Abstract, More or Less

Sometimes it’s interesting to just isolate details to make pictures.

Mosaic Linkup

Today’s final two pictures are not what I call abstract, but they are not quite realistic either. I  added  effects using the BeCasso app. 

Charlie’s Friend, Tripod

No Campfires

Shenandoah National Park

On Tuesday I had an appointment with the foot doctor in Front Royal, and afterwards I drove into Shenandoah National Park, which is next to the town. There were signs at the entrance warning of wildfire smoke and a ban on fires. There are two wildfires burning near the park, the result of a prolonged drought. Hopefully the rain but we had today will help firefighters to get the fires under control.

By the way, photographing that electronic sign was challenging. For some reason, the phone does not record it in the way that the eye sees it. I could tell that the letters were disappearing when I looked at my screen, so I took some pictures using LIVE mode as I waited for the drivers in front of me to pay the entrance fee. When I edited the pictures, I was able to select one with the letters showing.

Someone said these clouds were smoke from the fires, but that may be an overstatement.  Certainly there was a layer of smoky haze along the horizon, but the fires are well to the south and east of this scene. I only drove the northern section of the park, exiting at Thornton Gap.

There was still plenty of beauty and plenty of tourists. 

Blog Post 8500

That's a lot of blog posts! I'll hold off on my usual Monday Mural post for a few minutes and show a picture of myself and talk about selfies. I usually smile for my pictures, so this one’s a little different. My smiles aren’t as bright as they used to be, and neither is my hair. That happens if you live long enough! 

I used an iPhone SE, and it has a portrait mode. Apparently it puts more light on the face and does not focus on the background. I also used the timer to give myself three seconds to raise my arm after pressing the shutter button.

 I think it helps to hold the lens slightly above eye level and then raise your chin just a little. This can get more light into the eye area and avoid the dreaded double-chin look. 

There was the time when I tried to look young and pretty, but since I’m not a movie star, I don’t have to worry about that. Thank goodness!

The background in this picture is colorful so I’ll show you another view of it. This is the same overlook that I showed in the Buck Hollow post.

Ducks and a Heron

The Wild Bird Wednesday linkup features from some enjoyable bird photos, so I continue to participate even though my bird pictures are ordinary compared to many of the others. I’ve just started feeding birds for this season by putting out some suet. I hope to get some close-up shots before long. (I don’t have much luck getting close to birds in the wild, so I bribe them to come to my deck.)

In the meantime, here are some mallard ducks on a pond, followed by a heron that I just happened to spot as I crossed a bridge.

Mural Covered Building

Waynesboro, VA

This mural is on the front of a building across from the railroad. I was not able to get a straight-on photo without standing in the middle of the street.

The other sides of the building are also painted with murals, the result of participating in a street art festival. I showed you those on previous Mondays and I'll review them in collage form.

Mosaic Monday / Murals

The train that I showed yesterday was one that came through as I was photographing the murals. Here's another picture of the locomotive taken a few seconds later, which I filtered in Picsart to add color.

Mostly Cows

One of the nice things about living in the Shenandoah Valley is seeing farms and animals.

 

The first three photos are from Woodstock. The next one is from Fishers Hill a year ago. That land is now inaccessible to ordinary citizens because the broken gas line is still being repaired. I believe the cattle were not there when the line exploded.

Filtered in Picsart

I’ll close with a bonus picture for Charlie’s fans.

Photo Frustration

It doesn’t look like I’m going to get a good hummingbird picture this season. I thought I got some the other day but the light was fading and I just didn’t get the focus right. Before I show you the better of the disappointing shots that I got, I’ll show you my hummingbird window hanging, taken with my kaleidoscopic attachment that I demonstrated on July 20th.

So here's the bird, overexposed and not quite sharp.

Today I made a couple of computer generated hummingbird pictures using Picsart.

 

Late Summer, SNP

Blog Post 8445

Skyline Drive runs 105 miles through Shenandoah National Park. It is one of my favorite places, so I have taken many pictures there. These are from the middle section of the park. 

Garden Affair / Mosaic

These girls in traditional dress were with a large group of young people in a picnic area. Some friends really liked this picture so here’s another one with an oil paint filter added.

Park Critters and Effects

Seven Bends, Hollingsworth Road

 Our state park turns out to be a good place for a sniffari. That’s a walk where a dog gets to sniff a lot. And since Charlie’s a beagle, sniffing is an intense activity for him, and actually tires him out.

On Wednesday, I took him to the Hollingsworth Road entrance to the park. I was pleased to see the peacock again because I haven’t seen him in a long time. He belongs to a residence next to the entrance which also has geese. I believe this is a Sepastopol goose.

I parked in the lot by the river because I didn’t want to deal with the birds while walking the dog. The first time I met the peacock, he jumped up on my car and would not get off!

My photo of a man fishing near the swinging bridge was not very satisfying so I filtered it in an app. Friends liked the result, so I tried a painterly effect on a picture of some deer that ran through the park after a jogger startled them. They show up better now, but the trees suddenly acquired fall colors.

I don’t want to leave Charlie out of the special effects.

Fences, New Market Battlefield

A Gate in Black and White

The Shirley House with Painterly Effect

Bad Birds

Actually, the birds are fine. It’s the images that are not so great. This picture of a robin looked good in the thumbnail but when I enlarged it, I saw it was not sharp except for the wing. I like the pose though.

I enjoy playing with image generating apps, and I often make a picture or two before breakfast. I thought maybe a picture of some birds in a garden would be refreshing, but AI got confused (as it often does) and combined the goldfinch and the blue jays. 

This goldfinch portrait came out nice and sharp. It's not a real bird though; it’s a a model in the visitors center at Dickey Ridge. That’s in Shenandoah National Park near Front Royal.

I was there on Tuesday and I spent a little time just relaxing on a bench. The visitor center overlooks a beautiful mountain view.

Prism in the Garden

Yesterday I shared images taken with a new gadget on my cell phone. Today I'll show you some more, taken in my yard.

Floral Friday/ Garden Affair