Contemplating

I sit here contemplating what I will do, with the tv on in the background I hear the man say this house is perfect for you, you can place your stamp on it, as I skim through the pages of some monotonous website which I have come across, which leads me to another one, loads of pretty pictures taken by some photographer which I have no clue who it is, her work is pale in colour and has a very cottage feel, I try to get some inspiration for my own composition.

I want to produce something pretty something you will say wow that is nice, so I continue to skim the pages of the net to find some kind of inspiration which I feel is lacking today.

I have come across a lady called Kim Klassen, her work is very pretty and I'd love to be inspired to take photos like hers

My goal is to uplift and put a smile on the saddest of faces and to step out of my comfort zone to create things which I don't normally create. I love seeing people happy, happy when they look at my photos. I am no way by any means the best photographer and have only sold a few of my photos, but all up for sale if interested.

The ding of the doorbell goes and takes my thought away from the website I am looking at, to be handed a large envelope with something scrawled on it which resembled my daughters name.

As I sit here waiting for my new kitchen to be installed, I can feel the cool breeze coming through the window and glide softly past me as I sit here browsing the net, looking for some small piece of inspiration for my photos.

There are lots of sites for connecting,. encouraging, uplifting and teaching those who do photography.
I see lots of beautiful things, the group I am in has uplifted me and taken me out of my comfort zone a few times, and taken me to places I would not have ever dreamed of venturing to and it has all been a fun learning curve.

A photographers brain, does not work like the norm, we look at things so differently, we see beauty in things others wouldn't see. A leaf floating in a puddle, a blade of grass poking between a fence, the shadow on a tree are all beautiful in their own way.

As I look at this lady Kim's page, it makes me think back to when I was a child and went visiting my grandmother. The old metal watering can, the pretty lace doilies on the table and a pretty floral vase with flowers from her garden  and the beautiful aroma of something  baking in the oven wafting through the house.... Bliss.

I remembered I had tucked away in the linen cupboard, a small thin tube with a lid, filled with buttons which once belonged to my grandmother, with her old singer sewing machine and her old wrinkled hands, she would work tirelessly  on making an apron for that special friend.

As I scour the net and with Christmas approaching and the long awaited pending arrival yes my new kitchen, and also another new room being added to our home, yet another year almost over, I am hoping bigger and better things are to come for me in the new year.

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Before I sign off, I'd like to share just a few of my photos from our last day out. 

Johanna Great Ocean Road

Feeling refreshed energised and calm this morning after, well that is how I felt after our beautiful four days away. Beloved and I spent four of the most loveliest days away at a place called Johanna along the Great Ocean Road. It had been a long time since we had been away together always worrying about the kids and going places where they would say yes we had fun we enjoyed that, this time it was our time time to re connect.

As you all know my love for the beach and this was an awesome opportunity for me to get out with my camera and get some fantastic shots of the great Australian coastline.

The Otway Ranges with it's very tall gum trees peering over us as we drove under them, the fresh smell of eucalyptus wafting up our nose and the very pretty tree ferns which lined the edge of the very windy road as we headed down the coast to one of the beautiful beaches.

Look, look I said to beloved as he slowed the car down to a halt, there were many cars lined up on the side of the road, all foreigners peering up into the trees, which held a mother Koala and he baby. I grabbed my camera and placed my 150mm to 500mm lens on and stepped out of the car to have all the Asians look at me in awe and say wow look at that lens in what limited English they spoke. A lady with an accent her husband and a young girl came up to me and asked what the shots were like which I had taken to which I showed them, they began to ask me a few questions about Australia to which I who surprised myself knew more than I thought I did told them all about the Koalas and great places to see, they proceeded to tell me that they were from Boston and how different it was, then asked for my website so they could view photos. I felt quite proud to be able to say one moment I will get you my business card from the car.

I love my long lens but it is ever so heavy to hold hence why i think my shoulder is sore, but it is so worth it when you see what you have captured.

 

The coastline  along the Great Ocean Road is just amazing, so unspoiled, it just takes your breath away. The beautiful rolling hills which are so green and look like velvet in the distance the beautiful crystal blue waters and the beautiful foamy waves which roll in over the sand and rocks is just breath taking.

Our accommodation at Johanna was just awesome, so beautifully clean and the view from our window was to die for, each night we would sit together and watch the sun set over the ocean as the log fire roared beside us and the stars rose in the sky.

The gardens were beautiful with many pretty flowers and it was a great opportunity for me to once again get my camera out.

Each day was spent traveling looking at the awesome sites, the nights were spent quietly by the log fire, a four day break which I will never forget, I felt so calm and relaxed at the end of it all, It was the first time in ages I had very limited internet and that did not bother me one bit but to come home to a barrage of  Facebook messages and emails. It was a wonderful time and a beautiful way to spend my milestone birthday, with the most special person in the world.

Johanna beach is less than 5 minutes from where we stayed, not a good swimming beach due to all the rocks, but such a pretty spot to sit and just let the world pass you by and to take in the cool sea breeze.

The 12 Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge are amazing, well not 12 anymore, not sure of the number of apostles but a pretty spectacular view never the less. I think with this coastline my trusty camera was working well over time.

