I am missing weekly outings with my camera and have been spending a lot of time editing old photographs instead of taking new ones. My choices this week were, brood about it, or follow the lead of Teri at Second Wind Leisure Perspective, and look in my own back yard for opportunities to create beautiful images. It was raining this past Monday, so overcast conditions created the perfect ‘moody’ backdrop for the following photos.
I took these RAW images with my Lumix GX7 outfitted with a 45-200mm lens, set at Aperture priority. I am a big fan of creating Bokeh effect in the background, then tweaking color, light and shadow to get the look I want. I used Photoshop Elements and NIK to process the following images.
enhanced Bokeh Background 
no enhancement
no edits 
light pencil edit 
heavy pencil edit
no edits 
embroidery effect
Sponge effect 
no edit
In addition to the new photos, I also selected a few that you might have seen before. I think they are worth sharing again.
What lifted my spirits and made me smile this week is the realization that doing what we love doesn’t have to be put on hold. Our ability to adapt, be creative and find ways to breath new life into old hobbies and habits can turn a gloomy day into one filled with beauty.
Shared at Trent’s World weekly Smile Challenge and Teri’s Weekly Photo Challenge. The idea is to visit these sites and share something that makes you smile or lifted your spirits this week. While you are there, please have a look at what other bloggers are sharing and show them some love.
What made you smile this week?
Picture Retirement 
Your photos are beautiful, each and every one. 🙂 I saw a photo on Facebook of a good friend with mask in place who got to hold her great granddaugter for the first time, enjoyed a sunny day yesterday, I’m working on a gift for a friend, and I actually talked to my grandson out a second story window. Amazing what makes one happy these days. 🙂
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Judy, those are all lovely, spirit lifting things. I am glad you had a day with sunshine and talking to your grandson does sound like a highlight. I am glad you enjoyed my photos.
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Beautiful! And I love the effects you are playing with. That water lily photo is a standout! I can just see it blown up on a canvas and adorning a wall.
Deb
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Thanks Deb, I can’t paint or draw, so I play with photo editing…
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Very nice. Yeah, that waterlily is fantastic.
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Thank you. That one will always be special.
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Gorgeous photos! The water lily is stunning and I hope you have it in a frame somewhere. Thanks for the reminder that life does not have to be put on hold. With just a little thought and imagination we can find the joy that is right in front of us.
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I did print that water lily in a Shutterfly book along with a few other favorites, just so I would always have it as a reminder of what is possible. I remember that morning so well. The pond was full of water lily’s and I was getting pretty shots, but nothing special until this one appeared. I like to think of it as my reward for being patient. You are so right, there are joys right in front of us. We just have to keep our eyes open and anticipate beauty.
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Would you mind if I refer to your post in an upcoming post of mine?
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I would be delighted. Thanks for asking.
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Hi, Suzanne – You are absolutely right. Doing what we love does not need to be put on hold. We just need to be creative in doing it. Once again, your photos and photo-edits are stunning!
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Thanks Donna, I almost titled this post “Adapting to Adapting’ since life is changing so rapidly. I am grateful to have hobbies and interest that can be tweaked and even reinvented to some extent to keep me from the doldrums. Thanks for stopping by.
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So pretty! And now I’m motivated to get back to my SLR camera and tripod. I’ve become such a lazy iPhone photographer these last couple of years!
Our governor (California) held a press briefing yesterday that was a bit sobering. Bottom line was that daily life will be altered for possibly years, depending on when or if a vaccine is developed. So all the more important to look for ways to realign our lives into this new norm.
What makes me smile are my daily sightings of the ocean and wildlife from our home. Yesterday I spotted sailboats bobbing prettily, and watched a red tail hawk being dive bombed by two crows determined to keep the hawk away from their nest.
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Wow! These took my breath away! And they made me smile! I have also been spending time in my yard watching and photographing caterpillars. What makes me smile each day is watching a chrysalis that was created on Friday by a Monarch Caterpillar.
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Ahhhh, thanks Beth. I’m glad they made you smile. I enjoyed your caterpillar photos the other day and can’t wait for you to capture their metamorphosis and share with us all. Take care.
