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.




Friday, June 13, 2014

A Personal Photo Challenge {Stormy Weather}


Over the past months, I have been learning to "see" with new eyes through the lens of my camera. 

When I first joined Donna's Personal Photo Challenge last September, I compared it to "school," I being the kindergartner and Donna being the college graduate. And although I still look at Donna's amazing photographs and see that there is a long way to go, I do believe that I am "seeing" things differently as she has had me (and the other participants) focusing on one facet of photography at a time. The informative articles she supplies, as well as her own pointers, are just the ticket for broadening our horizons...one step at a time.

This month's challenge was stormy weather. We have had our fair share of rain, so there was ample opportunity to practice!  

Here are some of my favorites. (All photos were taken with my Canon Rebel T3.)


I crouched down on my front porch to get a straight on view of the rain falling on the flowers on the front step. I liked that you could see not only the drops, but also the puddles. I thought the color (red and white flowers, black pineapple ornament) added contrast to the gloom. (Still thinking about last month's challenge, I suppose.) 

I edited this photo in PicMonkey, increasing the shadows. 



This next shot was a real challenge! I wanted to capture a view of the rain from inside my automobile. (Don't worry...I wasn't driving!) I had hoped to get one with wiper blades in motion. But it was either wiper blades with a "meh" outside view, or a nice view with no wiper blades. I'll try again sometime. In the meantime, I was pleased with the focus on the raindrops on my windshield as I sat at the end of my driveway, looking at the field across the road.

Again, I edited in PicMonkey, increasing the shadows. (Shadows seemed to be just the thing to highlight the drops!) 



For the last photo, I was a bit bolder! I took this photo of Bekah, attired in bright rain gear and walking across the back yard in the rain. (Yes, it was staged, but it was raining. ~smile~) This time, I added shadows and also increased the contrast considerably. Maybe the result is "artificial," but I wanted the hot pink umbrella and rain jacket to pop against the green. It's fun to experiment anyway! 




Yes, I said that was my last photo. (Oops.) But that one reminded me of a favorite photo from last year, taken on a July day when we got six inches of rain in one afternoon! Bekah made the best of the deluge by stomping in the puddles the pond that appeared in our front yard. 

So I decided to edit the photo using this year's eye...cropping, increasing the shadows, and sharpening the image. (Original seen ~here~.)


Thank you, Donna, for another month of challenging photo opportunities, especially as you are in the midst of your own "storm." 



Click on the button below to see more...
A Personal Photo Challenge

17 comments:

  1. OH I thoroughly enjoyed these. They are really good. It is another thing that is on my bucket list to learn to do well someday, but I am still knee deep in learning to quilt. I have a NICE camera, but I pretty much leave it on automatic. You are doing a great job however, and it does inspire me to get going on it. Enjoy your week-end!

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  2. It looks pretty stormy. My favorite is of Bekah in that giant puddle...the boots, the jacket, the umbrella...perfect!

    We are having our best storm of the month today, believe it or not. Makes me want to take a photo and sneak it in my post.

    Yes, Donna is in a storm. Hope that a bed has been found for Mr. Jim. Comfort is so important in storms.

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  3. Great selections for the challenge and I do like the one of your daughter in the deep puddle. That must have been some rain for the puddle to be that deep!

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  4. I like to use the contrast to make the photo look a bit more artsy and you did a good job with the rain jacket pics! How fun! Wonder what that would look like in a water color? Your rain pics are so good--the windshield photo makes me ever hear the slosh and sound of wiper, Have a good weekend!

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  5. Bekah gets the award! Wonderful photos of her...perfect for the challenge! Enjoy your weekend!

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  6. Oh, I like that first one! Beautifully done.

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  7. Very "stormy" pictures....and it looks like someone was having loads of fun.....makes you want to join her too I bet!
    Thanks.

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  8. I love the pic of Bekah with her pretty pink umbrella in the pond - storms are great weather for ducks and fun loving girls!!
    It appears we've all had storms of varying degrees!
    Donna really put us through our paces for this challenge!

    Wishing you all a happy weekend Cheryl
    Hugs
    Shane

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  9. What a wonderful assortment! Nice composition on the first one with visual interest. I was hoping someone would do a shot like your second one! Yes, emphasizing the shadow gives contrast and depth to the image perfect focus! And the scenes with Bekah are absolutely charming. I remember that post quite vividly. The puddle sequence of photos are classics rainy day fun!

    Thank you so much for telling your story about joining in the challenges and how you are progressing. The nicest thing anybody could say to me about my teaching efforts is that they have learned to look at things differently. So much of goes into the creation of beautiful and cherished photos, and the biggest contribution is from the 12 inches located behind the viewfinder.

    And thank you for the good wishes and prayers. Our storms are continuing.

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  10. Belas fotos! Parabéns!
    Gosto de ler seu texto com a história de cada foto também!
    Um abraço!
    Beautiful pictures! Congratulations!
    I love to read your text with the story of each photo too!
    Hugs!
    Egléa Senna

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  11. Wow...that is bunch of rain there! Love the bright umbrella and boots in those shots!

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  12. Oh... I just love the second photo. The focus is perfect. Beach in the puddle wins it for me.

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  13. I meant Bekah. Auto spell caught me off guard.

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  14. These are great photos. I'm seeing things differently with Donna's shared advice and articles, too. Love the one with Bekah stomping in the puddle with her boots and skirt. The porch vignette is also charming.

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  15. I especially LOVE the last one! So adorable.

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  16. Your shots are all great, but there is something special about a child stomping through a puddle. Priceless!

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