Hidden Treasures

Fall--up close and personal. I tend to prefer intimate views of fall.

Can you believe those reds? Untouched, untweaked.
Resisting peer pressure. "I won't change and you can't make me!"

These intensely scarlet and yellow leaves against the cool grey of the rock really caught my eye.

Beauty is all around you--all you have to do is keep your eyes open.

I love Fall!

THIS is fall to me. Growing up in the Midwest was an explosion of color, accented with exclamation points of green here and there. Can't you just hear the leaves crunching underfoot?
Looking downstream on the Snoqualmie River
Even on a grey misty-moisty Northwest day, these trees at Lake Sammamish State Park glowed through the mist.

the stories this barn could tell!

Saw this great old barn in Utah last week. It looks as if one good gust of wind would blow it down.

belly shots

Ok--so this one is old, but you see a baby in an entirely new way when you get down on their level.

itsy-bitsy mushrooms--the tops were about the size of a nickel, at best.

depth of field

Posting early, since I will be gone next week. Macro shots automatically give you depth of field, so here some of my favorites. Not a macro, but by using my telephoto I was able to throw the background out of focus slightly and bring the orchids forward.

angles

I liked this closer view better than the full-on shot; it gives a more intimate view and I like the juxtaposition of angles that come from this point of view.
Kinda flat, kinda boring...

buildings

I love old barns, sheds, buildings--the more dilapidated, the better. This old shed used to be by the ranger station in North Bend. It fell apart shortly after this picture was taken; a storage unit now occupies its space.
This is an abandoned one-room schoolhouse in Michigan. It was built using gleaned rocks from farmers' fields nearby. Scanned from an old photo (pre-digital) of mine.

a little bit of heaven

I am a water baby. Growing up on the shores of Lake Michigan fostered a deep love for any type of water--oceans, lakes, ponds, waterfalls, streams, creeks, rivulets, trickles, puddles--if it's wet, I love it. There is so much beauty in water, constantly changing yet infinitely soothing.

Chair

The best subject in a chair is a child; I no longer have any of those around, so this is the next best thing!
A little gardening vignette on a bench in my garden.Tried a b&w conversion on this; not too sure about the results, but wanted to see what it would look like without the colors.

20 feet

There's not much within 20' of the computer, but this Oregon Junco decided to peek in the window from the tree outside. Fortunately, I had my camera right there and was able to get him while he posed.

Still Life and Food (if you want to call it that!)

Taken at the new Mt. Everest area at DisneyWorld in Florida. They bought all the "decorative" items in Nepal and Tibet, and used them in building this "world."
Rick ordered deep-fried dill pickles at the Garden Court Restaurant in Salt Lake...I just had to take a picture of them. Bleh! He actually ate most of them, but tried valiantly to sell the rest of us on the idea. Valiantly, but vainly--one bite was more than enough.

Happy place

Rick and I went up to Weeks Falls at Ollalie State Park last week when it was so hot. Being in the woods, dipping our feet in the river, and listening to the river and the falls made it a very happy place!

Hello yellow!

Yellow swallowtail; a closeup of a double ruffled daylily in my garden; and yes, a dandelion. After all, dandelions epitomize yellow!

Daylily; backlit by the sun--it really glowed in the shadows

Hello yellow!

Summer fun is best seen through the eyes of a child.

Emmie loves to blow bubbles to Bear!

What would a blue challenge be without blueberries? I actually figured out how to use the white balance on my camera with this--I was having a hard time getting the blues to look right. Could be sharper, but I'm happy with the color.

This is an old shot, but I love the multiple layers of blues and textures. No polarizing filter.

This was taken in the shade, available light, which seemed to intensify the blues of these hydrangeas.

Hydrangeas and a macro lens...can't beat the combo!

Vivid delphinium blues into lavender. The white "bee" in the center of each flower really sets off the colors.

Untouched, untweaked--I love the "blueness" and the coolness of this shot.

Robin's egg blue, and green green clover. The combo caught my eye.

This is the "blue" that came to mind when I saw the challenge. This was taken on a typically grey Seattle day, but the center of these morning glories just seem to radiate light.

This'll have to do, since I don't have an available subject other than Rick, who refuses to pose. HA!

This was taken outdoors with available light, no flash. It's amazing that I was able to get Emmie to smile. Usually she is the Great Stone Face the minute anyone raises a camera.