Leanne is motivating me to convert another of my color images to black and white. This time her challenge is on travel. This image was taken in Portland Maine, October 2022. Although I like the richness of the red/orange brick, I think this also works well in monochrome.
See her original post at https://leannecole.com.au/monochrome-madness-4-travel/
Composition is something I am careful about, and I very seldom choose symmetry as a first choice. However there are times that a scene just cries out symmetry, and then I just take advantage of it. Sofia has chosen symmetry as this week’s challenge. In my mind, I remembered memorable symmetrical pictures over the years, but could I find them?? Absolutely not! So you’ll have to view what I did find.
Let’s start with some images that contain very symmetrical pieces. (Explanations are in the captions.)
How about bridges.
Water helps create symmetry through mirror images.
I’ll end with some miscellaneous images.
Some day I’ll find those pictures I wanted to show you. Look for a regular post of mine. In the meantime, when you post your pictures for this challenge be sure to link to Sofia’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Last week I enjoyed seeing all your billboards and signs–some were very clever. Next week Donna is going to challenge us with asymmetry! Be sure to look for her post.
I enjoy photographing buildings. Why? They don’t sway in a breeze, fly away or wilt. They reflect images and scenes; have angles, leading lines, and other geometric patterns; and are often works of art. I’ll see a building and think to myself, “Wow, look at those lines and reflections!”
My fascination with buildings began in 2013 in Dallas Texas. I saw reflections in buildings that were reaching for the sky.
And it hasn’t ended there. This week, I’m asking you to look at buildings and see their beauty. There are many types of structures from which you can choose.
For instance, I found these amazing architectural structures in Melbourne Australia during my recent trip.
Of course, during my photo outings of the nearby countryside, I find many abandoned barns and stately old farmhouses. There is a different message emanating from each: of being left behind and being loved and well cared for. Yes, buildings do speak!
What does this modern museum say to you? This is the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art in Davis California. Its modern architecture is just an indication of what you’ll find inside.
Old towns have buildings that tell fascinating stories. On the left, this street in Locke California tells us the history of how Chinese immigrants built this town which is now known as the Locke Historic District. On the right, this hotel in Port Costa, which was a stop for the Central Pacific Railroad, is still hosting guests today.
And, there’s more history. The East coast of the U.S. is steeped in historical architecture. Just picture old cars being driven down these streets in Portland Maine. What do you think about those Wedgewood looking windows?
My challenge for you, this week, is to find your own fascinating structures that capture your attention, tell a story or are just beautiful. You can capture new scenes or take a trip down memory lane in your photo archives. Remember to link to this challenge when you post and use the Lens-Artists tag. I want to see all your artful structures.
Many thanks to Amy and her challenge of Cloudscapes and Skyscapes last week. I love skies and enjoyed the beautiful images that you all posted. Next week Donna will be hosting LAPC. So, look for her exciting challenge.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
I’ve had a lot of fun this morning playing with Lightroom. I’ve not done anything else, but I’ve had fun thanks to Bren of Brashley Photography’s challenge: Bringing Softness.
First I started with flowers. I did a select subject in LR and then inverted the selection, used the radial filter so some of the flower would be soft and then finished with moving the clarity slider over to the left. I also added a vignette.
Then I wanted to see how the technique would work on animals. I picked the Capybara (world’s largest rodent) and orangutan at the Sacramento Zoo. This wasn’t as easy as flowers but I did pretty much the same technique. I wanted their faces to remain sharp.
I also tried buildings in Boston. I’m not sure the technique worked as well. The radial filter became my friend. I wanted some of the building to remain in focus. In the corner building on the right, the doorway should be in focus.
I’ll finish with my landscape experiment. The first one on the left is from the Tulip Festival at Ananda Village. I think the clarity technique added a dreamy softness. The middle image is from a trip to Port Costa and taken on the way. The dreamy look is more slight. The last, on the right, is from the Port Costa trip also. I liked the way the background was made slightly soft while the railroad tracks in the front remained sharp.
