Photography Challenge Weeks 7 and 8

Without internet on my trip for the most part the past two weeks, I was unable to post the photo challenges.

Week 7 was to take a picture that tells a love story. This heart was part of a Locks of Love project in Charlotte, NC.

Dogwood Photography Challenge Week 7

Week 8 was to use a leading line in an image to show the concept of infinity. This view of the sunset from the balcony of our Southern Caribbean Cruise aboard the Crown Princess seemed to fit the bill.

Dogwood Photography Challenge Week 8

Photography Challenge Week 6

This week there was no limit on what we could shoot, but the image had to be pure. That means you could not use any filters, presets or other edits.

Dogwood Photography Challenge

The Weather has Been a Little Frightful

Like most of the country, we have been having some wild weather this winter. Sometimes the temperature is average, then it might be in the 60s, and next thing you know it is -4 degrees. It certainly is challenging for everyone, and makes it hard to determine when I should go out and take photographs.

The prediction for last Saturday was sunny and mild - in the 50s. My friend Caren and I had arranged to go to Lafayette Square in the city because she is always scouting for architecturally interesting sites for her photography business. It ended up being chilly and gray that morning, which is not the best for taking pictures. We took a nice walk in Lafayette Park anyway, and at least the ducks and swans were cooperative about having their pictures taken.

Lafayette Square

Sunday was also supposed to be nice, so Jim and I drove to the Audubon Center at Riverlands around 7:30 in the morning. The trumpeter swans winter here through February, and we always try to get there to see (and hear!) them. Reportedly they have about 1,400 of them there right now. The further we drove north, the more foggy it became. Talk about thick as pea soup!

Jim in the fog

When we arrived we could hear the swans, but we definitely could not see them. While we had a smidge of sunrise when we first got there, it was quickly gone. Again, it was tough to take pictures as everything was so gray. With the fog, the camera just did not know what to focus on. It was frustrating at best. Even when the fog lifted, everything was pretty dreary. We just did the best we could. We left after a couple of hours, and I bet we didn't drive two miles before we hit sunny blue skies and warming temperatures. Mother Nature got the best of us that morning!

Audubon Center at Riverland

Photography Challenge Week 5

Dogwood Photography Challenge Week 5

For Week 5 the challenge was to shoot a composition using symmetry in landscape to create a new viewpoint. I thought I knew what that meant, but I did an internet search looking for examples just to make sure I understood correctly. Basically if you can divide the photo in half either vertically or horizontally and both halves are a mirror of each other, then the picture is symmetrical.

We went to the Audubon Center at Riverlands to look for the trumpeter swans who over-winter in this area on Sunday morning. It was incredibly foggy, so at first we could only hear the swans but couldn't see them. When the fog somewhat lifted, it was a gray and dreary sky so not the best for taking photographs. This is the best I could do under the circumstances. Again, this challenge is all about learning, so at least I am more clear on how to find and shoot symmetry in the future.