Sweet readers,
Going to try a new post today. Sharing a bit of the world through my lens, 07.2018. Camera lens, that is. This year, I have been participating in the 52Frames photo challenge, where we take a weekly photo to fit a theme or photography technique. Oh, am I ever out out of my league with this group of photographers, gals! Let me tell you! But I am learning.
Then for the month of July, I created my own Instagram summer photo challenge. I am slightly behind sharing a daily photo for each of those prompts. And it’s my challenge – ha! What does that say about me??? Here are the prompts if you’d like to jump in. Be sure to use #2018SummerInstaPhotoChallenge to tag your pics.
My friend and blogger Terri at Second Wind Leisure Perspectives is hosting a Sunday Stills photo series. Would invite you to check out her lovely photography by stopping by her blog or following her on Instagram, @terri.websterschrandt.
And then there’s a photo scavenger hunt I learned about through my bud Deb at Deb’s World, being hosted by her friend Mary Lou over at Patio Postcards. Have a look at these thought-provoking prompts.
On June 29, they shared a first reveal of photos taken of the scavenger hunt prompts but I haven’t been with it enough to get a post together until now. And wouldn’t say I am with it even today but going to throw this together anyway! Ha! If I wait til I am with it, this post might never happen.
The 52Frames photo challenge has helped me learn more about both the camera on my Samsung phone and my ‘good’ Sony DSLR camera. I am gaining confidence in trying new photo techniques and changing settings. Yay for ME!! Me for President!! Of the photo club, that is.
So, what I want to do today is just share/show-off some of my recent photos for both challenges and Terri’s Sunday Stills and Mary Lou’s scavenger hunt. Here we go.
The World Through My Lens, 07.2018
52Frames
Some of the recent 52Frames themes have been underexposure vs. overexposure; pairs or partners; details; contrast, use a mirror; tools; and golden hour (the hour when the sunrises or sets). Here are my photos.
Overexposed at Ascarate Lake
Preparing to pare a pair of pears.
Details. Lucia hiding from me with the exception of a few details.
The contrast between red and rose.
Fireworks reflected through the mirror of PC’s glasses.
The tools for my hobbies.
The prompt ‘golden hour’ fell on our annual monsoon week when there was little sun.
#2018InstaPhotoChallenge
You can see all of my photos for this challenge and everything else I have shared on Instagram by following me, here. Kind of feel like it was cheating that I created the prompts for this challenge and then took the photos. You’ll notice there isn’t a prompt for, say ‘beach’ or “Eiffel Tower’! I knew this gal wasn’t going anywhere for summer vacay. Among my favs have been backyard; downtown, summer food, and bling.
In absolute pig heaven when Lucia’s in my backyard.
Downtown El Paso.
Summer food, my Mexican street corn. Recipe here.
My sweet Prince brought me bling from his business trip to Michigan.
#SundayStills
For July, Terri and some of her photo pals chose the following words:
July 1 Summer
July 8 Wind
July 15 Plant Life (courtesy of Betty Louise)
July 22 Macro-Photography of Anything (close-ups)
July 29 Drunk with… (from Aixa)
I give you summer and close-up.
Waiting for Cia to come for a summer visit.
Lucia close-up, getting close-up with the flowers.
Scavenger Hunt
I am just beginning to take pictures for the scavenger hunt. Have had trouble remembering the prompts so made the graphic above to help me remember (and to encourage you to participate, too!). Here are a couple of photos for stripes; repurposed; mellow yellow.
Stripes in and beneath the bench at our neighborhood park.
This lovely art studio and cafe is going to be repurposed for a soccer stadium.
Mellow-yellow VW slug-bug.
This fall, I would like to take a photography class at our community college, just so I can continue to learn and improve. That will just have to go on my autumn bucket list so I can be sure it happens.
Your Turn
Now that you’ve seen the world through my lens, 07.2018, it’s your turn to share. Do you like to take photographs? Do you use your phone camera or a DSLR? What are your favorite subjects to photograph? Every time I write a blog post, I think to myself that I wish there was a way you guys could share a photo when you write a comment. It would be so cool to make the comments more interactive that way. But until someone with IT smarts figures that out, you can always email me a photo or add your take on a prompt to #2018SummerInstaPhotoChallenge. I will be looking for them!!
Have a few more posts planned for this week and a surprise to share. So hope you will come back again soon. Thank you for spending a few of your precious time here with me.
