Pink Is Not My Favorite Color

On By Suzanne@PictureRetirementIn photography, travel, Uncategorized

If you read my post titled What’s Your Favorite Color, you already know that my favorite color is not pink. But, this week I was challenged to ‘think pink’ so here goes.

People who like pink are generally kind, sensitive, friendly and carefree. They have a warmth and softness that draws you in and keeps you near. That does not describe me at all, but I’m sure most of you have at least one ‘pink gal’ in your life.  Did you know that constant exposure to pink can have a calming effect on your nerves? It also represents sweetness and innocence and couldn’t we all use a little of that in our lives?

For me, pink represents nature and a gentle side of life. It is not the most common color  flower in the universe, but it is the one that seems to attract my attention the most. I don’t like red, especially roses, but, if a flower isn’t clearly red, then to me it’s pink.

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There were some fully opened flowers on the bush,  but this one got my attention. I like the tulip shape and the way it curls and puckers at the center.

edit3I shared this bloom in a previous post, but I love it so much it is worth repeating for those of you who might have missed it. I found it while driving around town looking for signs of Spring last year.

 

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This is me, framed by a branch dripping with pink blossoms at a park in Hamburg, Germany. It took about two minutes for us to fall asleep in the shadows. Now, that’s soothing…I did say Germany, and there was beer involved…

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The pink sand beaches of Horseshoe Bay are famous worldwide. We stopped here during a transatlantic crossing last April. You can read what we wrote about transatlantic cruising here.

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I found this pink rose while visiting Washington Oaks State Park near Palm Coast Florida. Malcolm and I were on a coastal road trip through Florida at the time. We have written about Florida’s unique coastal names in our Discover Florida series. You can find those posts in the header above.

The flower is not in sharp focus, (should have used a tripod) but I did achieve the Bokeh effect that I was going for in the background. You get that out of focus look by shooting a fast shutter speed with a wide open aperture. The first two photos in this post are much better examples of that technique.

But, let’s get back to pink…..

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This pink tulip was one of many growing in the beautiful gardens surrounding Victoria Tower in Guernsey. We were on a cruise of the British Isles and our ship docked here for a few hours. We used the time to take a self-guided walking tour through this quaint town along the English Channel.

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and……this is us celebrating with a glass of pink champagne. The color of life!

 

breast cancer awareness

Join Terri’s photo challenge this week and ‘think pink’ all month long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

50 thoughts on “Pink Is Not My Favorite Color”

  1. Hi, Suzanne,
    Your pictures are a great way to start the day on a rainy morning in Tennessee. My favorite flower color is blue–maybe it’s a guy thing, but I have to admit that while looking at your examples, pink began to grow on me. I have always liked pink roses and your picture with the bee is a work of art, sharp focus or not. Thanks for sharing and have a great week. Joe

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    1. Hi Joe, I love blue flowers, in fact blue is my favorite color overall, natural or otherwise. Have you noticed that there aren’t many blue flowers in nature? Hydrangeas and Plumbago come to mind but not much else. I can’t grow blue hydrangeas in South Florida because of the soil and climate, (they turn pink) but I have a fence full of plumbago which I love. Thanks for noticing the little bee on the pink rose.

      I noticed the nasty weather across the Eastern US yesterday. Looks like you will be inside for a couple of days. Good day for a puzzle. Be well.

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      1. I do love strong colours, Suzanne! One wall in my kitchen is eggplant and my bedroom is a deep blue-green called Dragonfly. But I love to wear cooler milder colours such as pink. I think most look good in pink. I wish more men would wear pink – never have I seen a man look bad in a pink shirt!

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    1. Funny thing Donna, I grew up in a house that was pink! And, I live on a street with a pink house on the corner. I pass by it several timer per day. Maybe that is why pink isn’t a favorite. I like some tones of pink, mostly medium to dark, but light pink doesn’t work for me. Happy to have made a positive contribution to your day. I appreciate your visit and comment.

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  4. Hi Suzanne – Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos of various shades of pink. I’m drawn to the softer pinks like the pink sand, the blossoms in Hamburg, and the pink champagne. I saw pink sand beaches in Bermuda, too. Just beautiful.

