We took out the last of the summer flowers over the weekend, which marks the official end of my fresh, flower-filled vases and my cheery bedside decor. Don't get me wrong, I love Autumn, but I'm going to miss going outside and picking a fresh bouquet every few days. If only I could figure out a way to bottle up a little bit of that summer sunshine and those gorgeous flowers to enjoy over the upcoming winter months. I did manage to bottle a little bit with this new photo technique I tried today. I've been practicing using the double exposure setting on my camera, and I think I'm getting the hang of it. The above photo was actually one photo of two different things... a little hard to explain, but fun to do. I'll be posting a few more pics like this in the not-so-distant future. Happy Monday.
He doesn't show it very often. He's mostly a rough-and-tumble little 3 year old who is always playing in the dirt and throwing rocks. He loves all things boy and can RAWR!! like nobody's business. He loves camping and riding on grandpa's 4-wheelers and snowmobiles. He usually has at least one scrape or bruise somewhere on his body from playing rough with the big boys. But, despite all of that, he has another side to him that comes out every once in awhile. It's a soft, tender side. It shows up most often when he's with his Mommy or Grammie. He gets a little quieter and gentler for just a moment, and then snuggles up to you, kisses you on the cheek or gives you fresh-picks flowers from a field. It melts my heart every time. He's going to be quite a little lady's man, I predict. After all, who can resist a boy in camo shorts holding a bouquet of sunflowers, right?
Yeah, me neither....
This week, 'The Click' has been concentrating on the color purple. I haven't been able to get out and shoot as much as I've wanted to this week, but I did manage to capture a few blooms here and there. I've come to the conclusion that purple is easier to find in the Spring. It was a real challenge this week. As for next week? I'm hunting down green. I'll be back next Thursday with a few pics to share. Hopefully, there will be more variety than today's photos.
I know, I know.... I featured flowers last week in my first installment of 'little things'. I wanted to do something completely different for this week, but then I saw these sweet little english daisies practically begging me to photograph them. I couldn't resist. And, since they are another of my favorite things about Spring, I felt like they deserved a little time in the spotlight. Honestly, could they be any cuter?? Spring has been putting on a fabulous show this year, and I'm trying to soak in as much beauty as possible because I know it is coming to an end soon. Within the next week or two, they will all be gone and my summer planting will begin. It's been a cool, crisp Spring this year and the result has been beautiful vibrant flowers. Hope this little splash of pink and purple has brightened your Monday!
I'm starting a new series of posts today called 'little things'. These posts will be about some small, simple thing in my life that brings me joy and make me smile. I'll be doing posts whenever something comes to my attention. I'm mostly doing it to remind myself of all that I am grateful for. The older I get, the more I realize that it's the little things in life that truly make me happy.
Today, I'll start off my series with these cute little flowers that grow in my yard in the Spring. They are called Aubretia. They grow in low-spreading mounds and I have them in several of my flower beds. What makes them so cheerful? Mostly, its the purplish-blue color that I love so much. I'm not sure what the technical name for the color is.... maybe cobalt blue or periwinkle? I'll just refer to it as burple. They come in other colors too, but burple is my favorite by far. They are only around for a short time, but when they are in full bloom my heart sings!! In my mind, they are right up there with the equally precious forget-me-nots.
And so, I dedicate my first 'little things' post to my beautiful burple aubretia. Happy Thursday!!
I've been playing with color today over at Beyond Beyond. My assignment was to make a colorboard. I couldn't resist using this photo of my lilacs as the springboard for my project. They're so cheerful and bright and bring a smile to my face every time I walk past my bedroom window. And, don't even get me started on the yummy smell....
I've been waiting for just the right time to photograph my tulips. I thought they were going to bloom last week, but the cooler temperatures kept that from happening. I've been ho-humming around impatiently looking out the window several times a day in the hopes that I can capture them at the perfect time. Today, I came across the little quote above on Pinterest and it made me think. Am I guilty of this? Especially in my photography? Always waiting for the planets to line up to capture that perfect moment, which often times never comes. And then I started thinking about other areas of my life and realized that it's a fairly common thing for me to put off things until another day "when the weather is better", or "when I have less to do", or "when the timing is right." I have come to the conclusion that this is something I probably need to change. I tend to be a bit of a scheduler. I like to make a plan and stick to it. (My kids will laugh when they read this post) Spontaneity is not one of my strong suits. However, I am surrounded by family members who thrive in this area. I also have several close friends who fly by the seat of their pants on a daily basis. I am constantly in awe of their ability to just drop everything and do something on the spur of the moment. After a couple hours of mulling this over in my mind, I've come to this conclusion: Life is short. Don't wait around for everything to be perfect. It seldom ever is. I've also taken my own advise and shot my tulips just the way they are. True, this may not be a traditional tulip photo, but I like it. It has personality. I even managed to capture a little bokeh.
