Nature Photography

One of the things that intrigued me the most from my recent trip to San Diego was the contrast in the old and the new, particularly in the architecture. For those of you who know San Diego, we stayed in the heart of the Gaslamp District and had a nice walk daily to the Convention Center.

Thus the mixture  in
Today’s Picture to Ponder Photos -
So you don’t feel a barrage on your senses, scroll down slowly, being with each photograph individually.

melaleuca close2 Visual Overload, Making Choices, Architecture in San Diego   Picture to Ponder   v7 49 [click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }

Today’s post carries with it the undercurrent of sadness on some losses in my life, plus a huge sense of gratitude for the opportunities and possibilities that were and are. Immediate for today’s photos and writing is what’s happening with my beloved American Orchid Society Gardens, in Delray Beach, FL. Two weeks ago, I learned that it would be closing at the end of the month. Because it has meant so much to me, and thus indirectly to you, I am dedicating today’s issue – Photos and Queries – to gratitude for its contribution to my life. [click to continue…]

{ 6 comments }

Last week, walking at the beach at sunset, I thought of the full moon seen the previous night. It occurred to me that the timing might be such to see moonrise over the ocean. I pulled out my iPhone to check this on the online Sunrise/Sunset calendar and sure enough it was set to happen in about 20 minutes.

moon pinkonhorizonx Is Blurriness Imperfection?   Ocean Moonrise at Sunset   Picture to Ponder   v7 41

Nevertheless when I saw the pink spot on the horizon line I wasn’t certain it was the moon.

However, I did take several pictures which I was not going to post publicly because they were all blurry. [click to continue…]

{ 6 comments }

In last week’s issue of Picture to Ponder, we addressed “light and shadows.” For this week, I am once again pulled in by shadows, contrasted with bright, somewhat early, morning light.

Today’s two photographs were taken with my iPhone camera and then enhanced using various “effects” in the FX Photo Studio application. The similarity/repetition in colors in the first four hold them together in an aesthetically pleasing presentation.

In addition to which photos to use, I always have the added consideration, if grouping a few especially with different subjects, to have them work well together.

The fifth image is so bright, it does not really seem to belong. And I couldn’t resist sharing it. Clicking on the smaller photos will bring up images that are the same size as the larger ones showing below.

Today’s Picture to Ponder Photos -

windowshade1x Shadows and Clouds   Darkness or Brightness   Picture to Ponder   v7 issue 40

Relaxing on the sun porch at my son and daughter-in-law’s home in Georgia recently, my eye was captivated by the shadows on the window shades.

(Click on thumbnail photo if you wish to experience it in a slightly larger size.) [click to continue…]

{ 2 comments }

Today’s photographs focus on light and shadows, our interpretations of them and the differences, if any, a slight shift in perspective makes. The only story behind these is that the photographs were the ones that popped out, requesting being featured today. Should you need more, I invite you to make up a story about them up and share on the blog, if you wish.

palmfrond ground 225 Moving Forward or Holding Back   Light and Shadows   Picture to Ponder   v7 39

On a recent walk in Wakodahatchee Wetlands, following my “rule” of photographing anything that catches the eye, I used my iPhone camera to capture this dead frond dropped from a palm tree.

Then I zoomed in on it with the camera, settling on two very slightly different, views.

Though only a shift up of a few inches, less than a foot, the feeling emanating from each differs. [click to continue…]

{ 2 comments }

Today’s Picture to Ponder photos certainly seem like a strange mix. At least they do on this end. I’ve been sitting on several moon photos for over a week, thinking I’d feature them in the last issue.

With a few possible queries and themes fighting each other in my head, I let it go and focused on the “light” message. Thus featured today are one of the moon photos and the glistening, sunlit golden water just past sunrise at the beach. New video clips also resulted.

To simplify this issue of Picture to Ponder, I posted the story of the moon on the blog, including the photographic processes and my discoveries. There you will see other full moon photos, including a brilliant orange one that I love, and Self-Reflecting Queries around “perfection”. See “Lessons From The Moon.“  Then clicking on the surf photo below will take you to a video of the waves gently washing in and rolling back on the surf.

Lastly before going further, if you are one who is an Internet Marketer, or interested in being one/learning more, be sure to check out the info after the SRQs on David Perdew’s new MyNAMS Membership program.

