Friday, April 12, 2013

SIMPLICITY photo challenge............


'Your journey to expand and practice digital photography skills'

Come join the fun with our hostess Donna of 
Cottage Days and Journeys. 
April's A Personal Photo Challenge 
runs all this weekend.
We'd love to see you share what your eye saw through 
your camera......and Donna's blog has 
helpful articles on getting better photos.

This month's challenge topic is SIMPLICITY - one to 
three photos are requested in your post.
Because I have so many photos in my archives, to 
make this challenge easier I decided to focus on the 
color blue, a color which I love and which seems 
to connect to 'simplicity'.



Mykonas, Greece - November 2012

One day shore excursion of the island with easily 
recognizable white buildings and blue doors. 
Time was early afternoon, windy and overcast. 
One of several lovely island stops on the Venice 
to Istanbul cruise last Fall.
This shot is somewhat unusual for me because it's 
without flowers, vines, trees, shrubs etc., 
just undecorated hard surfaces in the foreground,
and a glimpse of blue ocean and sky in the background.

Taken with my now aging, but much-loved 
Olympus SP59OUZ - a great 
point and shoot I've used worldwide -
it has never disappointed. Rather
slow to capture moving wildlife, however I've 
taken awesome close-up photos of animals in 
Africa with this camera, also great macro shots 
of flowers, insects, home decor and treasures at 
antiques shops etc.


Morning glory - front porch Summer 2012

Also taken with the same Olympus camera.  
No details available, probably a macro 
shot taken mid-morning with the heat of a late 
Summer North Carolina day just building up.
I don't recall doing any editing on this. It was 
perfect with the negative space a great 
background, and the bloom itself almost a silhouette 
but with enough color to make it much prettier 
than stark black and white. 

I'll soon be planting seeds for this Summer's 
Morning glories and Moonflowers, annual 
climbers to shade my front porch.


Iceberg - Lemaire Channel, Antarctica 
January 2013

It's really true, icebergs are not always white, they 
often have stunning shades of blue and green woven into 
graphic patterns.......no color was added to this shot. 

Taken with my Canon EOS7D with Tamron AF18-270mm lens, 
set on P - I just like to make it easy!
Early morning arrival and then cruising cautiously 
through sea ice. This was one of many icebergs 
floating around our ship, the MS Expedition, 
as we slowly entered through a very small 
opening into the channel. 

Incredible rock and ice scenery on either side, Crabeater 
seals, Leopard seals and humpback whales all around us.
Outside temp. was about 40F but wind was blowing and it 
felt much colder being in such close proximity to the ice.
 I recall having to run down get my heavy gloves from my 
cabin to enable me to stay on deck and take 
photos......didn't want frostbite!

Hope you enjoy the simplicity of these photos. 
Each one reminds me of a very special day,  
here at the cottage, or far away in some 
exciting place in the world.

This post is linked to Donna's A Personal Photo Challenge 
for April. 
Hope you'll join us - click here for more info.


24 comments:

  1. Oh... My.... Word! These are Gorgeous!
    Love the blues...

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  2. I had no idea that they weren't all white. Having never seen one in person, I sure enjoyed your photo. Thank you!!

    xxo

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  3. Your photos are spectacularly simple! WOW!

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  4. I knew the first photo was taken in Greece even before I read about it. That shade of blue is unmistakeable. I really love the iceberg photo - they are so majestic and so dangerous!

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  5. Beautiful! I especially love the Mykonas photo. I think I could live there peacefully and happily! :) A photographer told me once that she never alters her photos -- she said you either took good photos or you don't. Simple as that! Your photos are lovely. Best wishes and blessings, Tammy

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  6. amazing shots and that first one is my favorite. Love that blue door that just pops right out at you

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  7. Oh I didn't know about the colors in an ice berg...how lovely. The morning glory is the very essence of simplicity.

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  8. Each one of these is amazing and beautiful examples of the challenge's theme! I absolutely adore the first one of the blue door. Very dramatic, yet simple. And the vivid blue door makes it stunning! I also am quite fond of the morning glory photo with great use of negative space, flowing lines, and a touch of color. Thank you so much for showing that one can achieve great results from a humble point-and-shoot camera, based on these two shots!

    The icebergs are amazing to see in person, aren't they? I loved seeing them in Alaska and maybe we'll spot some more floating by when we're up in Newfoundland this summer.

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  9. Mary, these are absolutely stunning photos! What great selections for the Simplicity Photo Challenge. They are all worth framing. I don't know how you'd choose from your thousands of photos! Beautiful!!

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  10. Your blog really is a breath of fresh air, Mary! I get to travel the world through your photos, and even when they're simple, they provide a whole new perspective on the subject for me.

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  11. The morning glory is a beautiful flower and the way the stem runs through the photo, it adds the perfect touch. Looks like something an artist would want to copy. Love all of your beautiful photography! Happy Spring my friend! We're still in Florida but hope to be in the mountains of NC soon!

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  12. Oh Wow!!! All great photos but the first one, the textures, the blues, wonderful!

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  13. Hi Mary, so glad to find you again. I knew you were still blogging but forgot your new name. Recognize your photo. Some great shots and I just love the first one. The Blue Door. Blessings
    QMM

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  14. These are pretty amazing. I love all three. The first one is my fav with the blue door. It beckons.

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  15. Your shots are stunning, as always. Love the bright blue door in the first one, the look of the morning glory suspended in space in the second, and the lovely lines running through the icebergs in the third. So much to admire in your photos. Stunning simplicity.

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  16. I love the morning glory but am mesmerized by that iceberg - seems superior to any we saw on an Alaskan cruise a couple of years ago. I take lots of shots with my Canon point and shoot but do have the EOS 40D for the serious stuff. Can't believe how many editions have come out since I bought it.
    Judith

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  17. Wonderful photos...wow.
    Amazing one of the iceberg.
    Thank for sharing Mary.
    Loved them all,

    I am with Tammy, I hate altering or playing with my photos
    just sometimes edit by cropping,.

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  18. ALL of these are gorgeous. The first one is my favorite. Love the pop of blue.

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  19. Stunning in their simplicity and truly beautiful, Mary you have chosen some incredible shots to share with us this time and I always enjoy hearing the stories behind each one.

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  20. Wonderful photos for the Simplicity theme.

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  21. Each photo is just amazing! The first so simple and not a flower to be seen. The blue door just takes the flowers place. The second so simple in a single blossom. And the third is just breath taking imagining you traveling there.

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  22. Wow! Three great shots that fit the "simplicity" theme perfectly.

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