HHC Blog

This is my submission for Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #66: Filling the Frame.

First, a little explanation… I haven’t blogged for a long while because: (1) as time flies by quicker and quicker, working on my bucket list had become more and more urgent 😉 And since I am onto that subject, I may as well do some serious thinking about life in general, which I have done from time to time in the past. (2) One of my nephews got married at the end of Sept; my husband and I were honored to be a part of photographing team. Our first time! That meant a lot of studies, and preparations. I will write about that later.

Patti in her wonderful article said that before she learned “Get close to your subject” and “Think about how to frame the shot.”, her images, sometime, seemed lacking drama and did not convey the artistic “message” she was hoping to convey. I love this wise lady! Now I know why I like cropping photos so much! In one of photographing workshops that I’d attended, I jokingly said, “There is no bad photo, only bad cropping.” I remember that after repeating what I said, my instructor had a mysterious smile on his face.

So, do you frame it right when you take each photo, or, like me, you make sure you get enough material on each photo so you can later crop it to convey the artistic “message”? For me, this is not a choice. I don’t have enough experience (Talent? Practice?) to recognize the right frame within the limited time I have to shoot each photo, so I do what I do. However, I like to add that cropping allows me to see more possibilities!

Sunflower at Northwoods Orchard:

Just a tomato:

Bride’s shoes:

Flower Girl (my grandniece) at rehearsal:

Thank you for visiting my blog.

This is my submission for Tina’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #52: Serenity.

“Serenity” is not a rare word. I knew what it meant, more or less. The first photo came to my mind was a mirror-like ocean when I was at Chesapeake Bay last year.

And, I remember the sunset.

That was all I knew about the serenity. Was that it? I wondered.

I did a quick glance at all photos that were submitted to this challenge. Most of them (97%?) are natural images that don’t have people in them. Hmm… is it possible to find serenity when we are in a crowd?

Watching the 4th of July parade, I stared at people across the street from me…feeling serenity, anyone?

I saw idleness. Serenity? Maybe not. As usual, I googled. I found an article: “Getting to Serenity: 10 Daily Habits for Inner Peace”. The 10 Daily Habits, according to this author, are: Give Thanks Continually; As Soon As Your Mind Wanders Off in The Wrong Direction, Get It Back on Course; Practice Acceptance; Be Kind To Others; Be Careful What You Drink; Get Enough Sleep; Watch and Read the Right Kind of Books, Movies and Television; Keep a Clean, Uncluttered Home; Spend Some Parts of the Day without Noise; Spend Time with the Right Kind of People.

So, I don’t have to sit by a mirror-like ocean every day? But I really felt serenity when I was there at that that moment!

Continue reading articles returned by Google. I saw the following quote.

The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.
~Robert Pirsig

I got it. I brought the Zen to the ocean; then, the ocean made it alive.

Thanks to Tina for this meaningful challenge.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

This is my submission for Ann-Christine’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #50: Trees. (Sorry I am one day late ;-(

This banyan tree was the first tree that I fell in love with. In that little child’s mind, it was a super-tree, which would always be there for me. (Don’t be fooled by that smile though. Although I was happy to have something new to wear for a change, but the jumper was made from my dad’s wool coat and was very itching.)

When I was a teenager, I had a different favorite tree. It was a guava tree planted by my Dad. My dad had an out-of-town job, so he was away from home a lot of time. Whenever I felt angry, sad… I talked to that guava tree. Many years later, I went back to visit our old house and took a photo of the tree, but it was before digital camera time and I couldn’t locate the photo this week.

I still talk to trees, of course.

A Dead tree and birds in Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge…

Banyan trees in Shuang Xi Park, Taipei, Taiwan…

Street photo of a tree 😉

A view at the top of a 100-foot observation tower, at Mille Lacs Kathio State Park, MN.

Who wouldn’t hug a million dollar tree? (Photo taken at Taipingshan in Taiwan)

Thanks to Ann-Christine for a wonderful theme. Every tree is precious 😉 I am sure all other three lovers having problems selecting photos like I did.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

This is my submission for Patti’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #49: Favorite Things.

Patti said, “This week, you have the chance to showcase your favorites–people, places, activities, animals, food, hobbies–just about anything that brings you happiness.”

Buying notebooks makes me happy. I always think I’ll have a lot to write about. However, to journal or not to journal is a constant struggle. For me, journaling is a good way to connect to (maybe even pamper) myself, unless an entry is written as a letter to someone as I, once in a while, do.

I can’t believe I bought two more notebooks last week. Most of these are half empty (half full?) and a couple of them are totally blank. Maybe I should sign up for a 12-step program.

Sunshine makes me happy, too. It has the magic to turn anything into my favorite thing.

Of course, I love my D750!

Thank you, Patti. The best part of having this challenge is that it really makes me think. After doing this challenge, I realize that, nowadays, a lot of things bring happiness to me. I am so grateful.

Thank you for visiting my blog.