Starfish on Cannon Beach, Oregon

We took a quick trip to Washington to visit our dentist (Jeff's bro).  They live in such a beautiful place, surrounded by many beautiful places, so we took several extra days before heading home.  Unfortunately it was raining most of the week.  We had one beautiful day, and that happened to be the day we headed over to the coast and spent the day at Canon Beach, Oregon.  The tide was out and I've never seen such HUGE and COLORFUL starfish!   They were everywhere.

Yes, they were really this big.  I was not using a macro lens and didn't do any editing to make them look bigger or more amazing.  To see some perspective on their size, check out the next photo.

I included my own shadow in this shot to show you the size of these beauties!

Enjoying the Unexpected!

 After taking the shot in my last post, I walked a bit to get another view, and the sky cleared up even more.

This was the best shot I could get with a zoom lens.  I didn't dare get too close because I was sure he could run faster than I could!

Expect the Unexpected!

Landscape Layers at Sunset

This has been a busy week, as most weeks are.  Yesterday evening, around 5:00pm I decided I had to take a break from my chores of the day, and for me, a really good break usually means trying to find something to photograph.

It had been one of those days where the weather couldn't decide what to do.  Dark, heavy, moisture filled clouds moving across the sky, often opened for a brief, isolated downpour.  Then, the sun would peak through to dry up the wet ground.  Next, beautiful, 3D white, puffy clouds would sail past, surrounded by brilliant blue sky, and colored by a beautiful late afternoon sun.  It was warm and windless and the sky was ever changing.  A perfect evening for landscape photography!  

So I grabbed my gear, and because I only had a short time before sunset, I quickly headed up the canyon behind my house.  (As you know, this is my usual go to place when I have very little time, and need to be surrounded by mountains.)  I was sure the aspen trees would be putting on their autumn show of bright yellows, deep goldens and rich rusts, but I was disappointed.  I drove to some of my favorite locations desperate to find something worth shooting.  But the trees were a faded, end of summer drab green and the sky had turned a dull, overcast gray.  After roaming around for a couple of hours, the sky turned into a solid blanket of clouds, I could here thunder in the near distance, and it was getting dark very quickly.  I was way up on the mountain top, traveling on a little used dirt road, and the thought of getting stranded up there alone, in the dark and rain, was not appealing.  I was disappointed because I had nothing to show for my time and efforts, so I turned around and started heading down the mountain.

Just as I rounded a bend and passed an opening in the trees on the driver's side of the car, the storm clouds cleared enough to let a few sun rays shine through.  I glanced over and saw this reflection on a small mountain lake.  Beautiful!  I stopped and took this shot out of my car window.   After taking my photo, I sat admiring this peaceful, lovely scene, when something else caught my eye, spotlighted in the last few rays of the setting sun.

I parked the car, and started walking toward the lake to get a better view!  I got as close as I could, quickly got my shot, then stood and watched him take his last drink of the evening, as the setting sun transformed the faded end of summer colors to beautiful golden hues.  And then in a blink of an eye, the sun was gone, the mood was gone, and so was he.  

A moment in time can change everything!  I continued down the mountain reminding myself to always anticipate, expect, and be ready to enjoy the unexpected!  (My next post will be unexpected photos from that moment in time.)

Milford Sound, New Zealand

Magical Scenery

Sometimes I think that standing at this spot and seeing this beautiful place was just a dream!  We felt doubly blessed on the day we were here because the tops of these rugged peaks were visible.  Much of the time they are shrouded in misty clouds and rain.  We returned a second time to Milford Sound, and that was the case; but even then, the scenery was magnificent with the landscape transformed by thousands of waterfalls. 

Desert Color

Sometimes one has to look closely to find tiny treasures in the desert.  Often flowering plants are small and tucked away behind rocks, or in cracks, or hidden and protected from the elements.  This was taken in Zion National Park, at a place where many other photographers were looking upward, trying to find a composition that would show the drama and grandeur of the huge, craggy, red cliffs.  Usually I'd be looking that way too, but this day I found beauty in this ordinary little desert bloom right where I was standing.

