49 Phenomenal Photos from National Geographic Traveler Photography Contest

Spectacular images!

Don't miss the rest.

Thank you so much, Kathi.

Joel Sartore, brilliant photographer

Follow this link for more remarkable photographs of animals in the Biodiversity Project. Click on the images to advance the series.

Simply spectacular. And sad, of course, unless we figure out a way to save these beautiful creatures.  

What a wonderful world indeed.

Thank you, Jan.  Spectacular photos.

Take better travel pictures.

It would be difficult to find a better teacher than photographer Tim Allen.  

Connect HERE for his tips. 

Stunningly beautiful and creative

Gutsy guy photographs the world!

If you thought that Lapland photos were interesting, wait until you watch this!!! 

"From the icy Arctic to Africa's dense jungles - and the mountain tops of Mongolia to the deep waters of the Pacific - the BBC series Human Planet has explored mankind's incredible relationship with nature.

Accompanying the film crews was photographer Timothy Allen. His stunning still images captured unique glimpses of people living in the world's most extreme environments. Take a look at some of them, and listen to him explain how he snapped the most arresting shots."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12618167

Many thanks, Joan, for the link to this remarkable video!

Adele Enersen again.

You may have seen her work here this past January.  Today I found some additional images.  In my excitement, I may have snagged some duplicates.  I'll bet you won't mind seeing her art again.  And again and again...  Each time I watch, I find something I hadn't noticed before.  

In her own words:  "I used to introduce myself as a copywriter & concept designer in advertising, but that's not that relevant anymore. Right now I am a mother and a housewife, and loving it! 

While my baby is taking her nap, I create scene around her and take quick snap photos.  I use only few minutes per picture, including creating idea, implementation and editing, 'cause I don't want to disturb her sleeping and most of my time is for my family. My camera is small and inexpensive Canon IXUS 750."

Adele Enersen, you are truly an amazingly creative woman and mom!!!  Congratulations!!!

Mila's Mom is AAAAAAAH-MAZING!

Meet the Mom behind 'Mila's Daydreams'

If you missed the initial entry about this incredibly creative mom, see:  Truly Totally Terrific.

Also see this interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYI3tg3vmuA&feature=related

WOW!  What a woman!  Were you ever this creative during your postpartem days?

Much as I love her work, Move on over, Anne Geddes! 

TRULY, TOTALLY BRILLIANT!!!

Phenomenal, really.  Here is the Truly Amazing work of Adele Enersen from Helsinki, Finland.  What follows is her maternity leave project.  While her daughter is soundly asleep, she creates a completely different world from whatever she can find around her!  

So incredibly brilliant/creative.  She has quite a stash of wonderful things in her world.  Almost makes me want another child!   Almost.  Thanks, Joan, for sending this my way.

Coming full circle

Yesterday I described how plastic-lined purses played a pivotal role in my childhood.  Somewhat of a stretch but I couldn't pass up the alliterative opportunity/is that a word?

I love photography.  Many kids in Kona love paddling but cannot cover the costs.  Photo bags, particularly beach bags, seemed like a perfect fit. 

Here are the details:

• Eco-friendly, bags are constructed from twelve layers of recycled paper with laminated photos on each panel, inside and out
• Sturdy and strong, each is embroidered with decorative stitching to compliment images
• Water resistant, they’re perfect for toting belongings to the beach, groceries from the market or  perhaps a pooped pooch

The Extra Large Tote (shown below), measures 17.5" X 11.5" X 5" and is $60.00.  All proceeds will be donated to two kid's padding clubs in Kona.  Details about paddles and paddlers in an upcoming blog.

More photo bag options coming later this week along with order info.  Stay tuned. 

Please email me at lois@freshperspectives.org if you would like to support this paddling endeavor with the purchase of one or more bags.

Yesterday I explained how plastic-lined purses played a pivotal role in my childhood.  Somewhat of a stretch but as you might have noticed, I’m totally in love with alliteration. 

So here they are.  Beach bags made from my photos.  All proceeds from the sale of the bags benefit paddling clubs for kids in Kona, Hawaii.  I’ll post background info on paddlers and paddles later this week.

Meanwhile, here are the details:

Eco-friendly beach bags are constructed from twelve layers of recycled paper with laminated photos on each panel, inside and out. Sturdy and strong, each bag is embroidered with decorative stitching to compliment the each image. Since they’re water resistant, they’re perfect for toting your belongings to the beach. Or groceries from the market.  

Full moon photography

May you always have work for your hands to do. May your pockets hold always a coin or two. May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.  May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain. May the hand of a friend always be near you. And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you. Irish Blessing

Even more below.  Thanks so much, Barb!  I can't wait to play with this concept myself!

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Much, much better

OK, I’m feeling the need to Bring Beauty Back to the Blog. 

As informative and reality based as the last two days photos might have been, I much prefer composing and then sharing pictures that are filled with color, texture, light, surprising shadows and reflections.  Bits of brilliance and/or whimsy.  Created by nature or those of us who live in this amazing world.