Today’s Picture to Ponder Photos -

moon textured 3 4thview Perfectionism, Being Right and Light   Lessons from the Moon   Picture to Ponder   v7 issue38 [click to continue…]

{ 1 comment }

Lessons from Photographing Orange Full Moons

by Sheila Finkelstein on September 26, 2011

A little over a week ago, I was driving home from a meeting. Glancing out to my right a large, orange colored moon grabbed my attention. After a quick discussion with myself I turned right, rather than my usual left, to find a parking spot where I could pull out my camera to “capture” the image.

Each time I stopped, the street, and other, lights restricted my vision.  As a result the moon was coming out the usual “white” for me. Finally I decided to continue onto the beach in Delray Beach.  After a few photos, I happily remembered my tripod was in the car, so I set it up on the sidewalk behind the bushes, choosing not to go on the dark beach alone.

It was only then that the “big” revelation came. After playing with several settings, including the night scene on my Point and Shoot Canon Power Shot SX10IS, it occurred to me to use the Flash!

moon orange hidden2 Lessons from Photographing Orange Full Moons

Although the distance was, of course, far from the moon, it did alter everything dramatically.  I got what had been eluding me on all of my attempted moon shots over the past many months or a couple of years.

moon textured 3 4thview Lessons from Photographing Orange Full Moons

All it needed was LIGHT!  It was then that I recalled a moon shot I captured in August of 2009, very close to sunset.  It was at the beach in Boynton Beach, FL.  I much too belatedly recalled that my discovery then had been that having the light brought out the color and texture .

 

moon orange bluesky1 809 Lessons from Photographing Orange Full Moons

Using the sunset setting on my camera deepened it further and brought out, or added to, the orange. (Note – The blue in the above photo might have been a result of slight manipulation with Photoshop Elements.)

orangemoon in darkcloudysky left Lessons from Photographing Orange Full Moons

Ironically, when I started searching my photos in iPhoto, I discovered another moon photo with textures that I was very happy to catch and that was earlier this year.

moon full 211 textured Lessons from Photographing Orange Full Moons


This one was also taken at sunset, in February 2011.  Once again, outside light was a factor in getting the kind of full moon photo I keep chasing,

Self-Reflecting Queries -

I invite you to look into your life.  Is there a place, or are there places, where you keep chasing “perfection”, where something you did was not “good enough”?

And, if you find that, what is the light you can shine on it to keep the memories and reminders there for you?

Have fun and please share your experiences with perfection, moon and/or light in the COMMENTS below.

{ 4 comments }

Today’s Picture to Ponder Photo –

This simple scene scene of the fisherman at sunset in Key West, FL exudes a sense of peace for me. My intention is that it fulfills on the same for you.

sunset fisherman kw1b Fisherman Peace at Sunset in Key West   Picture to Ponder  v7 33

The added photograph that I almost included, and chose not to, is one of my beautiful granddaughter Kaitlyn resting against a tree in Key West. The picture was shot at an angle that reinforced the rhythm and flow of the whole scene. Though is holds together well, it felt too busy to fit with the above photo.

If curious, you can see it by clicking on Angled Tree. [click to continue…]

{ 2 comments }

If you read the last Picture to Ponder post, you’ll most like recall my fascination with the unfolding of two interlocked, wood-like, seed pods that got totally flat after soaking in water.

One of the photos showed the pods starting to curl up. I put them back in water until my grandsons came, so together we could watch changes that might come.

The bottom line end result is that the two pods, with one ultimately placed on top of the other, became intertwined and totally circled back onto themselves into one unit.

The whole process took less than a half a day. I’ve posted the photographs below and seven others on a Pods Circling page for you to see the changes. If you are a writer, there are some interesting images on the latter page that I think would be great for journaling or creative story writing.

Today’s Picture to Ponder Photos –

 woodpod avocado Whats Next   Circling Back to Self as Seen in Wood Pods   Picture to Ponder   v7 30 [click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }

My older son and two grandsons are visiting this week, so today’s Picture to Ponder is late and will mainly be the photographs and story documenting discovering and transformation. The Queries are brief and might be profound for some of you.

Today’s Picture to Ponder Photos –

 woodpod curled1 Discovering, Openings and Transformation   Picture to Ponder   v7 29 [click to continue…]

{ 9 comments }