4th August, 2015

Beautiful sights today.

Sunset Through the Bedroom Window IV

Dusk was beautiful last night. Another sunset view from the bedroom window:

23rd April, 2015

Star Light, Star Bright

Star light, star bright,

The first star I see tonight;

I wish I may, I wish I might,

Have the wish I wish tonight.

On nights like this, 13th April 2015, I wish I had a proper camera and not just my phone. This star was HUGE. It was twinkling and had points as if a child had drawn it. The photo is ok in it's own right I suppose but if it had captured the star as I saw it, it would have been the photo of the year!

Rays of Light

Rays of Light

Blinded by the Light...

Blinded by the Light

No filter or editing of any kind, except the signature obviously!

Winter is Coming....

Autumn is fighting to hold on but the red splash of berries heralds the approach of Winter...

Autumn

Winter Berries

Warm Colours on a Dreary Day

Warm Colours on a Dreary Day

September / October 2014

September and October were very difficult months and I didn't have the time or inclination to blog. I did take some photos though and even though I can't fill the gap in the blog index, I can share some of them with you! Hope you enjoy.

The Island, Mousehole

My Life in Shadows

Symmetry

Seasons: End of Summer - Autumn in the Valley of the Racehorse

Harvested Field I

Harvested Field II

Autumn Carpet I

Autumn Carpet II

Autumn Carpet III

Seasons: Spring - End of Summer in the Valley of the Racehorse

Spring Bluebells

Ripening Crops

Spring Poppies

Frolicking Spring Meadow

A Crop Pathway to Beyond

Summer Crops

Nature "heal thyself"

How would you describe me...?

I passed this flower today and thought it described me, not with words just an essence. 

Describe Me

 So if you were to use words to describe someone using this flower as a guide, what would you say?!

Summer Cornfields

This is the sight that greeted me at my "letting Barney off the lead" spot today! I don't think you could get a much more beautiful sight, unless you are by the sea perhaps. However, for us landlocked people this will do nicely. If this were Instagram, there would be a #nofilter because there are absolutely no effects on this photo, the scene is stunning just as it is.

Summer Cornfields

However, Google in it's wisdom (?) did an "auto awesome" version of this which turned out thus:

Auto Awesome Summer Cornfields

Without blowing my own trumpet, I honestly prefer mine! What do you think?

Just hanging around

I was amazed to see these snails just hanging onto the plants I was passing! You can't see how windy it was, obviously, it being a photo. I couldn't believe that they could stay on while being blown around so much.

Hanging Around

A Pure Heart...

... ready to be trampled...

a heart

A Pink Poppy!

Not only is it a poppy but it is pink too! What's not to love?!

Pink Poppy

Other Flora

I don't just take photos of poppies! Other flowers move me too.

Dew dropped

Purpleness

Just hanging around

Wild daisies, the big kind, my 4th favourite flower

Poppies II

More poppies! Well it's that time of year! Yesterday I was walking, head down, worrying, not being mindful at all. Then I looked up to see this! It made me remember that what I was worrying about hadn't happened yet. There is no guarantee that it will. What I should have been doing was admiring the view. There was no stress or anxiety there in that actual moment.

I looked up to see this!

Head and Shoulders above the Rest 

Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head

Well, to be honest, I wasn't expecting any photos of note today. It's dull and raining in this little bit of the UK. Cold too. I've actually put on my heating which is unheard of for me at the end of May.

However, there is beauty in all things if you take the time to look. Just see what I found today:

Photo Effects

Since I have been doing (I was going to say writing but there isn't normally an awful lot of writing going on!) this blog, I have rediscovered Google+.

I say rediscovered because I had previously thought of Google+ as a failed Facebook. Then on looking into it as a way to share my photos and my blog I have found some amazing global art and photography communities. There is so much talent out there worldwide it makes me feel quite humbled.

It is also interesting how many different photography styles there are. In this day when decent editing tools are available to any person with a smartphone, everyone seems to be using them to great effect. I personally use them to enhance a photo and to make it seem more true to what my eye actually saw. Given that nearly all my photos are taken while I am walking my dogs, I normally see a scene that takes my breath away and snap it as quickly as possible before the dogs run off and get into mischief. I don't have time to check everything a professional photographer might. So when I get home I tinker to get the photograph as close to what I actually saw as possible. For example, I took this picture recently:

I loved this scene because the line of the clouds almost directly followed the line of the trees and it looked like a mushroom cloud coming from the top of the trees. I have a thing about clouds by the way, which may well come to light if you follow the blog!

Imagine my disappointment when I came home to discover that the photo I took was actually mostly just dark shapes and smudgy clouds. I really didn't think I would be able to save it but with Google Photo Editor I achieved this... exactly the scene I had seen!

But other people use photo effects in totally different ways. Colours and other aspects can be changed to be almost unnatural, with stunning effect. It enables photography, for those who want it, to be like other art forms, less a copy of what is seen but more a personal interpretation or representation of the scene taken.

For me though, I shall stick with effects that show you what I have seen. Walks with my dogs have unearthed beauty around me that I didn't know existed. I have literally gasped out loud sometimes when confronted by it and it is this that I want to share when I share my photos.

Every Cloud has a Silver Lining