The Lion Lays Down and the Lamb Leaps

Magnolia stellata

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I wait for this small bush (I only planted it four years ago) every year to tell me spring is 'waiting in the wings'.
It always precedes Spring's first act with breathtaking beauty.

There are more photographs on my website that celebrate the last sighs of the Lion and the first leaps of the lamb.

Why? Because...

The A-Z challenge has come to Y (see link below)

Y is for Yabber
Sorry I couldn't photogragh the hot air.

And for Yacht

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And for Yank (no offence meant)

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And for Youth

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And for YOURS

Blue Frog Found

This week's challenge is to photograph things that float so I went on my daily walk on the canal towpath. Follow the link to join in and view other entries.

I knew there would be many 'things' floating on the water. Some natural and with every right to be there and others unnatural, unwanted and out of place.

I decided to photograph the debris and make a collage.

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Nature will degrade the naturally fallen branch, leaves and the disguarded feather. She cannot cope with our rubbish that should have been disposed of properly.

While I was collecting the necessary photographs I saw...

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The next minute he was...

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And before long...

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High and dry...

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No longer unwanted...

The Ring of Brodgar, Orkney

The challenge is to photograph something old. (over 50yr)
I don't have a self portrait, so I took some photos of The Ring of Brodgar on Orkney and made them look old like me.
I am a bit late with this challenge but I hope the time difference will give me a chance to enter.

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After a final play in photoshop...

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Please follow the link to see other entries.

The Fault Found

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Any suggestions as to what is causing this are welcome.


The two sessions with my Canon 20D and the Sigma lens have demonstrated that the Tamron lens was not at fault. The fault shows on images taken with the Sigma lens too. I suspected it after the first set of photographs, today I took many pictures against a pale blue sky and the fault leaps into view.
The fault is in the camera body. I know nothing about cameras but it seems likely to me that this is an expensive problem.
I don’t know how to tell the person who gave me the camera in lieu of a long-standing debt that I forgave but he wishes to honour. He is a friend that I have relied on many times. I said nothing last night because I was already upset about being unable to view my website properly and was in no mood to deal with this problem or face my friend’s reaction to the news.
I am glad he gave the camera to me and did not sell it to anyone else, as I know he is incapable of deliberately selling it knowing it to be faulty.
The disappointment I feel is akin to being offered a sweet only to find when it is unwrapped that it is sour or unwrapping a wished for Christmas present to find it broken.

I do not have the money to pay for expensive repairs to the camera. I can only hope it is not serious and can be easily and cheaply corrected.

If this is not the case then my foray into SLR country will be postponed indefinitely, as I cannot afford to buy such an expensive camera.

Yet how can I not find the money somewhere for a camera that is capable of taking such incredible photographs?

Out of the Blue

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Too close for comfort

I'll wait here

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Yesterday I took the Canon with the Sigma 28-70mm lens it came with to familiarise myself with the camera.
I saw a willow tree that was so laden with pollen it appeared yellow in the bright sunshine. I had to investigate. My old dog, Chrissy, refused to navigate the mass of briars and waited patiently for me to do my thing. Callie however leapt all barriers to stay alongside.
When I got to the tree I managed to obtain some close up photographs that I later enlarged in Photoshop.
This is one of the pictures, others can be seen in The Spring Room on my website.
I was amazed at the results and intend to experiment on manual to obtain more close up pictures with this lens.

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When I got home and the multitude of scratches I had sustained started to make themselves felt I realised how wise Chrissy was. I am not as athletic as Callie and failed to negotiate the briars with her grace.

Enough is Enough

Having spent a lot of time and mental anguish on setting up a website to show my photographs it now seems incapable of showing them except in thumbnails.
The slideshows and full views are unobtainable.
I can only apologise to anyone who tries to view my photographs on this site for the appauling pictures it gives, as most are chopped when trying to view them.

I cannot get to the site I wished to host my website because every time I try to use Internet Explorer AOL closes the window and the site does not accept AOL as a browser.

I cannot even retrieve my domain address without using my friend's computer that does not have AOL loaded on it. He even tried on his laptop that he loaded AOL on for me and failed. He even failed to access internet explorer when he took AOL off the laptop.

I do not understand what is happening and quite frankly I have had more than enough of the crap that is being showered on everything I try to do.


I now am told by my friend that my site is perfectly viewed on his computer that does not have AOL loaded on it.

There is nothinbg wrong with Freewebs or the site I built. It is AOL that is screwing everything up including me.

