Macro Monday

It's macro monday again at Lisa's Chaos. I took this picture of my cosmos over the weekend. I do worry that I seem to take too many flower shots and don't tend to use my macro for other things. I know macro lenses are great for portraits but my family are fed up of posing for me and I'm not brave enough to go up to strangers whereas flowers happily sit for me. Do you use your macro for other subjects? what do you find it great for?

Sunday Creative

The theme for the wonderful Sunday creative at Madeline Bea's is illuminate. It's nearly 6pm here and after a horrendous day of rain the sun has appeared for the golden hour. I just went into the kitchen and shaft of light was on the floor, I took this picture and then tried to go back for more but it has already gone. Do have a look at the other posts or join in!

Roses

I have a rather messy garden, I see it as an extension of my house and mind, and at the moment it is suffering from that end of summer look but come September when everyone is back at school I will blitz the house, start a new course for my mind, and tidy up the garden for winter. I'm sure I should be spraying and trying to get rid of these rust spots and the little black things that collect all over the stems but I see beauty in imperfection so for now everything can just wait.

Horses

I took the dogs for a lovely long walk this morning. I don't tend to take my camera out with me on a dog walk and I think I should as there is so much going on in nature all the time. I decided to take some pictures of the horses in a nearby field, one was very obliging and stood still and allowed me to set my camera - I work in manual so it takes a while to get it right sometimes. I do love horses and envy everyone who has a passion for riding. I like to pat them occasionally, call them what I think their name is - black beauty, Trigger, or dobin - and then I walk away.

365 days a photographic journey

Madeline Bea has decided to begin another 365 days of taking photographs and is inviting others to do so as well. She takes the most wonderful photographs and has a very inspirational blog and what she is going to do with this journey is create a community and offer tips she has learnt along the way, she has already written an invaluable list. It's about the journey of learning and improving from taking one picture a day so please join too.

Pomegranate

I love pomegranates, I cut them in half then bash them with a wooden spoon over meringues like Nigella says and as the seeds fall out they cover the white meringue until it resembles a scene from CSI Miami.

It's macro friday again at Blogging for Bolivia, it's such fun seeing what everyone else has posted, do have a go too.

Practice, practice, practice

I treated myself to the canon 24-70mm the other day as it had been on my wishlist for ages. Everyone always says how wonderful this lens is but I must confess I am struggling with it and wondered if anyone else felt the same. I do suffer from shutter shake but I know that I have to keep practicing and eventually it will come together, I remember when my son came home with his new tennis racquet and said 'it doesn't do backhands' so I could be in the same boat! Did anyone take a long while and lots of deleted photos to get it right?

I used it this morning to photograph the flowers I picked from the garden, when I zoom in when downloading to lightroom I just don't seem to get the clarity of my other lenses, any suggestions gratefully received.

Black and White Wednesday

It's black and white Wednesday at the long road to China. At the beginning of the summer holidays I made my teenage children play cat's cradle whilst I photographed their hands, none of us could remember how to play it properly, it's amazing how quickly you forget those lovely old fashioned games.

sweet shot tuesday

Today is sweet shot tuesday over at 'my 3 boybarians', a wonderfully creative blog.

I went out first thing this morning to photograph my cosmos, it was a lovely sunny sparkling summer morning when everything looks just so beautiful and now at midday it's all cloudy again - the English summer...

Orient

The theme for the Sunday Creative is Orient. We used to live in Hong Kong and one of the things we liked to do was use fortune sticks. You shake the container of numbered sticks until the first stick jumps out as the naturally chosen indicator of your future. You then read the numbered passage in the text provided, which is written in poetic form to aid your future memory, and consider its meaning in relation to your own life. They say that the particular stick does not guarantee your future just as a road sign points your way but you must decide and travel the route yourself.

Macro Monday

It's macro monday again, each week seems to go by so quickly. I took this picture yesterday of one of the wild poppies that had appeared in my garden over the summer. I find that the last days of nature are just as beautiful as that first bud.

Socks

I inherited this old sock darner years ago, I have never used it, it just sits on a shelf and every so often I like to pick it up and feel it. It is amazing to think that once people used to darn their own socks, now it is so easy to pop off and buy a back of six for absolutely nothing.

