St. John's

It seems like yesterday when I walked a few of the hidden alleys in downtown St. John's. I discovered them while taking a Haunted Tour of the downtown and went back in August, 2001 to photograph the houses.

As many of you already know, the houses in downtown St. John's are known for their colours. There is an area that is referred to as "Jellybean Row"!

St. Vincent's

The scenic town of St. Vincent's is located on the southern Avalon along the Irish Loop. In summer, humpback whales come close to the beach when feeding on capelin. The water shown in the photos is not the ocean, but the beach of Holyrood Pond, a large lake adjacent to it.

Strawberries

When I saw the plate of chocolate-dipped strawberries, I wouldn't let anyone touch them until I made a few photos. Not only did they look delicious, but also very bright and colourful. I take lots of food photos and have many photographs of strawberries from flower to fruit.

You have probably noticed that over the past month or so, each Photo of the Day is actually a short photo essay. I am sending 3 photos via e-mail and uploading two additional images on the same topic to my Blog. Hopefully, you are now taking more than one photo of a subject when you are "behind the camera".

Sailboats

There is a marina in Holyrood so I get lots of opportunities to photograph boats in the scenic harbour. The town has built a boardwalk around the beach where many visitors and residents come to relax and watch the activity, especially on a warm summer day.

The first two photos show boats making their way back towards the marina. The second image, while very similar to the first, is different because of the small boat between the sailboats. Since the smaller boat is a "working" boat (the fishermen are trying to catch squid), and the sailboats are "recreational", the viewer compares two types of boats. The third photo shows one of the sailboats as it approaches the entrance to the marina.

If you like boat photos feel free to check my galleries at: http://lanephotography.com/culture.htm and follow the links to my various Boat Galleries.

Sunrise

Many times over the six years I've been sharing photos through my Photo of the Day, I have said that I find sunrises peaceful and that photos reflect that feeling. Last night I created a poster which communicated that thought. Of course, I always make more than one image of any sunrise and you will see that while similar, each image is different.

You will notice that I composed the photos to include mostly sky and a little land. In the the third image, I included just a sliver of land, which I knew would be a silhouette and would allow viewers to imagine the vastness of the beautiful colours.

I have 20 photographs of the sky, including sunsets and sunrises, at: http://lanephotography.com/sky/sky.htm

Fisherman

Once day, while walking around looking for photos, I saw a "fisherman" lawn ornament. I photographed it with the intention of combining it with seascape and/or boat photos. I took a little time to create a few images which I am sharing with you today.

These days computer software enables photographers to manipulate photographs and create art. I used Corel PhotoPaint 12 to remove the background from the original photo. Then I searched for photographs that I felt the fisherman would fit into.

The first photo shows the original image. It was difficult finding seascape or boat photos that I could use because of the fisherman's sitting position. The seascape images were made in Conception Bay, Newfoundland and the dory (boat) was taken in Brigus. The hardest part of removing the unwanted parts of the photo was removing the grass and plants around the feet.

I have lots more photographs of computer art at: http://lanephotography.com/painted/photo_art_intro.htm

Butterfly

I was photographing yellow pansies yesterday and just as I focused, a butterfly flew into the scene and landed on one of the petals. Of course I took advantage of the situation and took several photos before it flew off and landed on a nearby rocky path. A few seconds later it landed on a daffodil and used its long proboscis to gather food.

I have more photographs of butterflies at: http://lanephotography.com/butterflies/butterflies.htm

Tulips

I have been telling you how good the weather has been around here this year - a very unusual Spring for sure! Today was another beautiful, sunny day. Normally, this time of the year is very wet, but we have had very little rain. Plant growth is at least 2 weeks ahead of last year this time.

This morning I photographed the tulips in my yard again. I am sharing a few different views of the flowers that are adding much colour to my yard these days. The first image shows a wide view of the tulips. If you look carefully, you will notice that I planted the bulbs around large rocks. I thought that the rock would help keep the soil warm and promote growth. I planted all my tulip bulbs around large rocks and they are all doing fine.

The other images show more abstract views of the flowers. I liked the lighting of the early morning sun on the petals.

Fountain

In Citrus Park there is a large water fountain that I have photographed several times. I like the sculptures as well as the water running from the mouths of the carved lions. I am sharing these photos to let you see that when you are taking photos, you should move in closer and see if there are other subjects. In fact the weakest image this morning is the wide shot of the fountain.

I like the textures of the moving water. In a still photo the water almost looks like ice.

Someone recently asked why I chose the theme "Everything's a Picture" for my Photo of the Day. I have explained it previously, but there are many new people on the list who may have missed it.

I purchased my first 35mm camera in 1970 (a Miranda Sensorex) and learned that whenever I have a camera with me, I always find something to take a picture of. The subjects of the photos vary, but I always see something that I'd like to photograph! And after making more than 500 000 photographs, I have come to realize that I can make a photograph of just about anything! The process of photography begins with "seeing" something that interests you. The more you see, the more you become aware of your surroundings. The more you become aware, the more you see. Through this cyclic process I have learned that if I see it, it can be a picture - hence, Everything's a Picture!

Objects

I take lots of photos of objects and am sharing a few with you over the next day or two. Some of you may think that it is a waste of time to make these photographs, but I find them interesting. Look closely at the images for shapes, textures and colours.

The first shows a sculpture that I saw in a coffee shop. I liked the colours and contrast but was really attracted to the hat on its head. I saw humour in it.

I liked the colour and contrast between the light fixture and the wall in the second image. I centered the light fixture in this photo even though it breaks the Rule of Thirds.

The bluish ball was part of a lawn ornament. I was driving along in a golf cart when I stopped to make this image. If you look closer you will see my reflection in the centre.