Lens-Artists Challenge #401 | Focus

The challenge theme this week is focus, an awesome challenge with new growth in Spring, early summer that has graced us with its presence lately. I have felt stifled in my enthusiasm to get out with my camera, when honestly its exactly what I needed. I shared yesterday on my blog that we recently got some heavy news about our daughter.

Patti introduces the theme as focus with a variety of examples and encourages the reader to select 2 or 3 tips and share several examples, with limiting each to 4.

• Vary your Subject Placement
• Simplify your background
• Selective Focus
• Negative Space
• Leading Lines
• Get in Closer

For my examples – a morning walk with my dog and my camera and big macro lens – was just what I needed – for me and the challenge! I grabbed my EF 180mm f3.5L Macro Lens and my Canon R6MII camera. I am going with Selective Focus + Simplify Your Background + Negative Space – as with macro, you have colour but you also get that beautiful negative space look!

I haven’t walked with my dog and a camera in a bit. I woke early this morning, he was up too, no one else was awake at the cottage so after feeding him, we prepared to go for a walk – longer than originally anticipated, however needed, so much! This was on our way back, I couldn’t even begin to tell you the exact route of our walk, we got lost in the streets but eventually found our way back – trust! I saw this, as I looked over, the sun, somehow perfectly shining on the tip top of this tree.

As we turned the one corner, the sun was shining in the grass perfectly that you could see the dew. I purposely used selective focus in this image and focused towards the mid level with the foreground and background more blurry, beautiful bokeh!

I love lilac’s, they fondly remind me of my childhood, we had a big beautiful lilac bush at one of our houses and I loved the smell! In this image I really like the negative space and I purposely focused on the lilac.

I love the look of these tiny little flowers. Selective focus on the blue blossoms with white and blue in behind.

I really love the simplicity of this image, the focus being on the deep purple flower – gorgeous colour – selective focus as I was using my 180mm macro lens still at f3.5.

I forgot I got this shot! I just love dew (rain) drops in nature! Selective focus and negative space that macro creates – which is what I love! Look at that big drop! Love it.

We arrived home, from 24 hours away to these beauties blooming in our garden boxes. With my R6MII and 180mm f3.5L Macro

This one is also Get Closer!

The walk this morning felt so healing, I will admit since my brother passed, I can hit overwhelm, anxiety and all levels in between high and low much quicker. This morning, I am proud of myself for following through with my souls call to get up and out and go for a walk – something both myself and the dog needed. With a focus theme and my big macro lens, it felt like a dream team to get this heart re-ignited. I could have went back through my archives, however this, is what I needed and I love the images I have added to my collection.