“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).
“Life is a journey, not a destination….You are the artist, paint what you will.”
For our challenge this week, John fromJourneys with Johnbo encourages us to share images that focus on our journeys, possibly the modes of transportation which took us there. Or to even share images of places we discovered while on our journey.
I think my love for travel started when I was a child. I couldn’t tell you when exactly it started. But if I had to guess it was the trip, we took out west when I was about six (6) years old. It was so exciting because this was my first plane ride. And from what I remember we saw a LOT of the country – everything from The Hoover Dam to The Grand Canyon; San Diego to Disney Land, and lastly to San Franciso. I remember it being so much fun I cried (literally) when we had to come home.
“A photograph is a return ticket to moments already gone.”
Trip out west – Stop at the Grand Canyon Dad’s missing because he was the one taking all the photos (I’m the one in red pants).
Yes, I’ve been very fortunate throughout my life to travel to many places here in the U.S. and to other parts of the world. And I’ve pretty much been on all forms of transportation, too: planes, trains, automobiles, sailboats, cruise ships, helicopters and yes, even The Goodyear Blimp!
But one of my most memorable adventures was another trip out west which Michael and I took Christmas of 2011. We couldn’t decide where we wanted to go, so we narrowed it down to three (3) places. We wrote the names on pieces of paper, folded them up and dropped them into a bowl. I don’t remember which one of us drew the winner, but we landed on a road trip up the Pacific Coast Highway.
Our motto for the trip was “No map, no plans, no place to be.” It’s a line from Toby Keith’s song “South of You.” The only parts of the trip planned were our airline and rental car reservations. And so, on Christmas Day we headed to the airport and boarded a plane to San Diego, CA
Once we landed and picked up our sporty Mustang convertible for the trip, we headed to our first stop just outside of San Diego (Carlsbad, CA) for a quick visit with our nephew and his family.
Our activities for the day included lunch, a walk on the pier, and a visit to Mission San Louis Rey de Francia – Oceanside, CA. You can tell the boys were quite warn out from our day’s outing and scooting around in the convertible!
Mission San Louis Rey de Francia – Oceanside, CA
The real adventure of “no map, no plans, no place to be” started when we left San Diego. Our first stop that day was lunch in Laguna Beach. It’s definitely the artist colony it’s known for.
We didn’t stop much that day because we were too busy enjoying the coastline scenery. But, by the time we reached Los Angeles and navigated our way through the traffic, we decided to call it quits for the day.
We pulled into Malibu, just in time to grab a place for the night. And, since we didn’t have any reservations, we had no idea what we were in for when it came to hotels. We were lucky enough though, to find a wonderful little inn on the ocean and were greeted the next morning by a cute seagull at our balcony door (which was at the foot of our bed).
Good Morning!Malibu Beach
Day 3 – More driving, but we didn’t care, the scenery was amazing. We stopped for the night at Moonstone Beach in Cambria. THIS was the downfall of “no reservations.” We ended up in a dive of a motel. It was one of those places where you wouldn’t dare take your shoes off, let alone get under the covers! But it was a small price to pay for a beautiful sunset.
After that fateful night when we were ready to stop for the day, we would go to the nearest restaurant/bar and ask the locals for their recommendations……they never failed us.
Sunset at Moonstone Beach in Cambria
“Due to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across country from coast to coast without seeing anything.”
~Charles Kuralt
This is one of Michael’s favorite quotes and it’s so true. We may not have been driving coast to coast, but the quote is still appropriate for our south to north journey on the PCH. Afterall, if we had chosen to take the interstate look at all we would have missed.
Sea Lions bathing in the sunBig SurBirds taking flightPigeons Point LighthouseRoad trip views drivingRoad trip views drivingCool Roadside Art GalleryCool Roadside Art GalleryCool Roadside Art GalleryLucky Motorcycle
Our last stop just in time for New Year’s Eve was San Francisco. We decided to return the rental car and walk or take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) instead. We wrapped up our trip with a nice dinner catching up with some longtime friends.
