Posted on September 10, 2011 in Black and White, Landscape, Nature, Soft Focus, Topaz
Mother Nature has been brutal this summer in my neck of the woods. First there was a hail storm in late May that damaged homes and cars, then a horrific storm in early July with wind shear that took down 1,500 trees in my community and left us without power. September has brought Hurricane Irene and just this past week, the remnants of tropical storm Lee which caused torrential rains and flooding. Today I needed to go out and take a walk to try and appreciate the beauty in the world around me and de-stress. The lake was very peaceful – just a couple people on the beach and a boat or two on the water . Soon these boats will be removed and the docks pulled in preparation for winter. I hope to enjoy the last days of summer here as much as I can!
Posted on May 10, 2011 in Flowers, Lensbaby, Macro, Nature, Soft Focus, Spring
I don’t seem to have as many Bleeding Heart plants this year as I should. Maybe they were a casualty of the harsh winter…or the critters that frequently visit my yard munched on them to the point of no return. Regardless, I do have 3 or 4 Bleeding Hearts that are currently in bloom. Still one of my all-time favorites but their bloom time is just way too short. This image was taken with the Lensbaby Composer and Soft Focus Optic plus a little vignette in white along the edges to soften things even more.
Posted on May 2, 2011 in Flowers, Macro, Nature, Soft Focus, Spring
My website currently has some technical difficulties and I am working with the webhost to resolve. Please bear with me if you view pages that don’t look quite right. It is totally making me crazy. In the meantime, here is a pretty Calla from a weekend visit to the garden center.
Posted on April 27, 2011 in Flowers, Lensbaby, Macro, Nature, Painting Effect, Soft Focus, Spring
It seems that all of our flowering Spring trees are several weeks behind schedule this year due to the never-ending winter. I was expecting to find Cherry Blossoms in bloom at one of my favorite parks when I visited last weekend, but they weren’t even close. We’ve had some warm temperatures this week, so I’m sure that has helped to hurry them along a bit. Plan B was to pull out my Lensbaby Composer with the Soft Focus Optic and photograph the Weeping Cherry trees. I had to hold the soft willowy branches still in order to photograph due to breezy conditions. I love the soft pinks of these pretty flowers.
Posted on April 21, 2011 in Animals, People, Pet Photography, Soft Focus
Kids & dogs….they just go together naturally! And what better place to help children learn about different breeds than a dog show! The Harrisburg Kennel Club show always has a “Meet the Breeds” area where throughout the day various dogs are on hand with their owners or handlers. Visitors are encouraged to come and learn about the breeds….especially children. All of the dogs love the extra attention they receive and it’s so much fun to watch the faces of the children when they meet a new dog, get a big smooch, or can bury their face in a thick coat of fur! There is plenty of tail wagging going on, that’s for sure!