SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY.....9-25-2011

1. Low Key

It was hard to choose which low key photo to use, so I narrowed it down to two. I love this prompt because it pushed me to learn about Low Key Photography. My 7 month old grandson came up from Indianapolis this week and we took a trip to visit his great-grandma and great aunt. They have a dog who was fascinated with the baby, so I had to catch them on camera.

 

This second photo is of a spider web adorned with the morning dew or fog. It caught my eye because it looked like beads hanging from the strings.

2. Monochromatic/Analogous Color

We went on a road trip Friday, looking for some good photo opportunities, exploring some small towns in Michigan.  And since it's that time to year to visit the pumpkin patch, we ended up at the Farmer's Market.

3. Circle

I tried to follow the suggestion for a self-portrait for this one, but I liked this photo better. The antique wheel, with its broken spoke, was hanging on the side of an old building and it caught my eye. The shot as was taken in Saugatuck, Michigan.

4. Scarf

I spotted this interesting arrangement in the window of a shop in South Haven, Michigan. The scarf was part of a Halloween display for the small boutique.

5. Phone

I had to get in one more shot of my grandson this week. He was demonstrating that phones are useful for more than just talking.

Ok, one more low key shot....

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY - 9-18-2011

1.  Street Photography

We decided to spend Friday afternoon and evening over at the University of Notre Dame campus. I wanted to take some photos and my husband and I thought it would be fun to join in the "day before the game" excitement. This is a shot of the band practicing their run off the field (but on Friday it was a run across a parking lot), and I happened to catch a young spectator trying to imitate the action.

2.  From a Distance

I captured a shot of the famous golden dome "from a distance".  What beautiful architecture!

3.  Sunday

Sunday is the day we go to church, and I couldn't think of a more beautiful church than the Notre Dame Cathedral. 

4.  Liquid 

This is a shot of the lake and the interesting shadows made by the dock and the ripples in the water.

5.  Behind

We ended up hanging around for the pep rally and I caught a shot of the Fighting Irish band from behind.  All the practice paid off for the band and the team, they finally won a game by beating Michigan State. Go Irish!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY - 9-11-2011

1.  Bokeh

A photo of a hummingbird flying in front of my feeder, right as the morning sun was coming up.

2.  Process of Elimination

 

This is the photo I started with, I thought it was an interesting shot of an Amish horse standing by the back of a store. By process of elimination, I cut out the clutter and focused the shot on the horse's head, the rope and the window (below).

3.  Remember

 

This photo is a shot of my mother's artist box, actually just as she left it. I lost my mother many years ago, but I remember her painting from this box, often creating a oil portrait of someone, or a still life. It's interesting to note that her wooden palette has a little dab of paint left over from each color that she used...which has left quite an interesting collage of hues.

4.  Statues

A silhouette of a statue in a local park, depicting a saxophone player. Since our city was once known as the "Musical Instrument Capital of the World", many of the statues pick up on that theme.

5.  Flying High

In a nearby town, the American flag was flying high above Main Street, showing the town's patriotism and love for our country.

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY - 9-4-2011

1. Stairs

This is the fire escape on the building that houses our local newspaper. I played with the color a little to add some interest.

2. Macro

My favorite fruit!!! Mix with a little yogurt and granola and you have my favorite breakfast!

3. Clouds 

As the sun was rising in the sky one morning this week, the clouds were staying low, covering the lake. It was a very strange view of the dawn, one that we don't see very often.

4. Abstract

Looking through my closet I found some inspiration for this prompt. I photographed some of the abstract patterns I found in clothing, etc., and created a collage.

5. Smile 

I couldn't choose just one, so these are the 4 smiles that bring the most happiness in my life...my 4 grandsons...3-1/2 year old twins, Aaron & Ethan, 9 year old, Drew and 6 month old, Graham.

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY - 8-28-2011

1. Old and New

 

Old -  a photo of a vintage crayon box, my research says it is from around 1890. New - a box of Crayola crayons. I used one of Kim Klaussen's textures to add a little more interest.

2. Night Photography 

This is a photo I took from the end of our pier, with the lights from the house reflecting on our kayaks and on the water. I thought it created some interesting reflections, but realized I have a lot to learn about Night Photography. Since I am a beginner, I can't wait to learn more. (So much to learn and never enough time).

3. Music 

Music could be an old Beatles album cover & record saved from my childhood (I suppose that dates me). Or it could be a photo of a row of saxophones that are part of a marching band sculpture located in a local park. On this one I added a texture I created from an old piece of sheet  music.

4. Cheesy 

Yes, this is about as cheesy as it gets. I talked my husband into posing...trying to steal the cheese from the top of a pile of mouse traps.

5. Sun

I thought this one was going to be easy...sunset, sunrise, sunflowers...(I took photos of them all), but I wanted something a little different, so this is a shot taken very early in the morning, as the sun was just peaking out behind my cherished waterwheel (built by hand with lots of love, by my father).

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY - 8-21-2011

1.  Geometry

 

This is a photo of one of my decorative greenhouses. Taken against the bright sky, the photo really shows off the geometric patterns.

2.  Brushstrokes 

At the end of our pier is a little sanctuary... a great spot to just sit in one the bright turquoise Adirondack chairs and take in the beauty of the lake. I used a Photoshop Brush Strokes filter to get the effect.

3.  Hanging by a Thread

Hanging by a thread....it brought to mind the finely crafted web of a spider. So after some photo exploration, I finally found a good shot under the neighbors deck.

4.  Collage

I put together a collage of photos taken of my "Lakeside Cottage-look" spare bedroom. I added one of the great textures from Kim Klassen Cafe (the one I used was Yesteryear).

5.  On the Dotted Line

When I'm out on my bicycle, my eye is always searching for good photo material to go with the prompts for the week. This is one of the "cooler" parts of our ride and it caught my eye. On a hot day, as we ride down the hill into this cool wooded area, we always appreciate what we call "air-conditioning". But today the camera is "on the dotted line".

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY - 8-14-2011

The week's Scavenger Hunt turned into a special one for me...while searching for the photos that depicted the prompts, I spent some time looking through old boxes of treasures - bringing back lots of old memories. It made some of the photos even more special...

1.  Against the Light

I took this backyard picture of the grass blooms "Against the Light" of the morning sun rising. I caught on camera the beginning of another beautiful day.

2.  Frame Within a Frame

 

The door frames are reflected in the framed mirror hanging in my foyer. I like the contrast of light and dark in this photo, depicting frame within a frame.

3.  Best Part of Your Day

This one was easy for me...I'm totally a morning person and I love exercise, so the best part of my day is riding my bike in the morning and enjoying the peacefulness and beauty of the countryside, before the busy day begins for most.

 

4.  Buttons 

 

My grandmother, who I never really knew (she died when I was 1 year old) was a seamstress and my mother had saved many of the buttons that she had in her collection of goodies. My mother told stories about the advantages to having a mother who could sew anything...she would look through Vogue magazine and pick out an outfit she liked and her mother would make it for her. I have an old box filled with some of the treasured notions, so it was perfect for photographing. If only some of these buttons could talk...

  

5.  Ink 

 

This is a page from my grandmother's cookbook (probably close to 100 years old). Of course back then all of the recipes were hand-written in ink. And the pages even had a few stains probably from the butter, milk or other ingredients used to make the goodies...