Photo of the Week - Church Steeple Framed by Branches

Primitive Baptist Church, Cades Cove

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

Here’s an offering that is a little bit different from my usual fare. In this composition, the dormant tree branches provide an organic frame for the church steeple. The black/white treatment also gives the image a more stark and simplistic perspective. Do you think the photo has a bit of a spooky vibe?

Yesterday, I announced on my other blog, A Personal Photo Challenge, that I would be permanently closing it. I simply do not have the time and energy to maintain it and host new photo challenges. I will keep the site “active” in case blogging friends wish to revisit challenge topics and posted web links.

A Personal Photo Challenge - Trees

It’s time for A Personal Photo Challenge! “Trees” is the theme this month.

I was sorely tempted to dust off some images from my archived files for this challenge topic. I have always been fascinated by the shape and majesty of trees, so I could have easily driven myself bonkers by going through several thousand images. And like children, how can you pick which ones you love the most? It is impossible. So I selected a few that I have taken in the past two weeks that feature autumn scenes. (Click on each one to see them bigger.)

A Personal Photo Challenge - Nov. 2014 Reminder

The monthly photo challenge will be Saturday, November 8, on my other blog! “Trees” is the theme. Please click on the photo link below for details and instructions. The linkup gadget will be available on Friday, November 7, in case you wish to publish your challenge post a day early.

I’m looking forward to your participation!

A Personal Photo Challenge - Still Life

It’s time for A Personal Photo Challenge! “Still Life” is the theme this month.

I had originally intended to set up still life compositions inside the house and practice some lighting techniques. Instead, I seized the opportunity to capture some still life scenes during our recent visit to the Museum of Appalachia, located in a nearby town.

A Personal Photo Challenge - Oct. 2014 Reminder

The monthly photo challenge will be Saturday, October 11, on my other blog! “Still Life” is the theme. Please click on the photo link below for details and instructions. The linkup gadget will be available on Friday, October 10, in case you wish to publish your challenge post a day early.

I’m looking forward to your participation!

Creating Animated Gif Files

The post this weekend for A Personal Photo Challenge was a big hit with my blog readers, thanks to a cooperative hummingbird and a couple of adorable rabbits. The rabbit photos sparked some excitement, and I got several inquiries about how to create animated gif files. 

I used Photoshop CC, a program that provides the technical power to line up all the photo frames seamlessly, in addition to animation. But you don’t need Photoshop CC to create animated gif files of your photos. You can use Photoscape, a free photo editor for Windows and Mac computers. (Note: The Mac version is scaled down, unfortunately).

A Personal Photo Challenge - Movement

It’s time for A Personal Photo Challenge! “Movement” is the theme this month.

I managed to take all new photos for this challenge and not dip into my archives. I usually don’t try to capture movement, so it was a bit of a trial to complete the assignment.

A Personal Photo Challenge - Sept. 2014 Reminder

The monthly photo challenge will be Saturday, September 13, on my other blog! “Movement” is the theme. Please click on the photo link below for details and instructions. The linkup gadget will be available on Friday, September 12, in case you wish to publish your challenge post a day early.

I’m looking forward to your participation!

A Personal Photo Challenge - Animals

It’s time for A Personal Photo Challenge! “Animals” is the theme this month.

As my long-time blogging friends know, I adore photographing animals. Domesticated and wild animal subjects pose challenges to even the most skilled photographer. Animal movements and expressions are unpredictable and fast. A study of their behavior helps to anticipate poses, and an intimate knowledge of equipment and settings is essential to capture moments that are fleeting. An animal photographer also gets to practice the virtue of patience!

A Personal Photo Challenge - Reminder

The monthly photo challenge will be Saturday, August 9, on my other blog! “Animals” is the theme. Please click on the photo link below for details and instructions. The linkup gadget will be available on Friday, August 8, in case you wish to publish your challenge post a day early.

I’m looking forward to your participation!

P.S. Photos of birds are permissible. They are classified as animals with feathers.

A Personal Photo Challenge - Portraits

It’s time for A Personal Photo Challenge! “Portraits” is the theme this month.

If you have been following my blog for any length of time, you have long since figured out that portrait photography is not my thing. Absolutely, positively. I’d rather have a root canal. I don’t like to be photographed, and I automatically apply those feelings to others. And since we don’t have children or grandchildren, there are not a lot of willing victims subjects for portraits. Give me a landscape, critter, or building, and I am in photo heaven. People are those pesky creatures that I yell at to move out of my frame or later clone out in the digital darkroom.

A Personal Photo Challenge - Reminder

The monthly photo challenge will be Saturday, July 12, on my other blog! “Portraits” is the theme. Please click on the photo link below for details and instructions. The linkup gadget will be available on Friday, July 11, in case you wish to publish your challenge post a day early.

I’m looking forward to your participation!

