5ive more sleeps!! Circles of Love, textures and more!

Yikes!

Where has the time gone??

Busy week ahead before the big day...

...so combining several shots/prompts into one post.

We finally got some much needed rain yesterday, thunderstorms included! 

(gotta love a good T-storm!)

In between the torrents

I managed to get out and grab a few shots of my one clematis plant 

that hasn't succumbed to the heat and drought...

This shot seemed just right for Lisa's Macro Monday and
for Bokeh Wednesday

We also took a trip up to our wedding venue,
the gardens of a Victorian farmhouse just north of us.
The weather on the drive up provided an opportunity
for a good SkyWatch Friday shot

***

Sorry about more wedding type shots...

trying to find just the right one for our album

and we all know how indecisive I can be!

As it happens they are a good fit

for the 52 Photos Project "Circles" prompt

as well as Texture Tuesday (any two of Kim's textures)

and Photo Art Friday (using one of Bonnie's gorgeous celebratory textures)

The above shot was created with several layers:
a photo of our invitation and one of our rings over the words on a piece of white paper
these were then layered with two of Kim Klassen's textures "chase" and "let go"

In this photo (I call it "Circles of Love")
our rings are on two pages of Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet"
open to the passage about love...

and then processed with Bonnie's celebratory overlay called "Drips of Rainbow" 

available over at Pixel Dust Photo Art.
I just love the way the ring reflection becomes a heart!!

My final shot, taken on my way in from the rain yesterday,
seems to perfectly capture my current state of mind
and a shot for This or That Thursday!

I really do feel like I am going in circles!

I am hoping to get back to visiting everyone's blogs again next week...
(I have a lot of catching up to do!)

Also posting to Flowers for Leontien
Have an awesome week everyone!!
See you on the flip side!


Janet


P.S. If you haven't already checked out the fabulous photography 


at any of these sites, why not do so now??

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Ooo yes!



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Bokeh Wednesdays

http://skyley.blogspot.ca/





(Phew)

macro monday 9.7.12 - opinions invited

A few quick pics for today's Macro Monday post!

I took this first one last Monday and was tempted to replace that day's post!

I thought this little explorer on my phlox was kinda cute!

The extremely high temperatures (for our area) combined with the lack of rain 

have been very hard on my clematis this year...

...and that is precisely why we have cameras!

To preserve our flowers and allow us to look at them in the freezing cold of winter

and remember when it was even too hot for the clematis flowers!

A little too late, I heard that they don't like to have cool 'feet'.

I think I need to find a way to protect the roots from the sun and heat!

Okay so I have decided to add a few more...

These pictures, were taken this weekend after we picked up our wedding bands?

and

who better to get feedback and suggestions for the final cut

than all the amazing photographers at Macro Monday??

Would love your feedback!

There are always amazing shots over at Lisa's Chaos on Macro Monday's

Head over and have a peek and/or post one of your own!

Have a great Monday!

{A Different Pathway} 52 photos project yr2 wk11

Have you ever driven to work or somewhere that you go daily

and when you arrived had no real memory of where you had been

or what you had seen?

Sometimes I felt like my mind was on auto pilot when I drove the 68 km to work each day...

other than paying attention to the traffic, especially when I was in the city,

I realized that I could not recall going through a particular intersection, 

or seeing a certain store that I knew was along the route.

Not being a routine oriented type of person...

this driving without thought of where I was going was scary!

When I felt the way I described above,  I knew it was time to change up my route!

Now that I am free as a bird I generally walk in a different direction every day on my photo walks

Recently I realized that when I walk through one particularly beautiful park near home

I follow the same path every time...

possibly because it is paved, which somehow makes one feel 

like that is where you are 'supposed' to walk

but also because the flowers and trees are so beautiful along the way

Not being one to follow the rules and,

 no longer having to pretend that I follow the rules

(kids are grown)

 I guess it was only a matter of time before I decided to follow the train tracks 

that I usually crossed to get to the path

 The Mister, not being a rule breaker or, as he puts it,

 a "risk taker"

decided to continue along the 'official' path with the dogs...

even though I assured him that there would be sooo much more to see

off the beaten path...

while I walked down the tracks and then turned off into a meadow

crossed the river (which truly is more like a stream!) 

and travelled a little deeper into the woods

these pretty flowers are everywhere...even along the 'real' path..

