Sunday Vibes – After the Rain

May 31, 2026May 30, 2026 / Donna Robinson Photography / 8 Comments

We’ve had a lot of rain, here, lately. I’m not complaining because it has been a much-needed relief. I just hope that it doesn’t come back to bite us in June and July. We shall see. Despite the rain, we’ve managed to get our daily 8 – 9-mile walks in. Yes, there have been a few times where we’ve had to either duck for cover or just walk it out.

At the beginning of the trail we take there are two (2) magnolia trees growing wild. They’re not massive but large enough that they are producing some beautiful blooms. You can tell the trees have been there a while by all the brown leaves on the ground.

Earlier this week I noticed they were blooming and made a mental note of how pretty they were and to take some photos on the way back.

This was one of the days when the rain caught up with us. We were a little soaked when we returned, but I didn’t mind when I saw how pretty the magnolia leaves were with the rain droplets.

Ultimately, I had a vision for this photo and that was to convert it into a dreamy black and white image. I’m still learning Affinity photo, but I feel pretty good about how this conversion turned out. What do you think?

The original images were taken with my Samsung Galaxy Note Phone, so I’ll be linking to Journeys with Johnbo Cell Pic Sunday as well.

Until next time,

~donna

Cellpic Sunday – Secret Hiding Places

January 12, 2025January 11, 2025 / Donna Robinson Photography / 8 Comments

We’re beginning to realize that we never know what we’re going to see on our daily walks. Last week, as we were making a turn on the path, I noticed something (I wasn’t quite sure what at first) moving around, slightly peeking in an out of a hollow tree.

As we drew closer to the tree, Michael and I slowed down so as not to startle the critter and to get a better look at just what it was. If you guessed a squirrel, you would be correct. This little fella wasn’t the least bit scared of us, so I was able to snap off a few shots of him (or her), slowly coming out of its hiding place.

I was able to get one last shot of this cutie coming out of the tree, stopping for a brief second, before he decided to scamper off.

About the images. I used my Samsung Galaxy 20 Note and only did a little editing in Photoshop. A quick haze removal, slight saturation adjustment and some cropping is all these photos needed. I was surprised that I didn’t need to add any sharpness (except for the feature photo) after cropping.

Our walks are fun and as I mentioned earlier, we never know what we’ll see/discover.

-Until next time,

donna

Cellpic Sunday – Mystical Gnome Village

January 5, 2025January 4, 2025 / Donna Robinson Photography / 10 Comments

Michael and I have found a great walking path near our new home. It’s on a golf cart path that meanders through the natural habitat of Flat Creek, several neighborhoods and a golf course. About halfway through our 8 – 10-mile walk is the cutest gnome village that someone strategically (and very creatively) placed around the base of a tree. It sits just off a golf cart path between the 10th and 11th holes, so you can’t help but to stop and look, whether you’re walking or playing golf!

I’m not one to carry my camera with me on our daily walks, so I pulled out my Samsung Galaxy 20 to capture the focal point of the make-believe village. It was an overcast day, so I brought it into Canon Digital Professional to pump up the lighting and saturation a little. I then brought it into Photoshop for cropping and blurring the background.

What really drew me to this village was the detail the creator went to, in making this door and having it perfectly fit within the trunk of the tree! Notice how they also placed the gnome (one can only assume the lead gnome😉), tiny mushrooms, a snail and a mailbox. Again, the creator went to great lengths with their imagination!