Look Up for Color

It seems that one of the few places I can find vibrant color outside during February is by looking up...this is the view I saw when looking straight up at the sky while standing on my deck. The blue was so brilliant, but of course I warmed it up a bit with filters to get my favorite color in the whole world: robin's egg blue. I can't help myself. I took this shot this past week on one of our amazingly warm days.

Parchment Sky

I captured this image with my iphone while stopped at a traffic light. I love how the sky looks like a page with blank lines, ready to write on. This is my submission for Kim's Texture Tuesday - I used her "sweet tart" texture at Multiply/50%. I then warmed it up a little in RadLab.

Country Field

Lisa at The Creative Exchange has asked us to pick a photo that we felt compelled to take but weren't sure why...a photo that tells a story. I stumbled upon this image while out driving in the country with my husband. We love to turn down random country roads that "lead to nowhere" and see what beauty we stumble across. My husband is always ready for my sudden, "Pull over here!" I loved the feel of this location - it was completely quiet and there was no other traffic. The hay bales (is that what you call these??) were proof that a family owns this land and works hard to make their living. The flowers had obviously been lovingly planted on this corner, but the farm house itself was nowhere in sight. The clouds were heavy and it smelled like rain as the birds sang softly from the trees. The hand-built stone wall reminded me of the rich history of Virginia. Did Civil War soldiers lean against this wall for rest? Whose hands built it stone by stone, and what were their lives like? Was a battle fought right in this spot? This image felt like history, and family, and callused hands roughened from hard work...every time I look at it, those emotions return to me.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Today I'm going to try my hand at Scavenger Hunt Sunday...each week, you are given five prompts and have to present a photo you've taken for each. If you want to give it a try, click on the button at the bottom of my post! This week's prompts were ones I felt I could handle, so here goes:

1. Strike a Pose: My daughter posed for this shot - I like how her sweater coordinates perfectly against the backdrop of winter with all its browns, taupes, and grays.


2. Footwear: Again, thank you to my daughter for modeling, and for her love of shoes...these cute purple ones were a gift from Santa. :)


3. Hobby: I love to paint and have been trying to do more of it. This was some dabbling I did earlier this week.


4. Shiny: There's nothing shinier around our house than my husband's lovingly polished Harley Road King.


5. Color Me Green: For the first time I can ever remember, our daffodils were sprouting as of January 31st. The warm winter temperatures have teased them out early - I sure hope they'll be OK!


And there you have it...a mishmash of pictures, but I hope you enjoy them. Happy Sunday!

Me and My Shadow

This is my submission for Photo Art Friday this week...we're supposed to submit something that surprised us in some way. What I love about photo art is that every time I create a new altered image I'm surprised! That's why I love it so much - you never know what you're going to end up with, and there are no mistakes. This was a photo I took a few days ago while outside in this freakishly warm weather we're having. It was a sunny day, so the dark, middle strip is actually my shadow as I bent down to take a closeup of some moss and a single leaf on our patio stone. I used Bonnie's "Blue Me Away" Texture - Pin Light/100%. I then multiplied it at 57% and increased the saturation. Then I put it into RadLab and used Oh Snap! and Prettyizer at 100%.

Blue Skies and Cotton Candy Clouds

Yesterday was February 1st, and it was 70 degrees. For the second day in a row! The winter this year has been mild, to say the least - I couldn't be happier. I hate cold temperatures, so this has been a breath of fresh air. I captured this image right outside my back door...if it weren't for the bare tree limbs, you'd think it was a sunny June day! Blue skies and cotton candy clouds...

The Dancer

No photography prompt for me today because this photo was a collaborative effort, taken by my husband and then post-processed by me. But it's one of my favorite photos of my daughter in dance mode, and I wanted it here on my blog. This is another Hilton Head shot, and I wanted to give it a sun-kissed look. RadLab helped me to do that - their filters are wonderful! The quote is so fitting - the love dancers have for their craft comes from the heart and soul.