Backyard Friends Digital art in the Norman Rockwell style
I took this photo in the backyard of a house we were staying in for a two-week vacation visiting Washington State.
The owners had some cute and friendly chickens who liked to play, and as we like animals we didn’t mind 🙂 I liked the scene when they climbed on my husband’s feet and I told him to stay still , so I could take the photo. Fortunately he didn’t get any significant white spots on his shoes, ha, ha…
Backyard Friends Digital art in the Norman Rockwell style
Later on, there was a photographic contest in a group where I used to play all the time. The idea was to create an image in the Norman Rockwell style, I thought that the backyard friends scene with the tree cuties was just right 🙂
Here is what it can look like as a canvas print – perfect for a country home :). Click on it to see all the options:
Posted in the Wp Challenges Gallery for :
Everything is possible when you think it is…
Her name is Peggy, and she’s a Wing Walking Lady.
As a former pilot, my husband used to go and watch the European Aircraft Trade Show in Friederichsafen, Germany for several years. In 2009 I went with him and I’m glad I did 🙂
The show was really fantastic with a lot of performances and acrobatic flights, plus an exhibition. But the most fantastic of all was this lady and her outstanding courage!
In this photo below, you can notice that the airplane is almost upside-down!
It was a real demonstration of what some call the power of mind over body. I too believe that everything is possible when you think it is…
She was protected by a security system attached to the airplane wing, but that was almost nothing…
Just look what a balance she has!
Defying gravity for real! 🙂 She looks so relaxes, and it almost make you think it’s easy… but it takes a lot of training and strength for these acrobats do this.
From the photo above I made a digital version and called it: Everything is possible when you think it is… she demonstrates it 🙂
The image is available as art print for wall, home decor and accessories – I think that everybody should have it somewhere to think about our limits in life created by nothing but our own mind…
Here is what it can look like on the wall above your living-room sofa – just click on it to see all the options:
Posted in the Challenges gallery for:
Don’t Quit! | Weekly Photo Challenge: Balance | This, That and The Other: A Question of Balance | Weekly Photo Challenge: Strength
Vintage buildings, dramatic sky and dreams in the air in the beautiful city of Venice, Italy
Venice has many of the most picturesque vintage buildings you´ll find anywhere. They are one of the reasons why you feel like travelling in time when you´re walking through its nostalgic streets or navigating through its endless canals. The romance of another era is in the air all the time in this precious jewel of Italy. That’s exactly what I wanted to evoke with this image.
A surreal approach for a magical city
This is an image of the Grand Canal, the main one of the city. The original photograph was grey like the day I took it, but this is how my eyes and heart perceived the scene. The clouds were like emerging from the old colorful buildings. Next to them there were people taking a gondola ride, and there was this man sitting on a gondola next to the docks, alone. This looks like a dreamlike, dramatic scene to me. It shows a place for our senses to travel to the past and enjoy the magical mood. Sometimes I decide to stay more on the realistic side, sometimes I take a kind of surreal approach. To me, this scene deserved that surreal approach, because again, that is how my eyes and heart perceived it. Therefore, this was the result! 🙂
The vintage buildings and architectural masterpieces are certainly one of the main attractions of this city. They are probably the main ingredient of that nostalgic feeling. But even if that wasn´t enough, you have the canals. You have the gondolas and embarkations all around. The narrow streets and hidden alleys you should get lost into, the old lamps bathing the canals with warm tones at night, old abandoned houses full of stories, and so much more to discover!
A touch of romance for your walls
This image is available as a fine art print on paper, canvas, acrylic, metal or wood. You can fully customize your print to suit your needs. See how would it look like as a big canvas print above your sofa in the image above. Besides that, you can get it as a greeting card or printed onto many other items for your home or office decor. Click on the image to see your options, or click here to visit my gallery, where you´ll find many more images of Venice 🙂
Thank you so much for reading this! Please don´t forget to visit this site to find more amazing travel photography and paintings!
Posted in the WP Challenges Gallery for:
Traveling at Wits End Weekly Photo Challenge: Strength
Word of the Day Challenge: Exhilarating
Ephemeral
There was a time when I was always holding my camera wherever I was going… it was like a part of my body 🙂
One day, when I happened to be on the beach in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, I saw this scene and I didn’t wait too long – I snapped the shot.
This flock of Sanderlings were flying low near the surface of the sand and trying to pan them I caught the little kid playing in the water too 🙂 Who said that photography is at least 50% good luck, was right…
The scene made me immediately think about the volatility of the time and actually life itself… so I called it without hesitation: Ephemeral.
