52 Week Challenge Class

Challenge: Silence
photo by Allen Etheridge

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Allen used a technique that is taught during the year called Dreamscape. He said: "We rarely have snowy vistas here. I grew up in Colorado and fondly remember the absolute silence that a good snow can impart. We have had quite a bit of overcast lately so a night shot would have been a stretch.

In early winter it is not uncommon to get morning fog. It rained all night Tuesday. On Wednesday I could not see my neighbor’s house, but the morning chores of coffee and walking the dog the fog around the house lifted. A good fog does impart a silence to me. I drove up Green Mountain here in Huntsville, AL, and it was extremely foggy halfway up (all of 600-foot change in elevation). Given the weather there was no one at the Madison County Nature Trail. It was lovely albeit very wet.

Oh, one more bit of learning, when the breeze blows in the woods the trees will “rain” on you. When shooting in this environment one should always have a dry lens cloth to eliminate droplets on the lens (first water is not good for cameras, and second tiny drops create little fuzzy halos on the photograph). Yet another “Duh!” moment for me.

 52 Week Critique Group

Challenge: Tickled Pink 
photo by Wendy Hodina

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Wendy said: "Only in Cleveland! These inflatables caught my eye this morning as I was heading out for a hike in the snow. The 1983 movie “A Christmas Story” was filmed in Cleveland nearer to downtown in the Tremont area. This house with the inflatables is actually in Hudson, OH. We do see leg lamps occasionally around town.
After the hike I came back by to take some photos. And I’m still chuckiling about it. The house is fairly set back from the road and it’s a busy narrow road so I had to shoot through the open car window. Slightly cropped and cleaned up some props in the front yard. Used the Topaz filter starlight glitter. Happy Holidays, All!”