
“When I was a kid I believed everything I was told, everything I read, and every dispatch sent out by my own overheated imagination. This made for more than a few sleepless nights, but it also filled the world I lived in with colors and textures I would not have traded for a lifetime of restful nights.”
― Stephen King
Welcome back to the 52-week photo challenge. This week our assignment was to capture texture, which is something I naturally look for when taking photos. My daughter and I visited a park near our house and the sun was really too bright. While I got a variety of shots, I was ultimately disappointed with my offerings. The colors were either over-exposed or simply too bright. The images below are the ones I could salvage and edit.
I can only share one photo with the challenge group. I’m leaning toward either the lichen or the oily water shot. Which photo do you think best illustrates texture? Thanks as always for cheering me on and have a wonderful week.











NOTE: To my regular followers, life has been a bit on the stressful side lately. As a result, you may see me posting two posts a week for a while instead of three. Thank you for your love and understanding.
- Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
- If you want to join the 52 Photo Challenge, you can find all the information at nicolesy.com.
I’m partial to the rose. You can see the velvety soft petals contrasting with the sharp-edged leaves…
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Thank you, Paula. I like that one too ❤️
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Love the creek. It reminds me of a place I used to visit. 💕
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It’s really a pretty spot. I love the bright white stones and the swirling algae waters.
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All are lovely, but I especially like the leaves!
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Thank you, Ava! I really love how it looks almost like a fossil of a leaf.
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Good.
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Thanks!
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Your photos are wonderful! I think the first photo of the greenish lichen (?) is my choice for evoking texture. Very lovely photos more please!
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Thank you so much! I rather like that one too. ❤️
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Texture is really hard to capture, but you have some great examples here. May I ask what lens you are using?
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Absolutely. I’ve got an Olympus OM-D and these were taken with a 14-150mm. I’m glad you think these were successful.
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That’s a great kit. Mine is similar. If you decide to pursue textures further, consider the 30mm lens. Great for detail shots!
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Thank you! I’m still quite a novice and appreciate the advice.
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Every photo is beautiful to me, Bridgette yet I choose photo three. Great work! ❤️
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Thanks, John! I appreciate your kindness.
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☺️❤️
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Fascinating!
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Thanks, Cindy!
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These are all amazing but the creek really stands out for me.💕
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Thanks! It’s a pretty beautiful spot.
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My pleasure. It sure is.💕
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That oily water is ‘ a let me look at it again’ photo.
Still in my prayers Bridgette.🙏🏻🙏🏻
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Thank you so much for the kind comment and the prayers. ❤️
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That’s completely fine! Take your time, we just want to know if you’re okay.
——
My favorite one is the duck. I LOVE ducks and birds. I need to practice drawing them but I love them. The rest of them are amazing. 🤩
I won’t post it online, but can I use one as a reference to draw? They look so pretty and I love all the compositions.
As well with the quote. I don’t think I have the same genetics as Steven King to be up all night (it’s not healthy with the medical stuff in this climate)—but I agree with the quote none of the less and admire it even though I’ve never opened a single book by Steven King.😁
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Oh shoot, I forgot to answer the question. I think all of them have visual texture. You managed to capture the texture with visible movement (one of the fundamentals of art or whatever, not actual movement) like some of the landscapes and that mushroom (I think?). Even the light sources have texture. I can’t really feel it in the tangible sense, but I can feel it with my eyeballs and whatever senses work.
I think you should pat yourself on the back.👍
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What a generous comment! Thank you. I’m pretty hard on myself, as I think you are too. I appreciate your kindness.
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I have to slow down and work on my mental health a lot because of it. It’s just imposter syndrome, but it’s gotten better over the years.
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I’m glad you can recognize what it is and slow down when it gets too big. 🥰
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Absolutely! You can use any of my photos as reference and share them as well, if you like. I’m glad you find then inspiring-you’ve made my day!
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Thank you so much! 🙏 I appreciate you.
