THE PHOTOGRAPHY FORUM

July 4th Celebrations 2011

2011-07-04T17:19:00.004-05:00

My granddaughter had a blast watching fireworks this year!

W - water...under the bridge

2010-07-25T06:02:00.001-05:00

Old draw bridge on Caddo Lake.

Vintage Automobiles

2010-07-21T16:21:00.002-05:00

On the trip to look for Bluebonnets we went to Washington-on-the-Brazos. Soon after arriving all these beautiful vintage automobiles arrived filling the parking lot.

U - unsure

2010-07-19T17:55:00.002-05:00

I'm "unsure" of what this flower is called. (Hey, at least it got us past the letter u!)

T- Twin Rocks Tractor

2010-07-10T11:02:00.002-05:00

Abandoned vintage tractor outside of Twin Rocks Restaurant

Bluff, Utah

S is for STATUE

2010-07-07T22:11:00.003-05:00

This is one of my favorite pics I have ever taken. Not sure why. I am just always drawn to it for some reason. This statue was found in an old Galveston cemetery during a trip to Galveston.

R - Railroad Track

2010-07-07T00:48:00.001-05:00

Here's just a simple shot of a railroad track.

"Q"

2010-07-01T08:38:00.002-05:00

Took this picture just in case I ever needed a "Q" in an alphabet game. Town in north Texas was named in honor of the Indian Chief, Quanah Parker.

P - Pirates

2010-06-27T23:48:00.001-05:00

For Ryder's 2nd birthday, we had a pirate themed party. Making the Pirates was a lot of fun.

O for Owl

2010-06-27T02:06:00.001-05:00

N is for Newlyweds

2010-06-26T16:04:00.002-05:00

These 2 newlyweds were trying to make a quick escape! The poor groom.....that big ole' suitcase was full of the bride's SHOES! LOL

"M" - Mason

2010-06-25T16:56:00.002-05:00

Our grandson, Mason, at the bat!

L- Sign

2010-06-24T20:53:00.004-05:00

A quick snap on our recent getaway in the hill country. I thought it was funny!

K is for Kenzi

2010-06-19T00:30:00.003-05:00

This is my little granddaughter......she loves to be crazy in front of my camera!

J - Jungle Gym

2010-06-11T07:39:00.003-05:00

This was taken at Beavers Bend a couple of months ago. (Sneaking my grandson into the abc game. Ha!)

"I" Iris

2010-06-08T09:49:00.000-05:00

Rainbow High is the name of this beautiful Iris.

H is for HAPPY

2010-06-02T15:24:00.002-05:00

Which is exactly what this little girl was when she caught this fish at the Cooper Lake Annual Kids Fishing Day!

G for Grasshopper

2010-06-02T00:16:00.004-05:00

F for FIRE

2010-05-31T02:59:00.003-05:00

The was the fire box on the smoker at the food sale for the Relay for Life.

E for elephant

2010-05-30T17:37:00.002-05:00

This is one of the pictures that I took at the Ft. Worth Zoo.

"D" Dog Park

2010-05-20T20:47:00.002-05:00

Dog walking area in an RV Park in North Central Texas.

C-Country Store

2010-05-15T21:49:00.003-05:00

These old country stores remind me of when I was a little girl and I use to walk to the country store on the corner with my MaMa. She would always give me 25 cents to spend and I would always come back with powdered pixie sticks.....:)

B-Bird

2010-05-14T19:29:00.003-05:00

Sorry that I took the B from you Linda...You have soo many more bird pics than I do!
I took the photo of this little cardinal in the very cold rain last December.

"A" Airshow in Gilmer

2010-05-12T11:18:00.001-05:00

Here is first picture to start a new alphabet game. When we finish this game, I have an idea for a new kind of alphabet game!

Daffodils

2010-05-08T23:06:00.001-05:00

CLUB PROJECTOR

2010-05-02T10:58:00.002-05:00

Our new club projector is here - in hand! Come to the meeting Thursday, May 6, 7:00 - 9:00 pm, NTCC main campus, room BT 103, and you can see it in action. We will have a program highlighting our Club Blog site, our Yahoo site, and our Facebook page. We expect everyone to leave as experts on each site and to become contributors to each of them :)

Lookimg forward to seeing each of you Thursday evening!

