Scavenger Hunt Sunday

1. Low Key

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2. The Color Wheel - Monochromatic and Analogous Color

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 I LOVE this photo! I think it's my favourite summer shot from 2011.

3. Circle

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4. Phone

Brightness Contrast and Colour Balance Adjustment

You're wondering what this has to do with phone? Well, apparently phone has another definition:

phone: an individual sound unit of speech without concern as to whether or not it is a phoneme of some language.

I have no idea what that's supposed to mean, but I'm guessing whoever wrote the dictionary in the picture above might.

Remembering Spring: A Photo Challenge

A while back I posted a poll on my sidebar asking if anyone would be interested in joining a photo challenge hosted by me. The most I hoped for was an average of about eight votes, but I got eighteen positive ones! And so, I am happy to announce that I will indeed be hosting a photo challenge!




<center><a href="http://essenceofevephotography.blogspot.com/2011/09/remembering-spring-photo-challenge.html"><img src="http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee408/SwordmaidenforChrist/photo-challege-button.jpg" border="0" /></a></center>




<center><a href="http://essenceofevephotography.blogspot.com/2011/09/remembering-spring-photo-challenge.html"><img src="http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee408/SwordmaidenforChrist/photo-challenge-button2.jpg" border="0" /></a></center>

I choose this particular theme because last week, I stumbled upon a whole bunch of forgotten spring flower photos in my Canon Rebel XS folder. I'm sure we all have some, and hopefully you'll be encouraged to dig them up, wipe the thick layer of pixely dust from them, and post them on your blog for us to see! :) 

You May Link Up...

Any two flower photos you took during spring! :)

Rules:

Photo(s) must be taken by you.

Your entry must either have the photo challenge button below it, or a link back to this post. 

You do not have to have a blog to enter. You may link up to your Flickr or you may also e-mail your entry/entries to me at swordmaidenforchrist(at)gmail(dot)com.

 Photo(s) must be appropriate or it/they will be removed.

Linky will close on October 20th, at 12:00AM EST. All photo(s) must be linked up by then!

No one likes a commentless photo challenge entry. Blog-hop around and comment on at least two! 

This is not mandatory, but I really would appreciate it if you spread the word by posting the challenge button on your sidebar. If you did, thank-you! :)

 My Entries:

Slight Brightness/Contrast Adjustment

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I will be posting either the winner or the finalists on October 22nd, it all depends on how many entries I get. If there are more than seven I will pick five finalists, you will be able to vote for your favorite in a poll on my sidebar, and there will be three winners.

I will offer the winner(s) a blog design, but they may pass it on to one of the runner-ups if they want to! :)

Have fun linking up! I can't wait to see your entries! :)

Lightning

My first ever lightning bolt shot!

SOOC Shot

Here's how it happened: A few weeks back we were all out taking a nighttime walk at a nearby lake. Unfortunately (well I guess it's fortunately! :D ), a thunderstorm was coming our way. As soon as I saw the lightning flashing over at the other side of the lake, out came my camera and tripod, and I manged to get a shot of one of the many lightning bolts! Then, all of a sudden, it started raining... hard. Fortunately, the car was close by and we all jumped right in, I was still soaked though... but at least I managed to keep my Canon dry. :D

Here's an edit.

{I'm entering this second one in Allie and Mikayla's photo challenge}

and

{Kiley's photo challenge}

...and another one!

Summer Splash

I know I recently posted these pictures on my main blog, but I thought sharing them again on here wouldn't hurt! And if you're like me, you'd definitely want another look... and another laugh! :D

SOOC Shot

Ball stole the focus on this one a bit, otherwise it would've been a great picture!

Slight Curves Adjustment

I'm entering this last one in Kelsey's photo challenge. :)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

1. Bokeh

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Not necessarily one of my favourite photos, but the bokeh strikes me as pretty amazing!

 

2. Process of Elimination

Very Slight Brightness Adjustment

3. Remember

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A simple reminder that once, spring really did exist.

4. Statues

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The dictionary defines statue as "a three-dimensional image of a human being or animal that is sculpted, modeled, cast, or carved". Did it ever occur to you that you're a statue? Modeled after God's own image?

"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.'" ~ Genesis 1:26

5. Flying Higher

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Yesterday was Somebody's Special Day! :)

Can you guess whose it was?!

It was... Boyan's birthday!

He turned two!

And he's the cutest little guy ever!

How time flies! I feel like only yesterday I was in the hospital, picking him up for the very first time!

He's been such a blessing these past two years...

...always has a smile to share!

And the cutest little facial expressions!

He's the cutest little brother anybody could ever ask for...

...and he makes me laugh all the time! :D

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. ​Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." ~ Psalms 127: 3-4

Happy Birthday, Bobbie! From the very bottom of my heart! :)

First Day of the School Year

September the 6th. It went by swiftly and smoothly for me. I still have a little video left to watch, but other than that, I'm done with schoolwork for today.

And honestly, it's really good to be doing schoolwork again! To have your planner pages all full with things to do! Sure, I'll miss summer, but in a way, I'm glad it's only a few months long.

There's something about those empty notebook pages that makes me want to pick up a pencil and fill them all with notes, math problems, and whatnot! Ever gotten that feeling before?

The thing I didn't like about today though, was that it was freezing cold! Believe it or not, but it's currently 13 degrees (celsius) out there. I'm wearing socks, sweatpants, and a sweater, and my nose still feels like an icicle. Fall certainly is picking up speed and it'll burst through our doors any minute now...

...with winter not far behind.

And yesterday, I even opened the door, and the air smelled like winter. You know that refreshing, icy cold scent that rides on breezes over freshly fallen, pure white, snow? That's exactly what I'm talking about. 

Hmmm... You know, I think I'll stop talking about winter now, and enjoy those last few days of summer. Hope you do too! :)

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~ Matthew 6:34

A Photo that's Black & White

SOOC Shot

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

I finally found the time to join Scavenger Hunt Sunday! I've been wanting and planning to join this for months!

1. Stairs

My uhh... "book stair". :)

2. Macro 

 3. Clouds 

Jellyfish. They're as puffy as a cloud could ever get! (But don't touch them... :P)

 4. Abstract

5. Smile

Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm definitely NOT photogenic. This is one of the few photos of me that I actually like, though I'm still not 100% satisfied with it. I like pointing my lens at things, just not at myself! :D

Hello Highlights: iLove Photo Challenge

Farewell Sweet Summer...

We might as well all admit it, even though we hate to: Summer is officially almost over. Yup, just look at the leaves, they're already turning brown...

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...some have already even fallen...

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...like this one...

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...and this one. The maple tree seeds are turning brown...

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...and falling to the ground as well.

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Soon everything will wither, die, and we'll be left wondering if pretty flowers like this one...

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...ever even existed, if it had all just been part of some lovely dream. We'll wonder how we could have ever complained about it being too hot, and how we could have wished for a cool day. Well, we got our wish, but instead of only one cold day, we got over a hundred. We got winter. But you know, winter isn't all that bad, and besides, summer will once again come knocking at our doors...

"When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near." ~ Luke 21:30


"See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land." ~ Song of Songs 2:11-12


And then we shall rise, with cameras in hand, and once again take pictures of flowers and butterflies, and sandy summer beaches. But until then my sweet readers, we shall have to content ourselves with snapping shots of pretty and frail little snowflakes and icy winter scenes. So you see, winter isn't all that bad, is it? ;)

"The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever." ~ Isaiah 40:8