We have reached the end of Becky’s Squares photo challenge, I was distracted by starting a full time job in the middle of it and stopped posting even if I had good intentions to follow the month through. Thanks for this challenge Becky.
Lens-Artists #301 – Floral hosted by Sofia wrote: I sincerely believe it to be difficult to have photo of a flower that is not beautiful. But for this challenge, I’d like us to think of how we either capture them or how we process the image afterwards.
First I would like to say all my photos for this post are from past week. Somehow it feels like this year we skipped spring all together, we got summer temperatures now and all the flowers are in bloom at the same time. Most of them I’ve taken with my mobile, because last week I felt the camera’s to the summer house in the belief that there would be nothing to photograph, I was wrong. Everything seemed to bloom overnight. and to the how I capture them – mostly close-ups.
I have now real angle this week, my mind is all overloaded with new things and NUMBERs – my least favorite thing .
First here is a look at one tulip. I took a these few days apart, from different directions and I did some editing with lightroom app on my mobile.
The apple tree blossoms beautifully just few days ago and now the really warm weather , not at all normal at this time of the year has wilted them.
random flowers-
Last week Ann-Christine challenged us with the Delicate things, her recent travels to Japan gave us wonderful inspiration. I loved all your examples and how varied they were. This is what makes these challenges so interesting, we all think in different ways and that makes us grow as photographers.
Next week is John’s turn to lead, so please visit his unique site to see what he’s up to, I am sure looking forward to it.
If you want more information on the Lens-Artist Challenge, please click here.
Becky’s Squares photo challenge has returned. I sadly thought so some time back, but now it appears that it is really back.
This month’s theme is Renew. Or Burgeoning. Or Moving Forward. Or Reconstructing. You get the idea
Debbies Six Word Saturday
I used less clarity and texture in the image below and it turned out more like a painting.
As I stepped through the open white gates, the gentle rustle of leaves greeted me like a whispered invitation from nature itself. The path ahead, wound invitingly into the embrace of the forest. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows that danced beneath my feet. With each breath, I inhaled the earthy scent of damp moss and fresh pine that filled the air, feeling a sense of peace as I ventured further into this verdant sanctuary.
The gates, their paint weathered by seasons, stood as sentinels between the mundane world and the enchantment beyond.
As I walked, the forest enveloped me. Tall trees stretched their limbs toward the sky, their leaves forming a mosaic of green and gold. Birds flitted overhead, their songs weaving a delicate tapestry of sound. I followed the path deeper, each step revealed something new: a gnarled tree with roots that seemed to reach into the very heart of the earth. The forest remained still. I felt changed. The air tasted sweeter, the colors more vivid.
As I retraced my steps, I vowed to return. For this forest held more than beauty; it held magic. And so, with the rustle of leaves as my companion, I walked back through the gates, carrying with me the memory of a place where reality and enchantment intertwined.
Posted for Cee’s Which Way Challenge
In the quiet dawn, dew-kissed leaves awaken. Each droplet, a crystal globe, clings to the verdant tapestry of life.
Whispers of renewal, as morning breath stirs the air.
Hold on, even when gravity tugs. Reflect, for within each drop lies a universe.
In the quiet dawn, dew-kissed leaves awaken. Each droplet, a crystal globe, clings to the verdant tapestry of life.
Within these glistening orbs, secrets unfold, And so they linger, these liquid gems, In this delicate dance, they teach us, an ethereal moment, freezing time in dew-kissed splendor.
CFFC: Things that are Wet
Posted for Cee’s Flower of the Day
Some years back we visited the hilly village of Lefkara is divided into Pano Lefkara and Kato Lefkara , and is famous worldwide for its old-school crafts of lace embroidery and intricate silverwork. The village sits at the base of the Troodos Mountains in the southeast, at an altitude of 650 meters above sea level.
Wandering the beautiful alleys of the tiny village reveals good examples of the area’s architecture: houses built with horizontal layers of limestone interspersed with pebbles. It is one of the few villages in Cyprus where the houses are built almost entirely of local white stone, which contrasts beautifully with the terra cotta roofs. The picturesque quality of the village’s architectural style is further enhanced by the charming cobblestone streets and colorful flower-filled gardens that adorn the pathways. Walking through these alleys feels like stepping back in time, as each building tells a story of the village’s rich history and unique craftsmanship. The harmonious blend of natural materials and traditional design creates a timeless allure.
