When you can indulge in your pizza craving! … and its DELICIOUS!
I recently learned the effects of tomatoes on my body, since avoiding them I have felt much better. When take out was suggested for family day dinner, I at first felt very disappointed that I couldn’t indulge myself. Until I took a look at my options… Gluten Free Crust, much better on my stomach, alfredo sauce, grilled chicken, bacon, mushrooms, green pepper, cheddar and provolone cheese. Oh goodness, its delicious! I did take a couple digestive enzymes to help my body with the digestion of the cheese. Grateful I did lean into my craving!
I love the ways the trees look with a blanket of frost over them early in the morning. Black and White Monochrome edit pulls in more of the shadows and highlights!
This week Ritva encourages us to think outside of the normal photography constraints and push the cropping limits. In Ritva’s post, she provides many beautiful examples, one that pulled me in is the in camera crop. It is ‘easier’ to crop in post processing. This morning I woke and looked outside, in the bright morning light I could see all the trees in our back yard beautifully frosted over. I felt inspired.
Inspired to go outside and take photos of the frost on the various trees and crop in camera, up close. Very close with my 180mm macro lens. I haven’t even downloaded the images yet, as I am starting this weeks challenge blog…
This is when I know Ive been beautifully creatively inspired. When I read the challenge yesterday, I thought of our day yesterday, however it wasn’t the right set of photos to use, I had cropped in post processing, from our snowmobile ride, great photos but not the ones.
I took our dog outside with me and this time ventured to our back yard – with deep snow I carefully walked across the snowmobile trail to not sink ;) Downloading and going through the images, I have gasped multiple times. I think I can honestly say, that I have never pushed myself with my macro shots this much – the beauty… for a challenge, I trusted and just let the artistic creativity flow. My heart is boundlessly happy with the results!!! With over 70 photos, this now poses my next challenge ;)
Close up, in camera crop of the snowmobile ski track in the snow.
Ive had issue with getting macro in focus before, from a further back distance, and not with the 180mm, this morning however, it flowed perfectly and I am thrilled with the results.
A close in camera crop of a tiny small dried up leaf on the tree, beautifully edged with frost.
One of the first ones, and this one had me in awe…
These challenges are helping me embrace a side of abstract I haven’t before, close up crop sometimes means focus falls where you hadn’t initially planned and most times, this is the magic of trust!
This dried up little leaf isn’t that big and yet close up in frame, it hangs proud displaying the beautiful winter frost.
Fill the camera frame with frost on the glass deck railings.
Close up of the snow.
This was so much fun – it felt like I was pushing my normal edges for macro photography and the results, my heart is so creatively happy!
To end this off, my husband had a great idea when I told him the theme… or does it mean a close crop – to you… I was slightly puzzled at first and then realized last weekend I have a picture of us snowmobiling on a trail that – goes through a crop of corn still standing!
If you would like to join in for this weeks Lens-Artists Challenge, please be sure to use the Lens-Artists tag in your blog so everyone can see it! I love how inspiring these challenges have been for me and look forward to them each week! For more information on the Lens-Artists Challenge see here!
I appreciate Ritva’s closing message in this week’s challenge…
“Make sure to return on Saturday, February 21, at noon Eastern Time for an exciting new challenge from Patti at Pilotfishblog. I hope you’ll be there to join us! In the meantime, let’s keep exploring, broadening our horizons, and maintaining a positive mindset.”Ritva
I love the colour of these Tulips, like the winter snow, warmer and delicate, fresh and pure. With the year shifting from the year of the snake to the year of the horse, this feels like a beautiful alignment!
After a very successful snowmobile + photography outing last weekend, I wanted to share my set up as I am quite impressed at how well this worked in -24 C weather!
Bag – Peak Design Sling Bag 6L I debated between this one and the 3L – I have a Canon RP + Canon R6MII that I regularly shoot with (5DMIII backup) this bag when snowmobiling fits my wallet and phone on one side and then the Canon RP with the 24-240mm lens on it standing straight up. I also bought the hood for this lens as well.
The battery was used, actually I rode with it the day before, the camera was primarily in my bag other than the short stop to enjoy some Deer in the field. So the battery still showed full, yet was gently used. Both days were cold, felt like approx -24 C.
Sunday, for our ride from Mount Forest to Howick – this is approx 27-35min driving by road. We made it home from the game in 1 hour and getting there took a wee bit longer as I did have a ‘few’ stops ;)
In the photo below, shows you how I rode the entire way – my battery lasted and was flashing red when we arrived at the arena!!! I am VERY impressed with the battery capabilities. Camera around my neck, lens hood on and camera hanging down into my bag. It was like my holster, as I saw something, I was able to very safely and quickly pull out the camera to get the shots. The camera and lens were out of the wind and had the insulation of the bag.
I also ride with bags on my handle bars, I highly recommend if your hands get cold, the bags hold the heat beautifully and I rarely wear my big gloves anymore. With my thinner gloves I have found I am able to control my sled better as I can grip the handle bars much easier and still be warm!
If you are a photographer like me and enjoy capturing all the things, be sure you have someone watching ahead or behind you, if people come up behind you, be gracious enough to let them pass.
Love is unconditional, one that can be among so many other feelings. The base of what we can poise as the very limit of feeling in life, the limit of unconditional love being the base, to begin there, to go from there. With empathy and ethics.
Love can feel multifaceted, understandable, its not cut and dry. Your journey and mine will be one of its own.
Set the values of your life, based through love, allow yourself to fully step into and encompass how you want to feel, how you want to live, with gratitude, knowing each story is one of our own.
Love is pure, should never be used as a weapon, and should teach children confidence in their choices and for those around them.
Love is a trust, an unknown that feels right, feels true, feels balanced.
Love is seeing others how you want to be seen, a beautiful understanding, which sometimes includes a release.
