food – Dutch goes the Photo!

A Slice of the Season!

A slice of life this time of year!

As I was thinking of what iPhone image might be an interesting pick, I looked for something that I shot around this time of year. Then I came across this one that I still enjoy seeing after 9 years…

After slicing some of the ice cream cake, the pattern on the knife in front of the cake caught my eye, and it almost begged to be photographed. What could I do?

I hope that you enjoy some ice cream cake with your favorite holiday meal this season!!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Stack

Better pick ’em from the top!

Welcome to week 215 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

First of all, thank you for the great response to last week’s theme; I will post the round up, some time on Wednesday.

For this week, I looked for something that tied loosely to our Assemble theme from last week, while going in a slightly different direction. One form of assembly could be creating a Stack or a set of Stacked objects, such as in the photo with this post.

One reason for my going with this theme is that while sometimes we feel the deck may be stacked, we can always stack the odds in our favor; we can go in many directions, and I look forward to the type of stack that you’ll find in your creative wanderings!

Here’s the creation of a market vendor…

This image comes from a walk among the many vendors at the market in Rotterdam; this market is a classic, as vendors set up their booths and display their wares to their best advantage. The quality of the foods is always outstanding and there are lots of places where you can sample. It’s a great experience on a Saturday morning!

The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:

Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

Can’t wait to see what you’ll stack! Have a great week!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 177

Lines and focus converge…

Welcome to the 177th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge! My apologies for the late posting; I know that the links are worth the wait to go explore them!

Wonderful focus on the theme this week!! The variety of approaches on Focus was fantastic, as we could see focus both in technique and subject. Your thoughtful contributions made reading all of your posts an absolute pleasure! Thank you for all the had work you put into them.

Please read all these lovely posts and let everyone know of your appreciation!

Here’s a bit of selective focus…

This shot came about during a Food Photography course that I took. When I designed this shot, I wanted the viewer’s eye to come to rest on the strawberry, but with a modicum of tension. The lines of the cutting board help pull one back a bit to the kale in the background (chosen for the color contrast with the strawberry). The shot is lit with a single studio light to the left behind the scene, and a white reflector to soften the shadows.

Please enjoy the following blog posts:

Sarah kicks things off this week with a stunning shot of a painted wall in her post in By Sarah! That is a great shot!!
Cath brings us a wonderful set of images in her response to the them in Cath’s Camera!
This week’s photo contribution in Land of Images is one that may cause many people to bolt from the bees!
Nicole really uses depth of field to great result in Une Photo, Un Poéme; as every detail of the leaves jumps out! Stunning image!
Xenia captures some wonderful focus in the eyes of whippets in her post in Whippetwisdom; awesome haibun as well! In a second post in Tranature, the focus is on some lovely ducklings!
The photography is always amazing in theOnlyD800intheHameau; the use of a shallower depth of field makes the image work really well!
Shelley has a request to get some answer to a set of questions in her post in Quaint Revival; if you apply the right focus, you may be able to help…
Brian brings things into focus rather nicely in bushboys world; the images are really cool, and there is a bit of Hocus Pocus as well!! Oh, and there’s a cheeky joke in a second post in bushboys world!
Another great post in RyanPhotography, which shows off a tall ship in its best light and talks about how the focus was created.
There’s more than one way to get the photo that you can use, as we can see in pensivity101; a haunting image with just the right focus for a lovely poem!
Jez takes his camera for a walk to great effect in Jez Braithwaite, where he shares a set of fantastic select focus images!
Jackie truly keeps her focus in her contributions to the theme in her blog, Junk Boat Travels; now about that tattoo…
Michelle certainly captures an amazing shot in Take a Walk… and Discover! I had to do a double take on this image, as I first thought I was looking at two elephants locking trunks!
Mike brings the focus to another age in his post in Photography OCD, both through the subject and how he photographed it!
Cee brings us stunning flower shots in her post in Cee’s Photography with delicate focus that highlights the beauty!
There’s only one things that I can say about the photos in Chateaux des Fleurs: WOW! They are simply gorgeous!
Irene captures another lovely image in her post in Heaven’s Sunshine; the deer appears to be mesmerized by the camera!
This week’s post in Don’t Hold Your Breath takes us to an amazing locale, as we have the lions looking back at us!
Joe’s photos in the blog Chasing the Blooms are wonderful, filled with color and focus!
Na’ama shares a great photo in her post in Na’ama Yehuda, but it’s the poem’s descriptive narrative that shines above all!
Robert brings us stunning black & white images that use focus to its fullest effect in his post in Photo Roberts Blog; fantastic!
Debbie brings a lovely soft focus into her photography in another awesome post in Travel with Intent!
I’m a fan of spiderwebs, but Ann-Christine takes photographing them to another level in her post in To See A World in a Grain of Sand…; the delicate, precise focus makes them stunning!
I’ll admit that I had not heard of the inkberry, so Elizabatz’s post in Elizabatz Gallery was both informative and filled with beautiful images!
Maria brings us some seriously beautiful photographs in her post in Kamerapromenader, among which I love the muted purple tones in the last shot!
In a wonderful post in Mazeepuran, Rupali reminds us that it’s difficult to focus on more than one item at a time…
Carol takes on the theme of focus on in two different ways in her post in Light Words; both are fantastic!
Jase has some great focus in another great post in Proscenium; I do like the text on the sign…
In an interesting post in sgeoil, we get a great shot that makes me wonder where the magpie’s focus might be…
The contribution in the lovely blog, A Shared Space, focuses on a sweet little fairy wren; it’s a great shot!
In a wonderful post in lifelessons, Judy brings us a couple of great views of focus.
The subtitle of the blog MistyRoads is ‘Imagination Rocks’, which it definitely does in a fantastic photo!
Sirisha shares the wonderful result of continued focus in her post in queennandini; there’s also a wonderful feast!!
Indira’s post in her blog, Sharing Thoughts, has an interesting variety of focus, among which the cat appears focused on me…
What’s not to love about the Gruffalo, as you can see clearly in a great post in Geriatri’x’ Fotogallery; great birthday party!
Sandy takes a wonderful approach to focus in her post in Out of My Write Mind, as we not only focus on the moon, but may also be its focus…
Tatiana has a wonderful post on the role of focus in photography in her blog Travelways; in a second contribution in Travelways, she focuses on the State Capitol building in Olympia, WA.
David certainly showcases some gorgeous photos with different lenses in his post in David M’s Photoblog; which one is your favorite?
Hannah has stunning photos in her post in Zebra’s Child, in which we get to watch a butterfly eat! In a second post in Zebra’s Child, she asks us the question of what we focus on first… What is your answer?
Deb found out how hard it is to focus on bees flying between hives in her post in Twenty-Four; not as cute as meerkats, but definitely interesting!
Ken’s post on a post in Pictures without Film shows what focus on details of such a post can bring out: great photo and very interesting to examine!
Observing a squirrel to this level of detail is stunning, as we can see in Heart 2 Heart! Awesome shot!!
Some days it’s good to be focused, if you’re a seagull, which we see in A Day in the Life; on the other hand, don’t be a crab!
If you’re afraid of spiders, skip past the first 2 photos in Woolly Muses; those are great shots for the non-arachnophobe, and the last couple are stunning examples of using focus cleverly!
Teressa shares some wonderful examples of using focus in her post in Another LQQK, which is an awesome blog!
Hammad shares his struggles with getting the shot he wants in his post in the Blog of Hammad Rais. The result is interesting, though!
Another great post in One Letter Up – Diary 2.0 brings us more views of the Fall season, with beautifully focused foliage!
Sheetal takes us to the most beautiful bookshop in the world in her post in SheetalBravon; it’s amazing and is guarded by cats!
Khürt takes us in and out of focus in a great post in Island in the Net; it’s amazing how beautiful the simple chive flower looks!
Chris posts his first response to our challenge with a stunning image in his blog What’s (in) the Picture?; I simply love how the lines work in this image!
Another newcomer to our challenge is Patti, who shares a vast array of gorgeous shots in her entry in Learn More Every Day! Lovely shots and a great blog title!

Please let all of these great bloggers know your thoughts about their posts!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 174

Food is the key!

Welcome to the 174th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

You found the key to success, the key to happiness, and many key moments all around, as well as an incredible variety of keys of all sorts, types and sizes! Your creativity had no limits and it was an absolute joy to read all of your amazing posts! I’ll be curious to find out which ones were among your favorites.

Thank you all for such wonderful posts and sharing them with one another!