An Owl Hunting Expedition-REPOST

2010-03-13T21:39:00.000-06:00

I'm bringing this post back to life so that others will be able to see our hunt last June. Lots of fun, many adventures and stories to tell :) ....and oh yeah....OWLS!!

Since we are at the end of another fun alphabet game I thought I would take a break and post the best of my photos from our recent adventure into the deep woods of Franklin County Texas.

After our meet up we caravan down some paved county roads

And after several minutes we then turned onto a more primitive gravel county road. It was very dusty and we lost sight of each other at times.

We finally arrived at our first location where we posed for the group shot below.

That's Randy Crane (below) on the far left with his animal calling device. It played tapes of various owls and other animals to entice the owls to come out of the woods to check us out. The first time we heard the sound of the owls fighting was really spooky! Some of the calls even sounded like monkeys laughing.

Several members spotted other birds but the owls were playing hide and seek. They were all around us but stayed just out of camera range. We could have taken pics if the trees weren't so heavily leafed out but Randy assured us they would come in closer.

We finally decided to move to another location. After several very dusty miles on this
one-car-wide gravel road we had to pull over to let other travelers pass by. This was a very happy (and inebriated) group of horseback riders on a trail ride. About 15 riders total. They were very friendly but kept warning us about "Big Foot" and other creatures that might attack us while tramping through the woods.

Immediately following the riders was the local deputy sheriff. He warned us to watch out for a criminal he was looking for. For a long deserted stretch of woods we were thinking it had become rush hour out there!

After assembling at the next clearing we were finally rewarded with a close-up view of the owls that had been teasing us for the last couple of hours.

Below is one of the barred owls who became brave enough to swoop over our heads. He made a couple of passes just above the tree line and then...

just as predicted by Randy he came to the dead tree and posed for several minutes. Most everyone got several photos with the help of the light beam that Randy's assistant focused on him. He had the largest jet black eyes I've ever seen on a bird!

Everyone had a great time and we are already planning our next owl hunt adventure again in the late winter/early spring of 2010.

Brothers fishing

2010-02-03T11:42:00.003-06:00

remind YOU of anything?

What does this picture remind you of?

2010-01-31T12:48:00.000-06:00

Foggy day on lake.

IT REMINDS ME OF....

2010-01-30T00:22:00.006-06:00

I've seen a game played elsewhere with one person posting a random photo like this one above and it will remind the next player of some photo they have of it raining, an open umbrella, a boat on the lake, etc. This game is more open and random since it isn't restricted by a topic or letter....

So show me what these storm clouds remind YOU of....

Start a New Game?

2010-01-29T09:13:00.001-06:00

If there is a special game you would like for us to play, give us your suggestions. We all love new ideas and new ways to use our pictures. Let us hear from you!

"Z" - ZOOM

2010-01-29T08:45:00.003-06:00

Zooming over the Gilmer Air Show.

Y Is For...Yellow

2010-01-26T17:34:00.002-06:00

"X" - X in the Snow

2010-01-26T07:37:00.004-06:00

A snowy "X" in the shrubs at our son's house in Plano where we had a white Christmas this year!

2010-01-26T07:37:00.001-06:00

W- wildflowers

2010-01-25T11:02:00.001-06:00

V - Vultures

2010-01-24T21:24:00.002-06:00

These are Texas Vultures which we call buzzards, taken in Waco, Tx

U- "Udder"ly Blue Bell

2010-01-23T19:24:00.004-06:00

This is Belle the Blue Bell mascot in Brenham.

T - Truck

2010-01-21T12:57:00.003-06:00

I took this picture for the "Abandoned" contest last year. I was thinking I already used it for a previous game but I couldn't find it. If I did, I apologize.

S-Signs

2010-01-19T19:23:00.002-06:00

"R" Roadrunner

2010-01-19T10:35:00.001-06:00

Roadrunner in Palo Dura Canyon State Park.