Fisherman’s WharfChina TownAlcatrazRosie the Riveter Built ThisFamous Cable Car
Thanks, John for this wonderful challenge. It was fun re-living this road-trip and all the wonderful memories Michael and I enjoyed together.
Next week it’s Sofia’s turn. Be sure to follow her at Photographias so you don’t miss out on her theme.
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
This week Amy has chosen the theme “Here Comes the Sun.” In her post she writes “explore the sunlight and things under the sun, whether it’s in the morning, middle of the day, and/or before sun goes down.”
Michael and I have been very fortunate to travel many places together on this big round ball and we’ve seen our share of sunrises and sunsets. But for this particular challenge I decided on a selection of photos from right here at home in Atlanta, GA.
Several years ago, we lived in a high-rise condominium which had a Southern facing view of Buckhead, Midtown and Downtown Atlanta. A city scape may not sound all that appealing but let me tell you it was a different view every day. We never grew tired of sitting on our balcony looking at the changing scenery….condo living, yes. But the view never!
Depending on the time of year and the weather we had some spectacular sunrises like the one below. The mist you see in the foreground is coming up off the Chattahoochee River which meanders its way through Atlanta.
Watching the storms roll in any time of the day was incredible. Sometimes the sky would just open up in one area of town, while the sun was shining everywhere else.
But at sunset after a rain, Mother Nature had a way of painting the city in a manner only she was capable of doing.
And sometimes, that included a rainbow or two after the storm. If you look closely in the photo above, you can see the faintness of a rainbow just to the right of the city.
In the photo below you can see the outline of a second rainbow. I have so many photos of rainbows I could probably devote an entire post to them!
Our building was also in the flight pattern for Dobbins Air Force base, and they frequently gave us quite the show. This was taken at sunset during one of the C-130’s touch and goes at sunset.
As much as we didn’t care for condo living, I have to admit our time there was very pivotal for my photography, because it gave me so many opportunities to practice and sharpen my skills. For instance, using my 200 – 400mm lens for shooting wildlife in mid-flight like this hawk out searching for its next meal.
Thank you, Amy for this challenge which allowed me the opportunity to stroll down memory lane and re-live some of our views from the condo.
Next week, Leya/Ann-Christine will have a new theme for us. If you would like to participate in our weekly Lens-Artists Challenge, just click this link and join us on Saturdays at noon EST: Lens-Artist Challenge.
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 you know of anyone interested in purchasing unique notecards, photography or digital artwork please visit my Etsy shop by clicking on the link below.
Sarah from “Travel with Me” guest hosts the challenge this week.
I have to admit when I quickly read the title, I thought I was picking my favorite photos I had ever taken. But, “no” Sarah writes “I want to ask you all to join me in sharing three of what you consider to be among yourvery best shots.”
Timing for this challenge is ironic because just the other day one of my sisters-in-law asked me what my favorite photo was. As I thought about it, I explained, “Trying to pick my favorite photo is like trying to pick my favorite child. I can’t choose one over the other. They’re all so special.”
Goodness! This was a little difficult. But here it goes!
“Photography, is a way of feeling, of touching of loving. What you have captured on film is captured forever. It remembers little things long after you have forgotten everything.”
~Aaron Siskind
7 Mile Bridge – Key West, FL
Why this is my favorite? I love the black and white and how it captures the age of the bridge, it’s textures and the depth of field.
Why is this one of my best? It was shot in 35mm (color) film; limiting me to the number of shots I could take with the roll of film. If I’m really honest with myself on this one, I think I may have set the camera on “Depth of Field” setting. It was really early in my photography journey, and I had no clue about manual settings. Ironically, this is one of my best-selling digital pieces.
“The whole point about taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.”
~Elliott Erwitt
Red Tail Hawk
Why is this my favorite? If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I love the wildlife in my backyard. I love the challenge of trying to photograph each and every detail. I must have snapped about a dozen photos of him before he took off.
Why is this one of my best? Quite honestly, a little bit of everything; the details of the hawk (his feet, his eyes, his coloring); the Bokeh and lighting; the overall composition of the photo. The end result was a little bit of “in the camera” and a little bit of “photoshop.”
“A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed.”