Corn On the Cob

Here in the USA it is Labor Day weekend, the last holiday of summer.  We will be down at our vacation house in southern Utah, RZR riding, swimming, and picnicing with some of our family who will be joining us.  There is nothing better this time of year than fresh corn on the cob smothered in butter.  Yum!

Bubblelicious

Summer's End

Holding On

Beautiful Bokeh - Part 4

 Light Dance

(My camera settings were:  100 mm, 1/640 sec, f/2.8, -2/3 exposure)

In my last post I talked about how to look at your composition, the background, the quality of light,  and your camera and lens settings to capture and enhance bokeh in your images.  Today, I'm going to talk about using technology to really get your artistic juices flowing. Specifically, I'm going to talk about using layers, textures, and brushes to create interesting backgrounds.  I can't show you HOW to actually do this in a short blog post, but I hope to get you excited about adding a new dimension to your photography.

Here is the SOOTC shot.  As you can see, it has some soft bokeh, movement and interest in the background.  It is ok, but seemed a bit underexposed and lifeless.

This is a texture I added as a second layer to the original image and then blended the two layers.  The result is the top photo.  I also tried just boosting the saturation and exposure on the original which improved the image, but I like this effect better.  Maybe you are wondering where I got the above picture.  That same morning I walked by a pool of water and noticed the pretty pattern made by the reflections on the water, so I took a picture of it! Yes, you can make your own textures and add them to your photos to create interesting effects.

I am always looking for scenes that would make for interesting backgrounds or textures.  In the same garden I saw this mass of flowers and knew it would be a beautiful background.  I put my camera lens on manual focus, and purposely blurred the image by taking several different shots in various stages of focus.  I'll keep these for future use.

Just to show you how it is possible to totally change the look of a photo to match your vision, here is that same flower photo with a new background.  But what if you are too lazy to make your own backgrounds, or you can't find the type of background you want?  You can download tons of texture backgrounds for free.  Just Google, 'Free textures for Photoshop', then browse, download and have fun. 

This is another SOOTC shot.  It was taken in broad daylight and is obviously back lit.  I loved the rim light on the sunflower and the soft streaks of light on the stems and leaves, but I wanted to give it a bit more interest.

 Light My Fire

(My camera settings were: 100mm, 1/640 sec, f/2.8, -2/3 exposure)

Here is a bit of tweaking.  I brought out a little of the detail in the sunflower center, then added some bokeh.  Yes, I added all of the bokeh, one light globe at a time, with a bokeh brush.  This way you can put the size, shape, color, intensity where ever you want. You can download bokeh brushes for Photoshop for free.  Just Google, 'free bokeh brushes for Photoshop' then browse, download and have fun.

But what if you want a bokeh texture all over.  Well, you can create your own, as shown above, or you can download free bokeh textures.   Google, "Free bokeh textures for Photoshop". 

Call it what you will:  photo fakery, magic, photo art, editing, photography, artistic impression, post processing enhancement, the digital darkroom, or just plain amazing..... photography has made revolutionary changes since the invention of digital cameras, the computer and photo editing programs.  And whether you love it or hate it, we photographers have to adapt one way or the other.  IMHO, (however), photographers who do not take advantage of what technology has to offer will become increasingly dissatisfied and discouraged with their own photography.  Why you ask?  Because photographers who only shoot SOOTC images, will not produce nearly the number of 'keepers' or great quality images,  as the photographers who take advantage of current technology to enhance good images, compensate for the limitations of what our cameras cannot do, or to edit photos as part of artistic or creative interpretation.  I can't help but think that if Ansel were alive today, (a master of photography and darkroom editing), he would embrace all the creative tools available to help him produce his imagery.

