Focus on Life: Finding the Fun in Photography: Silliness!

Finding Silliness in Everyday Life. 

A new month brings us a new Focus on Life Theme, "Finding the Fun in Photography." This week's prompt is "silliness." Thank you to Sally Russick of The Studio Sublime!

I love silliness, but there is not a lot of it happening around me at all times. Or at least not the amusing kind of silliness. 

What to do, what to do....

Well the animals are sometimes a good source of silliness:

Hey, where's the leaf?

I got the leaf!

Pippin the cat loves to hang out with Bebop the dog, but they have different ideas of fun. Note the look of boredom on Bebop's face. 

But this might be the height of silliness in my life:

"Thanks Mom for bringing the backpack."

My daughter left for AnimeNext - a convention to which she had a ride with friends. And forgot her backpack full of accessories and makeup for her cosplay costumes. Here she is, makeupless and grateful, after I drove them out to her. 

So who is the silly one? 

Oh well, she's still my baby....

(Note: I do not know what her character is, but that is a jellyfish on her head. )

An InLinkz Link-up

Focus on Life: Cabin Fever - Capture Color!

Mastering the art of visualizing something other than white!

This week's Focus on Life prompt from Sally Russick is Capture Color!

Some pink roses found their way into our house this week, via my daughter's workplace that had a secret raffle for a beautiful bouquet. 

Pink has never been my favorite color, but it's beautiful when glowing from these roses!

I love the way flowers sometimes change color as they open. 

Enjoy!

Oh, and while you are here, take a look at the post just previous to this one, another interpretation of color!

An InLinkz Link-up

Focus on Life: Cabin Fever - A Collage of Love!

So Many Choices!

When Sally Russick sent out our assignment to create a collage representing things we love, I wasn't too surprised. It was a natural for the day after Valentine's Day. But how to make it fresh, and creative? 

I loved Sally's idea of plunking a big ole heart in there, and I kind of had an idea of adding some family pictures....

Ho hum. So I decided to just grab two pictures representing how I love when the sun comes out on a snowy day, and add two of my cats and a favorite beverage! 

So there you have it. Hope your Valentine's Day was sweet! To see what other people love, click on the thumbnails below. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Focus on Life: A Pop of Red

Red helps me through the gray days!

As the year comes to an end, we are so grateful to Sally Russick for creating this Focus on Life Photo challenge, inspiring a bunch of bloggers to push the envelope of our creative photography.

This week's prompt is "A Pop of Red," just the right theme for some gray, cold, pre-winter weather we have been having recently. 

I knew I would find "Winter Berries" near the end of our driveway, even though we were having an ice storm. And looking across the lawn, I found a forgotten red infant swing hanging from a tree at our neighbors' house, probably too small for the baby when the weather gets warm enough to use it. 

I love these "Winter Berries" and just beyond, the bright red swing. 

Let's see what POPS the others have found.

Focus on Life: Reflect.

Reflections:snoitcelfeR

This week, we received the following from Sally Russick who has been coming up with interesting ideas for us to use as photography inspiration points for almost a year.

  REFLECT: The start of the Holiday Season is coming up quickly whether we are ready or not, so before jumping into all the hustle and bustle let's take a moment to slow down and reflect on all the joy, peace, happiness and love we already have in our life. 

I reflected on this theme, and decided that I would go for the literal photographic interpretation...I love photos of water reflecting light, foliage, and the sky. I also found an opportunity to show the moon reflecting sunlight, and the clouds reflecting the moonlight. And, as my husband pointed out, without reflection, we wouldn't see anything. Deep, no? 

But that thought is about as deep in thought as this blog goes.  I'm not sure how I would reflect my reflections on life in these pictures, but I hope they prove to be soothing and a suitable lead in to our busy holidays. 

Monday I went out in the morning to look for reflections. 

First I found a really cool effect of the sun reflecting off of power lines.

Then I found a small stream, you wouldn't notice it but for the reflections it showed.

Reflecting on this guy, he was so cooperative, letting me take tons of pictures.
He is a Muscovy duck, likely a pet, because these ducks aren't native here. 

A traditional "upsidedown trees" shot. 

But today, I tried something a bit different, I was looking for reflections at the other end of the day. 

If you look closely, you can see that there are geese in this picture,
 and they generate a little pool of reflection around them. 

Sunset on the water. Enough said. 

Moonlight reflecting on clouds, seen through the last of the leaves.

Goodnight Moon. 

See what the others are doing with reflection. 

Focus on Life: Trying to Make a Connection

Finding Connections Everywhere.

The Focus on Life theme for the week was "Connections." Easy? Well, looking at practically anything can reveal practically infinite connections. 

"We all have, make and witness connections every day."  ~said Sally in her prompt.

I went back to the vaults for this one. Here are some examples of connections I found.....

Some connections yet to be made.

Full of connections, the bridge makes a connection too. 

Sally's connections are sorely stressed. 

Trace the connections.

Indoor webs are less organized but still connected!

Spider webs, and ultimate in classy connections. 

