As the name of my blog indicates, I spend a lot of time thinking about home. Of course, my Heavenly Home is the one that is eternal, so that’s where I need to lay up my treasures, and that’s the one I’m striving for. But in the meantime, I have been given this tiny piece of the here-and-now—this home on the edge of town, this family, this neighborhood—in which to serve Him. And, though this is in the earthly realm, I want the things that happen here to be investments in the Heavenly realm.




Saturday, March 8, 2014

A Personal Photo Challenge {Words and Letters}


I have been looking forward to participating in Donna's Personal Photo Challenge this month. March's theme is "Words and Letters" and that is right up my alley! Words? I love them! 

I have been noticing photo-worthy words all month, I have mulled over lots of ideas, and I took around a hundred pictures. But then, when I chose my favorites and began to process them, I realized that "books" was my sub-theme! 

Here are my choices for this month's challenge, all taken with my Canon Rebel T3 and all edited in PicMonkey. 


The first subject is a vintage book, a gift from a friend. I decided to add a cup of Lady Grey to my composition, for what better way to enjoy a book on a chilly afternoon than with a cup of tea? I cropped my image for greater focus, boosted the saturation, and warmed the colors slightly. 




I love the burst of color in this basket of cookbooks that sits on the bottom shelf of my kitchen island. Again I cropped. This time I increased the contrast a little, and cooled the color. 




This last photo features a portion of our collection of picture books. (A smallish portion, actually.) I chose to go with an artsy feel for this one, selecting "HDR" from PicMonkey's special features. 




If you'd like to kick your photography up a level, then I'd invite you to try one of Donna's monthly challenges! Although Donna herself is a photographer extraordinaire, she has encouraging words and helpful comments for all who participate. 

Thank you, Donna, for another great challenge!

15 comments:

  1. Stopping in from the photo challenge,,,I love all those skinny books in a row! :)

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  2. Girl of the Limberlost...wonderful story! I had my mother's copy when I was a girl and just could not " get into" it, though my mother was very encouraging. It was not until watching the 1990 movie that I was able to return to the book.

    Oh what wonderful photos. I love how most participants tell what they did (as one should for a photography challenge). I am so flaky that I didn't, but should return now and add because there are four or five steps that I always take.

    The first is my favorite for the cozy factor...the warmth of the textile, the vintage book, the cup of tea. I also note the uncompetitive quality of the tea cup and saucer...

    I also like the cookbook, which you warmed and the children's books, which you cooled. Interesting!

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  3. All are so lovely, Cheryl, I like that you described how each was brought to life, I have been wanting to improve my photography skills, thank you for the link.
    I collect cookbooks so you know this one especially caught my eye. ~smile~
    Enjoy your weekend., our sun is shining here this morning, I hope you are enjoying sunshine a well.
    Blessings,
    Sue

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  4. I love old books and see that Vee has commented about reading the first one. I'll be on the lookout for a copy. LOVE books...lots and lots of books. What wonderful photos! Enjoy your weekend!

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  5. Oh, the first image makes me swoon! The colorful overshot weaving as a backdrop is a perfect compliment to the old book cover. And including a cup of tea in the bird's eye compositional view helps to tell the image's story. That is the kind of image that one could easily see in a magazine.

    The other two photos demonstrate your love of books. The competing diagonal lines in the second photo adds visual interest. And I am a big fan of "straight on" shots like your third photo. The HDR effect gives it a modern punch and the different heights of the books makes your eye skip across the top of the frame.

    I brought your A-game for this challenge!

    Thank you so much for your kind words and plug for the monthly challenges. It would be great if more people took advantage of it. But participation has been low enough to allow me to spend more time providing encouragement to everyone.

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  6. Nice choices--with a theme. I noticed you were drinking Lady Grey tea…one of my favorites. Love what you did with the picture books!

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  7. I love Girl of the Limberlost! Have you read it? And that coverlet is a stunner. Very lovely photo. Cookbooks are a great subject too. And you're right: they are very colorful and happy. Great photos!

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  8. Great job! All of these are really good. I especially like the last one. The way they are all lined up makes for an interesting pic.

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  9. I love all of these photos, but especially the last one. It looks to me like a book skyline :)

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  10. OH... I hope we never lose sight of our love for real books. Do you think the next generation will appreciate a first edition?

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  11. I love words too. And books. I caught myself reading all the titles of your cookbooks.

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  12. Love all the skinny books in a row. Very artsy. I also have an old copy of Girl of the Limberlost- it belonged to my mother-in-law and when her eyesight deteriorated due to macular degeneration she passed it on to me.

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  13. Your photos are really great Cheryl. I like the first one as I enjoy tea, old books and the weaving on the table cloth. The 3rd one is neat with it's symmetry of lines. Thanks for visiting. Pamela

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  14. Lovely photo choices for this challenge! I especially like the first one - the interesting old book cover on that beautifully woven tablecloth, enhanced by the simple cup of tea. How comforting! Just makes one want to sit right down with a good book (and a cuppa). Love the other book shots too - great job!

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  15. Oh yes, tea and books. I like the iris drawings on the vintage book and the crammed bookshelf of skinny books is appealing. I use PicMonkey for some editing too, lots of things to play with.

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