colorful flights

We went to The Col de Tourmalet in the south of France. My brother was going to cycle up this hard road to the top and I took photos of him. It was very rewarding for both: He managed to climb it successfully and I took very impressive photos of him. He liked them very much, btw.
On our way down, there were these people flying their colorful glides. The sky was wonderfully blue, and I couldn't help stopping the car and taking some pictures of them.
Here they are. Hope you like them:





I love

divas and dreams workshop

We are in week 2 of the workshop at Divas and Dreams and it couldn't be more interesting and rewarding.
Christina Greve is such a perfect instructor and photographer! I think I am really improving, from week one! I'm superexcited about this course.
This is a brief explanation of the task for the homework assignment. The thing is to try the settings of your camera - I shoot mostly manual, so there was no problem in that- and then about light, natural light from windows, reflectors and white surfaces.
The topic: flower arrangement.
The result:


Using one of One Willow presets for LR, I think it was Secret Garden.


The setting was: yes, I went to Ikea for a white board!, the background color is one of my husband's Tshirts -he's got them in almost every color you can imagine!.
Then I used a Latsolite reflector, golden side (I think the white side is too dirty to work), and a soft cloth covering the window to avoid direct sunlight.

I tested both my nikon 50mm 1.8 and the sigma 50mm 2.8 macro:
(The background was changed)



Finally, a collage with some of the takes:

Búsqueda del tesoro: mosaico

Treasure Hunt

La vuelta al mundo
Round the World is a Flickr group lead by Jackie Rueda. She is one of the sweetest photographers I’ve seen. I love everything she does.
Last July she proposed a Treasure Hunt. Initially, I wasn’t going to follow it, but it got directly to my mind, so I have been thinking of hydrants and Vespas, I just couldn’t help it!
So, here I am, in August, with my cards full of the usual holiday pictures, plus a bridge, a gate, an unknown girl… subconscious fan working for the hunt.
The twelve items were:
1.a hydrant, 2.a bridge, 3.an unknown girl, 4.a kiss, 5.a Vespa, 6.a church bell, 7.a letterbox, 8.a shop window, 9.a color door, 10.letters on the floor, 11.street posts or signals, and 12.a gate.

I’ve found all but two: the kiss and the street posts are still to be found!
Here are the rest:
In Ireland I found this beautiful hydrant (then I found some more here and there, but I fell in love with this yellow one!),

the unknown girl was admiring beautiful Kylemore Abbey, in Connemara, where I also found this gate.

These shop windows are in Clifden, a small lively town, full of colors.
The color door is also in Ireland: It is our cosy house at Letterfrack. The letters on the floor, well, not letters, but numbers, at the school playground, I loved the color of this children’s game.
Then, back to Spain, the bridge. The kids had great fun here, at the Pyrenees. Back home, I found this vespa, not the most beautiful one, but I have seen no other!
The church is also in the Pyrenees, I don’t remember if it was in France or in Spain. I was photographing my brother while he was cycling a very hard road!
And the letterbox was in Cantabria, in a rural area full of charm and beauty.

Well, here is my two cent until I find the kiss and the street posts!