Balanced State of Mind

Responding to The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge, I created my own image. Through the years, I have been characterized as steady, balanced, calm. I once was given the award as Mr. Cool Calm and Collected. Well…if only… haha. I was given a solid foundation growing up for Christian faith and practice, providing a balanced outlook on life through its ups and downs.

Balanced

Steady

Foundation

Sunday Scene

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

I Corinthians 15:58

 

Natural Sepia

Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge – Sepia

I found that a lot of my winter images turned out to be naturally sepia in tone. These images have not been used before but come from some of my other collections this month.

Check out: When Beauty fades…, my drift wood experiment and What is this?

Face of Driftwood

Grace

Conch

Spike

 

CFFC – Rough

 

Rough 

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge this week is rough. Check out the others. This coneflower remnant has some rough lingering beauty.  It won’t be too much longer and the beauty will begin to rise again.

Wordless Wednesday Bokeh …

…With  Added Twist

Window

Window

Sunday Scene

Prairie Island Summer 

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8 NKJV

For a Time and a Season

Of All Seasons

Start the cycle where you wish

spring inspired seed

summer fed fruit

fall foodstuff

winter dormant

start all over again

WPC Seasons – click to see other contributions and interpretations of this week’s photo challenge.

 

 

Driftwood Smooth

Smooth

Twisted Smooth

Driftwood Smooth

Arched Smooth

For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, I found these driftwood pieces collected  in the past from Lake Michigan’s Shore. Worn, weathered, beaten and battered smooth they make a perfect subject. I shot this collection of macro shots using a background of manila braille paper, black cloth and and the back of a legal pad. I  utilized a 20mm and 36mm Extension tube. Enjoy!

Before the Storm

Calm Before the Storm

And the Correct Guess Is…

If you guess shells and seashells your technically correct, but graydaysandcoffee nailed it as a Conch Shell. Here are the originals only slightly cropped.

I joined a local amateur photo association. Last night we had a photo workshop in which i participated. I focused, literally, on timed exposures and learning manual focus. Most stations were set up to shoot in a darkened room with different lighting options. For these photos, I simply placed the conch shells under an incandescent lamp and decided to try my 14mm macro extension.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

You all receive my warmest congratulations.