Weekly Photo Challenge: Down
Thankfully, I’m not looking or feeling down!!
I’m feeling the opposite of down largely because I begin my new job on Tuesday!! Yesterday, though, I went to Zoo Miami and captured some photos that I think are sweet “down” photos.
The animals were really lively yesterday – they were surely enjoying the beautiful South Florida weather. Some of the animals, like the Gorillas, were having fun just being sleepy. And the Giraffes, well…. their life involves always looking down – they fit the bill rather well.
So, here are the photos for my interpretation of “Down.” I guess you could say this is my interpretation of an animal’s down-time…. 
Here’s a gorilla that we resemble, don’t you think? He’s either feeling pretty down about something, or his head is itchy! I’d wager his head is itchy!
And here he is just a moment later contemplating the grass:
And here he is…. praying?
And here’s another gorilla snoozing in the grass, under the shade of big rocks:
And here a lovely giraffe is doing what they usually do…. look down onto those of us below:
a valentine in white and pink
Although it’s not quite Valentines Day…. I’m getting in the spirit a bit early this year!
Happy and loving wishes to all….
Weekly Photo Challenge: Regret
The weekly photo challenge this week is a tough one. The word is “regret.” I looked through all my photo archives and I found a few photos that would maybe resemble the emotion “regret.” But, not really. Regret is a complex emotion, not easily recognizable in a photo because it could look like so many other emotions. Regret is pensive, but pensive is not “regret.” Regret can be sad, but sad is not “regret.”
You see what I mean?
Regret is a multifaceted emotion – layered with either a tinge or a great deal of sadness, or anger, or longing, or remorse.
Regret may consist of angst, too. Regret rears its elusive head over things we did, or didn’t do; things left unsaid; things left undone after it’s too late to change the things we did. Generally. saying “I’m sorry,” cures the regret. Well, in fiction and other fairy tales that’s true.
Regret also takes the form of wishing we could turn the clock back to redo or undo things. (If only life had the same “undo” or “redo” button that Microsoft Office and other software has.) Wouldn’t it be nice if that”Easy” button in the Staples televisions commercials really worked?
So, I found a couple of photos that captured an element of regret. I have a photo of a butterfly whose wings are badly damaged and who is clearly close to death. But, when I saw that photo tonight what I felt was sadness and then I realized I regretted taking the photo.
Another photo I looked was of my niece with a sad and pensive look with tears forming in her eyes. She wasn’t feeling regret, she was having one of those meltdowns that all kids have when they don’t get to do what they want to do. It wasn’t regret. Does a 6-year-old feel regret?
And then I had a picture of a Florida Panther that was really cute. He has his forehead between his paws, down on the grass as if he’s trying to scratch the top of his head on the ground. And I almost chose that photo because it was as close as I thought I would get to embodying regret. Of course, I know the panther was just giving his head a good scratch in the grass so it really didn’t look regretful. And after all, the more anthropomorphically realistic our animal photos are, the more we love them – the funnier they are. And funny is fun but it doesn’t say “regret” plus the photo is a bit blurry – horrors!
So, I kept looking for photos and nothing said “regret” to me. I looked up the dictionary meaning, too:
1. To feel sorry, disappointed, or distressed about.
2. To remember with a feeling of loss or sorrow; mourn.(verb)To feel regret.
(noun)
1. A sense of loss and longing for someone or something gone.2. A feeling of disappointment or distress about something that one wishes could be different.3. regrets A courteous expression of regret, especially at having to decline an invitation.
I was about ready to skip this photo challenge when I remembered what I’d bought tonight at the grocery store!!!!! And I said, out loud, BINGO! Talk about regret…. There’s guilt there, too….. Double whammy.
Mind you, I bought this in the grocery store tonight after I’d had a HUGE steak dinner at Outback Steakhouse.
After all, they say, it’s best NOT to go to the grocery store on an empty stomach, right? Well I went to Publix grocery store, still full as a whale, and look what I bought and what I immediately began to eat?!!!!!
So, here’s my chocolate chip-yummy-frosting-early-valentine-to-myself-definition of regret….
Weekly Photo Challenge: Ready? Splash!
This week the word for the photo challenge is, ready.
This little guy is deciding whether to jump into the water.
To splash or not to splash? That is the question!
He stood there a while just looking into space. Perhaps he was just dreaming, or maybe he didn’t like the water fountain. Or, maybe he was wondering if he needed a bath. Do birds decide when they’re ready for a bath? Maybe!
Photo by Andrea O'Connell
He seemed leery about the water fountain. He wouldn’t jump in until the fountain stopped…
By Andrea O'Connell
Then the water suddenly stopped and he was ready….
Photo by Andrea O'Connell
And then, not two seconds later, big splash!
Photo by Andrea O'Connell
Love those splashes!
Photo by Andrea O'Connell
He is having a grand time, until another bird came and he flew away…. you can see the wake he left!
Photo by Andrea O'Connell
Click on any of the photos to see a larger version.
life’s a beach and other beauty secrets
Update: Until now, I didn’t know the difference between a Florida Panther and a Bobcat. As it turns out, what I’d been calling a Bobcat is really the endangered Florida Panther. Apologies to all the big cats for my error….
