You Are Never Too Old...

Recently I saw a quote by C. S. Lewis, "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream", and it really struck a chord with me. As I turned 60 on New Year's Day...quite a wonderful milestone and a wonderful way to celebrate the beginning of 2012...it occurred to me that setting goals and fulfilling dreams shouldn't have a thing to do with age.  Why should having a new dream have anything to do with how old you are???  We are the ones who put up our own barriers, limit ourselves and make excuses...just dream.  After writing down several very lofty dreams last year, tucking the list in an envelope and then tucking the envelop away, several of  my lofty dreams from that list are starting to bloom.  Did I forget to mention that I tucked the little envelope away so well that now I can't find it?...LOL...I'll keep you posted if I find my envelope.  No worries though; those dreams are still out there along with some new ones.

To share, here are a few from my lofty dreams list...to return to Paris...to travel, photograph and live in France for several months...to have my images published and selected for exhibition...to share my passion for photography with others...to have my own successful and profitable photography studio...  What lofty dreams might be on your list???

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream"  ~ C.S. Lewis

Enjoy today...Be Inspired

Extending Your Canvas

Have you ever needed just a little extra space either at the top, bottom, or sides to help balance an image...well, there are times when I could use just a smidge so here's an easy way to do that. 

I fell in love with the shape of the door handles and how the dark and light played off of each other, however, there wasn't quite enough room on the right hand edge. Increasing the canvas size is a way to help balance the image a little better.

The first step is to increase the canvas size...select Image, Canvas Size.  For this image, I only added space on the right-hand side...make sure to anchor your selection and to check "relative".

You then select the rectangular marque tool, selecting some of the image on the right edge as close to the handle as you can and some in the newly created white canvas space...with the area selected, go to Edit, Content Aware Scale...grab the center handle and drag...accept by clicking on the check mark, or hit Enter; then deselect.

If you added a little too much canvas, no problem...you can easily remove this by going to Image, Trim.

Enjoy Today...Be Inspired.

The Winter Garden...

The winter garden can be an amazing place to photograph, even when the weather isn't ideal. The JC Raulston Arboretum, in Raleigh, NC, is near my home and a wonderful place to photography any time of year.  I was drawn to closeups and more abstract images on this very chilly day.  Here are a few of my favorites from my afternoon in the winter garden...

The images were taken with a Nikon D700, 105mm and a Raynox 150 macro diopter.

...Enjoy today...Be inspired...

Lotus, Water Lilies and Dragonflies, Oh My!!!

Summer is the perfect time to find blooming water lilies and lotus and dragonflies.  To find them all in one place is certainly a treat.  The Triangle Carolinas Nature Photographers Association plans a visit to Water and Garden Creations each year and what a treat we had this year.  Our group of 25 photographers started rolling in Saturday morning around 8:30...no need to hurry...the blooms don't wake up and open until after the sun is up. Here are a few of my favorite images from the morning.

Enjoy Today...Be Inspired

Afternoon With A Single Lens

This afternoon after picking a bouquet of sunflowers, I decided it would be fun to select my 50mm lens and photograph just with that one lens.  Honesty, I really can't remember the last time I'd pulled the 50mm out of my camera bag so this was definitely a self-assigned challenge. 

I gathered my old watering can, with all it's bumps and dents, and a little red chair for my props. There's a makeshift table set up in the backyard, well, it's not really a table but boards nailed together then set on top of two old saw horses...but it made the perfect location for my assignment.  After an hour of putting up with the pesky mosquitoes and the heat, I have to say it turned out to be a fun afternoon with a single lens.

Here are a few of the images from my afternoon...

...Enjoy Today...Be Inspired...

Classic Cars

The first Saturday afternoon of every month, from now through October, you'll find a car show at Char-Grill in North Raleigh.  It's the perfect location to grab a burger, milkshake and fries, listen to some beach music, and slowly meander around a classic car show.  Even though the temps can be a little hot, mid-90s right now, you can bet there will be a crowd gathered to admire these beauties! You'll find all makes and models...from restored vintage to muscle cars...along with interesting stories and people of course.

Classis cars make wonderful subjects to photograph...from the details down to the reflections in the chrome.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a special day...one where we honor and show respect for those who have died in our nation's service.  In my hometown in Virginia, I remember wearing a small red poppy on Memorial Day that was made by disabled veterans and sold by the local VFW.  We would attend the local parade, the downtown swimming pool would officially open for the summer and we always gathered for a picnic...but we would also make time for a visit to the cemetery to honor those who had given their lives for our freedom. 

My dad was a very proud American and WWII veteran...even though he did not die in our nation's service, he had to receive special permission to serve as he was too old to enlist.  My dad was

True to God
True to his country
True to himself, always.

In memory of my dad, to all who continue to serve and all those who have served, have been true to our country and have given their lives to protect our values, I express my hearthfelt gratitude and thanks.