I decided to photograph it the other day. One of the wonderful things about photography is that it makes you look at things differently, tactile objects that inspire you, everyday objects that would look good in macro or that catch the light in a way you wouldn't normally notice. Sometimes I find myself doing an imaginary 'click' when I see something, does anyone else do this?

Macro Friday

I did a bit of weeding before we went on holiday but the garden has taken on a life of its own and is need of a serious clean up. I love rusty old garden tools, I always forget to tidy up at the end of a day of weeding and so I have a few forks left in flower beds.

See other macro friday shots at blogging from Bolivia - such a great weekly challenge.

Italy Fellini style

Whilst I was sitting at a cafe on the beach in Sardinia I watched this man roll then smoke his cigarette, I know it's not now politically correct but he was enjoying the art and the act, and I found myself transfixed.

I thought he looked so interesting and really wanted to take more pictures of him but wasn't brave enough to speak to him.

Italy Fellini style

I decided not to take my canon 7d on holiday as it was a beach holiday and I knew it would get covered in sand so I bought a canon powershot which has a manual feature. I thought I would try and capture the Italians in the style of the 60's and the days of Fellini and Sophia Loren etc.

I loved these two men ordering espresso at the bar, they could be straight out of the 60's - no boardshorts for them.

I find the Italians very glamorous and self assured, much more so than the British and they were oblivious to my camera.

Black and White Wednesday

I am again participating in black and white Wednesday over at the long road to China. We just got back from the most wonderful week in Sardinia, the weather was fantastic, the sun and sea and food all made for a perfect week. I loved sitting on the beach watching all the lovely italian children, couldn't resist this shot.

Black and white wednesday

I am participating in black and white wednesday. This man was enjoying the sun on the beach at Whistable, it is all pebbles but he had obviously got comfortable.

Sunrise over the hops

I live next to the hop fields and went out early this morning with my camera. The flowers are getting bigger each day and soon the hop pickers will arrive and set up camp for a few weeks whilst they harvest. It is a wonderful time of year with the smell of hops in the air and the noise of the tractors and the machines going day and night. Most of the methods of hop picking have barely changed over the years although they no longer pick on stilts.

sweet shot tuesday

I went to Whitstable beach on Sunday and took this picture, typical English beach with lots of pebbles, eventually it's possible to get comfortable on them!

Macro Monday

I found Macro monday through Ashley Sisk's wonderful blog so thought I would give it a go with a picture I took this morning of my clematis and friend.

Raw

The theme for this weeks Sunday creative is raw. Madeline Bea is so talented and I love the prompts she comes up with each Sunday. I thought these garlic bulbs fitted the description, all ready to be chopped or crushed.

Under the microscope

I went to the saturday market yesterday and saw this lovely old microscope and box of slides, it was a bargain so I decided to have it and of course it doesn't work but it looks nice and will come in handy for more pictures no doubt. I read somewhere that its good to have a collection of props to use for photographs so this is number one of my collection. I am still playing around with lightroom so added an antique tone and a film grain.

lightroom

I upgraded to lightroom 3 yesterday and it has a whole load of new presets. I was playing around with them yesterday and transformed this ladybird and flower to another world of faded colour. I see all these amazing textures that people apply to their pictures and I am so envious as I really don't know how they do it.

Macro Friday

I am participating in macro friday for the first time today, it looks a great idea. Here is a picture of my clematis flower.

Birthdays

Today my daughter Alice turns 19. She is currently having a wonderful time in Asia before exam results and (fingers crossed) university in September. It's the first time I haven't spent her birthday with her, it seems very odd.

Happy birthday xxxxx

Early morning run

I went for a run early this morning with the dogs to Whistable near where I live in Kent. I usually run through the woods and the change of scenery and route was totally invigorating. Running is such a mental thing don't you think? Sometimes I can run for forty minutes, sometimes I drag my feet after fifteen. Does anyone else feel like this? where is your perfect run and how long do you run for?

sweet shot tuesday

I took this picture early this morning, the wasp didn't seem to mind.

Shapely

I am participating in the Sunday Creative and the prompt for this week is 'shapely'. This salt pot is designed by the very shapely Nigella Lawson and I felt it was very apt.

The August break - day 1

Today is the 1st of August and for the next 30 days I will be participating in the August break. This cosmos and bug friend were very obliging this morning. I love photographing early morning when the bugs are still a bit sleepy and happily let me take their photographs.