So, the first step is to learn about the amazing photo editing programs available, decide which ones are right for you, then take to time to learn how to use them.  The ones I use regularly are: Lightroom; Photoshop; OnOne Perfect Photo Suite; Nik Color Efex; Photomatix.  Don't get discouraged, you don't need all these programs.  I've just added them gradually over many years.  And I might add, I've never taken a class on how to use them.  They come with tutorials, and there are dozens of online classes, (many free), and books.  I only know a small part of what these programs are capable of doing and yet, I've managed to learn what I need to know.

You must, however, choose a program that allows you to work on 'layers' such as Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, and learn and understand how to use this 'magical' feature.  After that, the sky is the limit!

I love taking photos.  And I equally love taking those photos and seeing how they can be improved.  Almost always, I tweak the exposure, and maybe add a bit of vibrancy for nature shots.  Many times, I'll crop, remove sensor spots,  remove distracting objects.  Once in a while, I'll add an interesting texture, change to sepia, B&W, or add a color tone.  Rarely but sometimes, I'll change an entire background, swap a head, or do something 'other worldly'.  The point is, one can choose to edit a little or a lot.  There is no right or wrong despite what some diehards may say.  You as the artist get to decide.

Oh, and in case you are interested,  the original photo in Part I of this tutorial had a soft, blurred, boring pink background.  I blended in a pink bokeh texture.  The backgrounds in the photos in Part 2 and 3 are all natural with bokeh created from my camera settings and composition. 


 

Beautiful Bokeh - Part 3

Bokehlicious

100mm focal length, 1/125 sec at f/2.8

So, here's how to create beautiful bokeh backgrounds:
(See previous two posts for Parts 1 and 2 of this tutorial.)

1.  Look for just the right composition.  Look for a background that has softly dappled light peeking through interesting textures; or water droplets clinging to stems or other objects; or interresting reflections, or a combination of all three.  

2.  Find an angle where you can position your camera close to your foreground main subject and have the interesting background some distance away.

3.  For those who have a point and shoot camera, and just want to, hummm, point and shoot:  Put your picture mode to Portrait and experiment, and then change to Macro and experiment some more.  If your camera has the ability to independently change the aperture setting you will have better results.  Continue reading.

4.  For those who have a DSLR:  a fixed macro lens set at a large aperture, (small number), seems to work best for me.  I use a 100mm, 2.8 macro lens.  If you have a zoom lens, that will work, too.  Be sure to set it to the longest focal length and largest aperture, (see next point.)

5.  Bracket, bracket, bracket.  This means, put your camera in Aperture Priority mode and take many different shots, varying your aperture.  Each change of the aperture will alter how soft your background focus is, and will also change the size and softness of the bokeh, giving the image many different looks.  Then you get to decide in post processing, which one you like best.

The formula for achieving the look you want is practice, observe, practice, observe, repeat, repeat, repeat.  You have to become familiar with the possibilities and limitations of the lens you are using, and you also have to develop an 'eye' for the type of compositions that will create bokeh and will compliment your main subject.

For even more fun and more flexibility in creating your beautiful bokeh backgrounds, check back tomorrow and I'll talk about how post editing can be your best friend!   

Beautiful Bokeh - Part 2

Misty Water Colored Memories

Before talking about the 'technical' ways to create beautiful bokeh, I want to talk about two things that come first..... and they are composition and light.  

When I first became interested in photography, I either read, or someone said to me, "Watch your background; or, make sure there isn't a tree growing out of someone's head."  So I learned to move my camera angle to avoid the head-tree distraction.  But just because I avoided that mistake doesn't necessarily mean I improved my image as much as I could have with a little more thought to where exactly should I position my camera for the best composition.

As I mentioned yesterday, (see previous post for Part 1 of this little tutorial), backgrounds are an important part of an interesting photo.  One that is too sharply focused distracts from your main subject, and one that is too blurred showing no detail at all, is just plain boring.

So, after you find your main subject, you need to look beyond the subject to what you see in the background.  When I first composed the above image, there was a dark green hedge in the background.  Boring!  I moved to another angle, but then the sun was creating huge patches of white, blow out areas that overpowered my subject.