I was beginning to lament my choice to take the 'road less travelled',

exhausted and eaten alive by swarms of mammoth mosquitos, 

and not having been rewarded with anything I couldn't have seen 

from the path the Mister chose...

Until ... 

I spotted this lovely couple having a romantic dinner

while the kids played further down the stream...

one of whom, it appears, also chose to follow a different path 

as the others continued along their way - but a diligent caregiver corralled the wayward one

YAY! I had something to show for my different path...

but I have to admit...

 there was comfort in seeing the Mister and the puppins at the end of the other path....

where I proudly shared my
"You should have seen the ducks" tales

...

but nothing about my exhaustion of climbing the hills, 

or the twist in my ankle from slipping in the stream

or the one million mosquito bites...

...

It was worth every one!!

Posting to 52 Photos Project

photo art friday 6.7.12 - architectural edition

Not far from my home was the site of an old tannery from the early 1800's...

Some years ago a developer built a very high end mall on the site

which, of course, came to be known as The Old Tannery Mall.

The architecture is quite stunning (I think)

but apparently the developer neglected to note that this small community 

is surrounded by farmland

and the mall just didn't seem to be able to maintain its high end retailers...

It is now home to the local GO train station,

(commuter trains to the big city on weekdays)

a private vocational school,

a few government offices and

program space for the nearby hospital...

One day earlier this summer, while participating in one of these programs

 I took my camera along to capture some of the beauty of the place

looking between marble balusters from the third floor to the coffee shop on the main floor

looking straight out over the second floor and the countryside to the north

those trees in the centre of the mall are all real!

this round balcony overlooking the main floor 

is very popular with local wedding photographers

looking up to part of the second floor - note the detailed work on the ceiling

straight up fro the main floor

I LOVE the natural light that the huge glass roof provides

looking up to the place where the first photos were taken from

a cleverly disguised elevator shaft

marble fountain reflecting an arch and a headless looking photographer...

that would be me *lol*

beyond the fountain

a hallway from a mall entrance

the archway and door into unoccupied space 

that apparently was once a very high end restaurant.

I love so many things about the architecture of this building

perhaps most, the mixture of old and new styles...

Busy getting ready for our wedding 

so didn't have a chance to experiment with textures yet

so sharing SOOC with Photo Art Friday - architectural edition.

Have a peek at the amazing art on display there now!

skywatch friday 6.7.12

At this time of year 

I generally enjoy my morning coffee on the back deck...

It has provided me with many awesome sunrises!

But,  I have been hearing from my neighbours

(who know me as "the woman who is always out taking pictures)

that the place to be in the early morning

is the front porch!

I was told that an abundance of wildlife awaits my lens!

Apparently foxes, skunks, groundhogs, chipmunks, raccoons

 and all manner of bird species hang out in front of the house!

Not that long ago there was a bear across the street...

and once,  just before I moved here a few years ago

there were even elephants!!

(that story here)

So today I decided to take my coffee and camera to the front porch!

Alas,  I saw only one skunk who scuttled under a deck 

to escape the attack of an outraged crow!

Well, there were squirrels galore and cardinals

but they were all heading off to their work day in too much of a hurry

and to far away for me to capture them well...

But what I did get...

was an nice shot of the moon 

before the brightness of the sunlight rendered it totally invisible!

Perfect for SkyWatch Friday!

Check out some incredibly amazing sky shots at:

http://skyley.blogspot.ca/

happy bokeh wednesday - an invitation

bo·keh 

noun: /bōˈkā/
 a Japanese term for the subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of a photographic image

I participate in a great flickr group on Wednesdays...

no blog post is required
you simply post one favourite bokeh photo of the week to the group.

Since it isn't a part of the process, I have never blogged about it
but it occurs to me that maybe others may not be aware of the group
and might like to join in the fun.

So today I am posting my
"Happy Bokeh Wednesday" photo here
as well as a link to the group info page.

These photos are all SOOC and were taken at dusk...

I like the way the first one captures the flowers
but the bokeh isn't as lovely because I used the flash
I like the bokeh better in the second, using the natural light of the setting sun behind it

same story below with these clematis "twirly things"
(can someone tell me the proper name for these delights that the clematis leaves behind?)

The flash photo, above, shows the sheen of the central 'flower'
but I love the golden bokeh in the background 'flowers'
in the second, naturally lit shot

I haven't decided which to post for Happy Bokeh Wednesday
but wanted to extend the invitation to

Please join us at Bokeh Wednesdays

       
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