Thank you Sally Russick, for encouraging us to THINK!

Check here to see others work:

Focus On Life: Add Something.

...Where we get to mess with the editing process.

Looking for the Summer Color Surprise Blog Hop? Click Here!

Guess what folks? I haven't done a thing with this prompt from Sally Russick from The Studio Sublime. Add Something is an invitation to us to use one of the many editing programs to alter a photo and have fun. 

I'm going to look through my pictures now to find something to use. Be right back. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, I found something to play with. 

Here's the original:

Frost

Sepia

Texture

Well, that's what I came up with, enjoy the others' additions!

Focus on Life: The Sun!!!!

A minor obsession of mine

The sun is a mass of incandescent gas

A gigantic nuclear furnace

Where hydrogen is built into helium

At a temperature of millions of degrees

Yo ho, it's hot, the sun is not

A place where we could live

But here on earth there'd be no life

Without the light it gives

We need its light

We need its heat

We need its energy

Without the sun, without a doubt

There'd be no you and me

-They Might be Giants "Why Does the Sun Shine?"

I love the Sun as a design element. So this should have been a natural for me. Sally Russick announced this week's Focus on Life prompt: "Catch the Sun," and I should have pulled out all my Sun Themed Jewelry creations..... but while I have a collection of sun themed jewelry, most are not my designs!

But never fear, I managed to snap a few shots.

First, there's my Jewelry collection.

My polymer clay experiments - commercial mold

Most of my collection of sun themed jewelry, and little boxes.The pewter moon box has a little sun, too!

At Lincoln Center

Sometimes you see the sun most clearly when it is shining on something far off. This was taken with my phone camera, while sitting in the shade of Lincoln Center in New York City. Buildings to the east of us caught the rays of the setting sun. 

Of course, if you are careful, a glimpse of the sun can be beautiful all on its own. 

Or behind the clouds.

The sun glistens off the leaves of an asparagus plant.

And lights up a milkweed. 

For more sunny shots, visit The Studio Sublime. 

Focus on: Growing Green!!!

Where can you look and NOT see green?

My world is green. Everywhere you look, everything that either should, and in some cases should not be green, is green around here. So responding to Sally Russick's prompt "Green" was not very hard. 

You may remember these babies from Our Focus on Macro posting.

Sempervivum dormant

Sempervivum growing, day by day

Some other selections from the container garden - and green containers!

To see more greenery, stop by Sally's blog, The Studio Sublime.

Focus On: Food

Nom Nom Nom!

This week's Photo Prompt from Sally Russick of The Studio Sublime, "Foodie!"

Food is one of my favorite subjects. The growing, preparing and eating of same - Nom, nom.

I have tried to photograph food, with varying results. 

Here's the progression of some green and red bell peppers, and also some yellow onions from crisp and fresh, to ready to be placed on a sausage sandwich. 

Crisp and fresh, ready to be cooked.

Green peppers first, they take longer because they are not ripe!

Then the red peppers, still in a very hot pan

As they start too cook down, the onions go in.

Cover and walk away...ooops, a little overdone!

The essence of cooking, encouraging a state of change!

See how others have interpreted "Foodie!" at Sally's Studio Sublime.

Focus on: Feeling Hope

Hope is a little seed.

Who are the most hopeful people you know? 

Unless you live in the country, like I do, you probably won't answer that question with, "A farmer."  Even among those of us who live here, how many actually farm for a living? 

People who grow our food are the most hopeful people I can think of. Imagine placing your entire year's prospective earnings in the ground, and hoping it grows!

The day after Sally Russick's photo prompt, "Hope" arrived, this was our local newspaper front page.

What they are referring to in the headline is the fact that the dominant crop of our most successful farms for many years, has been onions. They grow really well in the "black dirt" of Orange County New York. But you can no longer count on onions to build a fortune, or even pay all the bills. 

But that does not kill the hope of farmers, they have started to diversify and add everything from corn and soy beans, to arugula and rich green grass turf.  

Here are some pictures of hope I captured this week. Not much green showing in the fields yet, but so much hope!

Going down into the prehistoric glacial lake bottom. 

You can see why they call it Black Dirt.

When frost is predicted, it's important to know which way the wind is blowing.  Or maybe the farmer has a small plane. 

It's been dry, so irrigation has started before the crop can be seen. Can you see the rainbows? 

To learn more about the Black Dirt Region of New York go HERE.

To find out how others interpreted HOPE, go to The Studio Sublime. 

Focus on: The Close Up

Sempervivum Tectorum

When Sally Russick sent us our latest photography prompt. "Up Close"she may have anticipated a large number of shots of flowers and plants - and why not? They are gorgeous in macro!

Last year I started planting Hens and Chicks in some of the decorative planters I collected. Here are a few, that not only made it through the winter, but flourished. The close up photography actually gives us a glimpse of what they will look like to the naked eye in a few weeks. 

You can read more about Sempervivum Tectorum or Hens and Chicks HERE. And to see others' close up pictures of who-knows-what, go to Sally's blog, Studio Sublime.