I moved around to numerous positions and looked through my viewfinder from many angles until I found this composition.  The colors from an adjacent flowerbed created this beautiful palette of dreamy colors.  The soft circles upon circles of light, bokeh, added yet another surreal dimension to the mood of the image.  This was just what I was looking to capture.

O.K., you've been patient!  Tomorrow I'll get down to the nitty gritty about how to create beautiful bokeh and how I created these images.

Beautiful Bokeh

Dreaming In Pink

I remember way back when I first started trying to improve my photography, I discovered that my pictures had much more impact when I learned how to isolated my subject from the background.  In other words, have my foreground subject in sharp focus, and have the background a soft blur.  Wow, I really thought I had achieved greatness!  Yes, my photos did look better, but now years later, I realize I've moved past that revelation.  Maybe my tastes have changed, or I've become more critical or discerning, but now I often think that a completely soft, nondescript background is boring and really adds nothing to the photo.  Backgrounds are an important part of the overall picture, although not as important as the main subject.  Backgrounds can be used to enhance a mood, add supporting elements to a story, add visual impact.  

There are many ways to jazz up your backgrounds, but for the next few days I'm going to talk about bokeh.  In case you don't know, those large, globes of light you often see in the backgrounds of photos are called bokeh.  They can be different sizes, shapes, intensities, depending on the type of lens you are using, the aperture, the scene itself, the lighting, the distance, etc.  Bokeh isn't for every photo but can enhance a picture when you want to create a dreamy, soft scene such as with florals, weddings, or children's portraiture, for example.  Turning Christmas lights into bokeh is another example.

The other day I was determined to take some flower photos before fall arrives.  Here in Utah, we have had a very hot, dry summer, and our flowers are starting to fade quickly.  Early in the morning I headed out to Thanksgiving Point, a beautiful garden spot close to home.  Most of the flowers and/or stems were covered with water droplets, not from dew but from their early morning sprinkler shower.  I immediately thought of water reflections, light and bokeh, and so specifically looked for compositions that would enhance a bokeh background.

For the next few days, I'll show you my 'keepers' from that morning and tell you how to create bokeh backgrounds to make your photos more visually interesting.  

Sun Dance

Color Cordinated

This evening I sat beside a group of wild sunflowers in my backyard and observed and listened.  The evening sun highlighted the brilliant yellows and greens, just as if colored with a magic marker.  I watched as the busy bees moved from flower to flower, still working after a long day.  Occasionally a butterfly or other insect stopped by but quickly moved on when a bee claimed his territory.  The only sounds were the soft humming of the bees and the rustle of the breeze through the fluttering petals of the sunflowers.  There is such beauty in ordinary things.   It is amazing what one sees, hears and feels, if we only take the time. 

Look Into My Eyes.....

"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language."

--Martin Buber

"The eyes are one of the most powerful tools a woman can have.  With one look, she can relay the most intimate message.  After the connection is made, words cease to exist."

--Jennifer Salaiz

"His eyes are peculiar.  There is nothing in them, like an eclair without the cream filling.  It is wrong...."

--Gail Carriger

 "There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child.  There are seven million."

--Walt Streightiff

Alpine Loop - Another View

Cascade Springs - Another Petite Waterfall

Alpine Loop - Another Stop

Near the summit of the Alpine Loop (see previous post), is Cascade Springs where a boardwalk circles around a beautiful area of small waterfalls and pools.

The Alpine Loop

 Aspen & Red Berries

Still dark outside, the alarm on my phone coaxed me out of sleep with the mellow sounds of ..."it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life, and I'm feeeeeling good"  by Michael Buble.  At the moment I wasn't sure if any of that was true, but I crawled out of bed anyway, rounded up my camera gear and headed out.  

