March 30, 2012

More flowers in our yard.  I planted the pink Azalea about four years ago and it has blossomed the best this year.  This is a close up and does not show that the plant is not very large.

Linda planted the purple flowers and are very durable with blossoms most of the year.

The last picture is a blossom on a scrub.  From a distance, it does not look appealing, but get in close and it becomes interesting.  Much like people.

March 29, 2012

The bee, like the butterfly the other day, just flew into the picture.  To watch the bee collect pollen for haulin' is like watching a bee with A.D.D.  It bounces from here to there and back to here again, seemingly not concentrating on any one flower.

March 28, 2012

We have always enjoyed Dogwood blossoms.  Some say that they are a reminder of Christ on the Cross by the red coloring on the blossoms that would represent Him being nailed to the Cross and of the timing of the blooms being around Good Friday.

Regardless, thinking about the different varieties; sizes, shapes, colors, and many other unique attributes of flowers, one cannot help but appreciate the awesomeness of God.

March 27, 2012

I drove around the back side of the Atlanta Historical Center at lunchtime today.  I have taken the picture of the Swan House before, but much to my delight was a very picturesque setting down Andrews Street.  I stopped, rolled down the passenger side window and took the shot from behind the wheel.

March 26, 2012

I took a picture two years ago when the building of this chimney was still standing.  The tree was growing out the chimney at that time as well.  The earlier picture is on a different computer and I will search for it to post it.

March 25, 2012

This time of year I am taking advantage of the many flowers that are in bloom.  I am amazed at the variety in Georgia.  Wisteria is one of the flowers in full bloom.  It is a climbing vine and at first glance, could be mistaken for a lilac without the fragrance.  These are not attached to a tree and are growing in an overgrown lot on Canton Highway in Cumming.

March 25, 2012

I took and posted the original picture Tuesday, March 20.  I have included it, along with two that have been post-proccessed.

I am posting them separately to make it easier to choose which one you prefer, even if you do not like the picture.

Click on comments and state if you like it or if you hate it...

Click on the picture once to enlarge.

March 25, 2012

I took and posted the original picture Tuesday, March 20.  I have included it, along with two that have been post-proccessed.

I am posting them separately to make it easier to choose which one you prefer, even if you do not like the picture.

Click on comments and state if you like it or if you hate it...

Click on the picture once to enlarge.

March 25, 2012

I took and posted the original picture on March 22nd.  I have included it, along with two that have been post-proccessed.

I am posting them separately to make it easier to choose which one you prefer, even if you do not like the picture.

Click on comments and state if you like it or if you hate it...

Click on the picture once to enlarge.

March 24, 2012

More flowers from our yard on Saturday morning.  I just checked and the Dogwood and Azaleas are blooming as well.  While I was taking the picture of the Rhododendrons, the Butterfly wanted in on the action.  I had my camera on manual focus and could not re-focus the picture.  Just a quickly the Butterfly arrived, it took off.

Remember to click once on the photo to enlarge it.

March 23, 2012

This dainty flower is part of a plant at our house that has all purple flowers.  We also have two flowers on one of the Knock-Out Rose plants. 

March 23, 2012

This guy would have let me get closer if I had some food. 

March 22, 2012

In this picture, I slowed the shutter speed a little and wiggled the camera as I took the picture.  The different lines are a result of the different lights in the photo area.

This can be done with any number of light sources.  I may try sparklers in the future.

March 22, 2012

Technological advances have been amazing.  Billboards were applied similar to wallpaper and now they are electronic, which offers so much more to those that advertise on them.

I cropped this photo to get rid of some extraneous stuff, such as streets lights, out of the picture.

March 21, 2012

The pollen is a fallin' and the blooms are a bloomin'.  Without the pollen there would be no blooms, which are ever changing this time of year.

The trees are next to a Dunkin Donuts drive thru and the shrub is at a drive up at a Zaxby's.

March 20, 2012

Home Sweet Home.

March 19, 2012

No, that is not a forest fire.  It is sundown this evening in our back yard.  It is not over-powering, but a peaceful sunset.