Hugs and kisses,
I love some of those shots – the shoes from your sweet prince look like ballet shoes in a stage spotlight. I love the toy car and the fireworks reflection in sunglasses. I reckon you have “the eye” for great photography. Keep up the good work with your challenge on Insta. I might join one of these days!
Love it. I’ve been thinking about taking a photography class too! I have so much more to learn.
I wish I had a really nice camera, so I tend to just use my phone to take pictures. I think you’re doing a great job with all of your challenges though. The fireworks reflected in the glasses has to be one of my favorites!
-Lauren
Thank you. I like the fireworks reflected in PC’s glasses, too. I use my phone most of the time because dragging my good camera out is a pain. Bulky. And then I worry I will tear it up! Stupid because at least I would be using it.
Great photos!
I’m always with some sort of camera: either my professional Canon or my dual lens iPhone.
Here’s my most recent photo episode. I went to a car show BUT found the people who attended it more photogenic than the actual cars.
Go figure!
https://cindimatography.wordpress.com/2018/07/10/people-show-at-the-car-show/
Will stop by to check out your photos from the car show. I have a lens to add to my phone and need to try using it. It was a Christmas present that hasn’t been used yet. But I think it would make my phone photos better.
Wow, Leslie, these knocked my socks off (if I was wearing any…too hot)! Seriously you have some fab shots here! Thanks for the shout out and for linking up to #SundayStills! I would love to take a class, maybe next summer when I’m not teaching. Love the IG challenge, I’ve missed a couple myself! I’m thinking of doing a Fall IF challenge!
Hey Terri! Thank you for all of the encouragement. If you want, we could do a fall challenge together. I should have numbered my prompts this time because now that I have missed a few photos, I have to count to see which day I am posting for. Lesson learned. Number the prompts or don’t get behind!!
Wow! You have taken some beautiful photos! I would love to take the time and get better with taking photos with both my phone and DSLR. I wish I had a better artistic eye!
Thank you for the kind compliments on my photos. How do you take your pictures for the blog? Do you take them or does your hubs? It is such a pain to me to set up the tripod and mess with trying to get my phone to work as a remote for my DSLR. And PC is very reluctant to take pics of me. Wish I had a place outside where I could set up my stuff and leave it for outdoor pictures!! I am so lazy.
Love all your photos! Did you always have an interest in photography? You see to have an eye for it….or perhaps these challenges have helped you develop one? Either way, they are fun to study, especially juxtaposed with the prompts. (As a former wordie, btw, I loved you pare pair pear…awesome!)
Thank you so much for the compliments on my photos. I am not sure how I got started taking pictures. I guess because it was so easy with a phone camera to do it. And these challenges have helped me learn to do some fun tricks to make my pics more interesting. But I really have to stop and think about how to set up my camera in order to change this or that, and by that time my granddaughters are no longer being adorable, or the kitty has moved, or the sky has changed!!
These are such great photos, Leslie! One of these days, I’ll have to plan ahead to do something like this!!
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Thank you so much, Jodie. I think we are going try to do a fall photo challenge so think about joining us when you can. Seems you have such interesting subject matter up there…buildings, street art, etc. You have lots of food for photography!
Thank you for sharing your photos! Participating in photography challenges is exactly how I improved my skills {that and taking free online courses}. Challenges really make you look at things differently.
I love the photos that you’ve shared and am gonna have to check out your challenge.
Thank you so much!! A couple of us are thinking of doing a fall photo challenge. Maybe we could all coordinate it somehow. Maybe each of us could host for a week or something, kind of like SIA. Speaking of which, I went to my closet for the Native American art and the art for this week but couldn’t find anything that really spoke to the curated piece. Will keep checking to see what is up next and hopefully can participate again soon.
This looks like a fun challenge. I have done a few photo challenges, but it has been a long, long time since I’ve done one. My favorite photo is the one of the differences between the red and rose wine! So pretty, rich and elegant!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Oh, you sweet thing. I liked the wine photo, too. You should see the caliber of photography from the participants of 52Frames. My gravy! Like covers for National Geographic. This week someone snapped glaciers in Alaska for contrast. Who just happens to be in Alaska!? There is nothing like that, no beach, no beautiful body of water, no old architecture around here to take photos of so I never measure up! We are talking about doing a fall photo challenge so keep that in mind.