We traveled to Apollo Bay, which is a beautiful little beach side town, where people smile at you when you pass them, such a difference to the city, where people are always in a rush and never look happy.

 

These shots are just a few I took on the way home along the Great Ocean Road

 

This lighthouse situated at Aireys Inlet was used in the Australian TV show Round the Twist. The view from the lookout reminded me very much of the area where the 12 Apostles are situated. 

I have 100's of photos which I could load but this page would go one for ever.

If you ever have a chance to see this part of Australia, please take the time to take in the beauty of this wonderful state it is a photographers dream and I had such fun with my camera, I will place photos on both my Facebook and flickr pages for you to view and all will be for sale.

https://www.facebook.com/PicturesThruMyLens/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ezycardz/

♥

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More Photos

Today is Friday and only 8 weeks till Christmas, where the time has gone no one knows. The camera has taken me to a few different places these last few months, one place was into town to the National Gallery. Yes I was able to take photos to my surprise but not aloud to use my flash which was strange, maybe they were hoping shots didn't come out, but thanks to the photo group I'm in I knew how to set my camera so I didn't need flash, even in low light.

 

 

There are so many passages with so many things in them, status, ancient relics, and not to forget some magnificent paintings. It took us a good 4 hours to see everything and I'm quite sure I missed a few passages. The paintings displayed left you in awe, wondering what the person was like who painted them many years ago, all with their own style but each beautiful in their own unique way.

All my photos which were taken in the gallery were taken on manual mode, not so easy to get outstanding photos on my behalf but I did the best I could. The last shot was taken of the Gallery front, an arched window which has water running down it. I had to wait for people to move as there is such a fascination for all to run up and touch it, yes even I did

The following weeks I'd been taking photos at home, we had the cutest little bird coming and going from our garden, not sure of breed as I don't know much about birds. This little bird made the prettiest noise and I just had to get a few shots of him.

These were taken in Manual mode at 250mm. I couldn't get closer and had to zoom in for fear of the bird flying away.

As the days passed and the year slowly crept by and my impending mile stone birthday is coming up in a few days, age shhhhh not telling. 

We are heading down the coast for the weekend of my birthday, so here's hoping I get some good shots I can show you all. A bit of sun sea and surf and fresh air will do hubby and I the world of good and a nice relax as well.

Few weeks ago we went back to Williamstown for some night photography, so with my camera bag and tripod and remote we headed off after dinner, this time we took hubbies elderly aunt as she hadn't been there for such a long time. It was a lovely cool evening by the bay.

 

These shots were taken in manual mode with no flash both at 194mm, it was very hard to get a good shot as it was so dark, the only light was the annoying street light near by.

A few weeks later we wanted to go out but not very far so we headed to Altona beach not the beach I knew as a child, full of seaweed and ever so smelly but that didn't stop those who were kite surfing.

It was quite windy and made the smell seem so much worse, I was still game enough to get out of the car and take a few shots.

  

As the days pass by ever so quickly, and the days turn into nights, and Christmas approaches and we become obsessed with buying that special gift as we charge our credit cards to the max, then begin to wonder how we will pay it off, I will be off somewhere with my beloved and the camera taking in the beautiful fresh air. But at the moment I will get over my milestone birthday and enjoy our few days away with camera and hopefully come home with millions of photos.

♥

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Spring Time

Well here we are again another spectacular day out in the sun, beloved, myself and my camera. My camera has taken me to so many different places, I have seen many things that I would not usually see and been to places that I never knew existed.

Life is good when you have a camera. A person who does not feel this passion would not understand what us as photographers feel, the beauty around us,  the pretty lines and blemishes on the leaf which lays on the green grass, the pebble in the dirt  or the fluttering of the wings on a bird.You see many things quiet differently, like the wrinkle on an old ladies face or the smile on a child's face. You see things that you would not have noticed before and you realise how beautiful things are around you.

We decided to spend the day in the Botanical Gardens, five minutes from the centre of the city. The sun was shining brightly and it was warm, although the breeze was cool as it ran past my face, it was the first time in months that I could go out and not need to put a coat on. The birds chirped as they sat high in the trees out of sight, ducks glided past us on one of the many lakes. Children ran around giggling, families picnicked  on the green grass as I stood with my camera photographing the beauty around me.

   

You don't realise how pretty things  are until you take the time to go out and enjoy them.

Before I took up photography, I was like a lot of people I know, who would sit at home not doing anything special, watching the TV. My life has changed and you have no idea how good it makes you feel to get out and about in the beautiful country you live in. Taking in the sunshine, stopping to have an ice-cream from that corner store in a far away town, walking along the beach as the waves roll in over the sand to touch your toes as you jump with the coldness.

I looked about me to see where the sound was coming from, the sweet sound of the Bell birds above sounded so pretty, but not one in site for me to photography.

Flowers were starting too bloom as we walked down the shaded path. Pretty pinks, orange, yellow and white, Spring was finally here as the days begin to get longer and the sun is coming out more and more, such a great time of year.

As for my photography I love this time of year the colours shine brightly in my photos as you will see, a time of feeling happy a time to have fun.

♥

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