Thank you Bren! I love learning new techniques, especially when I can use software I already have. Remember to link your response post to hers and use the Lens-Artists tag. Last week we saw and read about many differences with Amy’s challenge of East meets West. I enjoyed all you responses. Next week, Ann-Christine will present the challenge.
I will be on vacation through March 17th and not posting. I’ll see you all when I get back.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
The annual Wide Open Walls Festival is adding more beauty to Sacramento’s buildings. To beat the heat, we left at 7:30 a.m. and headed to downtown. I had a list of about 30 murals and addresses. Diane was our navigator and I drove the one-way streets which sometimes turned into two-way streets. And when you’re not familiar with the streets, mistakes are easy to make. Need I say more.
I’m not going to show you all that I photographed, just some special art pieces. Let’s begin with this one. The artist did separate panels on the building’s walls. I loved the colors and surrealism.
Next is a mural and a close up of the woman’s face. We found on a SMUD (Sacramento Municipal Utility District) building. Tea anyone?
This next set is full of symmetrical and asymmetrical designs.
Here are some odds and ends that I thought were great.
I’ll end with art that isn’t a painted mural and I don’t think is part of Wide Open Walls. They are mosaic art images and in some places raised. They are beautiful.
We will return for more mural photography and I hope to have more fantastic pieces to show you.
One more time we ventured down to Sacramento to find more murals. We began at Sac State (California State University, Sacramento) because we heard they had mural on and around the campus. We found none! So we headed back to the city. Photographing murals requires a lot of driving and patience. Sometimes we find other gems too.
Here’s what we found this recent Sunday morning. I didn’t photograph murals I had found in previous years except for the Johnny Cash mural. It’s so impressive. So was the reflection of the mural on a building across the street.
Another building had its walls dedicated to the women of the suffragette movement.
This wall was colorful and full of dragonflies.
And what a great “Reserved Parking” sign.
Here’s some of the other things that caught my eye.
I hope you enjoyed this series.
I am melancholy this New Year’s Eve day. The year 2016 was full of personal challenges for me personally and my dear friends. The one thing I counted on to keep me balanced was photography. When I was out shooting, my attention was drawn away from health issues and global and United States politics. Editing in my office helped relax away fears. I almost lost a dear friend and another had heart surgery. Add that to Richard’s back surgery, it was a tough autumn.
So while in this moody state of mind, I’m going to show you some of the images I chose for my yearly calendar. I’m hoping 2017 will surprise us with political healing, prosperity, health and peace for all. Happy 2017.
Photography is definitely a stress reducer. That’s what brought Marlene and I out on a Sunday morning. Concentrating on shooting takes your mind off various stressors and allows a couple of buddies to talk it out.
Fortunately, Marlene knows Sacramento City because I took the wrong freeway and truly didn’t know where we were when I exited. All I knew was that this wasn’t where we were headed! We decided to just drive and find neat things to shoot. We eventually found our way to the iconic Tower Theater, out last stop for the day. I’m saving that for another post because I want to focus on it.
This Sunday morning was fun, sometimes challenging because of harsh lighting or total clouds, but fun. I think for both of us, photography is an escape. Whether for just a couple of hours or a full day, it takes us away, gets us concentrating on the process of shooting, and challenges our minds. It’s also taught me what wonderful places we have right here.
Yes, this past Sunday was funday.
Everyone has a different comfort zone. When it comes to photography, mine is on aperture priority and hand held. I’m just making peace with the tripod–I no longer feel like throwing it when I try to set it up! I’ve just started doing HDR, and have only mastered part of Lightroom. It’s safe to say that I’ve not gotten fully knowledgeable with my D7100. So with all this learning to be done, I headed back to Mare Island in Vallejo California with Mary Gromer and the “Shoot or Go Home” photo Meetup group.
We were going to shoot some buildings during the golden hours before sunset, catch the sunset, do full moon photography and end with light painting. I have never done full moon photography or light painting so I was really excited and knew I would be out of my comfort zone.
For today’s post, I’m going to show you some of the buildings. I know I’ve done the Mare Island buildings before, but not in the golden hours. My next post will go into the full moon and light painting photography.
Slow Shutter Speed 