The houses here are not those of farmers but the homes of merchants and artisans. The houses are stone-built, some with doorways providing glimpses of flower-filled and vine-covered courtyards, while others are two-storey colour washed residences with balconies and intricately patterned tiled floors.
Posted for Cee’s Which Way Challenge
We had a few days of spring, so I took advantage of the opportunity to capture the mandatory photos of snowbells. As one of the first flowers of spring, they symbolize new beginnings, hope, rebirth, and the ability to overcome challenges. The sight of these delicate blooms filled me with hope and positivity.
However, nature had a surprise in store for us – a fresh coat of snow arrived just two days ago. Despite the unexpected turn of events, I seized the opportunity to capture the enchanting snow-covered landscape. It’s fascinating how the same scene can take on a different, yet equally captivating, appearance with a layer of snow.
As I’m writing this, a snow blizzard rages outside. While witnessing a snow blizzard at this time of year wasn’t what I had in mind, it’s a poignant reminder of nature’s unpredictability and the beauty it holds, even in the midst of unexpected circumstances.
Posted for Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge
The delicate beauty of hydrangea petals as they slowly deteriorate during the winter months is truly captivating. The intricate lace-like patterns that emerge from this natural process are a testament to the mesmerizing transformation that nature undergoes throughout the seasons. It’s truly remarkable how something as fleeting as the delicate decay of flower petals can create such a stunning visual display.
I love trying to bring it out details in my edits. If you are not familiar me as a photographer, I love the editing process. The framing of the subject and capturing the mood and details. Mostly, I do my best to stay true to the subject, just to enhance it a bit. Sometimes, well quite often I take artistic liberty when editing. I often convert the images to black and white as I find it it brings the essential part to focus. Or I play with the tone of the photos. Both styles shown in this post.
The last two images are true to what I saw. The last image is the original RAW shot, no edits. Above it is a a cropped and slightly edited version and on the top you see how I played with the image.
Posted for Cee’s Flower of the Day
Last day of year 2023 was sunny and cold here where I live, the temperature -13C /10F and no wind, so it wasn’t all that bad. Even though I do not like winter, sometimes it looks really beautiful. The way the sunlight glistened off the snow-covered branches filled the whole landscape with a magical glow. I couldn’t resist taking a walk and admiring the picturesque scenery. The crisp air made everything feel so serene and peaceful, almost as if the world had slowed down just for a moment. Sometimes, despite the cold, winter has a way of enchanting us with its natural beauty.
With these pictures I wish you all the best for 2024!
I took a short stroll to capture a cell pic for John’s Cellpic Sunday . I got few nice shots, but these are the ones I chose to post here. Most likely I will post few later on.
September has been rather rainy, but today we have blue skies and lovely comfortable temperatures . I am enjoying my backyard and the sunshine
After rain I love the smell of the nature and the rising mist on the fields
For Cee´s Flower of the Day.
I have had the flu now for two weeks and no end in sight. I’m so tired of coughing and sneezing 🤧. I have been doing nothing, but today I am going to post few photos. Well of flowers.
Looks promising, we will get some strawberries this summer
For Cee´s Flower of the Day.
The osprey populations worldwide have been making a comeback. Their dark backs, white bellies and wings crooked like those of a gull are once again a common sight as they relentlessly patrol the rivers, creeks, lakes and ocean in search of their favorite food: fish, fish and more fish.
I’ve read that the gulls, terns, shorebirds, herons and egrets do not seem to be bothered by the ospreys. They instinctively know the ospreys are looking for fish.
From the cemetery we were off to Tybee Island and another lighthouse. Tybee Island Lighthouse we only saw from the outside.
Significant events in the history of Tybee Island: During the Revolutionary War, Tybee was the staging area for French Admiral D’Estaing’s ill-fated 1779 “Siege of Savannah”, when combined multinational forces attempted to defeat the British held Savannah. During the War of 1812, the Tybee Island Lighthouse was used to signal Savannah of possible attack by the British.
1958 two U.S. Air Force planes collided in the air and one of them had to dumb a nuclear weapon (hydrogen bomb). The lost weapon, known popularly as the “Tybee Bomb”, remained a security concern for several years, although the Air Force claims the bomb lacks a nuclear capsule and does not pose a serious threat.
