10 October 2016
Lens:
I. Taken in Camera+ and edited in Snapseed and Polamatic
1. Copyright © 2016 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved
II. Taken in Camera+ and edited in Snapseed and Polamatic
2. Copyright © 2016 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved
Let me know which you prefer and why. Click on image to enlarge, which takes you to another page. If you decide to leave a comment, please return to this page.
Pens:
An afternoon walking through the local preserve along the White Clay Creek, flowing with the sun’s blessings, built my understanding of the day’s compass. The air seemed stealthy still. Then a sigh signaled a leaf–a single leaf cascading to the earth, readying itself for more service. The light took my breath away, shining with determination.
Upon my return home I glimpsed milkweed plants whose seedpods had burst into sprays of silk and seeds. Their neighbors are a large group of coneflowers, flowers long spent, were sheltering some of the silk.
The wind suddenly appeared. As it carried the silk to other destinations, some of it was caught on needle-like spikes of the dried coneflowers. Immediately, they symbolized the tension and triumph of nature’s hand. They also represented the same tension that moves back and forth between nature and human nature. We get entangled, even entrapped, in each other’s webs.
Strolling through the season’s remains is a passage of time that never escapes my present. It’s as though the now always existed and those elements of summer’s glory are remnants of the magic that humans can produce with their partner in life: nature. Truly, we live on a planet of immense mystery and wonder: awe and reverence come to mind.
Tip of the Week:
Thomas Peschak is a photojournalist who has dedicated his career to conservation photography, especially ocean reportage. Here is a bio from his website: ”
“Thomas P. Peschak is an assignment photographer for National Geographic Magazine and the Director of Conservation for the Save our Seas Foundation (SOSF). He is a senior fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and has been named as one of the 40 most influential nature photographers in the world. Originally trained as a marine biologist, he retired from science fieldwork in 2004. He became an environmental photojournalist after realizing that he could have a greater conservation impact with photographs than statistics….He strives to merge photojournalism and cutting edge science to create powerful media projects that tackle some of the most critical marine conservation issues of our time. Thomas has written and photographed five books: Currents of Contrast, Great White Shark, Wild Seas Secret Shores and Lost World. His latest book Sharks and People was released in 2013 and chronicles the relationship between people and sharks around the world.” To see his work and learn more about him, click here.
“Shark Night,” by Thomas Peschak
View other entries for this week’s challenge:
https://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/mobile-photography-challenge-macro/
https://lumar1298.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-macro-rose/
https://angelinem.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-macro-on-molokai/
https://nowathome.wordpress.com/2016/10/11/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-macro-lampranthus/
https://chasinglifeandfindingdreams.wordpress.com/2016/10/14/words-matter-if-you-listen/
Note:
As always I welcome comments about this post or any part of my blog. My photographs for the mobile photography challenge are taken with an iPhone 6.
****If you would like to buy a print of any of my photographs or have any questions, please view the Contact Information found on the masthead. Thank you.
If you’d like to join this Mobile Photography Challenge, please click here for details and history of the challenge. If you have any questions, please contact me. Below is a reminder of the monthly schedule with themes for upcoming challenges:
1st Monday: Nature.
2nd Monday: Macro.
3rd Monday: Black and White.
4th Monday Challenger’s Choice (Pick One: Abstraction, Animals, Architecture, Food Photography, Night Photography, Objects, Panorama, Portraiture, Photomontage, Still Life, Street Photography, and Travel).
5th Monday: Editing and Processing with Various Apps Using Themes from the Fourth Week.
Lens and Pens by Sally 
Lovely and delicate. I prefer the second with its sepia tones as well.
Madhu, thanks so much.
I’ve long been fascinated by the ways plants share space and interact with one another. In particular—and relevant to the kind of interaction you’ve shown here—I’ve noticed how often the seeds from one kind of plant end up caught on another kind of plant, where they do neither species any good, at least not in the short term. If an entangled seed can remain viable long enough, eventually it may make its way to the ground and still fulfill its purpose. I wonder if botanists have studied that question.
Steve, that also fascinates me. The dried coneflower is particularly suited to capturing leaves and seeds. Thanks for your comment. Enjoy the week.
Polomatic app is a new one for me. I like how you gave it just a little of color…not too much.
Laurie, thanks so much.
I liked the color one. Nice one.
Maria, thanks. Enjoy your week.
Definitely the second one for me, Sally. Beautiful!
Linda, hope that you are enjoying autumn in your new home. Thanks.
Autumn, yes. It’s what follows that I have real mixed emotions about! 😆
Linda, I absolutely agree. Winter is my least favorite season. But I’ve learned to celebrate its qualities, including sometimes hibernation.
Gorgeous shots, Sally. I especially like the touch of color. The texture and detail are marvelous.
Patti, hope that you are enjoying autumn. Thanks.
Hard to choose. I love them both. Your work is so beautiful!
I’m humbled. Enjoy your week. Thanks so much.
Like both, prefer the second. Is this the plant that the monarch butterflies love??
Tina, yes, the milkweed is critical to their survival. There is a huge campaign to revitalize it. I’ve talked about it in previous posts. Lovely to hear from you.
I really like no 2 best!
Thanks so much for your comment.
I really like the second one better; it seems lighter in mood, even fluffy and soft 🙂
I can’t wait to dive in (pun intended) to your link in your tip section. Have a good week.
Angeline, yes, get your snorkel gear on. Thanks for your comment.
I love the second pic, with the gentle brown creeping in from the left. A beautiful shot!
Marc, lovely to hear from you. Thanks.
Sally, I agree with Allan that the color in the second one perfectly highlights both the dead center of the coneflower and the seed part of the milkweed fluff. I saw similar sights on my morning walk as well as some beautiful fog and, of course, the drops on plants and webs.
Enjoy your week
janet
Janet, isn’t it a joyous time to meander. Thanks.
It is, Sally. My walk this morning consisted of fast walking, then stopping for photos or to just look, then walking fast again, stopping, etc. 🙂
Janet, sounds like a good workout physically and visually.
Good for both my soles and my soul. 🙂
Indeed…
I like these both-but the color one particularly is so very striking-the movement and textures-Glorious!
Meg, I’m humbled. Thanks.
Gorgeous milkweeds…
Thank you so much.
Lovely! The second one with the gentler colours works beautifully for me, Sally
Sue, lovely to hear from you. Thanks.
Beautiful silky milkweeds!
Amy, thanks.
I like the second photo this week, Sally. The quiet pops of milkweed color surrounding the brown coneflower tie the image together for me. Thanks for the link to Thomas Peschak’s site. He is quite a photographer and his story about the kayak & shark is very informative. I’ve seen that photo in the past, but had no idea of the backstory until this morning.
Ω
Allan, happy to introduce him to you. Enjoy your day. Thanks so much for your comment.
Great Post ❤️️
Thank you so much.