My First Nomination

Thank you, Ribana, for the nomination. It is an honor. Be sure to check out Ribana’s blog, Popsicle Society for some very interesting reads.

The Sunshine Blogger Award is an award for bloggers who are creative, positive, and inspiring – people who spread “sunshine” to the blogging world!

The Rules

Thank the blogger/s who nominated you.

Use the “Sunshine Blogger Award” logo on your post and list the rules.

Answer the 11 questions the selector asks of you.

Nominate 5-11 bloggers you want to give the award to.

Ask the following bloggers that you selected 11 questions of your own.

Ribana’s questions for me:

  1. Do you think we are alone in the universe? No. I think there are other life forms out there.
  2. What makes you feel happy? A warm sunny fall day walking through the woods.
  3. Do you smile everyday? Most days.
  4.  Do you like traveling? Yes very much so.
  5. If you are a gentleman, when was the last time you gave flowers to a lady and if you are a lady when was the last time you received flowers from a gentlemen? On my birthday in August.
  6. What motivates you to keep going everyday? I have a lot of interests, and I seem to go from one to the other. But my biggest interest is photography.
  7.  How do you keep up with your blog and your followers? Do you have enough time? I just started blogging. So there is so much to learn. I plan to be a lot more active after the first of the year.
  8. Between becoming a cyborg or dying what would you choose? Dying because I believe in an afterlife.
  9. Are you a curious person? Yes, but I don’t cross the line when it comes to curiosity into people’s lives.
  10. What’s your favorite food? Watermelon.
  11.  Have you ever been to Antarctica? No, but I would like to.

My nominations:

Denise Bush’s Photo Blog

Brambled Way

Jeff Sinon Photography

Live & Learn – David Kanigan

Ryan Photography

My Questions for you:

  1. What is your favorite book?
  2. If you could choose one thing to do today what would it be?
  3. Who is the person you look up to the most in your life?
  4. What is your favorite time of year?
  5. Does writing come easy or hard to you?
  6. If you could visit one place in the world where would it be?
  7. What is your “happy” color?
  8. Do you play a musical instrument?
  9. What in life are you passionate about?
  10. What is your favorite movie character?
  11. Are you an animal lover?

 

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Venice – Bridge of Sighs

Bridge of Sigh WP

“We are all prisoners but some of us are in cells with windows and some without.”
― Khalil Gibran

Venice is one my favorite cities. The people are charming, and I enjoy the hustle and bustle of activity in the canals and the architecture. The Bridge of Sighs, shown above, connects Doges Palace and a prison. It was designed by Antonio Contino and was built in 1600. It took two years to complete. The bridge allowed prisoners to get their last look at freedom in Venice, and it is rumored many would sigh while passing through the bridge…thus the name.

f/14; 1/80; ISO 200; 34mm

Comments are always welcome.

 

 

A Toad and Two Frogs

“There are some things one can only achieve by a deliberate leap in the opposite direction.” Franz Kafka

frog4comp_jpgThree different adventures, three different subjects – On each photo shoot I had no idea what my subject was going to be. Normally I like to take my macro lens when walking along shorelines and in wooded areas. But on these three occasions my camera had  a 55-250mm lens attached to it which allowed me to capture these subjects without disturbing them.

The toad shown above hopped out a few feet in front of me when I was walking along a dirt path in a wooded area in the fall. It was no more than two inches big. Luck would have it that it posed on a multi-colored leaf that made this subject fun to shoot. Camera settings: f/5.6; 1/40; ISO 200; 171mm.

Frog 4x6 (2) - Copy

Amongst an abundance of floating duckweed in a creek, a little head appeared ever so slightly rippling the water. I would not have seen it if it had not been for the ripple. Camera Settings: f/7.1; 1/40; ISO 100; 250mm.

Bull frog
Camera Settings: f/16; 1/40; ISO 100; 250mm

Strolling down by a lake, I happened to peak over some shoreline plants and discovered a bull frog who appeared to be waiting for dinner. This photo was taken just before dusk. Just right for reflections on the water surface.  Camera Settings: f/16; 1/40; ISO 100; 250mm.

 

 

 

 

Water Lily – Reflection

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Life is only a reflection of what we allow ourselves to see.

This photograph was taken at Butchart Gardens in Canada. It had been raining on and off that morning and the lighting was perfect for capturing reflections in the water.

Although the water lily was my initial focus, in my opinion, the most interesting subject in this image is the petals causing a ripple in the water. Photograph details: f/11; 1/60; ISO 200.

I discovered that shooting in Aperture Priority between f/8-f/11 at 1/60 or above and ISO 100- 400 produces the clearest, sharpest flower images.

 

After the Snow Storm

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SNOW: “It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it. ”  John Burroughs

The Chicago area was under a blizzard warning last night. The wind was blowing so strong and the snow was really coming down. It was a winter wonderland. As much as I dread the snow, it always amazes me how beautifully it drapes nature after the storm.

f/6.3;  1/250; ISO-400; 18mm lens

 

Sunset On The Lake

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“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky” Rabindranath Tagore

DELAVAN LAKE, WISCONSIN – I got very lucky with this photograph. Happened to be walking my dog down by the lake, and there was a two minute window to take this photograph as a storm was rolling in. Samsung Galaxy s9 cell phone: f/2; 1/94; ISO 50;