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  5. Pink reminds me of cherry blossoms (spending part of my childhood in Japan and the DC area), but I never considered it a favorite and definitely didn’t wear it. That changed when I went to Tanzania this spring. As it turns out, pink was the color of scarves and tank tops that I could wear with khaki or fatigue green that didn’t distract the animals, attract tsetse flies or get dirty too quickly from the dust. I have a new found respect for pink and your gorgeous photos reinforce that.

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    1. Tracey, I do love cherry blossoms and have only seen them in New York and DC, never in Japan. What a treat that must have been every Spring. I have never considered the effect of color on animals, but that makes sense. If I ever go on Safari I will keep that in mind. Glad you enjoyed the photos.

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  8. I love all these gorgeous, lusciously pink photos of many things pink! I’ve seen some of the blog posts recently referring to think pink and have wanted to share my experience but have not done so til now.

    Since I grew up in a family of all girls (there were four of us), I rebelled against pink and refused to choose anything pink in my youth , but one day pink chose me! Ha ha.

    I love it that you share attributes of pink: sweetness, kindness, warmth, gentler side of life. Pink of course is associated with the heart and it was when I was experiencing heart arrhythmia and had an abnormal EKG that I had all these urges to wear pink. No one forced it on me; it came from within. And ever since, I’ve looked at pink in a whole different way. Kind of like what you are doing through your fresh approach to earth’s pinkish bounty; and yes that includes pink bubbly!

    Thank you for sharing these personal views and photos on pink. I can really relate.

    Susan Grace

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      1. Everything turned out okay! I think I was going thru peri-menopausal hormonal stuff, and my body, mind and spirit was crying out for pink. I simply followed the urge of my spirit and haven’t looked back since. I even wore a pink top
        And bright pink hat today in golf!

        I find pink soothing AND healing. Thanks again for sharing all the variations of pink!

        Susan Grace

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  9. Green is my most favorite color, but with so many shades of pink in nature, it’s one that gets photographed a lot, Suzanne! Your variety of pink images are gorgeous, and that pink champagne looks delish! Glad you could join us at Sunday Stills this week!

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    1. Thanks Terri, you came up with another fun challenge. I was actually surprised at how many photos I had with pink in them. It’s usually all about Blue! The only one that is recent is the first one which I took just a few days ago. I was practicing creating Bokeh backgrounds on closeups. Next time you have a macro challenge I’ll be ready. Nothing better than an ice cold glass of pink champagne – clink!

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  10. I love all the posts about pink that Terri’s challenge generated. Although you wouldn’t find much soft pink in my closet, I have a few tops that are in various shades of what I call “pink with an attitude.” I love your first picture of the unfolding flower… so much anticipation of the glory about to be visible.

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  11. I’m a pink (and purple) girl – I don’t quite meet the “warm fuzzy” descriptor but I do love pink in all its shades – it has a freshness and pick-me-up feel that I like. Your pink flower pics were gorgeous (and so was the one where you’re framed with blossoms – great placement!) And I just noticed my avatar is pink – so I’m on theme for this post!
    Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 🙂

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    1. Leanne, you are definitely a pink lady and I know that without having ever met you! Your warmth and ability to encourage and empathize with others comes through in your writing. Thank you for providing a platform for blog sharing. I love discovering and following new bloggers.

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  12. Hi Suzanne, I had not given pink any thought until this week. Your photos are a combination of exquisite and stunning! I have lived on the West Coast most of my life and I was not familiar with the pink sand beaches of Horseshoe Bay. Although, I have been to to Horsehoe Bay. Really great segue on pink champagne, colour of life and breast cancer:)

    First time I have heard of “Cruise Critic.” A gem.🙂

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    1. Erica, pink is never on my radar, but when Terri used it as her photo challenge, I sorted through my files and surprisingly found a few images. The first photo is recent, but it was the uniqueness of the bloom, not the color that caught my eye. Regarding Horseshoe Bay, I was referring to the one in Bermuda, not the one in California. My error for omitting the reference. Thanks for your generous comment regarding the photos.