It looks as if I am in the market for a new internet provider as well as a lens for my Canon.

Faces

The Tamron lens was collected today.
I still have not decided what to replace it with.

In the meantime I shall continue to use my Fuji and the Canon with the lens it came with.
Below is an example of what The Sigma 28-70mm F 2.8-4 gives me.
I am very tempted to purchase the Sigma 18-200mmOS (optically stabalised) lens.
I do not want to have to change lenses in the field and carrying the extra weight that would entail, as I have physical difficulties.

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I continue to put new photos on my website and eventually this journal will only be for photographic challenges.

I hope to be able to transfer the domain name I have to the freewebs site. I may soon have to upgrade it, as I will need more space.This hobby is addictive!

Winter Meets Spring

The challenge this week is to capture winter and spring in one photograph.

Yesterday I took my new (second hand) Canon 20D camera with the new Tamron lens I had bought for it on the daily walk with my dogs. I wanted to familiarise myself with the far more complicated options this camera gives me.

On the way back I saw the two stems floating on the canal and took the opportunity to try out the capability of the lens to zoom in on them.

It wasn't until this morning that I read the challenge and realised that here I had the photograph of 'winter meets spring'.

Unfortunately the lens is faulty and gives two arc shadows on every image where the background is pale so I am returning it. They do not have a replacement lens to send me so I shall be hunting for another when I get my money refunded. The incident has put me off buying the same again. I may decide to save up for a more expensive lens in the hope I will not be disappointed again.

For extra credit I show my favourite colours of any season Blue and Gold.

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Please follow this LINK to view other entries

Oops didn't realise I should have taken a shot at a calendar picture.
Here it is

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First Spring Show

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I have taken more spring photographs with my Fuji FinePixS9600. These can be viewed on my website in The Spring Room together with a macro photo of the same cherry blossom seen below taken with my newly aquired SLR.

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I have started a blog at the website that will chronicle my steps in my new hobby.
All comments are welcome, as I am trying to set up a site where people can view my pictures more easily.

Winter's last Show

Barriers

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Tall and Straight

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Standing Together

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Evergreen Climber

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These a some of the new additions to my website where you can view all my pictures in slideshows and full page magnification.

Silent Scene

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Practising monochrome.

I didn't need to take out much colour with photoshop this time.

Grey Holds the Colour

The challenge this week is to post a black and white photograph.

Follow this link to join in and see other entries.

For extra credit some words to describe what a monochrome photograph means to you, as opposed to a colour picture.
Since my monochrome photos need as much credit as they can get I post my thoughts first.

Black and white photographs live or die in the grey areas or that is how I see them.
When I see a great monochrome photograph my mind subconsciously puts in the missing frequencies of light and for a moment I see the picture in colour, but better than a camera could produce because my mind’s eye like our real eyes cannot be matched.

Drained of Colour

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Dark Invitation

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Requiem to Winter

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X Marks the Spot

Martha's A-Z Photo Challenge The Letter X

Follow the link to join in and see other entries

Sky writing by two aeroplanes

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And X is for X-ray

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This is an X-ray of my neck after two cervical discs had been removed so I am not infringing on anyone else's medical history.
As you can see a wisdom tooth is missing...

Disabled

I am online but unable to use Internet Explorer to build the website that I have paid for.
The friend that built my computer tells me AOL is causing Internet Explorer to fail.

I do not know enough to say whether this is the truth or not.

I have uploaded my photographs to my freewebs site now named Colour Contrast Continuity

It is very slow to load and I do not expect people to stay long enough to view the photographs.

I have problems with the flashing adverts but I recognise that because it is a free web site and it needs to recoup the money from somewhere so I am not complaining.

I will post the entries to the photo challenges that I have prepared.

Many thanks to the people who have e-mailed me with their concern.

I really have no idea what I will attempt to do now.

Invitation declined

The computer that cost me £500 is quite frankly a load of ****

I have been unable to set up a website that I have paid a domain name and website building for to display my photographs because every time I try to engage Internet Explorer my computer freezes.

I have tried to upgrade my website with Freewebs and been unable to do so.

I will almost certainly be offline for some time, as I do not have the money to replace it.

This post is via a friend's laptop, as my old laptop was washed clean and no longer has Internet access.

I have no idea whether I will even try to join the community that I found here by spending even more money.



I have fought my disability with everything that I can think of.

Invitation

The challenge this time is to photograph something The colour purple.

Follow to link to see other entries.

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