Quotes and Flowers

I have changed one of the pages on the Blog this week, it now includes a section on quotations. Those of you who look at my Flickr work will notice I title every shot with a favourite quotation...sometimes heartfelt, sometimes funny. So I have put together a page with some of the ones I liked best, so please feel free to click on the top tab and have a read.

I have been dabbling in textures again this week and also many more flower shots. As Summer drifts away here in the UK it's a lovely reminder of those warm sunny days of bright floral colours.

Also very eye catching in B&W, and textured too.

I have had to remove a contact today as I felt their work had become disturbing. I know all of Flickr isn't all a bed of roses and art and photography is also there to provoke and shock and make us think but sometimes I think a line is crossed when something horrific is glamourised and turned into entertainment. I can't stop those sorts of images but I can choose not to look at them.

Keep Calm & Carry On

In the UK it's a bank holiday weekend, so as usual when I am off work I am not so well...full of a cold :(

But I have been carrying on regardless and have been out taking some shots of flowers and also some cars as it was a classic car show today. So stay tuned for some of those appearing here and over on Flickr very soon. In my bid to tidy up and also to back up I have come across some tulip shots I haven't posted anywhere...so here you go...

My husband says I like photographing flowers more than anything else...perhaps I do !!

Orange Flowers

These orange flowers bloom in my garden every year and always look wonderful. They also lend themselves to every edit possible too!

Whether rain or shine they always glow with their bright colour.

TGIF

Well another week over and I have cleared out some older shots from Flickr as promised...nearly 200 of them!

So its onwards and upwards with uploading some more...I know its relentless ha ha.

As I have mentioned before I am on RedBubble, but dont seem to be having much luck with it. The other alternative is Etsy. Not sure...will have to look into it more. Any suggestions?

Below is a shot from Ashton Gardens in St Annes...just edited beyond belief probably!

960 photos

I noticed today that I have uploaded my 960th shot to Flickr...wow...I have been busy!

There comes a time I suppose when I need to remove some, some of the older ones...or the ones I am less happy with. As I grow as a photographer I look back on my early shots and just know I could do better now. So in the next few weeks I will be removing some from public view.

I also think it is time to review my RedBubble account. I am not sure it is working as well as it could or should be. However, I havent really figured out what to do about it yet!

PS

I saw someone today call a Blog a digital scrapbook...and I thought what a perfect way to describe one.

Sun, Sea and Southport

At the start of this week we went for a day trip to Southport. I was really impressed by it, such a clean seaside town that manages to avoid the tackyness of some others. I had always wanted to go to Southport Pier as I have seen so many fantastic shots of it. We went, but it was a beautifully sunny summer day and it was packed with lots of holiday makers so not really the best for an atmospheric pier shot! I did take quite a few shots anyway, so they will be featuring here and on Flickr over the next week or so.

Rain, wine and competition entries

Rain, wine and competition entries

This last week has seen nothing but rain and flooding (things must be bad if I’m talking about the weather!) this has meant very little in the way of photo opportunities and a lot more time editing the shots I took last week while having a little glass of bubbly.

Also this week I found out I came no where in a photo competition...disappointment ruled the day. I very rarely enter competitions as I am quite happy in my own little world liking what I'm doing without really seeking out any validation from anyone else...other than Flickr of course. However I see Flickr more as an online gallery of my work. Well anyway, the winners and highly commended were shown and I wasn’t amongst them. So, things I have learned; I need more patience when setting up a shot rather than click and move on; that I probably process way to much for the kinds of photographic competitions out there; and that it really doesn’t matter anyway!

Explored, candid shots and other such stuff

I am amazed that my last few shots have made it into Explore...always a joy and so grateful to all the views and faves. Flowers and nature shots do seem to be the way forward or at least the ones with the biggest viewing figures! The summer weather has inspired me to get out and take some lovely shots as natures colours are in full force right now.

Also I have noticed a lot of candid street photography about too, again the summer weather lends itself to every one being outdoors. As I have said before I am really not sure about this type of photography...I can appreciate the skill involved, the eye of the photographer in getting a good shot and in catching the right moment but the whole photographing someone and putting it on Flickr for every one to see and yet the subject of the photograph remains totally unaware?? Well like I said, really not sure thats the way to go about things. I understand the need to "report" things as they happen and document events, but photographing people sitting on a bench eating chips...well really??.

I don't normally comment on news item but if you have seen the news lately parts of England are having riots...I am shocked that things have come to this here. There is a total break down of law and order. I hope all who live in and around these turbulent areas can keep safe and rise above those that initiate these crimes.