May 12, 2022

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #198 Light and Shadow

“Darkness is absence of light. Shadow is diminution of light.” – Leonardo da Vinci Light and Shadow:  Patti suggests we feature a few pictures showing how well they play together to create beauty, drama, serenity or a smile. “I am forever chasing light.  Light turns the ordinary into the magical.” – Trent Parke “Don’t be afraid of the shadows, it only means there’s a light nearby,” – Amy Lee In this particular picture, shadows are something to be afraid of!  This once beautiful 19th century home in Maryland is purported to be haunted. 😥 “A luminous body will appear more brilliant in proportion as it is surrounded by deeper shadow.”…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Flowers, Landscape, Photography

May 7, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #197 Rule of Thirds

What is the Rule of Thirds?  It’s a compositional technique that divides your frame into an equal, three-by-three grid with two horizontal lines and two vertical lines intersecting at four points.  When placing main subject(s) on one or more of these focal points the image more pleasing to the eye and helps to create a balanced or visually interesting image. If you are not familiar with this rule, it is easy to experiment to see if you think it makes a difference.  Some cameras can display the superimposed grid over the image in addition most editing software programs offer it when cropping.  Although like most rules, it is ok to…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Fine Art Photography

April 10, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #194 Bokeh

“Photography is the story I fail to put into words.” – Destin Sparks Bokeh, what is it and how can you create it with your camera? Since this is such an interesting subject and fun to do, Sofia has challenged us to feature a few of our favorites this week. Bokeh is the out-of-focus background in a photograph which is lovely to look at. It is created when background objects are softly blended together, displaying an array of beautiful colors, while the subject is in focus and sharp. Good Bokeh does not have hard edges or sharpness and sometimes there are round, smooth circles of light visible. So, how can…

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

April 3, 2022

Cellpic Sunday 03 April 2022 Maple Tree in Spring

A few weeks ago my husband and I drove to Virginia Beach, VA for a few days.  Naturally an eight road trip requires a few quick stops along the way.  Not long after crossing the South Carolina state line on the way home, I saw this beautiful Maple tree covered with bright red samaras against the deep blue sky.  Since maple trees are deciduous, they are not very attractive over the winter months. Although, with the advent of spring they produce double-winged samaras or seeds (commonly known as “helicopters,” or “whirlers”). Once they have fallen to the ground large beautiful leaves quickly appear. About the photo: taken with the iPhone…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Nature, Photography, Trees

April 2, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #192 Earth Story

“Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.” – Einstein This week Amy selected Earth Story as our photo challenge theme. She says, “The natural world has many stories to tell.  They are written on the ground, in the mountains and rivers, and on rocks and trees.  Let’s share their stories through our lenses.”    I decided to feature a few pictures which show different segments of the earth and our natural world and each with its own story to tell. Each picture can be enlarged by double clicking it. The header picture is flowers from a large orange tree in our yard. Right now the tree is…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Earth Story Photos, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Travel

March 24, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #191 Curves

“In life, as in art, the beautiful moves in curves.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton Curves seem to be everywhere, especially in nature! When outside have you ever looked around to see how many curvy objects you can see? A few days ago I spent some time with my camera on the eastern end of the beach on Kiawah Island. Most everything in sight was curvy. The header image shows curved dune grasses bent by the blowing breeze.  Sand dunes also tend to be curvy; their shape is constantly changed by the wind. The full picture is shown at the end of this post. The picture below shows the length and curvature…

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

March 20, 2022

Cellpic Sunday 20 March 2022 Beach in March

Each time I walk down to the ocean, I always wonder what I will see.  Will the tide be high and almost up to the boardwalk or low and much further out?  It was almost halfway out on this day. Will deer be running on the dunes or beach, or groups of shorebirds and migratory birds feeding, Bottlenose dolphins swimming parallel to the shore a few yards out and during the summer will Loggerhead turtles leave their tracks in the sand from the ocean and up into the sand dunes to lay their eggs and then back?  People walking or jogging, sometimes with their dog, others enjoying yoga, bikers riding…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Atlantic Ocean, Cellpic Sunday Photo, Kiawah Island SC, Landscape, Photography

March 19, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #190 Close and Closer

“In photography the smallest thing can be the greatest subject.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson This week it is suggested we take a closer look at the subjects we photograph.  Look for interesting details, patterns, colors or unseen objects to show.  This can be accomplished using a macro lens, zoom lens, by moving ourselves in closer or simply cropping.  Note, these images can be enlarged by double clicking them. The banner shot shows different types of coral found on Caribbean reefs.  And, the image below highlights a small area of the reef, revealing the detailed beauty in the various corals.  This was taken at The New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts. This…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Burano Italy, Butterflies, Photography, Travel

February 27, 2022

Cellpic Sunday 27 Feb 2022 Tulip Magnolia Tree

This Black Tulip Magnolia Tree has been growing in our front yard for over 20 years.  Since it is deciduous during the winter months it looks like a bare, straggly tree.  Then early each spring it will burst into flowers although this year it was February since our temperatures averaged a little warmer than normal.  Unfortunately, these gorgeous flowers only last a few weeks and as they begin falling off, lovely green leaves fill the branches for the next six or seven months.  Thanks to John Steiner at Journeys with Johnbo for initiating Cellpic Sunday each week.   He has invited anyone to join.  Check out his site here to enjoy his…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Flowers, Photography

February 26, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #187 Water

“Dance with the waves, move with the sea, let the rhythm of the water set you soul free.” – Christy Ann Martine This week Anne suggests we think about Water.  She says, “Water enhances our photos, adding impact. Photographing it is also fun and sometimes a challenge.”  I agree, photographing water makes the picture more interesting, especially if wildlife is around.  The first several pictures show some of the wildlife we have on Kiawah Island.  These pelicans are resting after having spent their morning diving for food.  In a few more hours they will be out again, fishing, before darkness arrives.   Kiawah is the home of a pod of dolphins…

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