“The only constant in life is change” – said Heraclitus
I uploaded it to my Fine Art America gallery, where it’s available as art print for wall and home decor . It can remind you about this philosopher of antiquity and make you think... Here is what it looks like framed above the living-room sofa. Click on it for details:
Posted in the WP Challenges, for
Friday Foto Fun – BIRDS | Word of the Day Challenge: Volatile | Lens Artists Photo Challenge: Changing/Changeable
Life is beautiful 🙂
While playing with an old PS Canon camera that takes good macros, I noticed this funky bug, that to me looked like it was laughing 🙂
That spring day in Ontario, Canada was perfect for nature close-ups, and I couldn’t resist snapping a shot of it…
– He was so much emanating happiness – I smiled to myself.
“Life is beautiful!” I thought…
If you ever think otherwise, just look at him and think twice 🙂
The image is not big, as I had to crop it, but it fits well over a counter, or just as home decor and accessories, to remind you to smile 🙂
Just click on it to see all the options:
Posted in the WP challenges gallery for:
Utah Country Roads
As we traveled a lot I was able to see and shoot a few country roads through villages, mountains, prairies and desert… This post will focus only on country roads we’ve been on in the USA, more specifically: the state of beautiful Utah. All the photos here are from our 2014 trip, coming down from Eastern Canada, going to Nevada.
It was a beautiful end of fall and I love to capture the muted warm colors with shades of gray at the changing of seasons.
- I agree that many of my photos shown here were taken while driving on highways, but they were all in the country. So, even though they are not dirt roads, I consider them Utah country roads. – Click on them for a larger format!
I start with the Utah welcome sign on Hwy 191, the entrance to dinosaur country 🙂
Heading toward the Flaming Gorge Reservoir area, Utah.
A gorgeous view of the mountains with some mist in the valley. What a great light, muted colors and shades of gray… – it was at the end of October.
At the Flaming Gorge Reservoir (where we stopped for a few hour visit)
This is a dirt country road going down toward the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Again, I took it because I liked the contrasts between the yellow, beige and brown tones, and the blues of the water, mountains and sky. A beautiful sunny day at the end of October.
Crossing the Fishlake National Forest mountains.
After visiting the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and the dam (Utah and Wyoming), we headed south. In the first few days of November we had to cross the mountains in the Fishlake National Forest area.
The weather changed and we’ve seen the first signs of winter…
Snow on sagebrush!
A beautiful thin layer or snow was covering the sage brush along the road – Wow! Of course we had to stop and take some close-ups 🙂
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Going down after crossing the Rocky Mountains
We finally got out of the mountains. Here we are again at the end of the day, on a lower elevation prairie road.
Time to find a place to sleep in the next town 🙂
** All these pictures are available as art prints for wall, home decor and accessories. Click on them to see all the options.
Added to the WP Challenges gallery for:
Ryan’s Photo for the Week – 6 – Country roads
Weekly Photo Challenge: Shades of Gray
Which Way challenge
What is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about visiting Cuba? No doubt many would say the classic cars from the 1940s and 1950s that are seen in every town and city in the country. During my visit, I saw Studebakers, Pontiacs, Plymouths, Fords, Dodges, Chevrolets, and Buicks. Some are in great condition, others are about to rust into oblivion.
These cars date back to the pre-revolutionary days. Many of the best cars are reserved for doctors, Communist officials, sports stars, etc. Others are kept for the government-run tourist trade providing taxi service. In 2011, some of the restrictions on selling cars were eased. Then, in 2014, the government abolished a system that required citizens to attain a permit to buy a car, and loosened restrictions on new car imports. However, markups of four to five times the base price left cheap cars with an astronomical price in a country where a good state job pays $30 a month make buying a car an impossible goal for most citizens.
How many classic cars are in Cuba?
There are no official statistics regarding the numbers of classic cars. Most estimates say there are 60,000 pre-1959 American cars still operating in Cuba. The U.S. government eased the embargo eased, but how have the Cubans kept these cars running in the intervening years? Via many ingenious ways – cannibalizing vehicles that are beyond repair, modifying Russian car parts and engines to use in the American vehicles, crafting hand-made parts and even tools from scrap metal, and many more. Cuban mechanics use imperfect parts and keep the cars running.
In Havana, many tourists take the opportunity to hop in one of these classic cars to take a driving tour of the city. Whether you arrive by bus, cruise ship, or plane, you will see rows of beautiful classic cars lined up ready to whisk you off on an adventure. Be sure to know the price before you start out – usually set as a flat hourly rate. Don’t forget to take photos! It will be one of the highlights of your trip.
