Photos of the Week - Week 41

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 41, Wet

Photo by Sandy McCurdy

Click to view a larger image 

Sandy says: 

We can get hard rains here, but not on command, so I did enhance our light rain with some help from the soft-watering nozzle.

In LR. I slightly reduced the saturation for the flowers and increased it for the umbrella.

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 41 - Pep Ventosa

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 41, Pep Ventosa

Photo by Olivia Edwards

Click to view a larger image.

Olivia  says:  

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 41 - Ragged

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 41, Ragged

Photo by Becky Finch

Click to view a larger image.

Becky says: 

While in Dumas Texas this week I came across a very old and rusted truck at the Window of the Plains Museum. On it were these wooden wheels and very ragged and falling apart tires. I used Mextures app to add a little texture.

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 41, Ragged

Photo by Ricky Tims

Click to view a larger image.

Ricky says:

Sometimes the well-worn character of buildings that have not been kept up is the aspect that brings beauty. Japanese call it Wabi Sabi - beauty in the imperfections. Our trip to Portugal has provided many such "beauties". I particularly love the raggedness of the sheers that have long deteriorated.

\

Critique Group Challenge:

Week 41, Wet

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2023 Critique Group

Click to view a larger image.

Ricky says:

Today in Portugal it was...wet! I took loads of photos, but due to the downpour, I didn't take my Nikon on the walks. However, the rain didn't deter us from sight-seeing. Here, Hugo and his brother, Fabio, are ascending a lovely path in Braga, Portugal.

Photos of the Week - Week 40

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 40, Free For All

Photo by Chris McCarthy

Click to view a larger image 

Chris says: 

Super Blue Moon Over Bug Light. There were three super moons this summer, and my son-in-law Tommy was interested in capturing moonrise over a lighthouse. He has an app which permits you to line up the structure with the rise of the moon. If you're using a lighthouse as your structure, you can extend that line to a point on the beach and that's where you can set up your camera to get a shot of the moon rising directly behind your lighthouse. His first two attempts in July and early August where around lighthouses in the western Long Island sound and were busts. Clouds and problems getting access to beaches frustrated his efforts. The third Supermoon was August 30 and it was a super blue moon (the second full moon in the same month). He did his research and found a spot where there was access to the beach, and from which you could line up a lighthouse in Greenport, New York, known as Bug Light with the rising super blue moon. Since his particular spot was about 20 minutes from my house, I decided to join the excursion with my equipment. We got to the spot about a half hour before moonrise and within 10 minutes two other photographers joined us. Apparently, this was the spot! There were some bands of low clouds which obscured the first part of the moonrise. I got the shot just as the moon was becoming visible through the bands of clouds. It was a fun event. As the moon was rising, it was also moving to the west so we had to keep moving along the beach to keep the lighthouse as lined up as best we could. It was an amusing scene scene, four photographers with a tripod and long lenses leapfroging positions along the beach to get the shot. We took a bunch of pictures, but I think I liked this one the best. Most adjustments were done in Lightroom. I did remove a boat in Photoshop. BTW, we were about 1.7 miles from the lighthouse. If you're interested, you can see some of the other shots.

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 40 - Mother Nature

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 40, Mother Nature

Photo by Betty Franklin Harrelson

Click to view a larger image.

Betty  says:  

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 40 - Free For All

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 40, Free For All

Photo by Zipora Golenberg

Click to view a larger image.

Zipora says: 

This is a photo I took this spring inside the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 40, Free For All

Photo by Ricky Tims

Click to view a larger image.

Ricky says:

We had a wonderful trip to San Francisco this summer and I stumbed upon this fellow and his dog outside the DeYoung. We had a great converstaion and I got to snap this fun photo.

\

Critique Group Challenge:

Week 40, Free For All

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2023 Critique Group

Click to view a larger image.

Ricky says:

Hugo and I took a drive to see the aspens and i spent my time doing drive pans along the journey. This istn' aspens, but I like the overally flow and colors of this and the structure of the grasses. My yield of 'keep these' was super high - so many to choose from.

Hugo and I have arrived in Portugal and I look forward having Hugo guide me around. We are also planning some fun family time. Upon our arrival we went directly to Navaré to see the big waves...the largest waves in the world. It's a surfers paradise...or nightmare...depending on your skill level. I'm told when the real big waves come only qualified professional are allowed and even then there is a swarm of rescuers at the ready should something go wrong.

The waters off Nazaré, Portugal, cooperate in a big way. Just-right conditions there have churned out some of the largest waves ever surfed.

In winter, the waves off North Beach (Praia do Norte) average about 15 meters (50 feet) high. On an exceptional day, surfers can catch a wave towering around 24 meters (80 feet). October 29, 2020, was one of the exceptional days: That’s when Portuguese surfer António Laureano surfed a 101.4-foot wave (shown here).

Then we headed to Coimbra, a university town and the third largest city in Portugal (behind Lisbon and Porto). The view from the river was stunning and it inspired me to take a photo that would be a fun jigsaw puzzle. Hope you will enjoy!

My dad made tons of quilt and also left behind more than two dozen full-size quilt tops. This one was made using my hand-dyed fabrics (that's just about all he would use), and features the one-seam flying geese method. 

I'm making good use of the BERNINA Q24. I digitized the two designs using the Art and Stitch software and then positioned each design (one at a time) using the QMatic. I love how it turned out. I'm hoping you will enjoy it and also enjoy doing the jigsaw puzzle.

Choose your own difficulty. Click the 9-patch grid to change number of pieces. Click the circle arrow to make the puzzle pieces rotating instead of stable orientation. Also, there are tips under the "?" on the upper right of the puzzle. If you'd like a full screen version, click the button below. Have fun!

Photos of the Week - Week 39

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 39, What Lies Ahead

Photo by Rebecca Smith

Click to view a larger image 

Rebecca says: 

Visiting in Nebraska right now. Soooo foggy this morning. What lies ahead? I dont know, cant see anything!

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 39 - Do Over

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 39, Do Over

Photo by Susan Garrett

Click to view a larger image.

Susan  says:  

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 39 - Junk Drawer

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 39, Junk Drawer

Photo by Charlene Shaw

Click to view a larger image.

Charlene says: 

Fun with filters and photoshop app mirror option. I’m always worried about what I might find in mine. This little monster isn’t too scary.

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 39, Junk Drawer

Photo by Ricky Tims

Click to view a larger image.

Ricky says:

What? Just one junk drawer? Hardly. But this one had some sunglasses and packing tape. I shot those and used Image Blender to put the two together (mirrored one).

\

Critique Group Challenge:

Week 39, What Lies Ahead

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2023 Critique Group

Click to view a larger image.

Ricky says:

This is our road home - lined with the amazingly beautiful (blooming) chamisa aka Rabbit Brush. Things in my world seem to be changing fast so I soak in the sights knowing this will not likely be a familiar scene a year from now. I know change is okay. There is something around the bend and I will face the unknown with as much hope and confidence as I can.