In my earlier post, a Panther bobcat photo had made its way into every one of the pictures I’d exported from LightRoom 4 (LR 4). Well, I figured out how it happened! And, it was not at all the fault of an errant or stalking Panther Bobcat, either! It was silly me. Now I know how it works…
I’d inadvertently made the photo of the Panther Bobcat my “signature” when I was trying to create a photo-signature. Each time a new photo was exported, the Panther bobcat photo appeared as a signature.
Here’s a whole new crop of pretties that have been to the beauty parlor of LR 4. They’ve gotten manicures, pedicures, new hairdo’s and brighter smiles, too.
Click any picture to see a slide show of the enhancements.
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- Notice the bobcat is gone!
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- by Andrea O’Connell
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- by Andrea O’Connell
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- by Andrea O’Connell
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- by Andrea O’Connell
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- By Andrea O’Connell
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- baby ducks in canal in back yard By Andrea O’Connell
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- Ducking and Mom By Andrea O’Connell
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- Pelican – resuced and recuperating By Andrea O’Connell
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- On the Rooftop. The Female Peacocks are not so bold! By Andrea O’Connell
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- watching! By Andrea O’Connell
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- Peacock Pride By Andrea O’Connell
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- Here’s the Florida PANTHER (endangered) By Andrea O’Connell
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- Another shot of Florida PANTHER By Andrea O’Connell
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- Lizard with a Necktie By Andrea O’Connell
Basically, what I’ve learned to do is sharpen, adjust the exposure, saturation, hue. I’ve learned to change the “clarity” settings by playing with shadows, highlights, blacks and whites. And so much more. The hardest part for me was the export and import process, but I’m getting that down now.
It amazes me that up until now I have worked with my images completely untouched when all along I could have livened them up with a trip to an LR 4 Beauty School!
About the photos:
The beach photos were captured from the balcony of a condo in Pompano Beach, Florida, in July 2010. The other photos were captured at Flamingo Gardens, in Davie, Florida, where they take care of injured and endangered animals of every kind. The two Muscovy duck pictures (babies and Mother duck) were captured from my (former) back yard, on the canal. And, the lizard I captured at Butterfly World, in Coconut Creek, also in Florida.
I love visiting all these places. I especially enjoy being at the beach and watching the waves roll in and out. There’s nothing so restful.
Not a bobcat in my clouds and lovin spoonbills – it’s a Florida Panther
I’m enjoying working with my photos and enhancing them with Photoshop Light-Room 4. I’ve taught myself how to use it via trial and error and experimenting. However, I have no idea how a picture of a Florida Panther bobcat that I’d been editing ended up being embedded in the bottom left corner of EVERY picture I work on? All of these pics are in an export file, and every photo I export the Florida Panther bobcat on the left had corner of the of the photo is embedded….but how? The Florida Panther Bobcat is not in the export file….so how does he end up in my cloud and Roseate Spoonbill pictures?
So, clearly I have not learned nearly enough about editing pictures when panthers bobcats mingle in my clouds and with my lovin spoonbills! Hah!
Anyway, click on the pics to see a bigger version of it while I go and figure out what the heck is going on!
If anyone has an idea how/why this is occurring, I’d sure appreciate it….
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- clouds, Andrea O’Connell, 2010
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- by Andrea O’Connell, 2010
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- lovin spoonbill by Andrea O’Connell 2010
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- lovin spoonbill by Andrea O’Connell
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- clouds 2, Andrea O’Connell, 2010
Weekly Photo Challenge: Hope
This week the theme of the weekly photo challenge is hope…. (which I’m full of).
The first thing I thought of? Being hired at Microsoft! Oh, how I am hoping.
I don’t want just any job, I want the best job. I want a job that feels more like love than work. I want to love having my job and I want my employer to love my passion and creativity and hard work, too.
So far, the Microsoft opportunity feels like the best fit. And so, when the interviews are over, I hope Microsoft hands me something that looks like this:
And, here’s another little reminder of hope.
It was spring and all the birdies were building their nests when I shot this picture, at Butterfly World, in Florida. This little fellow was trying to bring that entire twig up to his nest in a nearby tree.
He tried and tried and tried….hoping to get it to the nest. It was amazing to see.
Ultimately, though, he turned to another twig more his size, leaving that one a much bigger bird.
colors
The process of transforming / experimenting with colors is great fun. Here’s a very simple photo that I edited using both Adobe Lightroom 4 and Microsoft PowerPoint.
Here’s a darker version:
Below is the original:
passion
I should be asleep, and dreaming – but I got caught up in colors! It’s fascinating how easy it is to manipulate colors on the computer. I’m engrossed with the experimentation of re-coloring.
Since the peacock is full of rich colors anyway, he makes a great canvas to play with.
Photo by Andrea O'Connell (2010)
This is a first draft of the peacock – I’m not totally satisfied with the clarity – not yet. And, speaking of clarity…..
My vision is improving. I am seeing the importance of passion – only just lately. Truly, it’s everything. Passion is everything. creating is everything. Creating wonderful work is everything.
passion is a pretty good guide. (Epiphany alert!!)