~Ansel Adams
A Fall Walk in the Park
Why is this my favorite? It’s just a peaceful image and it could have been taken anywhere. I feel like I nailed the essence of early Fall in Atlanta.
Why is this one of my best? There’s a lot going on in this photo, but the elements draw you to water and its path from the front of the image backwards through the middle. The added bonus (to me) is that it almost looks like an oil painting.
It’s probably a good thing that Sarah gave us a limit with the number of photos and requiring us to also choose a different genre for each. I can think of about (at a minimum) 20 – 30 other images to include.
Many thanks to Sarah for this fun challenge! Up next week is my long-time photographer/blogger friend, Anne. Her theme is “What’s Your Groove?” Knowing Anne, this will be quite the challenge!
Until next time,
~donna
P.S. If you would like to participate in our weekly Lens-Artists Challenge, just click this link and join us on Saturdays at noon EST: Lens-Artist Challenge
P.S.S. If you are interested in purchasing unique notecards, photography or digital artwork please visit my Etsy shop by clicking on the link below.
Ann-Christine gives us an interesting (and fun) challenge this week with “Three of a Kind.” A great theme for any photographer (at least in my case) because we all see more than one image when we take a photograph. Some may call it perspective and while that may be true, there’s more. It’s a different way of telling a story through your images using “triptych – the art of threes.”
What do I mean? Well, let’s take a look at the photo below. It’s an abandoned passenger car and caboose sitting out in a field in Hartwell, Georgia. A pretty cool image in and of itself. It tells a story of a train no longer in use and that’s pretty much it.
But as I walked up closer to the train other images came into play telling their own story. For instance, there’s the front of the passenger car below. How many cities had it been through? How many miles of railroad tracks had it covered? How old was it?
Then as I moved down along the side of train another image came to mind. As I peered through the window, I saw a tattered passenger seat and wondered who were the people that had traveled in seat? Where did they travel? Did they travel by themselves or with someone else? What did they see as they gazed out the window?
The last photo that came to mind was the “Watch Your Step” sign on the stairs leading into the passenger car. How many feet had carefully climbed the steps? What were the styles of the shoes the passengers were wearing? I tried to image the time period this train was in operation.
Other times when I photograph something, I don’t see the final image until I bring it into photoshop. I know there is more to the photo, and I have a general idea of what could be done with the image, but it isn’t until I sit down at the computer that the possibilities come into play.
Take for instance this image of the “Worth Avenue Clock Tower” located in Palm Beach, Florida. My sister-in-law had invited us to Florida for a weekend, winter getaway and asked me to take the photo for her (a small price to pay for free room and board for the weekend😉).
As you can see, I wasn’t the only one trying to get a photo of the clock tower that day. I knew I had my work cut-out for me! Not to mention it was cloudy, windy and I had to stand in the middle of two busy streets to get a full shot of the tower (the things we’ll do to get the shot, right?!?).
Thanks to the magic of photoshop I was able to make some adjustments and landed on the image below. Was it like the one she had seen in an art gallery? Nope, because I didn’t have the city permits to close off the road. Nor did I have the lighting crew or expensive lights to recreate their image. But I was able to give her something she could proudly display in her home.
In the shot below I focused on the arches inside the tower. It was a last-minute shot (yep, there were people to photoshop out, too). I’m so glad I took it because I love how it draws your eye out to the ocean.
My final “Three of a Kind” is this wild sunflower from a couple of summers ago. I love how the different shapes and textures lend themselves to becoming different images all related to the first.
Thank you, Ann-Christine, for this wonderful exploration into “triptych – the art of threes.” I love learning new techniques in art and how they can be applied to my photography.
Until next time.
-donna
P. S. Next week, Sofia will be our host. Be sure to visit her site.
P.S.S. If you would like to participate in our weekly Lens-Artists Challenge, just click this link and join us on Saturdays at noon EST: Lens-Artist Challenge
P.S.S.S. If you are interested in purchasing unique notecards, photography or digital artwork please visit my Etsy shop by clicking on the button below.
When you research the history of photography (Wikipedia: History of photography) it’s quite clear you can’t have an image absent of both light and shadow. Light highlights the objects and their elements. Whereas shadows bring contrast and definition.