Whew.  I'm feeling much, much better now. 

Fun format for sharing photos

Spontaneity often works better than putting prescribed plans in place.  At least that's been my experience. 

I could have constructed a slideshow.  Or a book.  But only if I was able to stay up all night.  And the night after that.  And was capable of finishing before everyone left. That's when spontaneity makes more sense to me.

It was the end of a wonderful week with friends of all ages.  I wanted all to go home with a fistful of memories. 

Having printed the pictures earlier in the day, I slipped them into our evening meal. 

Did I realize that I'd become so tearful watching people pick out their favorites?  No way. 

 

Did I think that it was a wonderful way to end our vacation? 

Absolutely.

Gamble Garden

Have I been living under a rock for the past two decades?  Don't answer. 

Beyond the superb spring garden tours that they've so successfully hosted as far back as I can remember, I haven't really spent time on the grounds of Gamble Garden.  I do not like admitting this. 

Gamble’s gardens are sooooo worth a visit, particularly this time of year when summer perennials are beginning to burst into bloom.  Two and a half acres of sheer delight situated in the heart of Palo Alto just off Embarcadero Road en route to Stanford University.  And, of course, Stanford Shopping Center.

One of the many things that I adore about Gamble is that the entire property is open to the public/free of charge/during daylight hours.  I was there very early one morning last week taking pictures and again later that day with good friend and former Gamble Board member, Susan.  Both times many others were visiting, too, photographing flowers/using the site for family photo sessions/soaking in the beauty/taking notes and learning. 

Please visit their website, Gamble Garden, for details about history, location, classes, events and numerous other multi-generational offerings and possibilities.  It's a terrific place to meet friends for coffee, lunch or an early evening walk.  You'll find demonstration, working and cutting gardens, as well as a greenhouse and lath house.

Labels let you know what everything is so that you can easily transplant the ideas back to your own garden.  Or simply enjoy the space that the many, many volunteers have created.

You may discover, as we did, Paul Althouse, retired owner of Redwood City Nursery (one of my all-time favorite shopping ops), tending his cutting garden.  Pretty amazing/very marvelous man who donates his time, plants and talent to Gamble.  And to you, too/those who visit the garden.

Pick up one of the brochures enumerating the many upcoming offerings.  Paul’s class is sure to sell out.  So sign up today. 

Meanwhile, “visit Gamble” via my photos.  I could not capture everything, so schedule a visit soon. 

And support Gamble by joining this wonderful non-profit community foundation available for all of us to enjoy. 

Enjoy the music as you take your tour by clicking below.  Cycle through the photos when they end because the slideshow may have started without you!

Thank you, Friends of Gamble Garden.  Send me the form, OK?/I want to become a Friend, too.

Update on Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 8:17AM by Lois

Finally a few moments to go back to Gamble to take pictures of the main house.  Unable to resist walking through the gardens again.  Here is the result of yesterday's visit.  Clearly evidence that I could/should stop by far more often/sure to find something surprising.  And lovely.  And positively beautiful.  Often breathtaking.

Bad hair day

And apparently a bad head day, too.  Oh boy/nasty nose day for the boys in the back.

 

Like many of you, I have tons of photos.  Albums never really worked for me.  Boxes were better/they provided easy access for school projects/did they ever go back?  Nope.  But really, what could beat digital storage and retrieval?  And creating Shutterfly-style books? 

So how does one deal with the enormous number of pictures printed?  Dumping them on my kids doorstep didn't seem quite fair.  Though that definitely was the easiest solution.

Should I spend the $$$ to have pictures professionally scanned?  What if they got lost in the mail?  Or in India?  Much as I loved that country, it would be tough to track down my treasures.

Greg suggested that I try the automatic paper feed on my HP Officejet to process a stack of same-size photos.  One setting of the parameters (I used 600 dpi) and the copier/scanner could potentially do the rest.  That is, if you have a carriage that will accommodate your pictures.  Luckily, I did.  And you may have, too.

Odd sizes like those on the left would still require individual attention.

Was the process and the end product perfect? Well, it was definitely fast and most pictures were just fine as opposed to the top pict.  Pict below is a better indication of quality one might expect.

Now that I have several stacks saved on my computer, I might feel safer sending a batch to one of the online operations like Scancafe.  WHOA!  Just looked at their price list.  $.25 per picture!!!  Yes, they do have sales but...

I'm sticking with my newfound, relatively trouble-free technique.  The few glitches make viewing much more entertaining, don't you think?  

I mean, how many perfect pictures does one really need?

Let your vacation begin

Join me for a walk through forty acres of tropical rainforest nestled near the ocean just eight and a half miles north of Hilo, HI.  If you're vacationing on the Kona coast and decide to take the two-hour trek to the other side of the island, call ahead for a weather report.  While it was overcast on all of my many visits, I’ve yet to encounter rain/I think I've been extraordinarily lucky.  Guidebooks warn of mosquitoes the size of small birds/again, I’ve never witnessed even one.  But bring mosquito repellent just in case. 

