Oh, How Amazing! + Have a Lovely weekend

Title: New York - United States - January 01. LIFE photographer Margaret Bourke-White making a precarious photo from the Chrys.

I've always admired the courage of some people and the passion that drives them. And photographer Margaret Bourke-White is one of them. Margaret Bourke-White was an American photographer and documentary photographer known for her extensive contributions to photojournalism, particularly for her Life magazine work. It is for this reason that we need photographers.

Have a great weekend! xx

When Magic Meets Photography

Hello everybody! I hope it's been a wonderful week! So I've been busying myself with work and lots of wonderful photo walks. 

Well, I'm excited to have linked to a very talented photographer today, George Natsioulis!
I am totally and utterly in love with his exquisite, magical and dreamlike work.

Before I started writing this post I thought to myself, how much I admire George. His style is captivating, almost painterly and gorgeous. 
George Natsioulis was born in Larissa, Greece and dealt with photography from the age of 15. His work is essentially focus on street, minimal, and product photography. He also loves geometry and geometric shapes in his photography.

Natsioulis has the ability to not only capture the reality of the cityscape, but also the mood, evoking real emotion in each picture. The colors are dreamy, the perspective is brilliant, the story in each photo grabs me each time. Just looking at George Natsioulis' photographs can make us feel calm and serene. His photos are soft and peaceful, they almost always depict an uncluttered scene and convey a sense of harmony and balance to the viewer. 

It is impossible not to fall in love with George Natsioulis work; once you look at his enchanting images you will know from that very moment that you will be a fan of his stunning photography.

More about George Natsioulis:

FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM.

Hope you have a great weekend! xx

Have a Cozy Weekend

{Fluorescent turtle embryo, by Teresa Zgoda and Teresa Kugler. 1st Place, Nikon's 2019 Photomicrography Competition.}

Happy Friday, everyone! I wanted to wish you a welcome to the holiday season, if you celebrate.
To our American readers and fellow bloggers, I hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Today's post is dedicated to the wonders and beauty of life as seen...

Vivian Maier: The Story of a Legendary Photographer

Have you heard of Vivian Maier? Her photography is truly magnificent! Her photographs elicit so much emotion. Vivian Maier was a genius; she was brilliant, insightful and forward thinking. I never get tired of seeing her amazing work.

Vivian Maier (February 1, 1926 - April 21, 2009) was an American street photographer who worked for about forty years as a nanny, mostly in Chicago's North Shore,  pursuing photography during her spare time. She took more than 150,000 photographs during her lifetime, primarily of the people and architecture of Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles, although she also traveled and photographed worldwide.
During her lifetime, Maier's photos were unknown and unpublished; many of her negatives were never printed. A Chicago collector, John Maloof, acquired some of Maier's photographs in 2007. In October 2009 Maloof linked his site to a selection of Maier's photographs on Flickr, and the results went viral. Many details of Maier's life remain unknown. She was constantly taking pictures, which she didn't show anyone. (Wikipedia.) 

Vivian Maier was absolutely brilliant! I wish she could live all the fame she deserved.

Hope you have an inspiring weekend. xx

Here's a beautiful short film dedicated to the life, work and wonderful mystery of Vivian Maier.

(Video by VivianMaierPhoto, Photos via vivianmaier.com)

Welcome Spring!

Well, although it does not really feel like spring yet, it is almost here! On Saturday, March 19, we...

Quick Tutorial: How to Photograph Fire

There's something mesmerizing about a flickering flame, don't you think?

Today I'll be sharing with you all my 6 tips on how to photograph fire...

Have a Lovely Weekend

Abandoned fishing village in the Shengsi Archipelago, Zhoushan, China swallowed by Nature.

Nature creates wonders, sometimes it's really hard to believe.

Hope you have an awesome weekend! xx

(Photos by Jane Qing.)

Are Photography Composition Rules Meant to Be Broken?

Today, I stumbled upon an interesting article on PetaPixel website "Why Gursky's Photo of the Rhine is the World's Most Expensive Photo" by Michael Zhang and thought I'd share it with you.

Rhein II by German photographer Andreas Gursky sold at auction for a ground-breaking $ 4.3 million.

This is the photo (ABOVE) that got me thinking about the photography rules...are they meant to be followed or broken?
You hear nature photographers talk about a number of composition rules all the time which can be applied in absolutely any situation...the "The Rule Of Thirds", "Leading Lines", "Foreground Elements of Interest", "Horizons should never be placed in the middle of the frame", etc.
The joy that comes from trying something new, releasing the fear of what others might think of your photography and even breaking the rules of composition is really amazing.

So today I thought to myself: "Hey, go ahead! It's time to start experimenting outside the rules and see where it takes you. Simply use your own judgement and capture the subject how you think it would look better best."
That being said, I believe it's safe to follow the rules when it makes sense; you need to know the rules before you can break them.

Someone once said, innovation always seems to move well beyond the conventional. Well, don't be afraid to ignore the rules when inspiration strikes!

Hope you have a fabulous weekend! xx

P.S. I'm so excited to have been featured on Make it Monday, the super awesome and inspiring Katherines Corner blog.

(Bottom photo by Andreas Gursky via PetaPixel.)

Fall Is in the Air!

Autumn colours.