My first tiny crocuses popped up over the weekend, signaling that spring is almost here. There's something about spring that gives me a rejuvenated feeling. Along with the flowers and trees, I sort of 'come back to life'. It has seemed like a longer winter than usual for me, and I'm looking forward to milder temperatures and sunny skies. I also have big plans to fly a kite this spring:)
We've had a few slightly-warmer days this past week which has caused quite a bit of the ice and snow to melt in the valley. When it comes to driving, that's a good thing. But, when it comes to beautiful scenery to take pictures of.... not so much. With all of the dormant grass and the leafless trees around, I had to take matters into my own hands. I wanted to share a little color on my blog today. Some sunny yellow, orange and greens. Citrus colors, if you will. Just looking at these flowers has given me a touch of Spring fever. If you're feeling a little blah today, go grab a colorful bouquet at the flower shop or grocery store. It just makes the day a little brighter:)
A couple of weeks ago, I had a friend drop by with some beautiful flowers. . . . just because. Don't you just love people like that? I want be one of those people. I couldn't resist taking a picture of them to share on my blog so they could be enjoyed a little longer. So pretty. Thank you friend!
I spent the last 7 years waiting patiently for my climbing roses to reach the top of my arbor and cascade beautifully down the other side. Last Fall they finally made it to the top. And then . . . for the first time ever, they froze in the frigid winter weather and died completely off. Or so I thought. I wasn't the only one to loose my roses. Most of my neighbors lost not only roses, but also shrubs that they had been growing for 15 years. I asked around to see if I should dig the roses completely out and start fresh. The general consensus was that the roses were a lost cause. I was told by a few that even if they started sending out branches, the branches would probably just be suckers that wouldn't bloom at all. I stewed about this for a few weeks. I just wasn't ready to give up on them. I started to see a few signs of life and decided to leave them in for a month or so and see what happened. As expected, the branches started to sprout up, but had no buds on them. At least at first. After the month was up, I started seeing a few buds here and there. Long story short, it has taken all Summer, and into the Fall, but my roses have bloomed beautifully this year and have reached the top of the arbor. Also, the color seems to be more vivid than years past. Perhaps it was just good luck, but I'll take it. Patience really does pay off.
Over the weekend, I pulled out all of my beautiful summer flowers, cut down all of the perennials and prepared the flower beds for winter. It's always hard to let the colors go...especially when they are so vivid from the cooler temperatures of Autumn. Everything looked so clean and crisp (and a little bare) when I put my shovels and rakes away on Saturday night. This morning I woke up for my morning run and saw this cute little pink hydrangea peeking out from beneath its leaves. I don't know how I missed it, but I'm sure glad I did. Something about that sweet little flower warmed my heart, which was really nice since it was FREEZING outside. Winter is definitely just around the corner.
It has been said that nature offers the perfect color palette for each season. I put this to the test today. With camera in hand, I set out to capture an image, analyze the colors in the image, and see if they were indeed what we consider to be autumnal colors.
Turns out mother nature really knows what she's doing. Check out the beautiful warm hues that were just outside my kitchen window today. The flowers may be dying off, but the colors are deep and rich. Try this little experiment for yourself. It's a great guide for yummy colors to wear this fall season.
Per-spec-tive |pərˈspektiv| A view or prospect.
In a photography class I took recently, I was constantly challenged to shoot images from different perspectives. Sometimes this required laying on the ground, sometimes standing on a ladder. It has been a real growing experience for me as I have seen my photography change over the months. I no longer limit my shots to just the straight on, obvious type. I love to experiment with all kinds of angles, different depths of field, different kinds of lighting, etc. I try to photograph each object as it has never been shot before. This mindset usually helps me discover new things about my subject and appreciate its uniqueness. I tend to look at each object differently when I am finished than I did when I started.
I was thinking today about just how much my photography has evolved this year, and how much more I enjoy it. It is more of a challenge to shoot with intention, but there is also more reward attached to it.
Is it possible then, that the same principle could apply to our relationships in life? Perhaps taking time to really pay attention...to look at people and things with a new perspective... to really focus on the moment we are in and appreciate the uniqueness of everyone you come in contact with, is the key to living life more fully. You know, living in the moment and living life with intention. Who knows, it just might broaden our perspective.
Just a thought.....
You know what's better than waking up to the sun streaming through your windows? Waking up to a little love note from the man you love. Such a sweet surprise.
Something you may not know about me is that I have a passion for wildflowers. Yellow ones, white ones, purple ones, it really doesn't matter what color. They are especially pretty in the early morning sunlight. I captured these babies a couple of weeks ago at our cabin. They looked so soft and dreamy. It's hard to believe they will soon be replaced by snow. But, until then, I'm going to keep on clickin' :)
They're here!! My beautiful black-eyed susans.
I wait all summer for them to bloom and fill my vases inside. Something about them just fills me with joy. Their yellow color is to die for and looks so good in every room of my home. And now, my summer is complete:)