It's the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden on The Big Island.  Unbelievable foliage and flowers.  The photos are completely natural/I did nothing to enhance my images in any way.  Nature/pretty phenomenal stuff.

Make your walk even better by clicking below to enjoy a little slack key guitar. 

And if you like the music, check out a few of my favorites.  Lovely listening at home, in the office or on the road.  Have a nice trip.

Oh, PS, if you think that I'm making a killing on Amazon links, think again.  I've made a grand total of...are you ready????  $7.50 so far this year/WOW.  YES! 

Know that my recommendations are, as always, just that/recommendations.  Not attempts to make a fortune.  Though that could be fun, couldn't it? 

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I bet all of us could contribute

some prize-winning photos, don't you think?

As I sort through thousands of old family pictures, I'm re-inspired to isolate the best of the worst and bring them to life with captions.   

No time like the present to get prepared for the holidays, right?  Could make great note cards or gift tags.  Or simply moments to remember.  No pressure.  Just a thought.

You might also enjoy:

Don't delete the duds

Pretty Perfect Printing, Papers and Product

I was pleased to find that the following products are available on Amazon. Two reasons: I love their delivery schedule/free or very small overnight surcharge. And because they inventory almost everything anyone would ever need or want, purchases via credit card have limited exposure. Anyone who has had their card compromised knows what a pain it is to track down all relevant links.

My original stash of beautifully colored/perfectly cut card stock and pre-folded note cards w/envelopes came from the Ace Hardware/Craft Store in Kona, HI.  Go figure/it's one of my favorite stops.

Now it’s easier than ever to produce professional products that you’d be proud to share.

My Big Find centered around beautiful backgrounds available in 12 colors, 4.5" X 6.5" which is PERFECT for mounting 4 X 6 photos! My three favorites: Textured Pastels, Brights and Textured Jewels. The A7 note cards (5 1/4 inch by 7 1/4 inch with matching envelopes/12 pack) are from American Crafts, available on Amazon.

Whether you have your photos printed online, locally or at home, here’s an item you’ll wonder how you ever lived without: The 3M Scotch ATG700 Adhesive Applicator. Simply the best and fastest way to affix photos to cards and/or any paper product to another paper product.  Just squeeze the trigger, slide over paper surface and the glue slides out in strips.  Please note additional information at bottom of post.

If you love photography as much as I do and want instant access to your photos, a good home printer is crucial.

My wireless All-In-One HP Printer/FAX/Copier/Scanner (C7250) is apparently no longer available/I did find a used model online when searching today. Check out Costco/perhaps they still carry my older model. I was able to find another HP Photosmart All-in-One Printer that, while more expensive than mine, uses HP 02 color cartridges which, I'm convinced, make a HUGE DIFFERENCE in print quality. And flexibility when replacing cartridges.

My other Big Secret is this:  Photo Paper. Here’s what I use: HP® Soft-Gloss Premium Photo Paper, 4 x 6, 100 Sheets per Pack.

While it’s a substantial investment both initially and when replacing ink cartridges, you might derive enormous pleasure, as I do, when printing top-quality photos, constructing creative cards and then being able to share the results with friends and family.  It's impossible to put a price tag on a Big Smile.

Update on Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 8:31AM by Lois

You absolutely need special transfer tape, either 1/2" or my favorite, Adhesive Transfer Tape Roll for Scotch Tape Gun, 3/4.  This is the key ingredient to successfully adhering two surfaces together.

Capturing those creative concepts

Easter is over.  After each holiday or other potentially recurring event, I do a paper postmortem:  What worked?  What didn’t?  What would I change next time around?  I love new ideas AND I also adore having the basics in place as starting points for the following year. 

In the past, I’ve made mini albums for reference. This year I’m trying something new:  a collage of my favorites using Picasa, Google’s free software application for organizing, editing and sharing digital photos.  If you, too, are using Picasa, collage creation couldn't be easier.  If you haven't discovered this digital opportunity, consider downloading it and trying it out for yourself. 

Here's how:  Open the application/Picasa and click on or highlight the pictures you'd like to include in your collage.  Obviously, the more pictures you include, the smaller each image will be. 

If I were to do this again, I'd increase grid spacing as shown below.

Superimposed on card stock, collages make terrific personalized note cards.  Today, it turns out, is Don's Big Day! Happy BD, Don!!! 

More images and specific instructions tomorrow/enjoying house guests, friends and family events.

Easter Sunday images

Wake up your whimsical side

Am waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overdue on sleep front/was perhaps too spontaneous in going to the bead show today and then a surprise dinner which I loved and am now going to bed.  Here are images I thought about including in a blog today.  Use your imagination and have a wonderful day tomorrow.  We will, too.  Happy Easter, Everyone.