On August 17, 1960, eleven African-American students were arrested on Tybee Island at Georgia’s first wade-in protesting the Whites-only public beaches. The commemorative plaque of the wade-ins can be seen by the Tybee South Beach. The plaque was installed only last year, 62 years after the event.
The weather was quite windy in Tybee and therefore we sat for a while in one of the swings by the dunes.
Later, we walked along the pier and watched the fishermen. One of them caught a small stingray. Unfortunately, the stingray got the hook stuck very deep inside of it. The fisherman was holding the sting with pliers while the bait shop keeper was trying to pry the hook with other pliers, without success. Eventually they had to cut the fishing line and the shop keeper took the stingray in his shop to be killed.
Walking on the beach we got some nice shots that I will post in an other post as this is already overloaded with them. These photos are shot with both of my cameras and also some are with mobiles.
And that was that. Soon we had to start thinking about driving back to Boynton Beach, Florida. It was a seven hour drive with one stop in Daytona Beach exit to get gas and eat at the Popey’s Chicken Restaurant, which proved to be nice surprise.
The traffic was fairly heavy once again but we were able to maintain an average speed of 75 mi/120 km, by following our friend Bob’s advice – stay in the pack. Go too fast and you’ll get a ticket and if you go too slow, you’ll get honks from the horns and you’ll cause hairy situations.
Boone Hall Plantation in Mt Pleasant was founded in 1681 when Englishman Major John Boone came to Charleston area. Major Boone was quite respected and he was elected to the colonial Grand Council during the 1680s, but was removed twice because he illegally trafficked enslaved Native Americans, became associated with pirates, and concealed stolen goods. However, having slaves in general was no problem, as we have learnt from history books.
The house on the plantation the third of its kind, built in 1935 and not your typical antebellum house. But the plantation is one of the oldest plantations still in operation having produced agricultural crops for over 320 years. Much older are the brick slave cabins located along Slave Street which date between 1790 and 1810. Only nine cabins are left. Some of the bricks from cabins that have not been saved were used to build a serpentine wall for the main house.
Talking about the bricks! By year 1850 the slave laborers were able to produce 4 million bricks on a yearly basis. Most of the historic buildings in the historic downtown of Charleston were built from the bricks of Boone Hall and Fort Sumter, as well. Not that we saw any, but the fingerprints of these workers are still visible in the bricks of many of these historic sites.
The agricultural tour didn’t go too much into slavery or anything unpleasant but some anecdotes made you wonder how hard living for the slaves must have been and the life expectancy must have not been too high. Times have changed but it still makes you wonder how that was even possible and did the owners ever think this is not right?
Unfortunately photographing was not allowed inside the house and the second floor was completely off-limits, as well. However, the stories presented by the guide were very colorful and entertaining. John Stone the man who had the latest house built liked to entertain he had many famous visitors to his big parties, like the composer George Gershwin, if my memory serves me right?
Driving into the plantation couldn’t be more beautiful with the grand Avenue of Oaks that was first planted in 1743 and completed by the in 1843. The avenue consists of 88 live oak trees and one magnolia.
When we arrived the the sky was still blue and the avenue was in totally different shade than when we left, the sun had already started to set and the avenue turned into beautiful yellow and orange tones. I took so many photos and trying to choose the ones I liked best was hard as you can see from the amount of photos I have here.
January probably wasn’t the best time to visit when you think about the surroundings. The Avenue of the Oaks might have been even more beautiful if the Resurrection Fern would have been in bloom. But you can’t do anything else but to love the Spanish Moss hanging from the trees. It gives the plantation or any surroundings such a lovely and eerie backdrop.
Even though arriving late afternoon we were able to manage to take part of house tour and the “agricultural tour”, meaning the tour of the grounds. Boone Hall Plantation consists of 738 acres. The landscape includes areas of cultivated, seasonal crop fields, preserved wetlands, creeks, and ponds. Boone Hall is still very active operator in the area in not only caters to tourists, but they
organize many events to locals as well, for example, Halloween events. In the beginning the main products of Boone Hall were indigo (used for coloring the uniforms of British troops), rice and cotton. The production of cotton was discontinued in 1880 because the plantation could not compete with other plantations that were using machinery.
The cotton dock on the river had been rebuild lately.