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I’ve been missing my camera too. Yesterday a windy storm front wen through and toward late afternoon we got those big clouds, the tops puffy white, the bottoms all navy blue and gray. Rows and rows of clouds, and I so wanted to drive somewhere that had wide open spaces with my camera. But I sighed and made dinner instead. We have virtually nothing but daffodils in bloom here so far. Though the forsythia is beginning to yellow up, I suspect if I went out there there are a few blooms to shoot. And while walking the dog I saw a couple trees with fat buds on them…might be interesting to go back out with the camera. I probably will. Thanks for the inspiration. Also I love Trent’s smile posts, and try to participate every week. I need to check out Terri’s challenge as well. And lastly…LOVE your photography!
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Dawn, your description of the clouds is exactly as I like them to look in my photos. My wide open space is the beach near my house, which is obviously off limits right now, but a girl can dream. Thanks for the excellent visual. One thing is for sure, there is always something “interesting” out there. Grab your camera and go find it!! Take care.
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Suzanne,
I would love to capture a water lily like the photograph you shared. Our spring flowers are perfect right now and I took my camera to a neighbor’s yard to get a picture of her Iris. I may send it to the challenge because the colors are so interesting. Thanks for sharing your skills with the rest of us. Thanks also for the video you recommended. Joe
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Joe, I would love to see the photo of the Iris you took. Your pictures are always beautiful and very well composed. I still struggle with clarity, but that has as much to do with lens quality as my shaky hands. I hope you are enjoying the YouTube tutorials. I have watched several of them more than once. It’s nice to have spring flowers to brighten the mood!
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I’ve been taking my phone/camera/podcast player with me on my daily walks but that’s it for picture-taking opportunities beyond our yard. I’ve also been playing with older photos using editing software but I’m just not feeling the motivation. Lovely water lily… maybe that’s the inspiration I need!
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Me too,Janis, I take the same route every day, but always find something new to photograph with my phone. Take care.
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The water lily is amazing and one you should have printed onto a canvas or blown-up and framed and proudly displayed in your home, Suzanne! I like what you did with the filters in some of your shots. Exquisite photography for sure!!
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Terri, filters are not my thing, but it’s fun to play.Typically I just adjust light, shadows and colors. I love what you are doing with Paint. Your photos are interesting and very artistic. Thanks for hosting #SundayStills!!
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Great shots! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve been busy playing with older shots in much the same way.
I share mine on Viewbug as well as MeWe and Facebook.
https://www.viewbug.com/member/MstrAnthonyStevens
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Hi Anthony, I will check out the link. Nice to hear from you. I hope all is well.
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Beautiful collection of photos. I mostly prefer the unedited ones. But they are all gorgeous and have the capacity to lift the spirits. The ocean is keeping me happy… a swim or two day hopefully keeps corona away 🙂
Peta
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Peta, I am very envious of anyone enjoying the ocean right now. It is the best medicine. I heard yesterday that ‘walkers’ are being allowed on some Florida beaches, so hopefully that will happen soon in our area.
I generally like what comes out of the camera and do very little editing, with the exception of shadows, light and color. Manipulating a photo into a work of art is not something I have the patience, or talent for, but it is fun to play around with when there is nothing else to do. Thanks for stopping by and be well.
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That is a very beautiful photo of that water lily at the end.
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Thank you Frank, and thanks for stopping by.
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These photos are so stunning, Suzanne. I take a lot of photos but haven’t developed the patience to edit them. I agree with you wholeheartedly that what we love doesn’t have to be put on hold. In fact we should do a bit of what we love every day.
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Thanks Natalie. It does help to keep things moving. Too much of the same makes for a dull day. Enjoy your week!
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Huge wow, on the photos, Suzanne. I really appreciate you sharing your process. You can see the difference, especially when the photos are side by side. What fun. You inspire me to play more with my photos. I am lucky sometimes only because of the sheer number of photos I take. Exquisite! You have transported me to a land of beauty! The water lily continues to bring joy. Very good point, to keep doing what we love. Thank you for lifting my spirits. xx
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Thanks for your beautiful words of encouragement. I do love sharing my hobby. Take care.
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Suzanne, I am so impressed with your photos. I lack the technical knowledge and patience to be a good photographer. My blog is full of unedited iPhone shots, I’m embarrassed to admit.
Jude
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Jude, thank you for the compliment. Your photos always reflect the content of your post and that is what matters most. When the composition is good, the technical stuff can be forgiven!
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