Hilton Head Island

For This or That Thursday, I thought I'd share some of my Hilton Head photos. I've been so busy this week getting back to reality and only started processing some yesterday. Hilton Head is truly one of the most beautiful places I've been to...we started going there on vacation when my husband and I were first married 28 years ago. We stopped for awhile when our annual family beach reunions took us to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (another fantastic place). But then we resumed with Hilton Head when our daughter was about 12. We've been going every year since! The beaches are wide open (and not too populated), and you can even ride bikes on them. There are gorgeous nature paths everywhere, for both walking and biking. There's also plenty of restaurants and shopping within a short drive. I started processing my photos in order, so I haven't even gotten to the ocean yet! But here are a few of my favorites so far. These were all taken on our daily walk to the beach - it's about a ten-minute walk from our rental, and it's absolutely beautiful. We have to walk over marshland to get to the ocean.

Ocean as Cathedral

Kim's prompt for Texture Tuesday this week is to post an image centered around a quote. We just returned from our beach vacation this past week, so I had to post a photo of the ocean at Hilton Head...walking beside the ocean is my most favorite place to be. There's something so spiritual for me about being near the sea...the water connects with my most inner thoughts in a way I can't explain. I only know that it's profound and comforting in a way that no other location is (except for, perhaps, deep in the silence of the woods). I experience such clarity...my thoughts flow freely and I feel an invisible, yet powerful, presence. For my quote, I'm using a few lines from a poem I wrote about my love for the ocean and the way it makes me feel. I used Kim's "Vintage" texture with this image, at Overlay/28%. The font I used is called "Sunshine in My Soul".

OCEAN AS CATHEDRAL

A spirit in my feet leads me
To stop walking in circles
And pray, linear, by the ocean
Where delicate, strong things
Stir from my depths
Like the whale’s backbone
Quiet and hidden

The sea turns its ear softly
Hearing the unspoken words
From my soul
Those hallowed things
That no one ever knows
Those gold and silver tears
That never flow

Thoughts become translucent
Each wave a simple hymn
With something new to sing
The soothing of my fragile frame
As a heron glazes the waves
And seagulls fly like small
White souls hovering

Truths in my hands unclench
Releasing their philosophies
Battling the water
Tested for their strength
Some sinking like stones
And drowning
Others breaking the surface
With their absolutes

The best are washed back ashore
Catching the light of the sun
Clinging to the ragged rocks
Of my hopeful longings
The ocean is my cathedral, and
Revelations from my heart
Float freely atop
The deep and sacred sea.

© Sherri Brannon

Back to Reality

Hi there, my blog friends! Hilton Head Island was beautiful...we got back home yesterday and I hope to get back on track with my blog this week. I couldn't resist posting just one photo of the beach. I took hundreds of photos and can't wait to share more of them in the coming weeks. We got very lucky with Hurricane Beryl while down south - the worst of it came Monday evening and into Tuesday, but for HHI it was just windy and rainy for about 24 hours. The rest of the week was paradise, as always. To all who stop by, it's good to see you again and I can't wait to get back to my weekly prompts!

Gone to the Beach

No blog posts from me for the next week - my family and I will be spending some time at Hilton Head Island. I'll be taking lots of photos! This is one of my favorite images from several years back, doing our favorite thing: taking a walk on the beach. Thanks for stopping by and I'll be back soon!

Photo Art Friday

For this week's Photo Art Friday, we were to create an image using something abstract from nature. I chose this photo I took of a tiny yellow flower growing from between two bricks (and also surrounded by various leaves from other plants). I added several textures from old book flyleafs (they're a great source!) and also some text. I put the image into Radlab for a final tweak. Click on Bonnie's button below to visit some other wonderful creations!

Wild Dogwood

We have a wild dogwood tree in our yard, and it always blooms after our "store bought" ones. It has pretty white flowers, and I enhanced them this week for Flower Art Friday. I added a subtle pattern to them using a reverse layer mask, and also added a crackle texture to make the image look more painterly. I also put it into Radlab and used several filters until I liked how it looked. Click on the button below to visit Leanne's blog and see more photos!

Camera Apps are Awesome

I love my iphone and all the wonderful camera apps I can use...it's becoming addicting! Just this morning I was excited to discover a new feature on Instagram I didn't know about. If you click on the "tear drop" at the top of the Instagram screen, you can choose either the circle or the rectangle and it will pinpoint an area that you can move around (or enlarge) with your finger(s). Whatever is outside of the circle or rectangle becomes very blurry, and whatever is inside remains in sharp focus. It's awesome! Here's an example:



Also, I discovered another new app called "Picfx", which costs $1.99. It has filters and textures, etc., but its best feature is the "Light" section. There are bokehs, including a couple of heart ones! I took the photo below of my Ruby (using my iphone) and then brought it into Picfx from my camera roll. I used Picfx to make it black and white and add the heart bokeh. I then saved it and put it straight into Instagram (Picfx lets you do that)...once there, I used the teardrop/blur feature and added one more Instagram filter to lighten the photo. I love how this came out!



There are so many wonderful apps out there! I think I need to start pacing myself...