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Photography: Foggy Morning

The sea spoke of you. Its voice, usually thundering and loud, lowered to a rhythmic whisper. I listened as the fog hugged the sand and the birds scurried in search of scuttling breakfast. I listened as my heart hurt for the world and my beautiful baby girl turned 17. I listened as your pain became mine and my pain became yours. I listened and listened as my body felt it all, as my heart broke and repaired itself again and again and again. I listened. The sea spoke of you.

“To the ocean I offered a seed 
and its body dissolved it
like time, composing
a life.” —Howard Altmann

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We are at Dillion Beach (yes, again) celebrating my daughter’s 17th birthday. I’m amazed I can still find things to delight my camera and I hope you are too. Please let me know if you have a favorite. As usual, these were taken with my Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.

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52 Photo Challenge: Week 32-Dominant Color

“You are all the colors in one, at full brightness.” —Jennifer Niven

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to focus on a dominant color in the frame. My mom is visiting from Washington and we went together to the local plant nursery in search of color. It was a warm day and the sunlight was harsh, but we had a lovely time.

Most of these ended up being macro shots, which I think still work. Let me know which one you think best fits the challenge and if you have a favorite. Hope your week is wonderful!

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#11—Doesn’t fit the challenge, but I liked it anyway.

#12—Isn’t my mom cute?

  • 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

52 Photo Challenge
Week 1: Bokeh
Week 2: Silhouette
Week 3: Black and White
Week 4: Motion Blur
Week 5: Texture
Week 6: Framing
Week 7: Leading Lines
Week 8: Negative Space
Week 9: Patterns
Week 10: Symmetry
Week 11: Green
Week 12: Sidelight
Week 13: Sense of Scale
Week 14: One Lens
Week 15: Series
Week 16: Flat Lay
Week 17: Behind the Scenes
Week 18: Water
Week 19: Blurry Foreground
Week 20: Unique Perspective
Week 21: Shadow
Week 22: Food
Week 23: Abstract
Week 24: Reflection
Week 25: Contrast Color
Week 26: Think in Threes
Week 27: Starburst
Week 28: Low Perspective
Week 29: Macro
Week 30: Backlight
Week 31: Big Sky

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52 Photo Challenge: Week 29-Macro

“The skies and land are so enormous, and the detail so precise and exquisite that wherever you are you are isolated in a glowing world between the macro and the micro, where everything is sidewise under you and over you, and the clocks stopped long ago.”—Ansel Adams

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was macro photography. The idea is to showcase a subject larger than it is in real life—an extreme close-up. These are my favorite types of photos and I was excited to spend some time looking for things to zoom in on.

I spent the morning at Folsom Lake with the dragonflies and then finished up with a few shots in my backyard. I alternated between my macro lens and my 14-150mm lens. Let me know which shot you like best and have a fantastic week!

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Bonus lake photo:

  • 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

52 Photo Challenge
Week 1: Bokeh
Week 2: Silhouette
Week 3: Black and White
Week 4: Motion Blur
Week 5: Texture
Week 6: Framing
Week 7: Leading Lines
Week 8: Negative Space
Week 9: Patterns
Week 10: Symmetry
Week 11: Green
Week 12: Sidelight
Week 13: Sense of Scale
Week 14: One Lens
Week 15: Series
Week 16: Flat Lay
Week 17: Behind the Scenes
Week 18: Water
Week 19: Blurry Foreground
Week 20: Unique Perspective
Week 21: Shadow
Week 22: Food
Week 23: Abstract
Week 24: Reflection
Week 25: Contrast Color
Week 26: Think in Threes
Week 27: Starburst
Week 28: Low Perspective

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Photography: Dillon Beach

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” —Mahatma Gandhi

Happy Wednesday! The last few months have felt like a blur, but maybe I’m coming out of this new phase of healing. I’ve had several wonderful conversations with old friends and made plans to meet two more later this week. I’m ready to trust and rebuild connections after feeling like my world was simply too tilted to stand straight. It’s a nice feeling.

These photos are from my trip last week to Dillon Beach. I’ve been here hundreds of times, but there’s always something different to see and photograph. Perhaps there’s a life lesson in there somewhere. Please let me know if you have a favorite photo and have a fantastic week.

  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
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If you are interested in seeing how my photography has grown, here are some photos I took at Dillion Beach last year.

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52 Photo Challenge: Week 20-Unique Perspective

“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”—Marcus Aurelius

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to capture images with a unique perspective. After overthinking and beating myself up last week, I decided to have fun with this one. All of these photos are taken in my yard. I rolled around on the ground, played with the cat, and chased a few ladybugs and bees. It was probably the most fun I’ve had taking photos in a long time.

I edited the photos differently this week too, opting for a sort of dark wood feeling. It might not fit with spring, but it fits the mood of these photos and I really like it. Let me know if you have a favorite and have a fantastic week.

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  • 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

52 Photo Challenge
Week 1: Bokeh
Week 2: Silhouette
Week 3: Black and White
Week 4: Motion Blur
Week 5: Texture
Week 6: Framing
Week 7: Leading Lines
Week 8: Negative Space
Week 9: Patterns
Week 10: Symmetry
Week 11: Green
Week 12: Sidelight
Week 13: Sense of Scale
Week 14: One Lens
Week 15: Series
Week 16: Flat Lay
Week 17: Behind the Scenes
Week 18: Water
Week 19: Blurry Foreground

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Photography: Plant Nursery

“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.”—Vincent Van Gogh

This morning I visited my local plant nursery and spent over an hour wandering the aisles photographing everything that caught my eye. I was pleased to find lots of colorful plants and several buzzing bees. The weather was nice and cool with just a hint of the autumn breeze which will soon become my everyday companion.

I’ve edited the ten best images and hope you find them interesting. May your week contain a little adventure and perhaps a surprise or two.

Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW

What to see more?

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Photography: Around the Pond

My photos this week were all taken around the pond at William Land Park in the early evening. It was warm outside and I learned the lotus flowers I wanted to capture only open early in the morning and are closed by mid-afternoon.

I had the intention of returning later in the week to try again, but my son started summer school and life got busy. Perhaps in a few weeks, when school finishes, I’ll have time to return to this beautiful spot.

Although I didn’t get the blooms, I am happy with the photos I was able to capture of the animals living around the pond, especially the dragonflies. Let me know what you think in the comments below and I hope you have a wonderful week.

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What to see more?

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#100DayProject: Photography-Week Seven

“There’s nothing left except to try.” -Madeleine L’Engle, “A Wrinkle in Time”

It rained last Monday and I missed the opportunity for some incredible photographs. I’ve been kicking myself about it all week. Hopefully, we get some rain and beautiful clouds again soon so I can take advantage of the moody skies and the reflective nature of puddles.

I’m trying out a new editing software recommended by my dad called ON1 Photo Raw. As a result, I may have got a little overzealous in editing my photos this week. I can’t quite tell if they are an improvement or they are overdone. I’d appreciate advice on what you think worked and didn’t work.

If you’re unfamiliar with the 100 Day Project, the concept is simple. You choose any creative project you like and do it every day for 100 days, sharing your process on social media using the hashtag #The100DayProject. This year the dates are Feb. 13-May 24.

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Here are two bonus photos I heavily/overly edited to get the feel for the software. While I realize they are a bit much, I had fun with them and wanted to share them with you.

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