Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Couples, Twins, Two of Anything
I love my nature photos so I looked for a some bird photos for this challenge.
White-throated Honeyeaters at the little pot birdbath
Two Whipbirds on the Wisteria
Two Seagulls at the beach
Two Terns with their windswept “hair”
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge Teddy Bears Dolls Toys had me thinking what is the most interesting here.
The girls have left home but every Christmas I get out the Christmas toys who take their place guarding the box of Christmas presents.
Many people may know that I also have an elephant collection (see my blog) So it is only fitting that Humphrey gets involved in Christmas as well
Paula has picked Headshot for this photo challenge.
Meet Brendan, the Brush Turkey who loves to eat Pecans. He comes into the yard and is not afraid of people but will make sure you don’t get too close.
I thought you would also like to see what Brendan looks like in colour.
The Thursday Photo Challenge from Lost in Translation is Vision
Today, I took a walk on my property mainly to pull out weeds but as usual had my camera with me, just in case. When walking about you have to have vision as so many things happen or can be seen. Here is a snapshot of what I saw today just a few meters from my house.
I love finding things as I walk. Isn’t this small blue rock unusual?
Always keep an eye out when you walk about as there are a few things that can bite or sting in the Australian bush.
Isn’t the little garden on the old log just magical?
A few twitters in the garden and there was the Silvereye sitting among the branches.
A flash of yellow caught my eye as it flew past and the Golden Whistler landed on a branch nearby.
A jump among the leaves caught my attention and the little Broad Palmed Frog was looking at me as well.
I hope you enjoyed a quick walkabout with me.
The theme for Franks Tuesday Photo Challenge is Music
What a difficult challenge as I have had music in my life ever since I was born. There was always music playing in the house, whether it was vinyl records or my Mother playing piano. This has been the source of my inspiration as I have been playing guitar since I was about 12 or 13 I think with my best mate Greg, since passed. All through school with the mates in the music class, Steven and Martin playing when we could. Yep Rock ‘n’ Roll of course!! Then with my best mate Michael we would play all the time. Nowadays I just pick up one of guitars and as I live in the bush, can turn it up and belt out a tune or two, mainly Rolling Stones songs.
Here is my first electric guitar and the last one I bought.
The person I have had in my life since I was four, David, an artist, drew this poster for me when we were still in school. I found it a few years ago, had it framed and it now sits on my loungeroom wall with pride.
I took these photos a few moments ago but have a wealth of music to choose from. I have almost nine hundred CD’s and hundreds of vinyl records plus music book and magazines so I had to limit myself as you can well understand.
Rock on
The Daily Post Challenge: Transient – Drifters, nomads, and even the state of impermanence.
What is more transient in nature than a delicate spiders web bejeweled with the mornings dew nestled in the grass, only to disappear with the first rays of the winter sun warming the earth.
Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge: Lights
Here are my lights
The tripod light in the hotel in Orange – the town in Australia not the colour or the fruit.
The neon sign from the Queensland Art Gallery. I don’t know who the artist was.
The lights on the tables in the Victoria Tea Room in Sydney
The beautiful Art Deco light in a hotel in Genoa
The Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge this week is Focus
One of my favourite things is to have some photos not quite in focus or have an element that has a sharp edge whilst the rest of the photo has a soft focus.
I found the shadows on the leaf of the Birds-nest Fern interesting. What can you see?
The reeds contrast with the tannin waters and leaves of the pond
Looking through the window of the abandoned building – leaves, sky and can you see the machine?
Just a leaf on the verandah
The Raven with its head on backwards while the other Raven laughs at his friends antics.
Which one is your favourite?
An old joke I found on Focus
Twin sisters in St. Luke’s Nursing Home were turning one hundred years old. The editor of the local newspaper told a photographer to get over there and take pictures of the two 100 year old twins.
One of the twins was hard of hearing and the other could hear quite well.
Once the photographer arrived he asked the sisters to sit on the sofa. The deaf sister said to her twin, “WHAT DID HE SAY?”
“WE GOTTA SIT OVER THERE ON THE SOFA!”, said the other.
“Now get a little closer together,” said the cameraman.
Again, “WHAT DID HE SAY?”
“HE SAYS SQUEEZE TOGETHER A LITTLE.” So they wiggled up close to each other.
“Just hold on for a bit longer, I’ve got to focus a little,” said the photographer.
Yet again, “WHAT DID HE SAY?”
“HE SAYS HE’S GONNA FOCUS!”
With a big grin the deaf twin shouted out, “OH MY GOD – BOTH OF US?”
