Photography – Page 2 – Photography in Pearls

Photo Challenge – Lens-Artists: Found in the Neighborhood

Since most of us are under mandates to stay at home, Ann-Christine has given us the prompt of “found in the neighborhood” for this week’s challenge.

This past May, my four-year-old grandson came for a visit and we took him to the zoo at Brookgreen Gardens. I’ve visited the zoo numerous times but have only been able to spot the otters once or twice. And I’ve never been able to get good photos.

From the water viewing window, we watched about a dozen or so otters chasing each other around – in and out of the water, up and down a swing and around the rocks stopping occasionally for a brief pause in the action.

Until one would take a nip at the others and the game would start all over again.

We walked over to the outside viewing area and there were dozens of otters chasing each other there also. My grandson loved watching the otters and I was extremely happy that I got some good photos.

So lesson learned. Otters have their babies in late winter or early spring. They are helpless for the first month or so and begin swimming around two months. By four months, they are able to swim and dive to catch their own food.

You can find responses from other bloggers here: https://lagottocattleya.wordpress.com/2020/11/14/lens-artists-challenge-123-found-in-the-neighborhood/

You can find more of my photography here: photographyinpearls.photoshelter.com

November 18, 2020 by Gina Categories: Photo ChallengeTags: Brookgreen Zoo, Lens-Artists, Neighborhood, Otters, Photography 5 Comments

Photo Challenge – Lens-Artists: The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow

Our prompt this week is “the sun will come up tomorrow”.

And it’s a good thing that the sun does show up every morning too. We get many benefits from sunshine. The sun improves your sleep, reduces stress and helps maintain your bones. It also helps to control depression and can even help you maintain your weight Unfortunately that only works if you get your sunshine in the early morning. I’m not a morning person so I can’t vouch for that statement.

These ladies at Brookgreen Gardens know the benefits of sunlight and they don’t need to worry about sunscreen either.

The piece above is one of my favorites at Brookgreen Gardens. It’s a sculpture of Mikhail Baryshnikov by Greg Wyatt. It’s magical – his leap and his arms outstretched to touch the sun. He looks suspended in midair.

You can see responses from other bloggers here: https://anvicaphotos.wordpress.com/2020/11/07/lens-artists-photo-challenge-122-the-sun-will-come-out-tomorrow/

You can see more of my photography here: photographyinpearls.photoshelter.com

November 12, 2020 by Gina Categories: Photo Challenge, PhotographyTags: Lens-Artists, Photography, Sculpture, Sun 12 Comments

Photo Challenge – Lens-Artists: One Single Flower

Cee is guest hosting this week and she has challenged us to show one single flower. So I went looking through my files trying to narrow my choices down.

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I decided to share photos with either a bee or butterfly on the flower. I love good flower photos but there is something especially fascinating to me about capturing a bee or butterfly during their “pollen” rounds.

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Unfortunately, my winged friends move so quickly so it’s not always easy to get a clear photo. But I persist. Once I followed a bee around and around a camellia shrub 3 or 4 times until I got a photo I was happy with.

DSC_7060 (2) Painted Lady on Znnia 2-2 (2)

Butterflies are harder to track through. Bees are methodical going from one flower to the next one over so you can anticipate their path. Butterflies flit from one flower to the other randomly – it’s more hit and miss.

But I keep trying – once I even got a dragonfly!

Red Dragonfly 3

You can see responses from other bloggers here: https://ceenphotography.com/2020/06/13/lens-artists-photo-challenge-101-one-single-flower/

You can see more of my photography here: photographyinpearls.photoshelter.com

June 15, 2020 by Gina Categories: Photo ChallengeTags: Bees, Butterflies, Dragonfly, Flowers, Lens-Artists, Photography 7 Comments

Photo Challenge – Lens-Artists- Delicate Colors

This week our theme is “delicate colors”.

Because of the Coronavirus, the daycare for my four year old grandson is closed so Granddaddy and I have been playing Bingo, Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. We’ve been to the beach, ridden bikes, gone for walks and read what seems like countless books during afternoon rest time and at bedtime. (Wouldn’t change it for anything!)

Yesterday we went to Ripley’s Aquarium. We got there early to avoid any crowd and to maintain social distancing . Luckily, there were only about 20 other people there – a nice change from our visit last year when a school field trip was in process.

The colors may not look delicate but the colors are due to the lighting in the tank. The jellyfish are actually virtually transparent and invisible to the eye.

They are also deadly. A sting can cause mild to severe pain and sometimes death. So as mesmerizing as I find these creatures, I do not want to meet them in the ocean. A glass partition is fine with me.

Hubby likes this last photo so much that he wants to hang it over the fireplace. I haven’t made up my mind yet. What do you think?