Hello everybody! I've been MIA since my last post. My apologies! Thanks for hanging in and checking on me. So. It's been a while since my last post. Now it's late September. The time has flown by! (It seems to go even faster the older you get!;)
Things have been a little busy in the "real world" lately, leaving not enough time for blogging. This past weekend was packed with photo-shoots and quality time with family. I have really missed you guys, I must admit.
Anyway, Fall certainly is in the air! (Mark your calendars: September 22nd is the first day of autumn.) It's almost overwhelming how much I want to see, and do, during these next couple of months.
Cozy over-sized sweaters, home-cooked comfort food, misty mornings, crisp air, fall foliage, and steaming hot cider are just a few things on my mind as fall approaches. I'm so looking forward to seeing, smelling and breathing the fall season itself.

Here's a list of things I'm planning on doing this year.

* Go apple picking.

* Spend a Saturday afternoon baking apple pie.

* Try out new pumpkin pie recipes.

* Make cookies shaped like autumn leaves.

* Take more photos.

* Go on a fall nature walk.

* Visit a winery.

* Go on a leaf hunt.

* Collect golden brown autumn leaves.

* Get a new scarf.

I hope this list gives you some ideas for your own Fall To-Do list. Have a wonderful weekend! xx

Plus, three past posts you may have missed:

* Autumn Inspiration.

* A Little Touch of Fall.

* Leaves and Blog love.

August Sunflowers

Don't you just love them?

As August draws to a close, most of my summer photo opportunities are almost over. Lately, I've been studying up on my lenses and camera modes and it's astonishing how much more control I've gained over my camera by using the Manual mode. The main advantage of using this mode is that you take full control over Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO (the three variables that make up exposure), and in turn you can decide how the final image looks.

Today I have some sunflowers to share with you. It wouldn't be summer without sunflowers, right?
Taken with the Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II lens. I processed these photos in Adobe Lightroom 6. I hope you enjoy them.

Have an awesome weekend! xx

Just A Quick Note

Hello! Happy Friday y'all! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! I'm still on vacation (read: staycation) trying to soak up as much relaxation as possible, but I wanted to drop in and say hi. Thank you for taking the time to read, follow, etc. my blog here. It really means a lot to me.

I am enjoying my break here, just finished my first cup of coffee and am editing tons of old photos on my computer. Just thought I'd give you some eye candy and return to my break; thanks for looking!

Hope you have a great weekend! xx

P.S. Missed you. All. Immensely.

This Ice Cream Cake looks so refreshing.

Love this Raspberry Lemonade.

All about sea turtles.

I absolutely adore his work.

Do's and Don'ts in Japan.

Ballet dancers in random situations by American photographer Jordan Matter.

Things and People (2014)

Well, hello there. Today I wanted to share with you my new photography project that I originally planned on starting in September. I overestimated my personal time management skills and abilities. (I often find myself running out of time...it seems that there's just never enough time in the day to get everything done.)
So, my new project? Things and People Project: This project is an attempt to document everyday people, things, and moments through the lens.

One of the greatest things about photography is...

Autumn Inspiration

Fall is almost upon us, so I pulled together some of my favourite photos of the season from last week's walks for inspiration. Here's to autumn colours, cool weather, crunchy leaves, comfy sweaters, hot apple cider, and crisp apples! 

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.  

George Eliot

Basket full of Autumn...

On Traveling

Lion at the base of Nelson's column. Trafalgar Square, London. For more, go here .

Some thoughts on traveling. I love travelling (traveling) because wanderlust is in my DNA. I love traveling simply because I need to explore and experience new places, cultures, etc. I love traveling because nothing helps you connect with your inner self...

Made Me Smile

Crasher Squirrel. A Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel stands in front of a camera while Melissa and Jackson Brandts are taking a photo of themselves at Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. 

Perfectly timed photographs. Taken at the perfect time, with the perfect angle and in the perfect place. Pretty cool, huh!

Hope you have a wonderful day! xx

(Top photo by Aleksandr Malin, Crasher Squirrel by Melissa Brandts, bottom photo by Robert Haas)

Five Likes Tuesday: May Morning

This post was originally posted on May 1st, 2012.

Coral Ardisia plant.

Geranium plants.

Wow, it's May already? Boy, time seems to be flying by. The month of May brings feelings of sweet anticipation for summer, longer sunshine-y days and warmer nights. I can't believe that summer is almost around the corner. In the meantime I am literally overwhelmed by all those beautiful blooming flowers and the beauty all around me. Nature inspires me in so many ways; I'm grateful for the lovely blossoms Mother Nature so graciously gave us!

The warm sun rays played on my eye lids and woke me up to a glorious, bright day.
I am at peace...xx

I am not sure what is the name of this flower, but I really like it!

Pick-Me-Up!

Have you ever had one of those days when everything is going wrong? You spilled your morning coffee on the carpet. Someone used the last of the shampoo. The hot water ran out before you got a shower this morning. And all that happens before your day even gets started. It is enough to put anyone in a lousy mood.
Each of us has some activity that grounds us. My thing is listening to my pissed-off-put-me-in-a-better-mood music. Music can be therapeutic. Because it just takes my mind off of what made me angry in the first place and makes me feel better in seconds.
What is your thing?

What do you do when you are having a bad day? Any tips? I'd love to hear your ways to shake off a bad mood. 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! xx

P.S. Tip: Touch your toes. "It opens up your hip joints, which is where most people store tension", says Dr. Oz. "Hold the position for a minute then slowly roll up. As you lift, so will your mood."

Linking to Wednesday Around The World