Just because

August Break

The August Break challenge has helped me a great deal with getting back to carrying my camera everywhere and experimenting with my camera.  I may not be posting everyday but I've taken photos almost everyday in a variety of places and with a variety of subjects so today I picked out some just because I like them.

 I took these two photos while waiting in line for the boys to get out of school,  It was a very long line.

 One of my all time favorite photos of Wyatt.

Watching the skies as a storm approached.

This photo was captured as I was walking around the neighborhood.
Hope you

☺☺☺Enjoy☺☺☺
Johnina 

Looking down

Thematic Photographic 305

August break

Both Carmi from written inc and August break  have a theme this week of looking down.  I normally don't do much in the way of photographing with looking straight down.  One of my health issues is balance problems which I have had to deal with since I was a kid.  If given a choice I went up stairs on all fours and down stairs on my bum until I was in third grade.  Given that extent of a problem I became terrified of heights.  I don't look down unless I have to. 

However after looking at the other posts for these challenges, I decided that I didn't have to climb to any height, I simply had to look down.  Fortunately last night the kittens that have caused me to look down and  watch every step; attacked my feet and shoes while I was taking them off and it came to me to photograph them.  They were being awfully cute.  

This morning Wyatt came in to play; I watched from above and it gave me a new perspective.  Even though some of the photo is kind of fuzzy; I really liked the effect and I think I will try to use this perspective more often.

Finally the kittens in a quiet moment.  Even if they were in the middle of the floor at least they were still and I didn't have to dodge them as they ran under my feet.  Peace at last.

☺☺☺Enjoy☺☺☺
Johnina

Summer moon

August Break

Since I'm a little behind on the August Break challenge and since the idea behind it is to get people to look and photograph the world around them, and since I am having a hard time going with the themes, I decided to just look around me and photography what peeks my interest.

We've had a lot of rain here lately which has makes for wonderful and at times dramatic skies.   These photos are of the moon on a cloudy night.  I love the sense of mystery that the clouds impart.

I tried different settings and used my zoom on my camera a Canon Powershot SX30 IS which produced a great variety of  looks and moods.

The clouds finally moved out of the way for a few minutes and I was able to get this clear shot of the moon.

☺☺☺Enjoy☺☺☺
Johnina

Still having fun

August Break - Three

Today's photo for the challenge were these pigeons that my grandsons pointed out to me as we were running errands.  Since they were so excited about them I stopped the car so they could get a good look at them and I could, of course, photograph them.

This was the original photo, not exactly going along with the theme of three, but still in need of some fun I again went with Photoscape to produce the photo on the top.   I used the editor>filters>distorts>3, which is where the three came in.  I know it's a bit of a stretch but it was the best I could do.

I'm not quite sure which I like better.  What do you think?

This last photo is just one I took at the same time.  So glad my grandsons pointed them out to me.

☺☺☺Enjoy☺☺☺

Johnina

Surprised at what you see

August Break- Windows

I am finding that the biggest challenge for the August Break is that instead of taking photos of whatever strikes my fancy and having it speak to me about what I should blog about; I am now doing just the opposite I have the subject matter given, then hunt for a subject to photograph.  I'm finding this to be a whole other mind-set.  I have entered contests where the subject was given then you had a week to find just the right setting to photograph; I've even won some.  Doing this with a one day time constraint is many times more difficult.  With a week or more of time, I can indeed find my subject, take my photo, edit, and tweak to my hearts content so I feel confident in having done what I could to put out a photo I can be proud of.  With this time constraint I no longer have the ability to reflect make changes then reflect again so I'm not so sure.  This challenge is really making me s-t-r-e-t-c-h and make occasional leaps of faith, both of which are good things for me to learn how to do.
My photo for today is of my daughters living-room.  In spite of having little money, she is creative in her decorating.  She also has the courage to try something non-traditional.  I love the plants which is pretty traditional, but then she hangs them over her window like a living valance.  I'm sure that as her plants grow in and up the hardware it's beauty will continue to increase.  Good job Sweetie.
I was also experimenting with my shutter speed for this one and the backlighting was giving me problems so a triple challenge here.
The next photos are ones that were done earlier.

I have often been challenged by photographing windows due to unwanted reflections, but in this case the reflections turn out to be the focal point of the capture.

This was taken as I was walking around some abandoned warehouses that I noticed while I was shopping at one of the busiest stores in town.  I started out photographing from the parking lot and realized that in framing my picture I was trying to avoid the barbed wire fence that surrounds the store.  I figured it really ought to be pretty safe with all the shoppers in the area so I walked across the street to get a better look.  I'm glad I did.

