Focus On Life Week 20

Well it seems we are well on our way to the half way point. It has been a journey for me. I look forward to that last week and get to go back and see what I had posted through out the year.

This Sally told up to "LOOK UP".  Well that is easy for me as my desk faces a window and I am always looking at the sky. But I know there are more things "up" than just the sky. So I went and did some snapping in and around where I live.

I put them in collage as I have found I really enjoy playing with that feature that is in the Picasa program I use.  We have sky pictures. One is of a lone cloud. If you look closely you can see a heart design. I had been thinking about my mom who passed in Feb. I still forget she is gone. Many time I think, "Oh I need to call and ask, or I wonder if Mom...." then I remember she is in heaven. So I felt that maybe this heart was for me.

The one in the middle is looking up through the branches of my Magnolia Tree in the front yard. The bottom right picture is the same tree from a distance.

The picture with the cows in it are "up" on the hill...so it is a little tongue in cheek picture. Then I have a squirrel in the tree and a wood pecker. I had to look up to photo them.

The moth was on the underside of the roof overhang so I had to "look up" to get his picture.  It is really interesting how much MORE of nature I get to experience in the country.  Things that I would probably not even bothered to look at in the city!

The two of the flowers, I had to look "up" to get the shots as they were above my head. The purple flowers are a type of orchid, and the orangey flowers are the flowers from a type of bromeliad I believe.

So there you have it. My week of  " looking up". For more great pics hop over to Sally's page ,

Focus On Life Week 19: Hope

Hope...This Hope to me!

Focus On Life - Week 18 Abstract

This week our challenge was abstract, and I am sorry I am late posting, but we had to take my dad to the hospital this morning and I am just getting around to posting.

Abstract:

Abstract: the use of a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world.

All things have form, color, and lines we just need to step back and step away from the literal image you see through the lens.

Take into account the lines, color or form and look for a more figurative composition. A blurred reflection in a puddle, the photo above I took of brightly colored petals of a flower slightly blurred and cropped close.

You can have a lot of fun editing in one of the photo editor programs (PS, PSE, Lightroom, Pixlr, etc). Play with light, focal blur, liquify, sharpen lines, add color or take it away! You are working in the abstract, HAVE FUN!!!

Take this week and step out of reality and change your view of things!

So with this said I played around with my Picasa program and did up a collage.  One is more goofy than the other but hey, we were told to have fun! So enjoy:

For more abstract hope over to Sally's Blog for more!

Focus On Live Week 17 COLOR

 This week we were to focus on color....well since spring is here , I am surrounded by color. So I had a great time just clicking away.  Of course when it came time to select...a color....well that was hard so I just made a collage of my favorites. Living in the country gives you access to a TON of colors....

Enjoy!

For more great colors, hop over to Sally's page.

Focus On Life Week 16 Go For A Walk

This week our fearless leader challenged us to "take a walk". Well this week for me made it impossible to just stop and go for a walk. Without all the boring details, lets just say walking was not in the cards for me this week.

BUT...I did have some pictures from a nature walk my husband and I did last year that was great fun. We got soaked not only by the rain...but by the "huge" puddles we had to walk in.  I had worn sneakers so it wasn't to bad for me, but he wore sandals....

Anyway it was great to walk and just enjoy the pure nature by ourselves. Listening to the birds, looking at the different flowers and fauna.  At one point we sat under a tree on a little bench while we waited for the rain to let up a bit.  It was fun. I would love to do it again...

Now for the picture....I have discovered the collage maker in my Picasa program so I made one picture out of many. Enjoy.  BTW - the nature trail is in Crystal River, FL. Not far from where I live.

For more exciting walks hop over to Sally's page!

Focus on Life Week 15 “Aged Beauty”

Like Sally I am enthralled with antiques.  And I have several around my house that have been handed down...(no not me...sydny)  Anyway, while doing some "cleaning" I came across an envelope of OLD negatives, I am talking early 1930's.  So I have started scanning them in to see what I could do to put them in our family tree album. So I present the few I have scanned with descriptions.  Enjoy!

For more "Aged Beauty" hop on over to Sally's site

Focus On Life: Week 14 Up Close

In today's world getting up close and personal with some one is a "violation" of  "their space".  While I can understand that sometimes you DON'T want to get that close it can't be helped.  But when Sally gave us this challenge to get up CLOSE and personal, I thought, wonderful. I have so many macro pictures of different things around where I live I could be all day with them. But, I won't do that, I will only do a couple, maybe.... Wouldn't want to put so many out there I might invade YOUR space...:-)

My computer sits in front of a window. Outside that window I have my bird feeder and bird bath, so I get quite the show every day.  But this little guy, a Black-capped Chickadee decided to come to my window for a Photo op....Couldn't turn him down....

This is a close up of a day lily that is growing in my garden. It thought spring was here....poor guy. Mother Nature really pulled on over on him....

And believe it or not, this is a really close up, close up of a new growth on our cactus out in the garden. The squirrels keep eating them so I have take pictures as soon as I see them.

Well I hope you enjoyed my little up close adventure. For more hop over to Sally's and see what everyone else is doing.  

Cheers!