March 18, 2012

I doubt that one could guess how this picture was taken and from where it was taken.

Inquiring minds want to know.  I was sitting at our breakfast table and put a round tube against the lens aimed out our kitchen door that has the screen.  The tube was a little off centered and there was a reflection which looks like a pond. 

March 17, 2012

After all, it is St. Patrick's Day.

March 17, 2012

Same bird; different camera and lens.  The previous pictures were taken with a 200mm lens and I covered myself with a green blanket and not because it is St. Patrick's Day but due to trying to blend in with the area.  I was covered head to foot with only the lens of the camera sticking out.

This picture was taken though a window with a combination window on top of that.  Obviously, not a clear, but the bird is closer due to the 400mm lens.

March 17, 2012

Checking out the neighbors and the neighborhood.

March 16, 2012

Traffic lights can be of a longer than wanted duration but today, as I was waiting for the light to change, I glanced to my left at the median and saw this setting.  I picked up my camera and took a couple of picture before the light changed.  A pleasant surprise.

March 15, 2012

The Atlanta Historical Museum is near where I work in Buckhead and it is a very nice place to visit.  Here are a few flowers that are in bloom.  Click once on a picture to enlarge it.

March 14, 2012

This pretty little flower (1" across) is from all things, a weed in our back yard.  I should have use a tripod in stead of hand holding the camera.  The tripod would make the picture sharper.  There is a small amount of shake when holding the camera in one's hands.

March 13, 2012

Often, I arrive home in the early evening and have not taken any pictures for my project of taking pictures every day during 2012 only to come up with an idea or I will see something that catches my eye, as this dandy-lion.  One of the benefits of having such a goal is that you become more aware of the photo opportunities and seeing things from a different perspective.

I took a picture similar to this last year but I did some processing with this one.  Click once on the picture for a better view.

March 12, 2012

Can you guess what is this picture? 

It is the bottom of a plastic tennis ball 'can.'  I placed it on one of my lenses and took the picture aiming it at a light, which seems to have given it a metallic look.

March 11, 2012

The mower is in front of an old barn at the intersection of Atlanta Highway and
Shiloh Road.  I stopped at the home there to asked permission to take some pictures and they graciously said yes.

The sun was high and I had difficulty because it was over-exposing/bleaching out the nice colors.  I did not have a proper filter to put on the lens to cut down on the brightness.  That is why I love Photoshop Elements.

March 10, 2012

These flowers are Gerbera Daisies, one of many species of daisies.  Both from the same pot that Linda brought home yesterday.

The pink daisy is 'as is' and the white daisy has a vignette, which I did in post processing.  It is not as white as it is in reality due to the low incandescent lighting.

March 9, 2012

This robin was perched on the fence when I parked my car tonight.

March 8, 2012

I took some pictures of this house in Atlanta (Brookfield area) to submit  them to a program of the window manufacturer.  The windows are Integrity Windows made by Marvin Windows.

The stonework and brick look great.  Like most house in this area, one has to tear down an older house in order to build a new one.  There are almost no build lots left.  I this area, you will see a relatively 1950s ranch next to a humongous home.

March 7, 2012

I learned a new function on my Photoshop Elements 9 software and it is using gradient colored text. Here is an example.  I typed the text and then added the gradient colors, which can be changed based on available color gradient palettes.  again, if one clicks once on the photo, it will enlarge for better viewing.

March 7, 2012

The moon tonight is gorgeous and the picture did not do it justice.  A 500mm lens would have been nice to have for shooting the moon.  I think that this moon is called the Worm Moon and I will have to Goggle it to find out why.

the other picture is of the light outside our front door. 

March 6, 2012

The contrast of colors caught my eye. 

March 5, 2012

Yes, another flower bed, but after a drab Winter it is refreshing to behold.  Soon, everything will be in bloom.

March 4, 2012

These photos are from the intersection of McFarland Parkway and Shiloh Road in Alpharetta, GA.  I forgot to get the name of the sculpture's artist, but he did a fantastic job.  The title is "PRIDE" and you can see it in the mother's eyes. 

The pale pink Tulips add much to the flower beds.