Oh bugger!!! I went 5kms to a neighbours place this afternoon and thought, oh good Paulas photo challenge of curves. That’s that’s right curves not S-Curves. Well I got quite engrossed in some of the plants in the garden and the old wagon (which will come in handy for later photo challenges) that I have a few photos from the afternoon for this challenge that I am going to use anyway (sorry Paula)
lets start with a sort of S:Curve. The wagon hook – almost an S
The chains on the wagon – C’mon…use your imagination…see the S
The wagon wheel with a tantalising rust and the lovely old wood with a bit of yellow fungus (he says trying to distract the viewer from the S:Curve topic)
Look! Isn’t the wagon wheel fabulous the way the wood and metal Curve in unison and the old wooden spokes are drawn into the central hub where the fungus becomes a lovely orange/red and the steel band fixes the wheel to the axle.
Aren’t the curves on the cactus wonderful. Their spectacular colours that just blend and enhance their curves.
At the end of the day, after a cup of tea and biscuit, on the drive home, the sunset was a superb yellow colour don’t you think (again distracting the viewer) as the sun set over the curves of the distant hillside.
I hope you enjoyed the day of (S)-Curves as much as I have showing my my curvy day 😀
A few days ago the weather was cool and rainy. I felt uninspired, so it was time to get about and take some photos. I walked about the verandahs at my besties place, camera in hand trying to find that photo or two that would satisfy. From the trees and shrubs in the garden I could hear birds chatting away.
Suddenly I spied a flash of yellow as it zoomed through the garden heading for the bird bath. Camera at the ready, I slowly moved along the verandah, already hearing splashing from the bird bath.
A little Eastern Yellow Robin, one of my favourite birds, was at the bird bath darting in and out of the cold water.
Maybe I’ll go in one more time but that water looks cold.
Brrr….that is so cold. I better shake the water off as quick as I can.
Look how clean I am.
Just a few more feathers to sort out and I’ll be off.
The Yellow Robin had a lovely time in the bird bath. I hope you have enjoyed bath-time with Robin.
Week 61 of Franks Tuesday Photo Challenge. This topic is Unusual. I have many unusual fungi growing on my place, but the Finger Fungi are quite unusual.
Another collection of odd balls for Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge
The washing is on the line.
Moving lights of the city from the 73rd floor.
The jet plane at sunset
Moving Waters is the Photo a Week photo challenge from Nancy Merrill
The foamy sea after a flood
The foam flicked and splashed onto the shore
The gentle waters ripples in the harbour
The waves at sunrise
See what other photographers have submitted to the Moving Waters blog challenge
I took some photos of some old cars for Black & White Sunday: Traces of the Past – well not exactly the whole car just some bits and pieces that I found interesting.
The radiator cap and badge of a Chevrolet
I did seem to think the radiator cap looked a bit surprised when I took the photo
The wheels of the MG were painstakingly polished
The Studebaker gave a bit of a smile
I love this old pulley on my besties verandah too. It was raining so I just wandered the verandah looking for a subject to capture for the challenge before I remembered the cars.
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Glasses, Cups Saucers.
We enjoy a cup of tea in the garden. These cups seem to make the tea taste just right.
Being from Australia, I guess it was about time I used the Sydney Opera House in a blog challenge juxtaposed with an old shed from near my place in the country.
The Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge on a stormy day.
The old shed and the cow
Have a look at the other photographers contributions to Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge: Buildings
The one word prompt from the Daily Post: Tender
What could be more tender than the love of a mother and her baby or in this case the love of a Red-necked Wallaby and her Joey. This encounter was in my garden.
“Hey Mum, I have an itch I can’t reach.”
“Here, I’ll take care of that darned itch.”
“Is that better?”
“Thanks Mum.”
The old abandoned cottage just down the road from me was the home a good friend. He built the cottage from materials on his property. When he moved out the poor old place just fell to rack and ruin. Here is his fire place he used to cook on. I took these photos before the new owners moved in and I am not sure whether it is still standing.
The portrait is good for showing the full picture especially if the image you want is tall.
The landscape is good for seeing a bit of the detail in the subject
More great examples from other photographers at Lost in Translation
Here is my contribution to the Daily Post Photo Challenge: Order
Did you have a favourite?
Ever so late doing my “this is what I found in May.”
So many things have needed doing and my time has been spent doing the many Photo Challenges, which I seem to be obsessed with as they give the opportunity to showcase your photos and techniques and at the same time see what other bloggers from around the world are doing. I love showing my part of this world or some photos of my travels. I hope you have enjoyed these Photo Challenges as much as I have.