Q - Quality Shopping

2010-01-17T22:19:00.003-06:00

At least we are past the "Q"

P Is For PINE WARBLER

2010-01-17T21:38:00.002-06:00

I love these little Pine Warblers..the males are so bright yellow you almost have to wear shades to look at them, LOL.

"O" is for Orangutan

2010-01-16T02:04:00.002-06:00

These guys were so comical to watch!

N-Navajo jewelry

2010-01-16T01:55:00.002-06:00

"M" Monument

2010-01-14T09:31:00.001-06:00

Monument to honor those who fought to defend the South during the Civil War.

L Is For Lizard

2010-01-13T14:29:00.002-06:00

Lots of these little fellas hanging around my garden every Spring and Summer...

Kiss

2010-01-12T22:41:00.003-06:00

Eskimo-Style!

J Is For..Junco

2010-01-12T16:18:00.002-06:00

Lots of Dark Eyed Juncos hanging around my place this Winter:)

2010-01-12T13:56:00.000-06:00

"I" - IRIS

2010-01-12T08:12:00.003-06:00

This Iris from Spring, 2009. I'm hoping my Iris plants have survived the freezes. Looking forward to Spring, 2010!

H is for HURRICANE Destruction

2010-01-11T20:45:00.002-06:00

Which is what we found when we visited Galveston this past summer. This WAS a favorite fishing pier.

G is for GEOCACHING

2010-01-11T20:42:00.002-06:00

Which is one of my new hobbies thanks to this group!!!

F Is For Fritillary

2010-01-11T12:16:00.004-06:00

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly

E - Exquisite Detail

2010-01-10T21:04:00.004-06:00

Courthouse in Marshall, Texas.

D - Daffodils

2010-01-09T14:04:00.003-06:00

I took this picture this last spring. Spring daffodils are my favorite flower. Spring is my absolute favorite time of the year and these flowers are part of the reason.

C -Christmas decorations

2010-01-08T21:46:00.002-06:00

Birds

2010-01-08T08:35:00.004-06:00

The Cedar tree was filled with American Robins eating the blue berries - taken 1-7-10 in our backyard.

A-acorn

2010-01-07T22:55:00.002-06:00

It's a little hard to see but Elora is holding an acorn

Photo a Day Calender

2009-11-16T12:31:00.001-06:00

Here is the link to a really neat way...the best I've seen so far...for storing and admiring your photo-a-day project. It allows anyone access and the ability to comment. Let me know what you think!
http://shuttercal.com/about/

Be sure to check out the favorites sections for lots of inspiration!

Yellowstone Winter

2009-11-10T13:44:00.000-06:00

Photo a Day Challenge

2009-11-01T15:51:00.003-06:00

Just had a new idea and that always means trouble...right Karla and Linda? :) I've always wanted to attempt to do A PHOTO A DAY project. After reading this at the DPS forum I'm thinking it would be a lot more fun to do it with my shutterbug gal pals and any guys that post here that would like to show us a thing or two...did you read that one James? And I am thinking short term, like 1-3 months.

We might wait and announce the beginning (if ya'll are interested in doing this) at the next club meeting.

Give me some feedback and let me know what you think! We might also have to do a brief tutorial on posting here at the blog. Since there are so few people posting now I'm wondering if most of the new folks even know how to?

Here's the link I'm talking about:
http://digital-photography-school.com/photo-a-day-challenge-10-ways-to-jump-start-your-creative-edge

2009-10-30T00:29:00.002-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Moon

2009-10-28T00:35:00.003-05:00

Howling at the Moon!

Leaves

2009-10-28T00:17:00.002-05:00

A glance at a few fall leaves over the lake.

Lake of the Pines

2009-10-27T23:53:00.001-05:00

This isn't the greatest photo but it does show just how much rain we have gotten.

Something different

2009-10-16T22:06:00.002-05:00

I'm baaaaack.....We took a long week-end last week and we came across this old hotel in Brenham. It was a very interesting place but the furniture and fixtures is what caught my eye. The big stain glass hanging light was my favorite.

