November 27, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 47-Sunrise/Sunset

“Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.”
—John Muir

This week’s assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to take photos of the sunrise/sunset. This aligned perfectly with a very rare week of double travel for me. Not only did I visit Tahoe for a few days, but it was swiftly followed by a quick trip to Dillion Beach. I feel so lucky!

Both trips provided such incredible views to photograph. My selection of images includes both locations at sunrise and sunset. Let me know if you have a favorite and have a wonderful week.

If you want to read the short story I wrote this time last year:
Week 47: Chalky Hands

My friend Heidi took this shot of me in Tahoe.

Photos were taken with 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
Week 32: Dominant Color
Week 33: Fill the Frame
Week 34: Spot Metering
Week 35: Handheld Long Exposure
Week 36: S Curve
Week 37: Shoot Through
Week 38: Faces
Week 39: Blossom
Week 40: Environmental Portrait
Week 41: Texture Overlay
Week 42: Details
Week 43: Season
Week 44: Fog & Steam
Week 45: Nighttime
Week 46: Analog

November 22, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 46-Analog

“People think dreams aren’t real just because they aren’t made of matter, of particles. Dreams are real. But they are made of viewpoints, of images, of memories and puns and lost hopes.”—Neil Gaiman

This week’s assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to take an analog photograph. You could either use a film camera or you could edit your photos to look as if you did. Not wanting to worry about finding film and having it developed, I opted for the editing option.

These photos are special to me because they were taken during a writing retreat in Tahoe last weekend. It was three days of deep connection, fireside chats, and being seen. I’m grateful for my writing community and for the power of vulnerability.

If you want to read the short story I wrote this time last year:
Week 46: Late Night Visitor

Photos were taken with 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

November 14, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 45-Nighttime

“Fire spirit, fire sprite
Share with us your golden light
Come for us our candle light!”
—Waldorf verse

This week’s assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to photograph something at night. As the days get darker faster, I find myself burning more candles. I wanted my photos to capture the warmth and comfort of flickering candlelight.

“This little light of mine
I’m gonna let it shine”

My lovely daughter agreed to be my model and we ended up with these Victorian-inspired photos. I think they capture a bit of the danger of the darkness too and I’m in love with them. Please let me know if you have a favorite and have a wonderful week.

If you want to read the short story I wrote this time last year:
Week 45: A Night at the Carnival

She’s unharmed as you can see! Thank you Lola for being a fantastic model and a wonderful daughter. You make me proud every single day.

Photos were taken with 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

November 10, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 44-Fog & Steam

“I can bench press steam, but not fog. I just have to wait until the fog lifts itself.”
—Jarod Kintz

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to photograph fog or steam. It’s almost the end of the week and the only morning we had fog I was in the emergency room with my son (he’s fine). Sigh.

Last night, however, I went for a drive near our local casino and noticed a factory spewing steam into the air. I ran home and got my camera and these photos are the result. These are technically not great but I like them. There’s something in the imperfect almost abstract way they came together which speaks to where I am right now.

I hope you enjoy them and if you have a favorite I’d love to know. Have a wonderful weekend.

If you want to read the short story I wrote this time last year:
Week 44: Let’s Go to the Ocean

Photos were taken with 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

October 23, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 42-Details

“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.”—Ernest Hemingway

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was details. We were asked to take two photos of each subject—near and far. The idea is to show the context of the details.

As October is a time many honor those who have passed, I decided to visit the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery this morning for this assignment. Let me know which pair of images you like best and have a wonderful week.

If you want to read the short story I wrote this time last year:
Week 42: Afraid of the Dark

Here are some creatures around the cemetery and one bonus photo:

Photos were taken with 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

October 16, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 41-Texture Overlay

“….he said it was interesting. He used the word ‘textured’. He said ‘smooth’ is boring but ‘textured’ was interesting, and the scar meant that I was stronger than whatever had tried to hurt me.” —Jeannette Walls

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to create images using a texture overlay. For those unfamiliar, it means after taking the image you add an overlay in the post-processing to give the photo a different texture.

I’ve never played with this feature before and had fun trying out different effects. Some of these I blended until they almost disappeared but others I made more obvious. Let me know if you have a favorite and what you think of this type of editing. Not sure I’ll use it often but it’s a great tool to add to my growing photography skills.

If you are in the mood for some reading, here’s a short ghost story I wrote this time last year. I’m proud of this one. Week 41: The Cornfield

Photos were taken with 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

October 2, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 39-Blossom

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”—Anaïs Nin

“Things blossom in their time. They bud and bloom, blossom and fade. Everything in its time.”—Neil Gaiman

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to take photos that define the word blossom. While it could be interpreted in more abstract ways, I decided to visit my local plant nursery and photograph literal blossoms.

What excites me about these photos is I had an idea of the type of image I wanted—black background and bold colors. In the past, I’ve achieved this look by accident, but today I did it on purpose. I consider this a huge photography milestone.

Let me know which photo is your favorite and have a wonderful week.

If you are in the mood for some reading, here’s the short story I wrote this time last year. Week 39: The Wheels on the Bus

Not a blossom, but aren’t those water drops pretty?

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

September 25, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 38-Faces

“I know faces, because I look through the fabric my own eye weaves, and behold the reality beneath.”—Kahlil Gibran, Faces

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to focus on faces. While some of the photos here fit the challenge, especially if you define sunflowers as having faces, most do not. I hope you’ll forgive me this week.

I’m a huge fan of pumpkin patches and have decided my 4-year-old nephew and I will visit a different one every Friday from now until Halloween. Part of these adventures will be to find the most sincere and sweet pumpkin patch in our area.

We started with the opposite of that, the very commercialized Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm. While I know it’s a favorite of many, I find it overwhelming and far too expensive. The train was fun and we loved the corn pit, but it feels like it’s grown too large and is trying to be too many things. Next week we will try a small family farm in Folsom.

Let me know if you have a favorite photo and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Here’s the story I wrote for the 52-short challenge last year which takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. Week 38: Meet Me at the Elephant Ears

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

September 18, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 37-Shoot Through

“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.”—Dr. Seuss

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to create an image by shooting through an object. My photos were taken this morning at Folsom Lake.

The bird above, and its near twin #5, were shot through a hole in a leaf. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to capture the edges of the leaf so it’s more of an abstract image. #1 is through a piece of bark and #4 is through a discarded styrofoam cup. Let me know which image you think works best or if you have a favorite.

As a bonus, I’ve included a link to the story I wrote this time last year. It’s a fantasy story/tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll give it a read.

Week 37: With a Touch of the Tapestry

Have a wonderful week!

I played my first Dungeons & Dragons game this week. I’ve been wanting to do this forever and it was everything I thought it could be. So grateful for new friends!

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

September 11, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 36-S Curve

A sentence with “dappled shadow” in it.
Something not sayable
spurting from the morning silence,
secret as a thrush.
—Winged and Acid Dark, Robert Hass

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to create an image that contains an S curve. This is exactly what it sounds like—you look for anything that curves similarly to an “S” in either direction. While simple in principle, I must have been looking in all the wrong places because I found this quite a challenge. As such, the last few photos don’t contain a curve but are included just because I like them.

Let me know if you have a favorite and have a wonderful week.

Week 36: The Octopus in the Room

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