Some of My Favorites

Weekly Photo Challenge.

Many of you who read my blog regularly are aware of the fact that I participate in a weekly photo challenge.

I enjoy the process because it helps me think about my photos in a different way. Quite often it also calls upon my imagination as I try to interpret my take on the challenge.

The photo challenge is hosted by the Daily Post at WordPress. After many years, they have decided that the challenge will come to a close. This past week has been the final prompt.

Some of My Favorites.

I am coming in at the deadline because I lack time management skills  have family coming in for the oldest’s graduation, which is this Friday, and end of school year obligations for three teens keeps me busy.

The prompt for this final week is All-Time Favorites.

I’ve captured many photos that have become my favorites over the course of the past 2 1/2 years. However, instead of digging deep into my archives, time requests that I share some recent favorites.

Photographer. |Sunset at Naples Pier. 2018

This photo was taken by my mother and edited by me.

I don’t always love myself captured in front of the camera, but are moments when I am that can transport me back to that very second.

I arrived into Naples (Florida), which is my hometown, in order to fly out the next day for the U.K. My mother and I visited some family and then made our way to the pier to watch the sunset.

I was in the middle of my yoga pose challenge and she coaxed me into completing it on the beach (I’m not one for striking a pose in front of people). It’s probably one of my favorites of the challenge, you can find it here.

Then it was time to capture some of the sunset.

I was adjusting the settings when she snapped this photo.

Pelican. |Sunset at Naples Pier. 2018

It’s not often that my shots line up just how I’d envisioned them when you are accounting for a moving object.

However, this time I captured the pelican in flight, wings extended and still had the sun’s rays, the pier, and a boat (which would not normally be that close to the pier, but that section is closed due to damage it sustained last year during  Hurricane Irma.)

Arthur’s Seat. |Edinburgh, Scotland. 2018

I’m sure this has its own name, but I haven’t yet discovered it (if you have, feel free to chime in and let me know). One of the things that we wanted to do on our return to Edinburgh was climb Arthur’s Seat.

Arthur’s seat is an ancient volcano and offers beautiful views of the city. It is also the location of the Radical Road, built by the unemployed weavers from the west of Scotland after the Scottish Insurrection. While I do not know if my ancestors helped build the Radical Road, I do descend from some weavers who lived nearer to Glasgow.

We began our hike from the Holyrood Park car parking area. We followed the signs marked “main trail” (which is not the Radical Road because that appeared steeper and my mother is a Floridian flatlander). This peak was at the beginning of the hike.

Be aware that there are numerous routes to the summit. We did not return the way we ascended, which was unintentional. I see the routes listed as colors, but if there are markings I missed those. My experience is seeing the blazes used in the forests surrounding me here in Virginia, so that was what I was expecting.

I will do a future post on the actual hike and include more photos from that journey. (here it is)

Callanish Standing Stones. |Isle of Lewis, Scotland. 2018

One of our main desires on this journey was to see the Callanish Standing Stones.

We arrived early to avoid the crowds and were mesmerized by the space.

The stones are 5,000 years old.

Even older than Stonehenge.

This is site I. We also visited sites II and III.

I have plenty more to share from this journey so look for that in a future post as well.  (here is a tour)

Photography.

One of the parts of the photo challenge journey that I have enjoyed is meeting others who were also participating.

As a beginning, amateur photographer, I have learned so much through those I have met.

I plan to continue working on my skills. Since the photos above were shot in raw, which I am just learning to work with, you may see them come back in new, or different, or possibly even better ways.

Let your light shine!

Amy