by Sheila Finkelstein on March 23, 2011
Today’s issue of Picture to Ponder is striving for simplicity, thus one photo. I am in the process of redesigning my business and evaluating where I’ve been spending my time.
I started adding two additional photographs in this issue. Then I looked again at this photo. In its quiet, there is a lot of depth and movement. So I invite you to simply “be” with it for a moment or two or more.
If you enjoy writing, I invite you to use it for a writing prompt and share your writing on the blog.
Today’s Photo –
The upper portion of a very large Philodendron leaf
in the American Orchid Society Greenhouse
Self-Reflecting Queries –
I generally spend three to four hours per issue of Picture to Ponder, in picture selection, idea formulation and writing. So needless to say each of the components are a part of my “queries” process. [click to continue…]
by Sheila Finkelstein on March 17, 2011
Wild irises became the focus for my camera and me this past week. I woke last Friday remembering that this must be wild iris time at Wakodahatchee Wetlands. They bloom from the last week or two in February through mid-March.
Last year I totally missed them, even though I must have walked right past them several times. I thus set the time to go Wakodahatchee walking at the end of the day with the specific intention of looking for the irises. (See below today’s Queries for links to prior year posts and photos.)
Today’s Photos –
Below is the original photo from which the “bird” in a mailing earlier this week was taken. I’m including others with which I’ve also had fun this week.
The “bird” coming in for a landing and more wild irises [click to continue…]
by Sheila Finkelstein on March 10, 2011
If you are one of the followers who relates to Self-Reflecting Queries, as well as the photographs, I thought you’d appreciate the following statement, “Empowerment in using a camera has altered how I see myself,” as shared by Marifran Korb.She was referencing her experience resulting from participating in the Through and From The Len telecourse. The next session starts on Tuesday night, March 15th. See TFTL.
Before going further, without adding words to interfere with your responses, I invite you to pause at each of Today’s Photos. Then consider the emotion, or response, that comes up for you with each one individually.
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by Sheila Finkelstein on March 3, 2011
Today’s issue of Picture to Ponder is a breakthrough and a first for me and this ezine. For six years, my policy has been to only feature my photography and, on occasion, black and white photographs done years ago by my beloved Sam. The one exception, that I can recall, was sharing a photo by a young boy, son of a friend and subscriber, as part of a fuller story for the day.
Today, I am moved to share a few photographs by Irina Wardas who was a participant in the last Through and From The Lens telecourse. Not only am I captivated by the photographs she produced, I am humbled by her summary of what she got out of four weeks in the course. She went from never having photos that she wanted to share and not knowing her new camera to now publishing her own work on her site and on Facebook
I share Irina here with you today for both the beauty of her photographs and for the lesson of which I was reminded. We can listen to our own limiting thoughts, or we can stand in the power of what’s revealed to us by others in their reflections of us! Today’s Self-Reflecting Queries address this
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by Sheila Finkelstein on February 24, 2011
Today’s post of Picture to Ponder has been delayed because of my “need” to revise the Through and From The Lens telecourse information/registration page. My focus has been on my “stuckness” in its having the “just right” (or “perfect”) words and images so that visitors get a full experience of the value the program will add to their lives.
Participants in the last course expressed delight at finding they now have a new tool for simultaneous relaxation and re-energizing. Their enthusiasm increased as they began seeing things in new ways. Both newbies to their cameras, and those customarily using them, are excited with the new possibilities that develop for sharing and displaying their photos, including using them in blog posts and other public places. [click to continue…]
by Sheila Finkelstein on February 16, 2011
This past week I was focused on noticing light, shadows and contrasts, following along with the suggested explorations for participants before the last session of the current Through and From The Lens Telecourse.
I ultimately had fun “playing” with two white roses out of a Valentine’s Day bouquet of roses gift from my son and daughter-in-law. I photographed roses against both white and black backgrounds and then experimented with different editing “enhancements” in iPhoto, Photoshop Elements, my most frequently used program, and Picnik, the free program that Flickr offers and integrates with its services.
For more of Today’s Photos, explanations and Queries [click to continue…]
by Sheila Finkelstein on February 11, 2011
On New Year’s Day, around noon, I was driving down a street when the reflections in the building shown below caught my attention.
Reflecting the building seen in the photo just under here. [click to continue…]
by Sheila Finkelstein on February 9, 2011
This week a few Facebook fans and I have been having fun on my new Fan Page. I started the page posting a mystery photo almost daily, giving the answer the next day. For the past several days, I’ve been posting individual views of one series of photos taken in early afternoon four years ago. The “answers” have yet to be given. These photos still inspire and excite me when I periodically review them and I have been thoroughly enjoying them this week. It’s been fun selecting which to use to maintain the “mystery” while at the same time starting to give some visual hints. Some of the “guesses” amaze and delight me, bringing a smile to my face. I invite you to come look and enjoy them also, even participate in the guessing.
The other part of the game for me has become reaching at least 100 fans by 6 PM Eastern Time today. As I write, only 4 more are needed to meet that number. If you’d like to be one of them simply go to the Through and From The Lens Fan Page and click on “Like” at the end of the line of links under the name.
Today’s Featured Photos –
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by Sheila Finkelstein on February 3, 2011
Several Picture to Ponder subscribers have written about how much they enjoy seeing flower photographs here. To accommodate, especially since the weather is so harsh in so many areas, I started looking through my files. I then decided to make it “easier” on myself and simply reprint an earlier issue.
The following was featured in Issue 118 in June 2005. (Note the issue number, which meant I had done 118 issues in 6 months!) Most of the text is as written then.
Today’s Featured Photos –
closing in on a portion of an hibiscus. [click to continue…]
by Sheila Finkelstein on January 28, 2011
Updates On What’s New – If you are one who enjoys “Mystery Photos”, I have set up the Through and From The Lens Facebook Fan Page, which I believe is viewable whether you are a member of Facebook or not. If you have been subscribing to Picture to Ponder for a while, you may remember some of them. I invite you to check out the TFTL Fan Page and to also click on the “Like” link at the end of the line of links under the page name. Clicking on “Like” will not result in your getting any email. The only way to see the page is to bookmark the URL and go directly it.
Also, since this will be the only mailing until next week, I invite you to check out the two programs in which I’ve just enrolled – under the Queries.
Today’s Featured Photos –
The first view I saw in this series. To see the “Bark-in Dog” and change perspective three times [click to continue…]