This was taken in an elevator at the art center in downtown Atlanta.  The art center houses the High Museum of Art and the Atlanta Symphony Hall so it makes sense that they would build an elevator with a skylight so you can see the elevator workings.  I thought it was very cool.  I was amazed however at the looks and questions I got as I rode up and down taking the photos as apparently most people never noticed it.  That's what this challenge and my blog is about; seeing the beauty or just plain cool things that surround us.  Look around including looking up, you just might be surprised at what you see.
☺☺☺Enjoy☺☺☺
Johnina

Groundhog's Day

Although this is Groundhog's Day, we here in Griffin don't need a groundhog to tell us that spring will be early this year.  These photos were taken today and it would appear that spring has already arrived.

Enjoy

☺☺☺Johnina☺☺☺

Serendipity-Looking back

Sunset in July

Every cloud has a silver lining or in this case a colorful one.  Just because I am down and out with a broken foot does not mean that I can't find something to enjoy.  In this case I am going back through some of my older photographs and editing them.  This is turning out to be a delightful activity for me.  I am finding new favorites and am enjoying seeing some of the progress I have made as a photographer.  Even with this broken foot there is Serendipity if I but choose to find and follow it.

Early Morning Light

I am using the theme of Glow from Carmi's WrittenInc to show off some of my photos that I am editing.

Explosion of fall colors

Hope you

Enjoy

this as much as I have

☺☺☺Johnina☺☺☺

AEDM Day 7- Red leaf- 400th post

Wow i was surprised when I looked at my stats for this blog to realize this is my 400th post.

I also realized today that when I signed up to do Art Every Day Month yesterday that since I am in the hospital I don't have access to my scanner so I could post my artwork.  However there are other types of artwork that I can create because I do have my computer and my photos. 

I had signed up to do a new note card swap on Swap-bot which was a scavenger hunt for three themes  on three cards.  The themes are leaves, red and nostalgia, so I went on a scavenger hunt through my photos to turn into cards.  I have a purchased Georgia O'Keefe (love her art) card with one of her leaf paintings on it which I will send, but in going through my photos I found this wonderful red leaf photo to edit.

I edited it to look more like a note card drawing and that edit is on the top of this post.

I also found this photo which fits the nostalgia theme, it was already edited, but one that I love.

Or maybe I'll send this one- which I also edited earlier but love the way it turned out.  What do you think?

When I get home I will be able to print them on textured or lightly patterned card stock to finish this art project.

Enjoy

☺☺☺Johnina☺☺☺

Insomnia strikes again

“See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...we need silence to be able to touch souls.”

Mother Teresa of Calcutta A couple of nights ago, I woke in the middle of the night; nothing real unusual  about that. Occasionally when this happens I get photo ops that I would normally never get; and this time was one of those times.  This particular photo is also thanks to Rascal, who normally sleeps quietly through the night, but this night he had to go, bad, and was whining to go out.  There was this wonderful moon outside, just a sliver but the night was so crisp and clear even the dark side was visible.  I just had to try to capture that image, through adjusting the aperture and exposure, putting the camera on a tripod and using the delayed timer I was able to capture this photo.  Not perfect but pretty good considering I only have a bridge camera. I wish I had the words to convey the wonderfulness of that night.   Crisp, clean, clear Air surrounding me- Profound silence Blanketing me- Only an owl Occasionally Quietly hooting- Peace enveloping me. Wonderful awakening Enjoy ☺☺☺Johnina☺☺☺



Frost on the Pumpkin

We had our first frost of the fall yesterday.  The appearance of the 'frost on the pumpkin'.  Since I don't have my pictures and I don't have any pumpkin pictures anyway, I decided to just have some fun and draw a pumpkin for you.  It's been a while since I've done any drawing but zentangle; I'm a little rusty.  I had fun doing the drawing and experimenting with my watercolor pencils and colored pencils.  This is not best work but it is bright and cheerful so I decided to post it anyway.

While I was out walking the dog this morning, yet another frosty morning, I noticed the frost patterns on the roof of my neighbor's house.  I thought they were kind of interesting and graphic in nature.  I then noticed the roof on my house and how very different mine looked.

Apparently the house next door has some heat leaks in their attic, which caused the patterns on the roof.  Our roof was solid in color indicating no leaks.  Pay attention here, whether you are a DIY kind of person or not; if you want to know how well your attic insulation is working, go out on a frosty morning and photograph your roof so you know where you need extra insulation.  I wish I could hire myself out to the contractors in our area to do this, but I'm sure if I give them this idea, they will just do it themselves. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing my frosty mornings from my point of view (I don't have much in the way of editing programs on my husbands computer) even with just basic editing and maybe you can use this idea to help with your heating bills this winter.