Mother Nature reigns when it comes to creating light and shadows. I’ll even take it another step forward and add color to the mix as well. Take for instance these shots I took from a blood moon eclipse event a few years ago. Science tells us the moon shines as a result the sun reflecting off the side of the moon visible to us. In the photos below you see how the light shows us the details of the craters and as the moon rotated around the earth shadows formed until the moon was covered in darkness. As the eclipse progressed through the night sky, the shadows disappeared reveling the moon again, but it had turned red.
It was pretty spectacular to watch this event occur, although it was pretty cold that night!
Or, what about clouds! In the photo below the light fills the clouds, their formation gives way to shadows producing depth and definition in both the clouds and on the city skyline. Don’t you want to just jump on one of these clouds and float away?
How about a storm rolling in at sunset? This image faces South, so the sun was setting to the right of the frame, reflecting in the glass building. But notice what happens to the rain cloud as your eye moves right to left away from the building. Because of the setting sun the clouds/sky change from a pinkish/blueish rain shower to a somewhat clear, blue sky over the city. This was a pretty fascinating storm to watch.
Who can resist watching a thunderstorm? We were sitting on our balcony one night and I must have taken over a hundred photos to get this shot. I love how the electricity in the air is so full of light that it transforms the dark sky into a pinkish/purple hue while giving way to the outline of the storm cloud. Doesn’t the lightning strike look like a giant spider next to the city skyline?
Then there’s a rainbow just after the rain when the sun along with the atmosphere creates a prism of color. Not only does the sun create the rainbow, but it colorizes the remaining clouds and skyline below.
Thank you, Patti for this wonderful challenge. I’ve enjoyed seeing everyone’s collection of amazing photography and interpretation while revisiting my own experiences with light and shadows through nature. I’m looking forward to seeing what Ann-Christine has in store for us next week.
Until next time!
~donna
P.S. If you would like to participate in our weekly Lens-Artists Challenge, just click this link and join us on Saturdays at noon EST: Lens-Artist Challenge
P.S.S. If you are interested in purchasing unique notecards, photography or digital artwork please visit my Etsy shop by clicking on the button below.
Ok, so this is my third week joining the “Lens Artist Challenge” and it’s official. I’m hooked! Not only with the challenges but seeing and reading all of the other wonderful posts! It’s truly one of the highlights of my week to participate in the challenges.
This week Tina brings us back to the basics and challenges us with the “Rule of Thirds.” You can read her post here. I must say, I have taken a photography course (or two) many moons ago but had completely forgotten what the 10 Rules of Photography Composition were so this was a fun challenge to revisit rule #1.
The “Rule of Thirds” says your image is divided into 9 equal segments by 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines and you should position the most important elements in your scene along these lines, or at the points where they intersect.
Landscape photography lends itself well to this rule because you’re trying to capture and recreate in your camera what you see in real life. The rule of thirds can help you determine the focal point and how to incorporate everything else you see.
Take for instance this photo from The Pacific Coast Highway. The anchor (where your eye is drawn) is the carved out wooden stool on the lower left corner. As soon as your eye catches the seat you follow it outward to the road in the background with the coastline running parallel. Funny story behind this photo. My husband and I had passed this spot and he pulled off the road for me to take the photo. I had to turn around in the passenger seat (fortunately we had rented a convertible) to take the shot!
The next photo (also taken on the Pacific Coast Highway) may not quite follow the rule. If you were to put a grid over the photo the lighthouse is pretty much in the center, not on one of the vertical axis (like Tina says, rules are made to be broken). However, your eye is pulled from the lower right-hand corner (the rocky cliff) to the lighthouse. In my perspective the photo would not have told the story about the lighthouse being out on a point, had the rocky ledge in the lower right-hand corner pointed you to it.
When it comes to nature shots, that’s a completely different story. I’m always focused on capturing the subjectfirst and come back to the “Rule of Thirds” when I’m cropping and editing the photos.
For instance, my bird shots. I like to use them for my weekly quotes so it’s important to me to get the shot of the bird and then worry about composition later. This week’s quote about bluebirds is a great example of the process I go through.