The Alpine Loop is a beautifully scenic, twisty drive on a narrow road up American Fork canyon, winding over the top of the mountains, past Robert Redford's Sundance Ski Resort and ending up in Provo canyon.  It is part of the Wasatch mountain range, which is part of the great Rocky Mountains, (commonly called the Rockies),  that stretch north and south over 3,000 miles in western North America.  

Spring and Fall are spectacularly beautiful here, with lush alpine scenes dominated by beautiful aspens trees with their white trunks and shimmering leaves flashing neon green in spring, and shades of bright yellow, and deep golden reds in autumn, and are set against craggy mountain peaks and the backside of Mount Timpanogas.  With wildflowers in the spring, waterfalls and natural springs along the way, it is certainly a mecca for landscape photographers shooting in this area. 

Since this drive begins only 10 minutes from my home, I try to take a morning off to enjoy this peaceful, beautiful place at least once during spring and fall.  Since I missed spring this year, I decided to see if I could find some inspiring scenes in the middle of a very hot summer, even though down in the valley the scorching sun has dulled spring greens, wild grasses have turned brown, and flowers struggle to survive in this dry desert climate.

After dodging runners, bikers and deer who were all sharing the narrow winding road in the pre-dawn darkness, I pulled off to the side and took a short walk though the woods where I found this lovely, lush scene.  I found my composition,  set my camera on a tripod and was ready to shoot just as the sun peeked over the mountain and cast a beautiful golden glow highlighting the bright red berries that were the focal point of my picture.  

The previous post of bees and butterflies was taken this same morning, as were the photos of waterfalls I'll post next.  I was well rewarded for listening to my alarm, and it was indeed, a new dawn, a new day, and I did feel great after my morning commune with nature!

Butterflies & Bees

 Can't We All Just Get Along??

Although there were hundreds of flowers and thistles where this shot was taken, this particular one must have been special, because the butterflies and bees were continually jockeying for a 'place at the table'!

(For those who are interested, I used a telephoto lens up close.  That put the background of foliage and flowers totally out of focus creating a beautiful pallette of soft color.  Because there is so much background visable, I added a texture using Photoshop layers to add depth and interest.)

Summer Job!

This bee decided not to share and found his own space.

Very Funny.....Is this true?????

Humm, this kinda sounds familiar!!!  
Is this just funny or can men really solve women's problems with a simple answer; or, are women's problems just simple and to the point (pun intended)??

August Desktop Image

Beautiful Belize

We sat in those chairs in front of the little beach shack we rented for one glorious week.  The amazing part was that there were no other tourists as far as we could see along the beach.  

As usual, you can go HERE to download this image in high resolution for your desktop.  It should not be blurry or pixelated.  Share with your friends but please do not use for commercial purposes.

Arches National Park

DOUBLE ARCH

There are so many photographs taken of famous landmarks, that my challenge is to try to capture nature's beautiful scenes with my own unique composition.  So often I see people walk up to a scene like this, and with no thought, snap a shot and turn and walk away.  One of the things I like about photography is that if your goal is to make a good picture, it forces you to really look at the scene from different angles and viewpoints, and take some time to really observe and enjoy what you are seeing.  For this picture I used a wide angle lens and took this shot from a low vantage point to add the dead trees for foreground interest.  Since I was shooting into the sun, (although it was behind the cliff), I knew I needed to take at least three exposures and blend them together in order to properly expose the sky and the front face of the rock which was in shadow.

P.S.  Can you see the little speck of sky peaking through the rock on the left side of the picture?  This is the beginning of another arch.  I didn't see it when I composed this shot, so I'm not sure how big it really is.

Glimpse of Zion

Southern Utah Red Rock Country

We see such beautiful and rugged country as this when we ride our RZRs, (side-by-side 4 wheelers), on the back trails of southern Utah.  Here we came upon a grand vista in all directions, with a glimpse of the rugged peaks of Zion National Park in the far distance.

(For those of you photographers who have 'photo gear envy', this was taken with my iphone.  I think if I had to choose between buying a new camera or buying a good photo editing program, I would choose the editing program.  Many photographers today feel that photography has evolved to include post processing as an essential step needed to create an image that accurately portrays the vision of the photographer.)

