A few years ago, my photography club went to the local state lake to do some shooting. For once, the waterfall was in action. It was the first time I’d ever seen it, and I’m afraid I may have gotten carried away! It was so cool down on the river – we had to watch for snakes, of course, but the spray of the water, the mud sucking at our shoes, the roar over which we could just barely hear the birdsong – it was incredibly peaceful and beautiful.
Let’s face it: this challenge was made for spring.
Of course, today we’re having snow, rain, and bitterly cold winds in Kansas, so I have to look back to earlier times for this week’s challenge!
This lovely spiderwort was perfect for this bee last year. 🙂
And I always know spring is finally here when the wild roses begin blooming. I wish they lasted longer than they do.
This challenge was a challenge – I’m firmly of the opinion that most good photos tell a story at heart. The problem is, it’s usually the photographer who knows the story. It’s only those really great, rare photos that can convey an entire story to anyone, with almost no context.
Still, the rest of us mere mortals can try. 🙂 A few weeks ago, I went to a nearby town, where there’s an old hotel. After it’s hotel days were done, it became an antiques shop for a while before being abandoned. But as you can see, abandoned doesn’t mean empty.
Questions arise. Why were these things abandoned? Who owned them?
What will happen to them?
This will be a little odd for this week’s, but it sort of fits.
The 14th Street Bridge has served Winfield since 1928. For thousands of 4-H kids, it’s served as a rite of passage – to cross the bridge pulling a livestock trailer is scary! For thousands of Bluegrass fans, it’s served as a gateway to the best month of the year.
But this was its last weekend. Tomorrow, demolition starts, and the last awesome, historic, beautiful bridge left in Winfield will be a memory.
Happily, there was a group of people who weren’t going to let it go quietly. On Saturday, a group of classic car enthusiasts gathered to take a “Last Drive” across the bridge, and send her out in style.
Model A’s and T’s, 1950s Chevies . . . all came out to pay their respects a final time.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/variations-on-a-theme/
The weather changes constantly in Kansas, taking its toll on everything. This old fence post is one I’ve photographed many times, in many different lights. I love the grain of the wood, the knots, the way the barbed wire blends in perfectly with the silvery-black wood.
This old bridge is one of the eighteen stone arch bridges of Cowley County, KS (where I live – we had 19 until last fall). This is Timber Creek Bridge, built c. 1920 and still used daily by the locals. As you can see, it’s quite weathered, however – you certainly don’t want to take a very heavy load across! – but it’s still standing.
I know this may seem like an odd choice for my 2017 favorite, but . . . oh well!
This photo was taken in August. A severe thunderstorm had just blown through the area; when it was gone, there was just enough daylight left to go out and take a few shots. It was one of those wild nights when the sun is fading fast, and the clouds scuttle across the sky . . . and I swung the camera around and clicked. The sepia tones, the movement, the drama – the second I saw this photo framed in the viewfinder, I knew it was good. I knew it. A month later, this photo took top honors in the first photography contest I’d ever entered.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/2017-favorites/
There are a lot of ways to interpret this week’s Challenge! But for me, living in the country, I immediately think of nature.
The seeds of this dandelion are just waiting to ascend on the next wind, so I can photograph them again when they take root and produce new dandelions!
I have NO idea how this frog ascended to this height! This pipe is about 8 feet off the ground, but one morning as I was feeding horses – there he was!
The trumpet vines ascend everything, including the trees . . .
. . . and when you’re really lucky, they provide some great shots!
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/ascend-cmhr/
The theme this week is ‘Cheeky,’ and let’s face it: if you own cats, you know there’s NOTHING cheekier than a cat! But I think Maximus Imperius is the cheekiest cat in the world (he’s also the Most Spoiled and the Most Handsome. Just ask him.).
This is Maximus and his brother Tiny, about 7 weeks old.
Absconding with one of my socks! About 8 weeks old.
Maximus and Tiny, about 10 weeks of age. Note the innocent expression.
This week’s challenge asked us to give a peek at something, or to give just enough detail to pique the viewer’s interest. I thought I’d see if any of these fit the bill.
This is taken through the window of an old house about a mile from mine. It’s mostly gone now, but I love the illusion of being able to peek inside through the windows (even though the walls are really gone!).
And this was the last photo I took of my old horse Bodie. I had to have him put to sleep shortly after. I love that the focal point of this photo is his large, dark, kind eye. Everyone who knew him commented on how kind his eyes were. He was truly one of those ‘once in a lifetime’ horses.
This week’s challenge asks us to photograph something that glows.
The ‘Golden Hour’ is a time that Kansas photographers know well. It’s difficult for me to get out in the mornings – but the evenings, especially in the fall, are incredibly special. If you can get the light and clouds just right, you can get magical shots.
This shot, I took in late August. We’d just had a late-evening thunderstorm, and in the minutes after it passed, I grabbed the camera and went out. I wasn’t the only one – photographers I know across the area were slamming on brakes, cutting across traffic, grabbing cameras, and abandoning plans to capture the ever-changing light! The amazing thing was, no matter where the county our photos were taken, they were all the same incredible sepia-toned images. This one was basically straight from the camera.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/glow/
KS Writer & Teacher 