Photographs and Thoughts by April
Lots of photographs and many thoughts about things that catch my eye.
Something from nothing?
Have you ever tried to get something from nothing? Or something from very little? That’s what I tried today. I was in the mood to take pictures, but I wasn’t sure of what. My go-to place is always the nearby beach or river, but still I was having trouble being inspired. I need to venture to some new locations, but that wasn’t happening today. So I headed to a small beach close by which has a stream as you approach it. It wasn’t a great time of day, nor is it the most beautiful scenery at this time of year. It’s doubtful that anyone would stop and photograph this place just now, it just doesn’t look great. But I knew I could work on the images when I got home. That’s where the something from nothing comes in. I shot a lot of images, and if I were braver or thought anyone really would care, I’d post an original shot here. But through the magic of Photoshop, I was able to turn those not-so-good-looking raw files into images that I actually like. The first one is my favorite. So yes, I think I got something from very little today!!
Raindrops can be pretty
More rain in New England this morning, so I had to go with pictures of raindrops! I do love pictures of raindrops up close, when they’re focused well, which can be challenging. To get the best focus, a tripod is really necessary when you’re up close. However, between the rain and everything else, I was too lazy to get the tripod out. But I was able to get a few shots of drops on flowers and buds in my yard. Sorry for the repeat of the hearts, but they were too pretty to pass up! Enjoy your day!
Spring Hearts
Some more flower images to share for the spring, no surprise here! These are some type of bleeding heart perennials, but I’m not sure exactly what they are. What I know of as bleeding hearts are slightly different than these and they bloom even earlier. I saw one reference to these as Pacific Bleeding Hearts. Anyway, they are really pretty and in bloom right now, so I was having fun photographing them. Finally a sunny and warm day here today, so I need to get out and take some more photos, especially since it’s supposed to start raining again. Enjoy the spring hearts… I hope they brighten your day!
Soft Pink Roses on a Gloomy Day
It’s been a week of dreary weather here in the northeast. However, we were seriously in need of rain, so there really isn’t any complaining, just a little desire to see the sun! I thought some soft pink roses might provide some cheer amidst the gloomy skies. I love the feel of images of flowers that are soft, which is what I tried to do with these. I did add some filters to add additional softness and texture. Let me know how you like them!
Love the big easy…
How can you not have fun in New Orleans? My friend asked me that today when I was telling her about my trip to New Orleans to visit my son at Tulane. I have to say that I totally agree with her! There is so much fun to be had there between the music, the culture and the food, that it is difficult to imagine being there without having an enjoyable time. A few weeks ago, several friends and I went down to visit my son and watch his Rugby game. The game turned out to be in Mississippi, so rather than miss the game, we planned a road trip, had a blast and got to enjoy the game. The best part of the trip, besides catching up with my friends who I don’t get to see often enough, was when my son kicked a field goal to win the game for Tulane over USM!! The last image below is of him kicking that field goal. The other photos are of the beautiful buildings in the French Quarter. The architecture is just gorgeous. There is so much to look at and enjoy there, I just can’t help loving that city. I hope my friends will go back with me very soon!
And now for the fun spring shots
If you’ve read my blog before you know that abstract photos are some of my favorites. So it comes as no surprise that I have some abstracts to share from the spring flowers that are out now. Abstract photos are fun for me to take and interesting to edit. While there is definitely obvious camera movement, I love when the images have some crisp areas as well. All blur can be nice as well, but doesn’t always work for my eye. There are tulips, fothergilla and hydrangea, which haven’t flowered yet, so work well with this technique. Take a look and let me know what you think. 
Finally, Spring!
Do you ever wonder why you don’t get to something even though you enjoy doing it? It seems for me, even though I love taking pictures and editing them, I don’t always take the time to do it. Sometimes life just gets in the way and other times I just can’t get myself outside! Even with all these spring flowers around, I haven’t been photographing them. Spring is my favorite season, mostly I think because of the new color and warming temperatures after the cold, drab winter. I’ve certainly been delinquent in posting anything, but here are a few of the spring flowers around my house. More to come!!!
Scrum, Ruck, Maul… Rugby is intense!
Have you ever seen a game of Rugby? If you ask most people around here, they have never seen a Rugby game, nor had I until my sons started playing for our High School’s team. It’s an exciting game to watch, and a tough sport!! The players are incredibly intense and physical on the field. I take pictures for our high school’s team and truly enjoy being on the sidelines with my camera. The boys work so hard and the games are very exciting!
Rugby was the origin for American football, so it has some similarities to that game, but also is similar to soccer in the pace of the game. Play continues even though the ball or player carrying the ball is down. There is no forward passing and no blocking, and it seems as if you can kick the ball whenever you want. These and a million other rules, known as ‘laws’ in rugby, make the game very different from football and very hard to know really well! There is plenty of tackling, but there are no helmets or pads. The only protection for the players are ‘scrum caps’ and mouth guards. The boys do enjoy the camaraderie that rugby teaches them, both on and off the field.
This weekend I am travelling to visit my son and watch his college rugby team play, I can’t wait! Rugby players often continue playing the sport as adults and I anticipate my boys will as well. Below are some recent shots of our high school team. Notice the expressions on their faces, this game is intense!!!!
Bright Baby Blues
Aren’t babies just the most adorable? There’s nothing like holding a baby! And to me, motherly love (both parents, actually) is the most beautiful thing there is. I could photograph a mother and her baby all day.
This past weekend, my niece and her 4-month-old daughter came to visit and we were all so excited to have them! It is wonderful having a baby around, even with the inevitable fussing and crying. We love having them visit and I adore photographing them! It was unusually warm, so we went to the beach for a walk. Lilah had a blast and looked gorgeous in her new heart-shaped sunglasses. My niece says Lilah will never know what my face looks like because I’m always taking her picture so all she sees is a camera!!! I truly couldn’t decide which pictures to share, so there are a lot… enjoy!
Looks soft, but it’s prickly!
Yes, these photos are of a cactus plant! I had fun shooting lots of pictures of it and these are a few of my favorites. If you’ve read some of my previous posts, you know that I really love abstract photography. There is something about abstract photos that is unique and makes the mind work to process what they are. Or not decipher what the photo is, but just look and appreciate the colors and movement in the shot. I do like strong colors in my photos (when they’re not black and white), so I try and process them to take advantage of the colors that were in the original shot. Especially with abstract images, for me a variety of colors and high contrast enhances their look. To make these images, I move the camera while I’m shooting. But for me to like the image, even though they do contain some blur, there has to be some crispness, some area of clarity. Totally blurry doesn’t work for me, although I do see images that other people take that I appreciate even though they are all blur.
All of these images are of a cactus plant that I saw on the hike up Piestewa Peak in Phoenix. In one image I altered the color to more red and oranges to make it different from the others. I do like the curved one because your eye really can’t tell how prickly the original plant was! It was not a cactus that you would choose to touch or get too close to, but for photographing, it worked well!
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