2009-10-16T22:02:00.000-05:00

2009-10-16T21:43:00.001-05:00

Lake Monticello Ball of Fog

2009-10-07T07:58:00.002-05:00

Crossing Lake Monticello early one morning little puffs of fog were coming up off the lake. In the very back of the lake was a very large ball of fog. Just looked really strange to me!

Flowers

2009-10-05T19:18:00.005-05:00

These are some picture of flowers that I took before the last meeting. I thought that were good.

I like that natural or wild flowers sometimes the best.
Karla just reminded me we are only suppose to post 3 sorry!

Something a little different

2009-09-26T00:02:00.003-05:00

I usually take people pictures but there is not a face to be seen in these three. This steam electric power plant that is familiar to all in this area supplies power to the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. It has been my husband's livelihood for over 30 years. Many people want to say that it is a health hazard but when it becomes scorching hot in the summer they sure are thankful for the electricity it supplies for their air conditioners!

HDR video

2009-09-24T12:20:00.002-05:00

I wouldn't want to live on a steady diet of HDR but I am fascinated by this technique.

2009-09-22T09:13:00.002-05:00

NTPC Meeting - October 1 - Bring your flower pictures - Can have been taken at any time for this contest - Looking forward to seeing each of you with your flowers!

FLAGS

2009-09-05T23:15:00.004-05:00

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY LABOR DAY!!!

GEOCACHING!

2009-09-01T21:21:00.005-05:00

If you've never heard of geocaching it is basically high tech treasure hunting. We have had a lot of fun with it. We are casual cachers but some people are so addicted that they are seeking to get at least one find in each state of the US. Below is our first out-of-state cache.

A view of southwestern Colorado near the spot where we found our last cache.
The mountain range in the background is called "The Sleeping Ute".

come to the September meeting to find out who this little guy is.....

Treasure!

Scissortail Family

2009-08-31T09:05:00.002-05:00

Mama and Daddy Scissortail were unhappy about my taking their babies picture! They sat on the fence and fussed at me the entire time. The little birds left the nest the very next morning.

Climbing to the top of Pikes Peak

2009-08-25T19:53:00.003-05:00

This felt like you were going to ride straight to the clouds!

Made it!

2009-08-25T19:34:00.001-05:00

Made it to the top and it was one awesome ride!

Pikes Peak

2009-08-25T18:34:00.003-05:00

Now I know why John Denver sang about "Rocky Mountain High!"

What is this Plant

2009-08-20T21:53:00.001-05:00

OK all. Let me know what kind of Plant this is.

2009-08-18T16:08:00.003-05:00

Now that I have recovered from the "Z"s of the alaphbet game, ;) here are some photos from Pensacola FL!

2009-08-18T15:59:00.000-05:00

2009-08-18T15:38:00.000-05:00

Hummingbirds

2009-08-12T10:01:00.003-05:00

I know almost everyone loves these little creatures. They provide me with lots of pleasure every summer and into the fall. If you feed them, they will come and some will even pose for you.

Northeast Texas Photography Club

2009-08-11T23:16:00.000-05:00

For anyone that is interested in attending a meeting of the NTPC we are currently meeting at Northeast Texas Community College, Room BT 103 every first Thursday of the month, 7-9 p.m. For more details you may contact us at either of the following addresses:
kdphotography@ymail.com
linda.cortelyou@gmail.com

Let's Get Back to Some Photos ---posters choice

2009-08-10T22:31:00.001-05:00

I'm proposing we get back to more photos! I've been writing too many words lately ;-) Let's just post anything and everything we want to show off for a while...no game, just pictures with a few words to describe.

Here's my first offering.

The Rainbow of July 30, 2009

After eating out that night I noticed this awesome rainbow and had to chase it outside of town away from all the buildings and man-made things.

The cows were oblivious to the beauty that was painted across the sky.

I chased that rainbow for almost 30 minutes across hill and vale.

I do have other photos but will save them for a future competition ;-)

**You can click on them to view larger**

Now, let's see what everyone else has to offer. Please post only 3 photos/post/person/day.
I'm looking forward to seeing YOURS!

So you think you are limited by having a point/ shoot camera?