OK……….on to my May. May is show time in my town. What I love (as many of you know) are chooks so I always go to the poultry pavilion when I go to the Grafton Show. Here are my favourites from the show.
“Do you like my new hair do?”
“I find the bun at the back is what the fashionable ducks are wearing this season.”
This is the Champion Pair of the Show – I think they are Wyandottes – a classy pair
Even the excitement of the Show doesn’t stop the need to lay an egg.
“Are you talking to me?” “Are you talking to me?”
“Is lunch coming or what?”
One of the Photo Challenges I did was Frames and the Currawong was the first image. This Currawong found the water well in the Poinsettia tree and was enjoying a drink.
The Lewins Honeyeater has been a constant visitor in May to the verandah looking for insects and gathering spiders webs for the nest. I think I was spotted as he looked in the door from the Zygote Cactus.
Another visitor to the garden at this time of year is the lovely little Rose Robin.
The Zygote Cactus have wonderful blooms this year
Some of my besties Pansys
I love this dark purple variety.
Just sitting in a wheelbarrow garden looking fabulous.
Some flowers look lovely at the end of Autumn don’t they?
Sitting in a cafe in Brunswick Heads I spotted the Native Stingless Bees in the garden bed on the street.
The spiders web have a certain magic in the morning light.
One night, there was a banging on the window. We went outside to see what was making all that racket. We found an Emperor Gum Moth sitting on the window sill. Aren’t the antennae wonderful?
You know when Winter approaches when the insects wear their fur coats.
The evening walk had wonderful lighting. I love this old fence with the air ferns and other plant life growing.
The grass seed heads looked spectacular in the late afternoon light. I didn’t do any photo manipulation this is what they actually looked like.
The Moon is almost setting the same time as the sun.
The Sun is setting so I better say good evening and hope you have enjoyed a little bit of May in my part of Australia.
I love taking photos of windows especially when I am travelling. These two windows are in a place called Split in Croatia I took quite a few years ago but they came to mind when I saw this photo challenge.
Many more windows can be seen at Lost in Translation
So many subjects to chose from but the Blue-banded Bee is one of my favourites
See more photos in Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge of Hot and/or Cold.
The end of a hot day
It is Winter in Australia so it is time to have some fires to keep warm
Hope you are feeling warm and cosy now.
Love this photo challenge. I usually say why I picked the photos to match the word. This time you can interpret my decisions yourself.
Branching
Vigilant
Hooked
Continual
Have a look at what other photographers chose for the Lost in Translation photo challenge.
I love the idea of Simple Things.
Like a little Super Fairy Wren looking for a snack
A row of chairs in a church in Verona
An old tap the one day may be turned on again in Venice
A blue bottle left on a plinth with blue graffiti in Bologna
Chimney pots in Paris
Days end in a cafe in my home town
Or the Simple Thing of finding that place to have a rest in my garden
Look at the Simple Things that other have found
The Letters Y or Z did pose a bit of a challenge especially Z but here goes…..
A while ago, I did a seven day yacht trail down the Clarence River from Grafton to Iluka with a number of other sailors. This was my first time sailing. We managed to stop at a number of pubs on the way.
This the yacht at sunset on a peaceful days end,
Near the end the weather had turned and the sky darkened at sunset
I had a lot of the little Yellow-faced Honeyeater photos to chose from
The hard one was Z. Luckily I remembered the flower photos and dug out this lovely Zinnia. It is a pale yellow variety.
See what other people found for their Y or Z photos
Jennifers One Word Photo Challenge Frame. How many photos that can fit the bill?
The Currawong may have the bill to fit the challenge
Or perhaps the Bullant emerging from the nest
Who is the spooky face in the frame?
The owl my fit the bill as well for Framed
I would be very remiss if I didn’t use my lovely Red-necked Wallabies who hop around my garden and lovingly tend their Joeys for Paulas photo challenge – Female.
This young female is so pretty don’t you think?
But also camera shy.
“What are you doing in there?”
“It’s OK Mum, I’m just chilling”
One day you will have some fur on those skinny arms.
“Mums pouch is the best place to be”
This is what happens in my street…..or road actually. I liked the prompt from Dutch Goes The Photo as my street isn’t like anyone elses street, OK perhaps a few.
This is what can happen in my street. Occasionally some of the farmers in my area need to move cattle from one place to another. This time it was a rural event called a Camp Draft where riders try to move cattle in a set pattern.
Here is My Street
As I came out of my driveway, this is what I saw down the road.
Sending the cattle through the gate.
The horse wondered what I was doing also making sure I got its best side.
The dog was working hard.