Can’t get to Cuba right now? Why not bring Cuba to your home or office. These images will enhance your room and spark conversations with fellow car buffs and anyone who appreciates these old classic vehicles. These are available as print on demand according to your style and taste – framed art print, modern metal print, acrylic and more in the size you need for your home or office.
See more images of autos and architecture around Cuba.
Whether you’ve visited or long to go, I invite you to check out my other images of Cuba. Go to https://1-dawn-currie.pixels.com/ to see more of this tropical island and its people. These artworks are the fruits of a two-week trek by the photographer that spanned the island from east to west. Share a glimpse of modern-day Cuba where time stands still, yet takes its toll. This photographic and personal journey across the island exposes just some of the rich tapestry which is modern-day Cuba. Furthermore, you can customize your art according to your needs. Fine art productions are available on paper, canvas, acrylic, metal, and wood. And while you’re there, consider ordering greeting cards of your favorites. These images will bring a slice of the Caribbean, with a Cuban flare, into your home and place of business. Bienvenido a Cuba!
Also don’t forget to check out more Travel Photography on this site!
Bora Bora Tahiti French Polynesia is one of the most beautiful tropical islands in the world.
It is a part of a chain of many islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Bora Bora is probably the most well-known of all these islands. This is because of its natural beauty, the multi-colored waters surrounding it and the romantic over water bungalows. It is surrounded by a coral reef that creates waters that have almost no current. The place makes an ideal condition for the tropical fish. Bora Bora also makes snorkeling a breeze for tourists. The turquoise and aqua blue waters surrounding the island are simply amazing.
My wife and I spent five glorious days in an over water bungalow in one of the resorts in Bora Bora, celebrating one of our milestone birthdays.
We relaxed on the white sand beach, snorkel to our hearts content and relished the natural, unspoiled beauty.
It was (and still remains) one of the most memorable and definitely most romantic vacations we have ever taken. No wonder that honeymooners and young and older romantics alike choose Bora Bora for an unforgettable vacation.
I took this aerial photo of Bora Bora Tahiti French Polynesia from our plane. What a wonderful view of the island, the mountain top and the surrounding waters! You can easily see how largely undeveloped the island is from this view.
The Snowbirds in Flight, producing aerodynamic shaped patterns on the blue sky of Ottawa, Canada.
A few years ago I had the chance to watch and of course photograph this fantastic acrobatic flight demonstration by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
The Snowbirds in Flight
It was amazing to see the tremendous energy and the precision they had at that speed in the air…
As a former pilot, my husband was simply delighted to see them.
To me it was not only about the technical skills of these so courageous performers – what impressed me most was the whole artistic show they put on, like an aerial ballet…
The fact that the blue sky was partially covered with big cumulus clouds made everything even more interesting, and the Snowbirds in Flight were simply amazing!
I have a good telephoto, but still I had to crop the images a little to show the airplanes closer. They are all available as art prints in my Fine Art America collection, and they look nice as prints on the wall, but I think that these photos look better together…
That’s why I decided to make them into poster like collages. If you are a proud Canadian and want these images on your wall or as any another kind of print, click on any of them to see all the options. Here are the Snowbirds in Flight ready for your wall:
Also, check my other Canada Travel pictures
Dominion Cape Breton, a Heritage Community in Nova Scotia, Canada
Dominion is an incorporated community on the East coast of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (Indian Bay), founded in 1906. Originally it was part of the Dominion Coal Company and the small population living here was involved in coal mining.
Today the village is mainly a heritage, historic and touristic place, very interesting to visit.
Here are two photos I took in 2013 reminding of the old times when this community was a more prosperous place. I digitally altered the images to give them a vintage look and patina.
This is the Dominion Heritage School House Museum, preserved as a historic building.
… and here is a framed version of it, ready to be hung on the wall
I have also photographed some historic, mining artifacts in this place, that I will post later.
I learned however that in 18th century, Dominion and the surrounding area were also inhabited by fishermen and farmers coming from France (Acadia) and Spain (Basque Country).
The Fishery of Dominion
Here is the old fishery – another interesting building I saw in Dominion Cape Breton. I couldn’t find any information on this, so I have no idea if it’s still functioning or not. However, the red classic wooden buildings on the blue background of the water and the reflections inspired me, so I got the shot 🙂 I also digitally enhanced it for a vintage feel…
The image is also available as art print at Fine Art America and here is what it can look like as an acrylic print version of it:
As always, I invite you to click on the images for more information on these prints.
Nova Scotia is full of interesting history and it can take years to visit and see all its beauty and hidden jewels. I’ve seen some of them, so stay tuned for more pictures to come 🙂
I like challenges and here are two that inspired me:
Weekly Photo Red | RDP #69: Community | Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Red