2009-08-10T22:13:00.004-05:00

I have just found someone online that uses an olympus point and shoot camera that takes some very nice photos! I would say that many of her photos are commercial quality. She's a distant relative (through marriage) and new friend on facebook. My only regret is that she lives in Colorado and can't be a part of our club!

Here's her camera:
http://www.dcviews.com/_olympus/c765.htm

And here is her galleries: http://www.pbase.com/dragonfly29

I know that it takes a good eye for photography...And some people are just born with it...
But I'm hoping with inspiration like Tammy I can develop my eye!

If you take a look at her galleries be sure to leave a comment or two, I'm sure she'd appreciate the feedback!

Tutorial on converting to Black/White

2009-08-09T00:02:00.000-05:00

The link following shows a video tutorial on how to make the best Black/White conversions from your color photo. It includes tips for Photoshop CS2, PS Elements 4.0, Paintshop Pro, and Picasa.

http://www.imageeditingsecrets.com/course/6/

There are many other tips by using his free e-mail "Image Editing Secrets". I started subscribing to them and they seem to be well-written with good easy-to-understand information.

Main site: http://www.image-editing-secrets.com./

NTPC Club Monthly Contest Rules

2009-08-08T23:20:00.000-05:00

Here are the rules for the new club year, June 2009-July 2010.

1. There will be Black/White, Color and Enhanced categories.
2. You may submit one (1) photo for each category of the competition.
3. Each entry must be 8x10 and mounted or matted on 11x14 board.
4. Mat or mount boards must be black, white or gray.
5. The image can be cropped and have minor adjustments to the overall sharpening, lighting and color ONLY for the Black/White and Color categories. There will be no rules for the Enhanced category other than size, mounting and number of entries.
6. Judging will be by member vote.
7. To enter the print contest you must be present at the monthly meeting. Voting
will take place then and winners announced.
8. There will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each category. Points will be tallied for the entire year and a yearly winner announced in July.
9. PHOTOS MUST HAVE BEEN TAKEN AFTER JUNE 4, 2009.

Monthly themes- July-Insects August- Travel Sept.- Country Living Oct.- Flowers
Nov.- Fall/Halloween Dec. No contest this month Jan. - Landscapes
Feb. - Silhouettes, Shadows, Reflections March- Light April- Animals
May - Children June - Texas Highways

Z - ZZZZZZ's This game is dog tired. Goodnight!

2009-08-08T21:15:00.001-05:00

"Y" - Yellowstone Winter

2009-08-08T09:14:00.002-05:00

A lone buffalo wandered away from the herd early in the morning looking for a little something to eat. Taken in late December when you could still ride snowmobiles into Yellowstone without going with a guided tour group.

X - X - ray machine

2009-08-03T22:47:00.002-05:00

This was taken on the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi.

W - Windows

2009-08-02T23:13:00.003-05:00

I took this photo while we were down town doing the trial Scavenger Hunt. I can't wait until the weather gets cooler so we can do this again.

V-Vultures

2009-08-01T23:03:00.002-05:00

These vultures were in our way on a recent motorcycle ride. Not a great pic but not too shabby either since I took it from the passenger seat of our motorcycle... while going about 50mph!

U - Umpires

2009-07-30T22:46:00.003-05:00

This is a pictures of the umpires at the Texas Rangers game. We had some really good seats that night.

T - Tree

2009-07-29T22:35:00.003-05:00

This tree caught my eye on the way home from church a few weeks ago...and my sweet husband was so patient to turn around and go back so I could get the shot. I love trees, flowers and mountains!

S - Sister

2009-07-29T18:56:00.003-05:00

This is my sister Melissa at Mudbug Madness last year. She actually let me put this photo in the fair and it won 1st place in the humor catagory!

R - Red Dragonfly

2009-07-29T14:24:00.004-05:00

I took this picture down by our pond for the Bug Contest. I didn't realize that there was a Red Dragonfly.

Q - Queen Wilhelmina Lodge

2009-07-26T21:57:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite places on Earth! Queen Wilhelmina is a great place to stay or just rest after a day of driving the Talimena Scenic Drive. The view is incredible!