My next Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is Soft. Anne-Christine asks what does the word Soft mean to you? Is it something that you touch? Is it the undefined notion that is the opposite of hard? Is it the contrast to sharp from a photographer’s point of view? This is not so simple a concept.
My first thought was that of a baby. We want everything about this new being to be soft. Soft blankets, soft toys, soft skin, soft colors, and soft sounds Nothing hard, or harsh. We want the world around us to be soft and welcoming.
The soft touch of father and son.
Only a week later, my Charlie joined the world. We follow his first developing steps on a webcam.
Charlie arrives home at 7 weeks.
His fluffy soft fur needs tending to. Every evening we bond over grooming
Nature softens the world around me.
Light falling softly on this lotus flower
The dandelion flower pod beakens us to spread its seeds with one soft blow.
Soft fur, soft feathers and no touching
My most favorite photographic technique is shooting with a large aperture setting. This narrow depth of field clarifies the subject. This blurred background is called the bokeh. I pay particular attention to this when deciding to purchase a lens for my Fuji x system.
Union Soldier at Civil War Reenactment
Goofy Garden Art
My featured photograph is that of clouds. Soft, fluffy and white. What do you see? When you hear the work “Soft” what comes to mind?
Yolo County opens its farms up to local artists monthly. The last time I took advantage of this event was in July of 2019. Part of the fun of photography is seeing new places, and part is sharing the experience. I finally felt like I could share the experience with one friend, and so we headed out. This was the last part of June, and I was feeling like pushing aside CoVid 19 just a bit.
Sunflowers are showing up all over Yolo county, and there was a field on the Harrison Farm. Not the tallest flowers, not so spectacular, but I was traveling with my Fuji xt2 and my 80mm 2.8 macro lens. The weather was just perfect. With macro photography, even the slightest movement can look like a big magnified blur. Usually, I have experienced a gale-force wind creeps up just as I take out my macro lens. Not this time!
Lots of bees around sunflowers.Such a flirty faceOne amongst many
This Thursday in the last part of June I didn’t expect a large turnout. But I guess others felt the same, and there I was social distancing from a nice group of artists.
Traffic duty. Each car was carefully check in and she explained the guidelines.
Many uses for this pond. The ripples reminds me of an impressionist’s painting inspiration. The rope swings looks like fun. And the kayak and fishing poles is someone’s idea of a relaxing afternoon.
We each tried to capture our selfie wearing our protective CoVid masks.
On this day I carried my Fuji xt2 with three lenses. I heard there were sheep here, and I wanted to grab some animal photographs. Well, the sheep were resting in the corner shaded area. I wanted and finally one ventured out to eat.
Using my xf 55-200 lens I caught this little cutie.Back in the shady side of the barnPlein Air artist starting on his canvasI appreciate the two red barns using my cameraI like the way this gate frames the image.
I wandered around the flower garden for these next photos.
These next images represent still life on the farm.
Backlit lighting on the walnut tree.Someday I may be found in some baklava. That would be yummy!Walnut trees. Careful. Drip irrigation leads to muddy sandals.Pulling away from the walnut orchard was this fire engine kicking up a lot of dirt.
So ends this months Yolo Art & Ag event to the Harrison Farm. Looking forward to my next outing.
A Photo's Worth 