Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Capital

This week, guest host Viveka has given us the topic Capital for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge.  We have visited a few State Capitals on our travels around the US so here is my take on the subject.  Living in Illinois as we do, Springfield would be the obvious place to start.

Madison, is about the halfway point between our house and where our daughter and her family live in Wisconsin, so we sometimes meet there to visit places like Olbrich Botanic Gardens and the Capital Building.

We have family living in Indiana so a trip to Indianapolis is usually one of our destinations. Just my luck, one of the sharpest pictures I ever took was one of the steam plant, which is the only reason I include it here. Also pictured, The Soldiers and Sailors Monument, White River Gardens and a fountain at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

A recent visit to St. Paul, Minnesota resulted in some pictures of the Capital Building, the Cathedral of St. Paul, and the Conservatory at Como Park Zoo.

Our youngest daughter and her husband lived in Salt Lake City, Utah for a brief period so we spent a week there taking in the sights which included the Capital Building, Temple Square and the College of Pharmacy.

Our visit to Cheyenne, Wyoming was only a short one as we were on our way to Utah, but we stopped long enough to visit the Capital Building.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – A Window With A View

I’ve missed one or two of these Lens-Artists Challenges recently so I’m making up for lost time with this one.  Amy has chosen A Window With A View as the topic this week and here is my take on the subject. The first picture is a view of Millennium Park from The Chicago Art Institute. The second was taken at the Cuneo Mansion in Vernon Hills where there was a lovely view of the surrounding gardens from one of my favorite rooms there.

The next view, of the waterfront on Mackinac Island, was taken from a window high up on a hill at Fort Mackinac.

The next two pictures were taken at the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oakbrook, Illinois. Two totally different views from the same room, one of the gardens and the other of the house. I believe this room was built as a sun or fresh air room which was supposed to be beneficial to the occupant’s health. If I remember rightly, there were windows like this on three sides of the room.

The next image was captured at the Capitol Building in St Paul, Minnesota. A window within a window overlooking the Capitol Grounds.

One of the biggest reasons for our travels has been to visit our children. For a while our youngest daughter and her family lived in a condo that had a very nice view of McGovern Centennial Gardens in Houston, Texas.  Before that, they lived in Salt Lake City, Utah where we visited the Natural History Museum that had a window where the view was almost the same looking in as it was looking out.

Climbing up the steps of one of the towers at Holy Hill Basilica provided a great view of an adjacent spire.  Also in Wisconsin, this time at the Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay, there was a colorful view from one of the windows of the John Purves tugboat.

Temple Square Lines

Here are a few lines from Temple Square, Salt Lake City in Utah, for Becky’s Square Lines Challenge.

 

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Men And Their Music

Once again, Cee has given us plenty of options for her Fun Foto Challenge this week and I’ve chosen Men and their Music as my topic. The first two images were captured at the farmer’s market at Wheeler Farm in Salt Lake City, Utah.

This nice young man, David Chiriboga, very kindly allowed me to take pictures as he warmed up for a concert at the Orchid Festival at the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

And, as promised, I’ve brought three talented artists back for an encore from my trip downtown this past weekend.

For more on Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge go to  Music, guitar, instrument, men, coffee, etc.

June Squares – Some Ornate Roofs!

Here are my final entries for Becky’s June Squares; the roofs at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC and the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. Coincidentally we are currently looking at bids on a new roof for our house but I don’t think it will end up looking anything like these.  For more on Becky’s June Squares go to An official residence

 

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge – The Path Taken

This week, Cee has given us plenty of scope for the Black & White Photo Challenge with the topic Ground: Sand, Dirt, Grass and Paths. I was particularly drawn to the last on the list so here are a few paths that I have taken. The first two, more formal paths, can be found at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

 

The paths at Arches National Park in Utah were a little less structured.

And the ones at Alta in Utah were downright rugged!

For more on Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge go to Ground: sand, dirt, grass, paths

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Dome

This week, Cee is looking for four-letter words starting with D for her Fun Foto Challenge.  While I have plenty of duck, deer and door images, I decided, after sifting through the photo files, to go with dome.  These may not, in the grand scheme of things, be quite as elaborate as some of the world-famous domes I could mention, except for the first one and I’m not even sure if that could technically be considered a dome, but I work with what I’ve got.

The Baha’i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.

The dome of the State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, Missouri.

The dome of the Old Courthouse in St. Louis, Missouri.

The State Capitol building in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The State Capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin.

The dome of the State Capitol building in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

For more on Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge go to Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Letter D – 4 letters words that start with D

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge – Couples

This week, Cee has us looking for two of anything for her Black & White Photo Challenge. Going through the photo files it wasn’t too difficult to find pairs both in nature and everyday items.

Pairs of shoes at the Stephenson County Historical Museum in Freeport, Illinois.

Two horses waiting to pull a hay wagon at Willow Springs Garden in Wausau, Wisconsin.

Two ducks enjoying a sunny day at Historical Wheeler Farm in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A pair of warriors at the Chinese Lantern Festival in the Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis.

Two of the elk in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

For more on Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge go to Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Couples, Twins, Two of Anything

 

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge – Lights

Lights! Camera! Action! This week, Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge puts lights in the spotlight. I hadn’t realized how many pictures of lights I had until I went through the photo files looking for suitable images.  Here are just a few.

Light stands in Maggie Daley Park in downtown Chicago.

Still in downtown Chicago. Kids enjoying some summer fun at the Crown Fountain in Millennium Park.

A chandelier at the Chicago History Museum.

Traveling north to Door Country in Wisconsin, a close-up of the lighthouse on Cana Island.

Two set pieces including lamps at Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina and Glensheen Mansion in Duluth, Iowa.

Lights on a vintage car at the Joliet Historical Museum in Illinois.

Lights on a terrace at the State Capitol Building in Salt Lake City, Utah.

For more on Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge go to Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Lights

 

Weekly Photo Challenge – Focus

This week we’re getting in or out of focus, however the fancy takes us, for the Photo Challenge set by David at The Daily Post.  I have a multitude of images that are unintentionally out of focus. I’ve even tried using them for competitions, claiming artistic license, although the judges just weren’t buying it.  I do have  a number of pictures that, all things considered, are quite sharp. And then there are those that, by some miracle, just seem to have the right balance.  It’s sheer luck when this happens as I’m not one to fiddle around making adjustments to the camera when I’m out shooting. Even if I spent time reading the manual that comes with the camera, I’d probably never remember all the technicalities.

 

I like this shot of a swan at the Chicago Botanic Garden for a couple of reasons. The flowers in the foreground add some color to the picture but also, being slightly out of focus, give the impression that we are hiding behind them watching as the swan goes gliding by.  A similar effect can be seen in this image of a moose taking it easy at Snowbird Resort near Salt Lake City in Utah, although who was hiding from whom I’m not sure.

I think the following images benefit from having the background out of focus, allowing us to concentrate more fully on the subject: flowers at the Green Bay Botanical Garden, a young man playing the part of a soldier at the Fort on Mackinac Island and a goldfinch enjoying some sunflower seeds in our garden.

For more on The Weekly Photo Challenge at The Daily Post go to Focus