Finding the beauty around you...

In recent weeks I've really been missing the four seasons and the colors of fall

but discovered a different kind of beauty in the Hill Country of Texas.

It may not be the colors I was seeking but while the rest of the country was

getting hit with snowstorms and cold temperatures I was enjoying the beautiful

grasses blowing in the wind....

The monarch butterflies migrating south...

A water lily blooming among the reflections of the trees...

Beautiful rows of flowers thriving despite the drought...

The fields of pinks and golds in the meadow...

And the beautiful blues of Salvia
with the empty rows awaiting Spring.

Seek and you shall discover the beauty all around you....

Two Goons...

{Hays Street Bridge}

Two Goons...
Not really but that's the text I received from the car while trying to scope out night shots at the Hays Street Bridge in San Antonio, Texas.

I've been wanting to shoot this historical bridge for so long and the views are just fantastic so yesterday I finally decided to check this spot out and try to look at the possibilties of a night shoot. Not sure that's going to happen unless I have back-up and body guards. I was able to get 4 shots off before I headed back to the car with seedy looking characters staring down my husband and I and checking out our car. This was the best two shots I got and I'm hoping to figure out a way to return because the possibilities of a fabulous photo are just waiting for me!!!

Capturing moments thru the lens...

{Moments}

I love just randomly stopping and capturing moments thru
my lens and taking note of the details
most would never notice. Photography has brought back the
childhood beauty in everyday life that I somehow lost
along the way...the time when we use to lie in
the grass and just stare at the clouds.
On a recent trip to South Carolina to visit a friend I found those
moments but not in the fabulous shots I was hoping to
compose but in the random shots along the way...

Without my camera I probably would never have taken
note of the water pump in the cemetery...

Or the dandelion on the side of the road...

The magnolia bloom hanging down low enough to
capture up close...

The hydrangea bush next to the park in the small town
of McCellanville...

Or my friend capturing her moment thru the lens...

A Beautiful Tree

Our Girls...

Or my own moment with a dear friend...
Capturing those moments thru the lens freezes
that image in time to revisit a memory
whenever~

Flight of the Black-headed Gull....

{Mustang Island}

Trespassing...

{Fields of Gold}

Driving thru the back roads of South Carolina today we came
upon this field of sunflowers...

Yes, I brake for photo-op's...came to a complete stop and
jumped out of the car and ran into the field to get a few
shots off....

I'm quite sure I was trespassing but this field of gold was
worth it....

{Blossoms in Yellow}

{This Moment}
~
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama

Nature...

The day the rain fell the birds came...


Splashing happily in our backyard fountain


I've been interested in adding textures to some of my photography
and this is my first attempt. My first shot is with an added texture
courtesy of Lenabem-Anna @ Flickr

Reflections of Mother's Day....

A Simple Note....


A gesture of love...

Slightly less reject pancakes and reject pancakes...LOL

A symbol of life and beauty...














Mothers Day...
Thankful for my family and my forever memories...thru the lens

Sunset over the Tidal Basin....

Another shot of the Cherry Blossoms as the sun was
setting....


An HDR shot merged in Photomatix and processed further
in CS3 with Tonal Contrast and Viveza 2. I'm really trying
to go for a very natural HDR effect. Please let me know what
think.

Chasing a cloud...thru the lens

Was hoping for some storm action in San Antonio tonight for some lightning shots but instead captured this lone storm cloud off in the distance. Was very impressive and beautiful!





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So my big fluffy white cloud has a name courtesy of our local
meteorologist....a cumulonimbus cloud.

Macro....

I've recently become interested in Macro photography but not to the point that I think it is something I would do on a regular basis so I was very interested in this Adapter/filter that I've been hearing so much about among other Nikon users that you just pop on the end of your zoom lens. The cost is pretty low at $49.00 compared to the Nikon macro lens which is approximately $900 so I decided to order it and give it a try. I just received my filter the other day and was so excited to start using it but after attempting to focus in on a butterfly for about a half hour and not being able to see a thing through my lens I finally had to fire off an email to a friend and ask for help. I obviously did not do enough research because I had no idea you had to be approximately 8" from your subject to be able to focus in on an object or see anything.....Ok, ok what did I expect for $49.00 anyway?!?! Well, I was actually pleasantly surprised at the focus of the filter. I'm still a little frustrated and find it hard to compose my shot when I'm spending so much time trying to focus in on my subject but for $49.00 maybe it's worth it to play around with it a little more and see if I'm really interested in Macro....Just a few shots straight out of my camera today from my Easter Bouquet....

.

.....thru the lens

Over the rooftops of Frederick by night....

After taking a night photography eClass with Kent Weakley I have been obsessed with capturing Blue Hour....what a magical time and only a short period in which to capture it. You scope out your area, set up your camera and wait for those few precious moments after sunset when you can capture the beautiful blues in the night sky. After spending a month in Frederick, Md while taking care of my mother I had a limited amount of time to get out and shoot pictures...many of those evenings were spent on the rooftop parking garages in chilly weather just trying to capture that magical time and I have to say just looking out over the spires of the city was magical in its own way....

Trinity Chapel


This shot had me backed up into a corner of the parking garage
to capture all of the spires and no other option but to shoot
the lamppost in there too....I kind of like it though.

All Saints' Episcopal Church

All Saints' Episcopal Church


St John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church

....here's to Blue Hour thru the lens