Fanning Island (for Suzanne)

Fanning Island, also known as Tabuaeran

is Part of the Island Nation of Kiribati

This is a beautiful little atoll, remote and primitive.  Several times a year cruise ships stop for a day and the beach and beautiful lagoon fill with tourists. 

Dreaming of Moorea

The island of Moorea, French Polynesia

We were fortunate to take two trips to Tahiti during the 18 months we were in New Zealand.  We had never heard of the tiny island of Moorea, just a short ferry ride from Tahiti.  We had heard of Bora Bora, but the locals told us that Bora Bora is very 'touristy', flat, and not as beautiful as Moorea.  We never got to see Bora Bora, but we can attest to the fact that Moorea is the most beautiful tropical place we have ever seen, (and that includes, Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji, Belize, Mexico, and Costa Rica).  This is where we stayed.  (Our missionary experiences in this part of the world were rough, but someone had to do it!!!!!  haha)

This photo was taken well after sunset when the water was a deep, rich combination of turquoise, aqua and coral pinks. 

AND THE WINNER IS...........

1970 Plymouth 'Cuda Convertible w/ 426 Hemi Engine

(original color paint called 'plum crazy')

Jeff's Car Story

Ever since I have known Jeff, he has had a fascination with cars.  In college, one of his buddies was rich enough to own a brand new muscle car, and it was fast and loud.  They would cruise the streets and watch heads turn.  I think that was when Jeff determined that one day he would own such a car.  

Of course as the years passed, there was no money for such a car, especially with the responsibilities of supporting a family, but he never forgot his love of cars, particularly one type of car.   More years passed and eventually they stopped making muscle cars, so Jeff knew that if he ever had the opportunity, he'd have to restore one.  

He came to know everything there is about the type of muscle car he was interested in.  As his knowledge grew, so did his reputation and people who were restoring cars or who wanted to buy cars to restore, started calling him to ask for advice or information.  He began driving down the back roads of small towns where ever we traveled, looking behind barns and garages and in wrecking yards, hoping to find long forgotten treasures on wheels.  Jeff is a 'wheeler and dealer' and began buying, selling and trading car parts that most people didn't want but car buffs did want.  He eventually built up a considerable 'car parts' business that pulled us through during some pretty tight years.  

As the years went by, the word spread about his expertise and he has become the local expert on his type of car.  I often joke that you could show him a single bolt or screw and he could tell you exactly where it fit...and that is true!  Car wholesalers from England and Australia found out about him, and for years he acted as a broker and found and shipped vintage American cars oversees.  His 'fame' for his knowledge of these cars, where to find them, how to restore them, where to find the parts, continued to grow.  He is asked every year to judge various car shows in and out of the state.  

About the time Jaron became a teenager, there was a little extra money, so Jeff found an old car and they spent many hours restoring it.  What a wonderful bonding experience.  They put his car in several car shows.  Then when Dalin was about ready to drive, Jeff found an old car for him and they spent many hours together restoring it.  Another wonderful bonding experience.  They put this car in several car shows.  While Dalin was on his mission, Jeff was contacted by a motion picture company who was shooting a film in Utah and they wanted to use a specific muscle car and when they asked around town, they were led to Jeff.  The car was in the movie, and Jeff and I went to Hollywood for the premier.  We felt so bad Dalin wasn't here for this.  And continuing the tradition, Jeff has spent equal time with Tyler restoring cars.  I used get irritated that Sunday dinner conversation almost always revolved around car talk.  Now I know this was a great blessing.  There is nothing our sons like better than to be together with their Dad with their heads under the hood of a car, or going to a car show together.  They are all best friends.  