When you look at the original photo on the left it needs a lot of cropping to get to the main subject, the bluebird and the feeder (the second photo). I would rather the bird face the other direction, but I had to go with where it landed (trust me I took several shots to get this one). But what I like with the end result is the quote actually anchors/balances the photo. What do you think?
Similar to landscapes, gardening photography lends itself well to the rule of thirds, too.
Like these daylilies and black lantern. The daylilies may first catch your eye first, but because they face in the direction of the lantern, it becomes the anchor.
Or this pink hydrangea cluster. It starts at the lower left quadrant and your eye follows the clusters from left to upper middle to the right side of the image.
As Tina reminded us, rules are made to be broken. Nothing really lines up on any particular axis with this knock-out rose, but it’s obvious the bud is the focal point, accented by the Boka image of the open bloom in the background.
As a closing thought, the “Rule of Thirds” is a good tool if you find it difficult to get balance in your images.
Thank you, Tina for the refresher on the rule of thirds. I’m confident I’ll keep an eye out more when taking photos.
~Donna
P.S. –Interested in joining Lens-Artists? Click here for more information
This week’s host, John of John’s Space challenges us to explore HUMOR in our photography. I had to scratch my head a little bit for this one. Did I have any photos that fell into this category? And then, suddenly a flood of memories of photos I’ve taken over the years started coming back to me.
First up: Backyard critters!
Our backyard critters, like these squirrels, are always quite humorous and entertaining! Seriously, the way they twist and turn their bodies to get to the food is quite fascinating to say the least!
Dogs:
Dogs have such wonderful personalities. They’re like kids and come up with the most unexpected!
And then, life just happens!
Well, the U.S. Post Office may not think this photo is as funny as I did. So much for getting through sleet and snow!
Everyday Humans:
I don’t know if this guy was supposed to be Shakespeare or Christopher Columbus, but he definitely turned a few heads as he came strolling through the bar in Beaufort, SC.
“Feed the birds… Tuppence a bag….” This man was a regular at the Pier on St. Simons Island, Georgia. He definitely had them eating out of his hands and off his head!
Things that make you go “hmmmmm.”
And then there are things you stumble on and wonder about the person who came up with an idea like this?
Signs. Signs. Everywhere a sign.
And of course, you can’t forget about the “signs that are everywhere!
Thank you, John for this fun and humorous trip down memory lane and the reminder that humor is all around us, even when it seems like the world is in utter chaos!
Keep your camera handy, folks! You never know when that once in a lifetime photo-op will happen!
Until next time!
~donna
P.S. –Interested in joining Lens-Artists? Click here for more information
Today I’m joining a VERY talented group of photographers and their weekly “Lens-Artists Challenge.” I’ve wanted to jump in a quite a few times but when fellow photographer, Anne Sandler popped up as the lead for this week’s challenge I knew it was time to join in.
In this week’s challenge Anne invites us to explore color and the way it influences our images. To me, color brings so many emotions and feelings to a photograph. Like the blend of orange, yellow and gold in a sunset over the ocean which bring about the feeling of peace and relaxation at the end of long day.
Or how about the colors of a garden? We try to keep a variety of colors in our garden because they attract so many birds and critters. All of the different colors and the critters they attract bring on the feelings or joy and happiness and are the perfect pick-me-up to brighten anyone’s day!
Even in the wintertime when the ground is covered with snow a subtle pop of color can bring life to any dull or gray image.
Sometimes, though, when I take photos, I do see them only in black and white. Like this photo of an old antique barn my husband and I stumbled upon years ago in the North Georgia Mountains. It was a cold, snowy, December day and the only way I could visualize this photo coming to life was in two colors – black and white. For me, there are times when it’s necessary to strip away the other colors to see and feel the soul of the photograph.
So, how did I do for my first lens challenge? Many thanks to Anne for this fun and thought-provoking topic. I’m looking forward to seeing what next week’s challenge has to offer.
Until next time!
~donna
P.S.
–Interested in joining Lens-Artists? Click here for more information
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Donna Robinson Photography 