You can see responses from other bloggers here https://lagottocattleya.wordpress.com/2020/05/23/lens-artists-photo-challenge98-delicate-colours/

You can find more of my photography here – photographyinpearls,photoshelter.com

May 28, 2020 by Gina Categories: Photo Challenge, Photo101Tags: Aquarium, Coronavirus, Jelly Fish, Lens-Artists, Photography 12 Comments

Photo Challenge – Lens-Artists – Simplicity

This week Patti has asked us to share our photos representing “simplicity”.

For some health reasons, this is my first post of 2020. I’m unable to drive so I’ve not been able to get out with my camera. You don’t realize how much you rely on a vehicle until that privilege is gone.

But my grandson is with us this week so I have lots of opportunities to use my camera. He’s four years old now and so inquisitive. Granddaddy has been working in the yard and Carter has been helping all week. He even gave Carter a mound of dirt to play in.

Funny thing though – Carter didn’t understand the concept of playing in the dirt. He was hesitant to sit in it and kept brushing the dirt off each time he stood up. It took a little explaining that it was ok to get dirty.

So that brings my story back to simplicity. This generation doesn’t come outside to play. They have cell phones, computers, gaming equipment and large TVs they watch inside. They’ve never felt grass on their bare feet or squished mud between their toes – they have fancy and expensive tennis shows now that they can’t get dirty (unless it’s organized sports).

We didn’t have any of these things. We had nothing more complicated than Barbie, bicycles and board games. While I don’t remember playing in the dirt – I did and still have an aversion to getting dirty – I do remember congregating at the playground with all the neighborhood kids.

But we didn’t have two parents working outside the home either. Drugs, mass shootings, terrorism or coronavirus were unheard of when I was young. Life is much different now.

So as I’m sitting on the steps watching my grandson, I’m so happy he’s here and that we could give him this simpler day.

You can see responses from other bloggers here: https://pilotfishblog.com/2020/04/04/lens-artists-photo-challenge-91-simplicity/

You can see more of my photography here: photographyinpearls.photoshelter.com

April 7, 2020 by Gina Categories: Photo Challenge, UncategorizedTags: Grandson, Lens-Artists, Photography, Simplicity 8 Comments

Photo Challenge – Lens-Artists: Nostalgia

This week Tina has asked us to share some nostalgia.

My father was in the Air Force and stationed in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Signal Mountain where in 1956 he met my mother at the local drive-in. They married the following year and shortly after, mom was pregnant with me. While she was pregnant, dad was transferred to Alaska and mom stayed with her parents in Chattanooga until he returned.

Over the years, we moved from station to station – always in the southeast though and we were able to visit my grandparents once or twice a year. While there, Poppa would take us to the playground with a stop at the corner drugstore for candy. Most afternoons were spent waiting on the ice cream truck. Poppa would buy us our fovorite despite Granny’s warnings not to ruin our suppers.

We would also go to the local attractions – Ruby Falls, Rock City, ride the Incline and visit the Civil War battlefields.

A few months ago, Mom and I visited her sister who still lives in Chattanooga in the family home. It was a trip down Memory Lane. We returned to Rock City and Ruby Falls and rode on the Incline too.

We also rode the Missionary Local Civil War era train…

and visited the old train station. It’s now a hotel but the lobby still retains the character of the old train station.

Unfortunately, the playground was closed for renovation. The old corner drugstore is gone as is the drive-in where my parents met and the ice cream truck no longer appears.

You can see responses from other bloggers here: https://travelsandtrifles.wordpress.com/2019/12/07/lens-artists-challenge-75-nostalgic/

You can see more of my photography here: photographyinpearls.photoshelter.com

December 12, 2019December 12, 2019 by Gina Categories: Photo ChallengeTags: Chattanooga Choo Choo, Lens-Artists, Missionary Local Train, Nostalgia, Photography, Rock City, Ruby Falls, The Incline 5 Comments

Cee’s Black & White Challenge – Two of Anything

I couldn’t decided which photo to use so I’m going with both.

Air Show, Myrtle Beach, SC – April 2018

You can see more of my photography here: photographyinpearls.photoshelter.com

December 10, 2019December 8, 2019 by Gina Categories: Cee's Black and White Photo ChallengeTags: Air Show, Black and White, Monochrome, Photography, Planes 2 Comments

Photo Challenge – Lens-Artists: Abstract

This week Patti has asked that we go “abstract” so our viewers can use their imagination.

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My photos this week are of Christmas lights at Brookgreen Gardens. Each year Brookgreen presents “Night of a Thousand Candles”. The paths throughout the sculpture gardens are lined with candles and lights as well as carolers and there’s even a bagpipe group that strolls throughout the gardens. There are entertainment tents with choirs and bands, a characterization of Scrooge and a presentation of the Gullah language.

Because there are candles in the fountain pools as well as the reflection from the lights in the pools, it’s hard to tell where the actual lights end and the reflections begin.

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The sculptures are surrounded by lights also. The Fountain of the Muses is my favorite spot in the gardens and I believe the lights here are the most awe inspiring. The lights are placed above but they reflect into the pool below so that it looks as if the pool is a bottomless abyss.

Needless to say, I already have my tickets for opening night.

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