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively who were married at Boone Hall Plantation in 2012. Ryan Reynolds have regretted having the wedding there because of the historical reasons.
Driving from Boone Hall towards Charleston during sunset was treat. We hit a traffic jam but on the other hand taking pictures of Wando River and Don N. Holt Bridges became much easier. Especially Don N. Holt Bridge provided a nice back drop for the orange sunset. Driving across the bridge we experienced very familiar smel,l to us Finns, like rotten eggs. And sure enough we saw a paper mill. Later on, I read from online news that the mill has become one of the dirtiest polluters in the United States since being acquired by an investment group led by Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots football team. Go team!
The joy of sunshine, the past weeks we have not been blessed with lots of sunlight, but today, of the glorious weather with snow coved trees, blue sky.
I stepped out and took shots to all four directions from or house, and it looked lovely everywhere,white powder snow, blue sky and even the temperature was not that bad -7C ( 23 F ) I am going to post a shot also when its not shining and it looks OK, but there is a difference. On this happy note I wish everyone reading this post a lovely weekend!
10AM facing west looking at the spruce and birch trees on a upward hill
AND WHAT A DIFFERECE A DAY MAKES
Tina wrote; On the other hand, there is much to love here in my own country. This week, let’s give that some extra thought. If a foreigner were to spend a week or a month traveling your home country with you, where would you take them? What sights would you tell them to be sure to see? Where have you found some of your own favorite images?
Tina from Travels and Trifles hosts this weeks Lens-Artists Challenge #227 – Home Sweet Home
I live in Beautiful Finland, coutry with four seasons. While I embrace Spring, summer and autumn and winter, I detest November, the greay month. So I will not be posting shots from that month.
Finland, or Suomi as we call it, this is my introduction to of it to you.
First few shots from Helsiki, were I would obviously take you
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland across Estonia to the south. Finland covers an area of 130,678 sq miles with a population of 5.6 million.
Helsinki is the capital and largest city, forming a larger metropolitan area with the neighbouring cities of Espoo, Kauniainen, and Vantaa. Finland is one of the world’s northernmost countries. Of world capitals, only Reykjavík lies more to the north than Helsinki.
Finland’s climate varies from humid continental in the south to the boreal in the north. The land cover is primarily a boreal forestbiome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.
First few shots from Helsiki, were I would obviously take you. There also several other cities I would take you too, Porvoo, Hanko, Tampere and Turku and also to Oulu. If I posted shots from them well, no one would look through my post.
Lakes are lovely at all seasons, so I would take to one or two of them
Forests, woods…have asrtong place in Finns hearts, a place walk and calm your nerves.
Pick berries and mushrooms as we have Everyman’s rights. Public access rights, or so-called everyman’s rights, refer to the right of everyone in Finland to enjoy outdoor pursuits regardless of who owns or occupies an area. You do not need the landowner’s permission, and there is no charge. However, you must not damage the environment or disturb others while exercising public access rights.
Posted for Tina’s Lens-Artists Challenge
November will be filled with photos from the archives .
Orchids are easily distinguished from other plants, as they share some very evident derived characteristics . Among these are: bilateral symmetry of the flower ), many resupinate flowers, a nearly always highly modified petal fused stamens and carpels, and extremely small seeds.
Since I am sharing close-ups, mostly of flowers I’ve decided also to participate in Cee’s Flower of the Day challenge.
This is my third week in participating in this challenge. I have to say, there has been beautiful posts about the chosen topics tthese past weeks, I have found new blogs to follow and it has given me inspiration and intoduced me to new places and ways to look at photos. But to the topic at hand…
Jude from Cornwall in Colours hosts this weeks LAPC #226 – Textures.
She wrote; Texture is one method of bringing life to your photos. While the structure of an object is its form, the material from which it is made constitutes its texture. You are aiming at translating texture visually, bringing life and energy to a photo through shape, tone and colour.
I have done macro photography for some time and capturing texture is one of the aspects of it. Hope you enjoy my findings in the world of textures, I am also going to post my findings from nature and the nature’s produces, fruits and vegetables plus some spices,
Texture adds variety and visual stimulus to the surface of a photograph. There is a better chance of getting an exciting photograph from a laboured study with texture than from a smooth clarity without it.
Posted for Jude’s Lens-Artists Challenge
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography 