Monday, September 7, 2009

Painted Pictures


This is yesterday's pic of the day for the photo challenge. As you can tell, I modified it by applying a PhotoShop plug-in. I'll probably get tired of this look pretty soon, but for right now, I like it. I hope you do too.

Now, here's a quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer's little book Everyday Wisdom. "You're the result of all the previous pictures you've painted for yourself . . . and you can always paint new ones."

I hope you have a wonderful day & a great week. I'll be back tomorrow & hopefully, you'll stop by again.



Live for Today

"Do every act of your life as if it were your last." Marcus Aurelius

Here's yesterday's picture in the challenge of taking a picture every day for a year. By the way, that's harder than you would think. Although this isn't a fantastic picture, I kind of liked the way the light was coming through the trees in my backyard. It was shot on Manual mode at f/8, 1/10 of a second, handheld. I'm sure if I had looked at it at 100%, it would have been blurry, but instead I just applied a Topaz Simplify plug-in to give it a painterly effect. I'll try to come up with something more creative today.

Have a great Labor Day and come back soon. If you leave a message, I'll know you were here. That makes leaving posts much more fun. :)

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Determination of Spirit


This is another poem written by my mom, Geneva Martin. It's from her poetry book, Poems From The Heart. I hope you enjoy it.

A green gold magic rested on the summer prairie grass,
as it bent in stressed submission,
letting covered wagons pass.

They crushed its' gentle beauty for so very many years,
these determined, able people, these adventurous pioneers.

They suffered mighty hardships, which proved their sterling worth,
And many a young American knew the prairie at his birth.

Some travelers lost a needed wheel, as long hot days rolled by,
While others nursed sick loved ones, then watched them slowly die.

They buried them and left them, in the prairie grass somewhere,
with no headstone, and no minister, just tears, and a heartfelt prayer.

The mountains challenged their pioneer strength, but their fortitude didn't bend.
It's a miracle any of them made it. It could have been the pioneers' end.

But these early Americans had tenacity, more than most of us have inside,
To them it was a matter of making it, these pioneers of American pride.

By: Geneve M. Martin

Saturday, September 5, 2009

The Path



"A knowledge of the path cannot be substituted for putting one foot in front of the other." M. C. Richards


Remember that sometimes the most ordinary things make the most interesting pictures. So, when you're out taking pictures, remember to not just focus on the main subject of your photos, but to look around to see what other interesting subjects you can find to photograph.

Friday, September 4, 2009

The Journey



"It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters in the end." Ursala K. Guin


PhotoShop tip: If you want to convert a color picture to black & white, go to Channel Mixer, click on the Monochromatic box and then play with the different colors to get the look you want. If you increase the red enough, for instance, you can give your photo an Ansel Adams type look. This method is much more effective than just converting your pictures to the greyscale.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Happiness



















You get two quotes today, because I just couldn't choose between them. I also couldn't find a picture that expressed the sentiments of the quotes, so I just attached a couple of bison pictures. There will be a photo tip about those pics at the end of the post.

"Count your blessings. A grateful heart attracts more joy, love and prosperity. " Cheryl Richardson

"The key to happiness is realizing that it's not what happens to you that matters, it's how you choose to respond." Keith D.Harrell

When you're photographing people or animals take a close up shot, but also take a picture that gives the viewer a "sense of place". It helps your photos to "tell a story". We were driving through Yellowstone in May & encountered a HUGE traffic jam. It didn't take us long to discover the reason for the problem. Rangers & cowboys were herding a large herd of bison from the western part of Yellowstone to the Old Faithful area. They were on the road and off the road, depending on the terraine. We've been to Yellowstone many times, but had never seen this before. With such young calves, I'm not sure if it was good or bad, though. Often, if they are moved to fast, the calves can't keep up without getting hurt & an injured bison calf will not survive in this wild environment. The treatment of bison in and around Yellowstone is a very controversial topic right now, because environmentalists believe that, for the wild bison to survive, we have to protect the bloodlines of the original bison & not treat them like domestic cattle.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Faith



"When you get to the end of all the light you know and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly." -----------------Edward Teller


I think this is a wonderful quote. After all, isn't this what faith is all about?