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      1. We actually have a Horseshoe Bay the North end of Vancouver, B.C. I was thinking about that one🙂A good reminder how many places on our planet have same/similar names and beautiful settings:)

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  14. The pictures are beautiful, but sadly, most don’t seem pink to me. I am color blind, and I don’t really start to see “pink” until most people call it red or purple. Other than what might be called “Barbie Pink,” I’m not sure I understand the color at all.

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    1. Dan, you take such beautiful photographs, it never occurred to me that you are color blind. Based on your comment, I assume this is a lifelong condition. Have you written about it on your blog? I know when something is your ‘normal’, you don’t think much about it, but I’d appreciate being better educated from the perspective of someone who lives with it everyday. I think your other readers would too.

      As to the photographs, composition, sharpness, and background are a huge part of the statement, but in this case color is the statement. It would have been so easy to make a thin, gratuitous comment or say nothing at all, but you didn’t, so thank you for your sincerity.

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      2. Wow Dan, I just went over and read your post from 2015. I feel much better informed and a little relieved to know that there is technology out there that helps you identify colors. No more tie mishaps. The percentage of color blindness in males is staggering. I’m sure there must be people who think that it’s just normal to see that way. When I was nine years old my mom took me for an eye exam because my teacher thought I was struggling to see the chalkboard. She was right – nearsighted as a bat. I remember the ride home on the day I got my first pair of glasses. I was in awe that the trees were so green! It had never occurred to me that the world should have sharp edges, not fuzzy ones!

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      3. I had a similar experience in 8th grade. The only eye exams we had were in school. Silly me, I memorized the chart while standing in line.

        Thanks for going back to that post. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

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  16. Denyse Whelan

    I have never been a ‘pink’ girl but don’t mind a bit of pink in my colourful tops. I do however, love pink in nature and all the variations via your examples too. I tend to a bright fan rather than a pale one. I know too, the pink is “the” colour for breast cancer awareness. The cancer I have is head and neck and it’s colours are maroon (burgundy) and cream. Not at all lovely but cancer is not anyway.
    Lovely read, thank you from me visiting from #mlstl
    Denyse

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    1. Denyse, you are right, Cancer isn’t pretty in any color. I know you know that better than most. I can see you in strong jewel tones; pink is much too frilly for a lady who has fought the fight that you’ve been through. Maroon reminds me of my High School days. We called it Garnet and it was paired with Gold. I have lots of good memories associated with those colors. Thanks for stopping by from #mlstl. Those gals are the best!

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  17. Hi! I tend to stay away from pink, but as your photos show, it’s such a beautiful colour in nature! I wouldn’t wear anything pink for all the money in the world, it just doesn’t go with my colouring, but love seeing pink flowers in springtime. Lovely post, thank you. 🙂

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    1. Candi, I didn’t even dress my darling little girl in pink and it is definitely not in my home. But, as you and others have pointed out, it is a soothing color in nature. I fully appreciate that there are grown women who look fabulous in pink, I’m just not one of them! Thanks for stopping by from #MLSTL and for your kind comment regarding my photographs.

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  19. The pink champagne is definitely my favorite pink! Probably followed by pink blossoms. Pink champagne under pink blossoms – paradise. My favorite pink shirt is the result of a red shirt and white shirt laundered together.

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    1. Jan, you crack me up. I have a few undies that same shade of pink and for the same reasons. I just read your Batteries and Bunkers post this morning but didn’t have time to leave a comment. Pardon please. Have only been to SF once, but will definitely look for that vantage point of the bridge if I ever get back. Thanks for dropping by. Cheers to pink champagne under pink blossoms!

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  22. Suzanne, pink is not my favourite colour either, probably because I grew up in a household with three brothers and was always having pastel pink things foisted on me. I’ve never been a “girly girl.” That said, I love bright colours of all sorts, including hot pink. Your photos are amazing. I’m especially impressed by your Bokeh effect, something I never achieve with my iPhone snaps 😆

    Jude

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