But I digress.....Over all these years Jeff has helped his friends and his sons restore cars, but still no car for him.  Then about 10 years ago, through a series of unusual circumstances, Jeff heard of someone who owned Jeff's dream car, a rare and highly sought after car.  The only problem was, he didn't know the person's name.  He only knew the car was stored in a little town in Idaho and the owner lived in Alaska.  Jeff was not going to let that stop him, so one day he took off for Idaho.  He started asking all around town, and by some miracle found the owner who was in town visiting his mother.  And there in a rickety, old garage, covered by a tarp, under a ton of junk, there was.....another piece of junk, at least that's what any normal person would think. But Jeff knew better.  He knew that this was a diamond in the rough, and when restored to it's original beauty, it would be a very expensive car.  The owner was no longer interested in the car, they struck a deal, and driving home with that old car on a trailer, I don't think I've ever seen Jeff so excited.

 Finding the car and its owner

Jeff stripped it down to this.  Is it really a car?

 

But with family, work, and spare time spent helping the boys restore their cars, Jeff has only worked on his car from time to time, so for many years, it mostly sat in a garage gathering dust.  Now after about 10 years, it is still not complete, although almost.  (I keep teasing him that if he doesn't get it finished soon, he'll be too old to drive it!)   Okay, we are almost to the climax of this story.  One of the local car shows where he has acted as a judge for years, took place several weeks ago.  Jeff decided, finished or not, he was going to pull the car out of the garage, get it washed and polished and finally put it in a car show.   

Drum roll please.........he won the two most prestigious awards,  First Place in his Class, and Best Car of the Show.  Congratulations Jeff!  

Now the only thing left is to take it out for a cruise and watch heads turn!!!!   

(In the above photo, the purple car is Jeff's and the yellow car behind it is Dalin's that was in the movie.) 

Desert Neighbor!

We've been down to our new little casita (small winter vacation home) in the southern Utah desert, trying to get a bit of furniture moved in and working to get things organized and ready for when we want to spend time here in the winter.  I think we managed to be here during the hottest day so far this summer when the temperature hit 110 degrees F.  I've been waiting for a hot, dry summer since I've spent the past several summer seasons in rainy, humid, lukewarm New Zealand weather, which is probably why that country is so green and beautiful.  Anyway, walking in the desert a short distance from our home I found this little guy sunning himself and he didn't seem too concerned about me.  I was able to get about 4 feet from him.  Of course I didn't have my camera, and it was in the middle of the day with harsh light, but this is what I got with my iphone.  I have no idea if he is a gecko, a lizard, or something else.

Big Horn Sheep - Zion National Park

We were lucky to spot a herd of Big Horn Sheep while we were driving through Zion National Park.  There were mostly females and babies and they hung around the same spot for quite a while, nibbling on leaves and scrub for their evening meal.  This guy was the largest of the group, and had the largest horns, but was very elusive, staying by himself and usually hiding behind shrubbery and rocks.  I was lucky to be in the right spot to snag a couple of shots when he came out in the open briefly.

OH MY! WHAT HAVE I DONE!

Second Place

Auckland Photo Contest - 2012

This week is the one year anniversary of one of those 'what was I thinking' moments, that at the time, I couldn't believe I did.  They say confession is good for the soul, so here is my closely guarded secret, that for the past year I've only shared with a few.

Shortly after we arrived in New Zealand for our mission in 2011, I was delighted to hear of an annual, month long photography festival.  There were special events, classes, photography shows, renowned photographers from all over the world presenting classes and lectures on all aspects of photography, throughout the Auckland area during the month of June.  

As part of the festival there is one day designated as a contest day.  Any one can enter photos relating to the theme, 'My Day in Auckland'.  The main requirement is that the submitted photos must be taken only on that day.  Since it was a Saturday, Jeff and I decided to explore downtown Auckland, and of course, I took my camera.  It was fun to see multitudes of photographers everywhere we went, taking photos for the contest.  At the end of the day, I decided to enter a few of my photos, and as I expected, I won nothing!

Fast forward to the next year when I started receiving emails announcing the events for the festival coming in June, 2012.  I clicked the link to the festival website and looked at all the winning photographs from the last year.  I noticed many of them were not typical photos of the beautiful scenery and sights of New Zealand, but often included people in compositions that were more unusual or even quirky.