Odd Balls. Those photos that are the ones you in someway like but not too sure where they fit in your photo galleries. I have lots of Odd Balls and so do other photographers. Have a look at the other Odd Balls
I love rust. Its colours and textures. I don’t know what this old piece of machinery was used for, perhaps moved things from the boats to the works on the headland. I found it in South Australia.
The creativity in making this seat is wonderful. It is on a friends property in South Australia too.
Can you guess what this photo is? I took this photo of a pool on my property with a Water Strider on the surface. Its feet aren’t really that big as the shadow shows.
Falling Water is the theme from Dutch Goes the Photos Tuesday Challenge Have a look at the great photos others have contributed
The Clarence River water rushes over the rocks at Lilydale near my place.
Ellenborough Falls are quite spectacular as the water tumbles into the deep ravine.
Isolated Subjects is the theme for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge.
The cemetery at Clunes New South Wales has a nice outlook
During a flood, many items get isolated.
The hay bale floating down the Clarence River at Grafton
The tower of the boat shed on the banks of the Clarence River at Grafton
The Spangled Drongo sitting on the nest high in the tree.
I did have to look for rain photos but why can’t I find any. I am sure there must be some somewhere. Oh well for 52 Week Photo Challenge I found these.
Looking out of the window at Sydney Harbour on a rainy day.
The raindrops on the Hipeastrum
The spiders web caught a few raindrops.
What a photo challenge set by Paula for Black and White Sunday. Unmask those photos that you probably don’t want people to see.
What a great photo it could have been – the Sea Eagle with a fish.
I have no idea what I was doing but it’s a nice shoe
The cafe had a lot of metal pots, pans and utensils on the top of the cupboard, but most interesting was the watering can. The lighting was great.
What could be better. A full moon rising with a palm tree in the foreground.
Another favourite photo challenge from Paulas Lost In Translation
CONFINED – The Quoll or Australian Native Cat had been killing my chooks so I set a trap to catch it. I released the Quoll in the National Park near my place.
JAZZY – A building in Sydney Australia
SERENE: Sitting beside the babbling brook
One of my favourite photo challenges – Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge. Some photos are black and white others have been converted.
The Snail shell found in my garden. It is an Australian native snail.
The old Truck that has been in my street since I first moved here,
The Train Tunnel – the train can just be seen
The Strelitzia or Bird of Paradise flower
A Spider web early one morning
The challenge is shallow depth of field – 52 Weeks Photo Challenge: Week 32
The Hippeastrum is a fabulous flower to photo. Its large bell shaped flowers and striking colours give many an opportunity for some great photos. Throw in some Stingless Native Bees and you look into a busy tiny world.
The flowers are male and female. This is a female flower with the stigma ready for some pollen.
This is a male with the anthers full of pollen
All we need are some bees. Look how full the bees pollen baskets are.
Once a flower is found the tiny bees come to collect the pollen.
I wonder if they know there’s a spider in there.
What a challenge! I couldn’t think of anything then a bit of inspiration kicked in which led to too many ideas.
Looking through to a garden in Rome.
One of the many colonnades in Bologna
Letting the ferry through the lock in Paris
Looking through time in the 12th Century church in Verona
Not many through photos from Australia as the ideas of those came to late
The rain came.
The sun came out.
The earth warmed.
Life emerged from the earth.
These are Fungi
The first signs as the fungus pushes its way from the earth
The yellow hue of this fungus didn’t translate to the photo as it nestled among the leaves of the Honey Gem.
All manner of shapes and colours appear among the grass and sticks.
Sometimes emerging from the mulch can be difficult.
When your neighbour emerges after you have and tilts you
Even in decay the fungus emits a golden sheen
Flipped onto its back the delicate frills no longer are there
The texture of the fungus is rough to the touch but has a softness also
The underside frills make a lovely fan
A certain translucency when the sun falls upon the frills
Fungi come in groups. These tiny fungi are everywhere dotting the grass with their orange brown spots. See how big the blades of grass are compared to the tiny fungi.
Or group together and dwarf the blades of grass
The brown fungi like to hang closely together.
The Finger Fungi are never alone as the stand tall. Well as tall as a Finger Fungi can.
Is this one of the ball shaped fungi above starting to grow old.
This next few photos are of fungi that I have never seen here before.
The tiny red fungi are easy to spot as they grow among the Norfolk Island Pine needles. Seemingly solitary with other red fungi nearby.
The pink fungi are coming out from between cracks in an old sleeper.
This type of small fungi are a jet black and only a few appeared next to the verandah and in a day or two, were gone. The photo doesn’t show the true colour
These are the fungi at my place. There are more as some others are in my first fungi blog from years ago.
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