The area of Atlanta, GA we live in is surrounded by several county, state and federal parks and it’s not unusual to see a Blue Heron or two (2) circling above the river or fishing in a feeder stream. Last week on our Sunday walk, this fella flew over us and landed on the stream below the bridge we were standing on. He was so still but looked as though he was getting ready to take flight. Fortunately, I was able to snap a quick photo with my cell phone.
What I like about this image is how the water, rocks, leaves and branches all seem to perfectly frame him. Since I used my Android phone, I did have to make a few adjustments in Photoshop Elements to bring out the colors and details of the Fall leaves. Still, it turned out to be a decent image (just don’t zoom in too closely 😉).
Well, it’s been quite a while since I’ve joined a Lens Artist Challenge. It’s not because of a lack of trying as I have three (3) posts still sitting in draft form. Call it a creative drought or, whatever. Maybe they’ll eventually come out of draft form. So, if you’re reading today’s post, then yay me….the drought may be over! 😊
Back to this week’s challenge where Ritva invites us to share whatever is inspirational about our kitchen. You can read up on her challenge here.
Fortunately, I’ve dabbled a little (for fun) with food photography and even wrote a few posts, too. So, this was a good challenge to hit the re-start button with.
First up, if you’re familiar with Southern Cooking, you’ll recognize the cast iron pan with its golden, sizzling fried chicken. Cooking fried chicken is my husband’s specialty. It’s a skill that doesn’t come easy (that’s why he makes it and not me) but somehow through osmosis, he learned how to make the best fried chicken from watching his mother. You can read all about his fried chicken in my post, Peggy’s Fried Chicken.
Next up, our good friends are Foodies through and through. There isn’t anything they won’t try and fortunate for us, we’re usually the guinea pigs for new dishes. I featured the dish below “Cuban Chicken” in a blog a few years back.
Oh, and then there was that time they made “Paella in a pan.”
The place setting below holds a special childhood memory. “Desert Rose” was the everyday pattern my parents used when we were children. No one seems to remember what happened to the original dishes, but one year my sister found a set on-line and ordered them. We decided to use the set for our Thanksgiving dinner that year. It was a very special day because it marked the 40th anniversary of our mother’s passing. You can read more about the dishes and the special memories in “Giving Thanks over Desert Rose”.
One summer a few years back our hydrangeas were in full bloom. I mean, we had A LOT of blooms! So, I decided to repurpose a kitchen pitcher into a flower vase. I took it a little further and decided to stage a few other elements into the photo.
In this week’s challenge Ritva also asks us to share our favorite cup. I don’t really have a “favorite” cup, so I thought I would take a photo of the cup/saucer setting from my parent’s china pattern. It doesn’t get used very often anymore (well, never), so I thought I would give it a chance to be seen. 😉
Thank you, Ritva for inviting us to find inspiration in the kitchen. What a fun opportunity for me to take a trip down memory lane and revisit some fun posts and photos.
Be sure to join us next week when Philo of Philosophy Through Photography invites us to post our thoughts and images of simplicity photography.
The Fall colors really peaked in Atlanta last weekend. They were spectacular! All the reds, yellows and oranges were all aglow. With it also being the perfect Fall weather (albeit a little overcast), I decided to go on a little photography excursion and get a good walk in at the same time. So, I laced up my walking shoes, grabbed my camera bag and headed over to the Chattahoochee National Park.
I’ve shared photos of previous Fall walks at this park before, so I tried to capture a few different perspectives along with doing a little magic in Photoshop to add some pop to a couple of images.
The Canadian Geese have arrived and settled in on the river. Well, to be honest they never really left, it just seems like a few more have joined the pack this year.
The path in the park is very wide and is approximately 3.2 miles all the way around. On the weekends runners, walkers and bikers come from near and far to enjoy the scenery. But when I was there it wasn’t very crowded and at times it was like having the entire park to myself.
As I rounded the back side of the path, I was surprised to see this little guy still gathering nectar off these tiny daisies.
There are several trails that branch off the main path. Some connect to other parks; others just make a big circle back to the main path. I’m not sure how long this particular trail (below) is and what it connects to, but I just loved how it draws your eye through the canopy of trees. I also had a little fun in photoshop with this one applying an “Orton Effect.” If you’re unfamiliar with this effect, it’s designed to give your photos a little “dreamy” feel. What do you think?
Here is another image that I added the “Orton Effect.” This tree really caught my eye!
Back home this Maple made its debut, but it was short lived after an evening rain/wind managed to blow most of the leaves off.