The day of the festival photo contest I was up earlier than Jeff, and as I walked past the bedroom door and glanced in, I saw Jeff in bed, with his feet sticking out, and beautiful blue sky above his head.  I immediately had this composition come to me, with his feet in focus, (showing the havoc New Zealand weather had on his skin), and the rest of him in soft focus.  I hurried and got my camera and got the shot.  I thought it was a funny photo and on a whim, asked him permission to include it with the other two photos I was going to submit that I really liked and hoped might catch the judges' attention.  

I didn't think anymore about it until a few weeks later when I received word that I was awarded second place with this photo over around 1500 other entries.  First I was shocked, then I was pleased, and finally I was horrified!  Although there is nothing revealing or wrong with the photo, this certainly is not a very dignified pose for a missionary!!!  To add to my dismay, the photo and my name were published in the newspapers and on the web.  I held my breath for about a month afterwards, waiting for someone at church, or our other missionary friends, or some one at the church area office building where we worked, to mention they had seen the photo, but if any one did see it, they never mentioned it to me.

At the time, I did tell a close friend and photographer who lives in the Auckland area.  About a month ago she sent me a copy of the brochure used to advertise this year's festival, and sure enough, they used my photo.  Sigh!  Luckily Jeff is a good sport and was not too concerned about the whole thing.  

There now, I feel much better with that off my chest.  By the way, below are the other two photos I entered in that contest:

      

Garden Bouquet

Flowers From My Garden and Mom's Tea Cup

You know, sometimes snapping the shot and trying to 'get it right in the camera', is just not enough for me.  Don't get me wrong, I love taking pretty pictures and I try to improve my 'in camera' skills, but sometimes that just doesn't satisfy my creative side.  I'm one of those photographers who love the artistic possibilities that technology has given us, and sometimes I find great satisfaction in using a photo as a starting point, and then creating my interpretation of the image.  

I was enjoying my garden this morning and decided I wanted to remember my peonies and yellow roses before they disappeared.  As I snipped a few and stuck them in a green plastic glass and set them on the counter, I remembered how much my mother loved flowers and gardening, which she did until about 6 months before her death at age 96.  Growing up in California where we had flowers year round, she would always have a camellia or two floating in a bowl of water, or a single hibiscus or gardenia, or a couple of roses in a bud vase, adorning our kitchen table.  But only a few at a time, because she would really rather enjoy them outdoors in their natural setting.  As I looked at my bouquet, I remembered a tea cup of my mom's, that complimented the colors of my flowers.  (She collected tea cups and was a china painter.)  I added the cup and saucer to my composition and took my photo.  When I downloaded it to the computer, it just begged me to add some editing pizazz, and the above photo is the result.  Below is the shot SOOTC (straight out of the camera). 

(In addition to the dust specks and light switch detracting from this composition, it is also under exposed.)

Sea of Sego Lilies

Sego Lily - State flower of Utah
Between 1840 and 1851 food was very scarce in Utah due to a crop-devouring plague of crickets.  During this time the pioneers learned to dig up and eat the soft, bulbous root of the sego lily. 

This past weekend we had a wonderful time in Moab and Arches National Park with family.  While on one of our RZR rides, (side-by-side 4 wheelers), we came upon this beautiful field of yellow wild flowers followed by another beautiful sea of sego lilies.  I don't think I've ever seen so many sego lilies in one place at one time.  As is typical when we travel, I see some of my favorite scenes in the middle of the day, and this was no exception.  Here it is mid day with glaringly bright sun creating harsh shadows and washing out all the colors.... not at all conducive for great photography.....or for that matter, even semi-good photography.  As Joel Sartore, (a photographer for National Geographic), said in a workshop I attended, "good light is good and bad light is bad"!  So true!  Anyway, I did more editing than usual to try to make this less bad!!!!