 14, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #147 Gardens

“Beauty surrounds us, but usually we need to be walking in a garden to know it.” – Rumi I have always enjoyed walking through botanical gardens in various cities, enjoying the interesting collection of plants, trees and artwork on display.  When in southwest Florida, Naples Botanical was one of my favorite places to visit, with my camera of course! Naples Botanical Gardens is one the youngest gardens in history to receive the American Public Gardens Association’s prestigious Award for Garden Excellence.  They have 170-acres featuring a Preserve and a Water Garden in addition to showcasing a few gardens from around the world – Asian, Brazilian, Caribbean plus a Florida Garden,…

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

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

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

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

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…

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

August 4, 2020

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #108 SANCTUARY

“Within you there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.” – Hermann Hesse This week Xenia from Tranature.com is challenging us to share our thoughts about our Sanctuary, where we find it and how we create our place of calm and healing.  Be sure to check out her blog. My Sanctuary is a place I can visit either literally or figuratively.  It is a brief retreat from a daily routine plus ever changing events I cannot control.  The importance of a personal sanctuary is to create a balance between a hectic lifestyle and a time to relax and clear my mind. …

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Atlantic Ocean, Kiawah Island SC, Landscape, LENS-ARTISTS, Nature, Photography

June 13, 2020

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #100 The Long and Winding Road

Tina chose “The Long and Winding Road” as our photo topic this week.  I found a few of my favorites looking back through the archives.   I enjoy photographing roads or paths that meander out of sight, around the bend .  They seem to bring up questions such as where the road leads, what sights are around the bend, how old is the path, who are the people or animals using it?  Each of these roadways look so inviting that it is hard not to want to explore them.   “When the road ahead seems too long, look back to see how far you’ve come.  For even if the hill before you…

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

May 25, 2020

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #98 DELICATE COLORS

This week’s challenge from Ann-Christine gives us a chance to explore Delicate Colors; beautiful, soft shades of color blending into each other. Being surrounded by these lovely colors can be  soothing and relaxing in spite of the hectic world we live in now. ?  Delicate Colors are all around us, waiting to be discovered when outside and one with nature.               Ann-Christine shows beautiful examples of delicate colors she found in her garden and neighboring forest. “There are no lines in nature, only areas of colour, one against another.” – Edouard Manet Each of these pictures show a different color palette that only mother-nature can create…

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