I used to think i was too passionate about work. But work has to be passionately wonderful. If it’s not, why do it at all? For money alone? No.
There’s a difference between “work” and work. In the past I thought personal success was measured by how much money I could make. And, in a sense it is, but it’s not integral, passion is first.
It’s about passion first, then money will come. It’s about creating and doing the work I love to do. That’s it. Well, it’s about time I figured that out!
Life is good.
happy monday in advance
Here’s a quick splash of color to brighten up our Monday – in advance!
Monday – tomorrow – 8:00 a.m., I have my second interview at Microsoft – the second of four.
I’m nervous. So… well. Here’s all I really want to happen: When my mouth opens words come out. In perfect order. With colors as bright as this Passion Flower.
Passion Flower, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida By Andrea O'Connell
a writer’s journal with photography
I just published a book! Well, “Blurb” is doing all the work….I just supplied the photos!
<—- That’s the cover of the book. It’s a photography journal that I titled “Journal of Dreams.”
There are about twenty of my nature photos (birds, butterflies and flowers), throughout the 100 page journal.
It is very easy to create a book and it’s totally free! It’s really fun to create. If you want to make a book, go to the Blurb website: www.blurb.com
You have to download some of their software to create your book, which is really no big deal and they (Blurb) make the rest easy. And, there are many other types of books that you can create. I started out making a date book, but switched to a journal midstream, and it was easy!
Click below to flip through my book. The entire book is there. You can purchase a copy via the link and I think I make about $5.00 (I’m not sure), on sales. I need to look into how that works.
They say they print every book with high-quality paper and binding. I just ordered a copy as a gift to my Mom; so I’ll let you know how it turns out. From what I’ve read, they do a really good job and there are Blurb authors who are publishing and selling their own books like crazy!
I love the idea!
My book is below – Let me know what you think!
Hope you’re having a GREAT weekend!
Weekly Photo Challenge: Peaceful
The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge asks us to post a photo that speaks “peaceful,” and this one works for me.
This is Pompano Beach, Florida, which is my home. Well, I don’t live on the ocean and this is not my view, unfortunately (or fortunately, during hurricane season!).
Although yesterday was an incredible day, it was hardly peaceful for me!
Yesterday began with a 7:30 am breakfast-tribute to the memory of Martin Luther King, Stand for Something.
The Broward County YMCA puts on this Martin Luther King Inspirational Breakfast program each year. This year J.R. Martinez – Iraq war Veteran, and more recently, winner of the Dancing with the Stars show, was the Keynote Speaker.
And, former Dancing with the Stars contestant and newly retired Miami Dolphins football great, Jason Taylor was honored with the Spirit Award, from the YMCA.
I’ll write about the event tomorrow – it was very special.
Then, I had a phone interview with Microsoft. Yes, THE Microsoft!!
The other day I wrote something about all the applications and jobs that I have on the burner and how I didn’t want to accept anything from Acme Computers if Microsoft called…. And…
Well….,
They called!
Who would have thunk it? They saw my resume online and called ME? OMG!
Well, I don’t have the job – yet. And, although I want to keep really positive about getting it….well, I’m realistic, too.
And I had another great interview with a firm that I like very much…
Then, last night, I saw a wonderful play about, of all things, wrestling! I am hardly anyone who enjoys wrestling – but I have a new-found respect for the show-business side of it now.
If you happen to be in the South Florida area, GO SEE this play. You will love it!
Playing at the Caldwell Theatre, Boca Raton, FL
Moving Rosie’s shark picture down….
Had to get the picture of the poor shark away from the top of the page. Photo credit: Andrea O’Connell 1/10/2012
Weekly Photo Challenge: Launch (of 3 Herons)
This week’s challenge is about finding a photo, or photos, that say launch.
Last year, early one morning, there were three lovely Herons on the bank of the canal, in my backyard. I tiptoed out, camera in hand, to see if I could capture them as they enjoyed the quiet morning, side by side.
I managed to capture this first photo without their knowing it, but it took only moments for them to know I was there:
In this photo, the one in the middle is just beginning to sense my presence:
And, in the very next moment, the guy in the middle is unnerved and probably says to the others, as he’s launching, “Hey Buds, I’m not sticking around,” as he readies himself for take off:
And there he goes:
Now that number one is gone, number two is getting out of Dodge, and number three is right on his heels, or rather wings, getting ready for take off:
And here’s the last glimpse of number three, as he’s heading out of the frame and on his way:
Related articles
- Weekly Photo Challenge: Launch (dailypost.wordpress.com)
sparkles and lights and glowing butterflies
Photography and mixed media design is a wonderful art form that I have only just begun to experiment with.
I have much to learn about using Photography to illustrate unusual patterns and images that lie beneath what we see with our normal vision. The great thing about tools to enhance photography is its ability to bring out what wouldn’t normally be seen.
I just created the below image using my photograph of a butterfly, underneath the altered one. I am going to continue to experiment with this… it’s such fun!
The original photo I took with my Canon Rebel (I cropped the above image just a bit):
