Shutterbugs and photo-lovin’ friends glad to have you join me for The World Through My Lens 02.2023. Today I am sharing my snapshots for the January and February prompts provided by my blogging buddy Terry at Second Wind Leisure Perspectives. Terry hosts the one-prompt-a-week Sunday Stills monthly photo challenge. This season I also created my own list of prompts for a winter 2023 photo challenge. Did so in hopes that I would take a little more time to notice the beauty in the world around me.
Have found that when I step away from blogging, I also step back from taking photos. Which makes it feel almost like I’m going through life with blinders on. I don’t really look for the beauty in the world. Or maybe I don’t take time to appreciate the beauty. The same happens when I get in a blue funk. I cast my eyes down and forget to open them to the beauty around me.
You can find my last The World Through My Lens post, here, if you missed it. Right now, I am glad to be walking through my world with my eyes open and camera lens at the ready. And have a few photos to share here with you for my winter photo challenge and Terry’s Sunday Stills prompts.
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WORLD THROUGH MY LENS 02.2023
I had just started taking photos again in January so waited to combine that month with February’s pictures.
Winter 2023 Photo Challenge
I will be collecting photos for my winter 2023 photo challenge until the first day of spring. Here’s are the prompts for the challenge.
My Photos for the Winter 2023 Photo Challenge
Here’s what I have found so far.
- Through the window: of our Air B&B in Santa Fe, snow falling
- Door
- Snuggly
- Shopping
- Cozy place
- Fancy: this Volkswagon was bedazzled with flowers. It was a very popular photo backdrop at the Paris Edition of Girls Night Out at church this month.
- Weather
- Lights
- Twinkle
- Fragrance
- Pattern: frosty morning but the sun created interesting shadows from the wrought iron rails on the balcony
- Workout: back to running on the treadmill a couple of times a week; a winter goal realized = ✔️
- Shadow
- Something red: some of the chairs at the charming La Fonda Restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico are red. And all of them are lovely.
- Frosty
- Relaxation
- Toasty
- Movement
- Something I’m Working On: organizing my scrapbook supplies, another one of my winter goals =✔️
- Still
- Love
- Sweet
- Handmade
- Savory: breakfast omelet and hashbrowns with green chili sauce at Weck’s. Mmmm, mmm good.
- Winter clothes
- Feminine: my Cami Jean is one feminine gal; she loves to wear dresses, and lots of pink and purple, please
- Boots
- Candlelight
- Fun
- Golden hour
SUNDAY STILLS
Moving now from my winter 2023 photo challenge to Sunday Stills where Terry has announced the color prompts for the first half of the year. They are:
- January: white and gray
- February: red
- March: green
- April: pastels
- May: purple
- June: pink
Sunday Stills 01.2023
01.01.2023 your 2022 year-in-review: I didn’t gather photos for a year-in-review collection. Hope to do that for 2023.
01.08.2023 plunge: into snow tubing…down all 3 of the runs – beginner, intermediate and SCARY. Really banged my tailbone on the steepest run which left me wondering if I need to permanently retire my inner tube. Clearly, I didn’t take this photo…but it fit the prompt so well.
01.15.2023 monthly color challenge, white and gray: interesting how the snow, trees, sky are all shades of gray and white, but the picnic area and my granddaughter Camila look almost colorized against the neutral background.
01.22.2023 silence: there’s no silence like that of the snow
01.29.2023 seeking light: our flag in the front yard seemed to be seeking the light in the midst of a late-night windstorm. Paul is always very mindful that our solar light is sufficiently brightly shining on our flag.
Sunday Stills 02.2023
02.05.2023 frosty: the sky, the blowing snow, the colors in the neon art along the interstate all look frosty.
02.12.2023 monthly color challenge, red (any shade): placemats and paper plates and napkins to go with the most delicious Reese’s chocolate pie.
02.19.2023 sweet: my grandmother and mother’s cinnamon and orange roll recipes. Made these last week with my sister on Facetime. They were almost as good as the ones I remember from childhood.
02.26.2023 feeding the birds: we indulged in a larger-than-usual breakfast recently at La Madeleine and because the morning was gloriously warm, we chose to sit on the patio. Mid-meal we were joined by some hungry sparrows looking longingly at us and our warm, buttered croissants. I captured this little one waiting for a crumb.
Your Turn
What have you captured lately in your lens? My sister has been playing around with the winter 2023 photo challenge and has taken some lovely shots. Find her on Instagram, here.
Wishing you a quiet week. I was supposed to have jury duty but I am hoping it will be canceled. We keep thinking ‘this’ will be the week that work begins on our pool repair. But no. No word. Been waiting for years.
Thank you for popping in. I appreciate the time you spend with me.
Hugs and kisses,
I am so tickled to see your posts for January and February, Leslie, as well as what you curated for the winter challenge! Your Cami Jean is adorable–my baby Lauren was a pink girlie girl too. Your various choices for my challenges were so perfect! Tubing is fun but I would stay on the easy hills myself. I’m amazed that Sante Fe gets so much snow! I guess snow is popular this year 😉 I just love the “look” on the sparrow’s face–what an awesome capture! Always great to read your Sunday Stills posts.
It seems all that’s on my camera are photos for the blog which is another way of going through life looking down, right? Your Santa Fe vacation looks quite the dream through your lens! And, my goodness, those rolls…I think I can smell them here in Indiana! I was supposed to have jury duty last week, but it was cancelled. I think they would have excused me anyway as I might be a titch too opinionated!
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Hi, Leslie – As much as I am throughly and completely done with winter, your photographs are gorgeous. You are a very talented photographer. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Hi Leslie – I seem to have woken up today with blogging snow photos in my email feed! As I just mentioned to Christie, it’s 30°C++ at our place right now and hot and dry. It seems so strange to think of others having snow during the year, and the activities that go with it. Loved all of your photos and the little insights they give into your life.
You have some really lovely photos! I really enjoyed the one of you in the tube even if you didn’t take it. I was just checking yesterday to see how many/which prompts I have left for the winter photo prompt… and I’m not doing too well! LOL.
So many great photos! I don’t think I can pick a favorite. Great job!
Love the VW pictures and the bright colors! Tubing looks fun! It was such a bad winter here for snow, but there’s always a chance we still get hit with some good sledding snow! Ha!
I love you mom!
How I love YOU!! So very much.