But, hey I can’t complain about the colorful “carpet” of leaves it left behind.
“Autumn embraces change, even as she is falling to pieces.”
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
~Elenor Roosevelt
I’ve been a little busy, lately with a couple of portrait sessions and I haven’t had the chance to join in on any of the recent Lens Artist Challenges. But this week, Patti challenges us to explore what professional photographers call “working the shot” (you can read more about her challenge, here). And since you’re always “working the shot” with portrait photography, I thought I would share with you some images from a recent High School Senior Session.
Just outside of Atlanta there is a beautiful family farm called Prospect Farms. It’s truly a photographer’s paradise with several locations to shoot photos. We were scheduled to shoot in their Zenia fields, but because they had several openings that morning, we were able to wander around to some other locations on the property.
We started at 10a.m. and had one hour to shoot. Given what I thought was a short time frame I was a little nervous we wouldn’t be able get all the photos she wanted. But 600 images (yes, 600) later we ended up with more than we could have ever hoped for. Throw in a mix of sunshine and passing clouds it truly was the perfect day for a photo shoot!
“Be bold enough to use your voice, brave enough to listen to your heart and strong enough to live the life you’ve always imagined.”
~unknown
First up, the Zenia field. Cali was so prepared for this photo shoot, making my job easy! She really let her personality shine through that day.
“Take pride in how far you’ve come and have faith in how far you can go.”
~unknown
Next, the hayfield and fencepost. These were fun to shoot! There was so much texture, lighting and color to work with in both shooting and in final edits.
“Believe in yourself and you will be unstoppable.”
~unknown
And my favorite location was this old, blue truck. What photographer can’t resist taking photos of an old, rusted out truck, right?!?!
There were a few other locations we shot, but since the challenge was “one subject three ways” my twist “was one subject in three locations.” You can view some of my other favorites from that day over on my gallery page
Thank you, Patti for this week’s challenge. I enjoyed sharing a glimpse into my other side of photography.
Next week Ann-Christine will host, so be sure to visit her site, Leya, to see what she has in store (weekly challenges post every Saturday at 12 noon EST).
We have a wonderful new challenge this week by Ann Christine, “Favorite Finds.” In her post she encourages us to dig deep into our archives and find something hidden that once surprised us or filled us with awe.
In our many travels over the years, Michael and I have stumbled upon some wonderful treasures. Whether it be hidden courtyard tucked away down an alley in Charleston, South Carolina;
Or a road less traveled away from the hustle and bustle of a busy highway;
Or an abandoned boat in front of a lighthouse in Cancun, Mexico.
Along the way, however, there have been some unique discoveries which have found their way home with us.
Like this “Ice Boy and Dog” statue. We found it one Fall Day while traveling in Boone, North Carolina. The shop had all kinds of yard art, plant stands and such. But this little guy and his friend caught our eye. If you know Michael, you know he is truly a dog lover, and they love him too! That’s what made this such an amazing find.
Sadly, the bees and hornets eventually found a way to make a home in the statue and it met an untimely death. But not before I could grab this shot of him one icy, winter day.
There have been other unique discoveries along the years all finding their way home in our garden. But none hold a candle to our bicycle plant stand. This was one of those finds that almost didn’t happen.
One Saturday we were wandering around an antique mall and stumbled upon it. It immediately caught both our attention, but at the time we were living in the condo. With no place to put it we walked away.
Fast forward six months later and we found ourselves with a summer home on St. Simonds Island and a garden that needed some attention. Our thoughts went back to the bicycle, and we kicked ourselves for not picking it up when we first ran across it. But lucky for us, it was still there, and we found the perfect spot under a tall pecan tree.
Eventually, we sold the property, and the bicycle found its way to our new garden (although we did have to persuade the new owners to let us keep it).
Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall it continues to be a focal point of color, character and joy all year round.
Thank you, Ann-Christine for this fun challenge. Next week, John will host us in a theme of plane, trains and automobiles. If you’d like to join in on the fun, be sure to follow him by clicking on this link: PhotobyJohnbo
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time,
~donna
P.S. I’m scaling back on my Etsy shop to spend more time on my true passion Photography and not running an on-line shop. So, I have an inventory clearance (available in the U.S. only and while supplies last) on all notecards and matted photography. If you, or anyone you know may be interested in purchasing unique notecards, photography or digital artwork please visit my Etsy shop by clicking on the link below: Shop Donna Robinson Photography
Donna Robinson Photography 