Enjoy

☺☺☺Johnina☺☺☺

BTW I did get my computer back today but it is like a brand new computer, no programs but what comes with the computer and no data.  It was all backed up on an external harddrive, but I still have to put it back on my computer.  They completely wiped my computer and physically took the computer apart to get any dust or whatever from the inside, so basically I do indeed have a new computer.  It will however take a little while for me to get it back and up in running so please be patient.  ♥Johnina♥

Disorganized organization

A couple of days ago i opened up my computer only to be greeted by the dreaded blue screen.  Fortunately I was able to start my computer without any more problems; however It reminded me that I had not backed up my photos for about a month.  When I was backing up my files I realized I really needed to organize my photos.  Yet another task that I have neglected lately.

When I was going through my photos I discovered some photos I really liked and don't think I've ever posted so just for fun I am posting just this and that photos.

Hope you

Enjoy

☺☺☺Johnina☺☺☺

PS scroll down to enter my latest give away

Give away #3

Give away #3 Photo Stickers

I have so enjoyed sharing my art that I have decided to do another giveaway,  This time it will be two sheets of stickers with my photos.  Since so many of my followers are artists I thought this would be creative way to share my work.  Mixed media artists can use them in their art, or they can be used on envelopes for mail art, glued to a magnet or any way the winner wishes to creatively use them.

 The photos are 12 to a page which makes them about wallet size. The photo sheet above is one of them and the other one will be a sheet of photos with the choice of theme chosen by the winner. Some ideas might be fall colors, clouds, Christmas, landscapes or whatever strikes the winners fancy.  I have lots of photos with lots  of different themes so hopefully I can create a set of stickers from their theme.  I will post a photo of that sheet when the winner chooses their theme

Rules:

Winner will be chosen on Oct 15

The winner will be chosen using a numbers generator.

Each of the following will count as an entry

1- Leave a comment on any of my posts- please leave a comment on the post itself, you will be automatically entered for each comment

2- Sign up to follow my blog- if you already follow my blog leave a comment on this post

3- List me on your blog as a blog that you follow, then leave a comment telling me so- if you already have me on your blog list just leave a comment on this post

Good luck

and

Enjoy

☺☺☺Johnina☺☺☺

Art swap revisited

This is the mail art that I received today.  What a fun collage.  What a delightful surprise that it came from Brazil.  Of all the foreign countries I could gotten Brazil was perfect.  My son sent two years on a mission in Brazil and speaks, reads, and writes in fluent Portuguese so no translation problems.

I also got lots of loot and since I have been thinking of doing some mixed media art, these will be a great start.

These are a few of my favorites.  I love the little skelanimals, so halloweeny.  I delight in haloween decorations, books, and crafts.  To show my eclectic side I also love bookmarks and collect them; I also love Shakespeare and getting a bookmark of Shakespeare and in Portuguese is just to cool.

This is what I sent out this morning on the swap 'Send a letter, get a letter' off of Swapbot.  The sticker on the envelope and the sticker sheet I sent are all made from my photos.  All of the other items came from suggestions on my partner's profile and of course the Halloween theme paper came from my love of Halloween.

This has turned out to be lots of fun for me and I hope you

ENJOY

♥♥♥Johnina♥♥♥

PS: there was no entries and therefore no winner of my second giveaway so i am going back to the rules of the first giveaway (I had 60 something entries), but would like some ideas of what to give away.  More mail art, stickers of my photos, photos of mine with magnetic backing, a print of one of my photos (suggestions please) or any other craft that I could produce.  Any ideas would be appreciated.



Zentangle Everywhere

This another book I got for my birthday.  Didn't have to ask for it; it was on my Amazon wish list.  Yoga for your Brain is a fun little book with lots of zentangle designs in it.  I do my doodling and zentangle on envelopes instead of my sketchbook, so I can share them.  After I went through this book this is the first envelope I did.                   It was fun to do. Although it was not perfect it was still bright and cheerful to send.  I send out quite a few cards with my photos in them. While the person who received the cards may have enjoyed the photos I decided that doing art on the outside let more people enjoy the cards I sent out. Years ago I would do some art on my envelopes that I sent to the kids and grandkids, but had stopped as I put a lot of effort into the finished picture on the envelope so that I was not sending out as much mail. Now using envelopes instead of my sketchbook; I may not send out my most perfect more elaborate artwork but it is always bright and cheerful and fun for me to do.

This book also pointed out all the zentangle designs all around me.  It gave me a new perspective on some of the photos I was taking and using them in another art form.  Suddenly the close-ups of architectural details that I had been taking were giving me ideas to use in this new (to me) art form.  I think this really came home to me when I saw Kung Fu Panda 2 with the grandchildren.  This movie start out in Zentangle style,  but all through it is ideas in the background for zentangle designs

Look at the windows, columns, floors and ceilings and all kinds of other archetecual details for amazing designs.

I've also found some pretty amazing blogs and websites with zentagle and doodle designs in them.

http://lifeimitatesdoodles.blogspot.com/

Draw, Doodle and Decorate

The Daily Doodle

http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/

Terri's Tangles

ENJOY

☺☺☺Johnina☺☺☺

PS to participate in my give away please click here