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I love all of the images, but between the lichen and the oily water, the lichen to me shows more texture…it makes me want to reach out and pet it, feeling the contrast between the soft, cool growth, and the cold hard rock where it grows. 💞
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Thank you! My husband said almost those exact same words. I’m always fascinated by lichen and moss-the pattern of growth and the colors. It’s so fascinating to me.
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I choose the creek. There are so many different texture- the dry spikey grass, snow covered rocks and rippled water.
All your pictures are beautiful.
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Thank you! It’s really a beautiful place.
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I love the mushroom. The underside looks so soft and velvety!
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Thank you! I almost didn’t include that one because it wasn’t as sharp as I wanted it to be, but I think it has a bit of mystery and charm.
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These are excellent photos, Bridgette.
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I’m glad you think so. Thank you.
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Welcome
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1. I don’t know what other people submit but you are too hard on yourself.
2. I love most of these pictures.
3. But the mushroom and the water with the weird plant right below it are my faves.
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Thanks, Nicole. Yes, I’m always too hard on myself. I was just journaling about how pervasive and tricky my imposter syndrome voice can get-this morning it told me that people only say they like my writing/photography because they don’t want to hurt my feelings and that I’m too dim to see the truth of my work. Ugh.
Continuing to push past perfectionism and negative self talk is hard. It’s a daily struggle sometimes, and I know you understand because you have been writing a lot about it. Hearing your struggles helps me feel less alone.
Thanks for your support and kindness. I’m glad you loved these images.
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I kind of like the mushroom, but I’m not an expert on photography so take that with a grain of salt. I hope things get better soon.
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Thanks, Greg. I love photographing mushrooms, but I dream of finding some beautiful colorful ones. They make me think of fantastical gnome and fairy stories.
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Ooo… Good point!
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Wonderful photos! Oh, they make me smile 🙋♂️
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I’m so glad they made you smile! ❤️
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The photo of the stream with the stones; at first glance I thought the stones were the domes of mushrooms 🍄😊
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I would have been overjoyed if they were!
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These are stunning! I love the leaf and the creek with the stones. And like Ashley, I also thought they were mushrooms at first. 🙂 Lovely offerings!
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Thank you so much! Isn’t that leaf so cool?! I love when leaves imprint on another leaf-like a fossil or fingerprint. It feels sort of magical.
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I agree and magic is right!
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I forgot to add…that quote from Stephen King is fabulous. No wonder he is who he is. 💗
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Right?! He’s got so many great quotes that I could probably find one to suit my photos every week.
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I could too. In fact, I’m working on my next book of poetry and am including quotes for each section. I’d love to consider using this quote. (if you don’t mind) 🙂
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It’s not mine and it’s fantastic! Use it ❤️
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I know, but I felt compelled to let you know. 🥰
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The lichen snapshot really bursts with colour & the branch halfway in the frozen lake is a great contrast. Lovely framing with the dog and fence! 🙂 Hope things get better soon ❤
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Thank you so much, Tom! Isn’t that dog the cutest? He came rushing at me through a hole in the fence, but when I got close he ran back in his yard. We are still working on getting my daughter healthy. It’s an up and down thing. I appreciate your kindness.
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Hi. I like the lichen, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the oil one because its textures have a depth that sort of trick the eye. Instead of just thinking, ‘there’s some oil’ I actually thought yes oil, but it mimics other things like frosting being spread or even soup when the ladle is pushed around. Very cool.
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Thank you so much, Jessica! I thought the same thing. I like the way it could be so many things depending on how you look at it.
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All these pictures are very beautiful. Can’t choose one!!
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Thank you! ❤️❤️❤️
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A gorgeous stroll through nature! Thank you for that, Bridgette. 🦋
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You are welcome! I’m lucky to live in a place surrounded by parks.
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Parks greatly improve the quality of life, for many reasons. 😊 Enjoy!
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Since you asked: I think the leaves juxtaposed are super. I thought the top one was a feather for an instant. I like the patterns of the pine needles (?) at the top of the blog post. The oily patterns one you mentioned is good, but my sense of balance is put off by the way they interact with the overlaid branches.
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Thank you for such a thoughtful answer! I appreciate your advice and I can totally see what you mean about the oily pattern.