A Personal Photo Challenge - Stormy Weather

It’s time for A Personal Photo Challenge! “Stormy Weather” is the theme this month. It happens to be very apropos because my husband’s health has been shaky for the past couple of days, resulting in hospitalization. He is stabilized now and hopefully on the mend. But the timing wasn't good, that's for sure. I’m sacrificing a little bit of sleep so that I don’t miss out on my own photo challenge!

My go-to camera for the past few months has been a new iPhone. The beautiful Nikon DSLRs have been patiently waiting for our situation to improve and less time devoted to caretaking tasks. The iPhone has been an indispensible tool, and it was fortuitous that I purchased it. And it is wonderful to have a nifty little camera available wherever I go.

As a result, I wanted to feature iPhone photos for this month’s challenge, and all of the subject matter was right in my neighborhood. No journeys required for these! The images were treated to my standard post-processing in Photoshop (rather than using mobile apps). Don't forget to click on each one to see them bigger.

I recorded this hillside scene through the windshield of my car, coming home from shopping errands one day. A storm was brewing, and I was attempting to beat a cascade of raindrops. Were there actually big bolts of lightning in the sky? No, I added those with some convenient Photoshop brushes. I love little shortcuts like that!

As a spring storm was ending one evening, an astounding sunset made a surprise appearance when the last bundle of dark clouds moved across the sky. We have a few bare lots next to us in the subdivision. So we benefit from an uncluttered silhouette for sunsets this time of year.

The final photo was captured just last week. A strong storm system rapidly moved in one evening, and crazy me was out on the front porch, clicking away with the iPhone. It was quite an ominous sight to see the dramatic line of dark clouds race overhead. Reflected light on a neighbor’s house and a black/white treatment add to the drama. A wide crop emphasizes the dark cloud layer.

I hope you will visit A Personal Photo Challenge blog and check out the creative efforts of other participants too!

A Personal Photo Challenge - Reminder

The monthly photo challenge will be Saturday, June 14, on my other blog! “Stormy Weather” is the theme. Please click on the photo link below for details and instructions. The linkup gadget will be available on Friday, June 13, in case you wish to publish your challenge post a day early.

I’m looking forward to your participation!

A Personal Photo Challenge - Colorful

It’s time for A Personal Photo Challenge! “Colorful” is the theme this month. I had the best of intentions of taking some new images for this challenge, but the task couldn't get worked into my schedule. So I dipped into my photo archives from our relaxing trip to Charleston, South Carolina, the week before Christmas.

My blogging friends and routine followers know that I have very limited time these days to devote to hobbies and social media. At the moment, I am the caregiver for my husband, who has been battling pancreatic cancer for the past year. The disease has been very unkind the past two months. I will get around to visit with the other photo challenge participants as best as I can and fulfill my challenge hostess duties. It may take a while, so please be patient with me. I wasn’t even sure I could participate in my own challenge this month. But I managed to pull together some images and this post. Whew!

Photo of the Week - Charleston Green Shutters and Window Box

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston green is a classic paint color of the South. It is a rich shade with strong, black undertones. The use of the Charleston green color began in the years following the Civil War. Reportedly, the North sent black paint down to the South for reconstruction projects. Not content with plain black paint, Southerners decided to brighten up it up with the small addition of yellow and green pigments.

Sure enough, you can see a beautiful effect on these wood shutters during the morning’s kiss of sunlight.

A Personal Photo Challenge - Reminder

The monthly photo challenge will be Saturday, May 10, on my other blog! “Colorful” is the theme. Please click on the photo link below for details and instructions. The linkup gadget will be available on Friday, May 9, in case you wish to publish your challenge post a day early.

I’m looking forward to your participation!

A Personal Photo Challenge - Close-up/Macro

It’s time for A Personal Photo Challenge! “Close-up/Macro” is the theme this month.

Spare time has been a rare commodity at our cottage lately, but I managed to capture and post-process three new images for this month’s challenge. I used my Nikon D800 DSLR and 105mm macro lens. Please click on each photo to see them bigger and study the details.

purple pansy macro

f/20, 1/4 second, ISO 320

A Personal Photo Challenge - Reminder

The monthly photo challenge will be Saturday, April 12, on my other blog! “Close-up/Macro” is the theme. Please click on the photo link below for details and instructions. The linkup gadget will be available on Friday, April 11, in case you wish to publish your challenge post a day early.

I’m looking forward to your participation!

A Personal Photo Challenge - Words and Letters

It’s time for A Personal Photo Challenge! “Words and Letters” is the theme this month.

As an avid fan of signs, I am always on the lookout for unique ones whenever we travel. And I was able to find some lovely examples when we visited Charleston, South Carolina, in December. In the three compositions below, one features a sign as the primary subject, and the other two provide a supporting role to the overall scenes.