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I love that opening quote and this fabulous, colorful photos, especially the shot of the blue, blue water snaking through the grass!
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Thank you, Layla! I’m so glad you enjoyed these photos. ❤️
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This creek caught my attention. These leaves are so colorful. Anita
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I think your lowest camera ISO setting is 200. I know it will go down to 64 but that’s software and not true ISO and an ISO or 64 or 100 can cause artifacts. So here are a couple tips. Increase you shutter speed. A lot! Create your own diffusion. Carry a blank piece of white paper for days that are super bright. Allow the paper to create a its own diffused shadow and its own light diffusion. You may have to crop your photo in post when editing though. Try keeping light off the lens of your camera. Lens hoods are almost always a good idea. I shoot canon myself. I’m in love with a 50mm lens because it mimics our natural eye. They are great for textures. Create a shadow and shoot in the shadow. Usually not a good idea for shooting textures. Lastly use smaller glass in super bright environments or extremely bright subjects such as neon signs. The large the lens the more light it will capture. I hope these help. Oh one more thing. Be careful over saturating your pictures.
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Thank you for taking the time to give me so many tips! I’m going to put these in a note file to refer to as I take photos in the next few weeks.
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If you wanna have some real fun? Night photography in a downtown urban area. You’ll need big glass. Find neon. But don’t shoot it. Instead find a subject. Like a woman passing by and have them stand next to it and use the light from the sign as a contrast on their face. You’ll be really surprised at the coolness factor of the images you just took. Just be safe doing it. That’s just for fun as I know you are prompted for your photos for the challenge.
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Thanks for the fun idea and for stopping by my blog. ❤️
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I love all your photos, Bridgette, but if I had to choose one, I couldn’t, as I can’t decide between three. Firstly, out of the two photos you mentioned, I love the lichen. I had to look hard to see if it was growing on a stone, rock, or tree trunk. I can almost feel the soft fuzziness of the lichen. I have a tree near me; it’s a Black Poplar, quite unusual in my area. I visit it sometimes and always admire the lichen growing on the bark. Your rock is equally as beautiful. My second choice is the beautiful rose. It’s a great shot, a crystal clear flower, which reminds me of the white roses in my Mum’s garden. She loved her roses. I sense the rose in your photo has the most exquisite perfume. Finally, like many others here, I love the creek – I love the way the stream meanders through the grassy banks. I can almost feel that grass and the water look so inviting. I would love to dip my toes into it.
Thank you for your email last night, my friend. I will reply to it later today. In the meantime, I’m sending you and your daughter so much love, and comforting, healing hugs Xxx 💖🤗💝
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Your comment has made me smile so big! I’m thrilled my images can bring forth such vivid and beautiful memories. Thank you for sharing those me with me and for your loving support. I’m so lucky to know you ❤️
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These are lovely!❤️
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Thank you!
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Great Stephen King quote. My favorite book of his was his semi-autobiographical how-to book called, ‘On Writing’. There were so many funny stories like the one you related. He is quite a character.
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I love that book! It’s so entertaining and inspiring.
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Yes, parts of it are funny, sad, and inspiring, and I learned a lot from it.
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Love the frist paragraph. I much like. So interested written.
All are lovely. Creek really stand out for me. Excellent photography.
I love your capture, Bridgette!
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Thanks! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
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Amazing clicks…
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Thanks!!
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All of these photos are beautiful, Bridgette. My favorite is the one of the rose and for texture, I think, #2.
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Thank you! I like those too. 🙂
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I like the leaves, but the I love the dog as well. I love asymmetry. It adds character and interest, something outside the norm.
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Thank you. Me too!
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I’m glad you salvaged these, very nice. The mushroom for me I think, but I’m intrigued by the rocky stream. Is it normally like that or is it flooded?
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The rocky stream isn’t normally there at all, but is overflow from a nearby duck pond that’s swollen from all the recent storms. It’s my new favorite thing and I wonder if all the water will produce an abundance of wildflowers in the same meadow.
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Love your vivid photos. A mushroom never looks more beautiful (and delicious too). And that stream is so beautiful and so blue.
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Thank you so much! I’m so glad you liked the mushroom.
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