Here’s a high-key approach to something basic…

When I was taking a food photography course, part of the fun was to take different approaches to making the food stand out. Although I would shoot this very differently these days, I still like certain qualities of this image.

Please enjoy the following blog posts:

Brian is out of the blocks first this week with a couple of great set of keys in his post in Bushboy’s World!
Shelley finds the key to attracting an interesting array of wildlife in another wonderful post in Quaint Revival; which is your favorite?
Jackie brings us some keys that are islands, as well as some more traditional ones in her post in Junk Boat Travels; awesome post!
I think that many among us would love being regaled by some wonderful piano music, as described in pensivity101‘s post; those piano keys are clearly waiting for exercise!
With another gorgeous photo in Une Photo, Un Poéme, Nicole shows us the clarinet’s keys!
Last week’s locks might just be opened now that we know where the keys are made in Geriatri’x’ Fotogallery‘s post!
Ann-Christine’s post in To See A World in a Grain of Sand… features the key to her heart and attention; it’s amazing!
Na’ama goes for the lighter side in her post in Na’ama Yehuda: both parents and kids might appreciate her keys!
Jez keys a variety of key items in his post in Jez Braithwaite; there are some rather interesting options there!
In a cool post in Art Junkie Journal, we get to see a number of gates, for which we will need to find the keys!
In a wonderful post in For the Love Of…, we get a number of key variations that cover the range!
Another amazing photo this week in the contribution from Chateaux des Fleurs, which is beautifully composed and shot!
You’ll want to check out the post in iBallrtw, as that photo was created in a stunning fashion!
This week in The Jesh Studio, you’re tasked to find the key… Of course, you might want to stay on key!
Tatiana shares a rather nice high key photo in her post in Giftsmart; that squirrel never looked so good!
I really enjoyed reading Jase’s post in Proscenium, and chuckled to find no key detected…
Sirisha’s entry in her interesting blog queennandini leaves no key unturned, as she shares an amazing variety of keys! Go check it out!
Ramya focuses on the keys of life in her post in And Miles to go before I sleep…, in case you are a Software Engineer!!
If the chatelaine comes looking for their keys, just direct them to the stunning photograph in theOnlyD800intheHameau; that is an impressive array of keys!
Woolly goes both low and high in his post in Woolly Muses, and finds that all important stone! Great post!
David shares a couple of stunning photos in his post in David M’s Photoblog; which one do you like best?
Viveka shares an impressive array of photos and keys in her post in MyGuiltyPleasures; clearly, she has visited some amazing places!
Eric features a stunning photo in his blog Up North, which shows off a key to our civilization!
Olga not only has a wonderful photo in her post in Stuff and What If…, but she also has a key message!
Deb establishes that possession is the key in her post in Twenty-Four; those birds might agree!
Elizabatz certainly found some really cool keys for her post in her blog AlBatz Adventures; love this post!
The mystery of the keys make for a great post in One Letter Up – Diary 2.0; also those photos are fantastic!
We get to see the key to change in Qatar in a wonderful post in Heart 2 Heart; the cows came home!
Kristina has a wonderful post in Looking for enchantment, as we get to enjoy a gorgeous musical key!
Debbie finds a fantastic wall of street art that matches perfectly with Albert Schweitzer’s quote in her post Travel with Intent; yes, that is the key to success!!

Please let all of these great bloggers know your thoughts about their posts!

Friday Mystery Location – 2019 #015

Good eating ahead!

Here comes the fifteenth mystery location post of this year….

Last week’s entry was figured out pretty quickly, as the landmark stood out. This week might be a bit trickier, although there are some strong clues in the image…

Where is this?

This was from a wonderful trip; after visiting here, we ate at the restaurant across the street. For extra credit, can you name the restaurant?

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 155

Yes, it’s delicious!

Welcome to the 155th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

Yes, you took the cake!! Those were some amazing posts that all of you put together on this week’s theme of Cake! I knew that there would be some creativity at work and you definitely came through! There was some awesome variety of cakes, some with great memories! Also, there were some different cakes, ranging from soap cakes to suet cakes…and some great pancakes!

Thank you all for the great posts that you put together, as they were a blast to read!

Here’s some really good carrot cake…

This carrot cake was a raw carrot cake, at a restaurant that specialized in raw food. It was absolutely delicious!

The following were this week’s participants in the challenge with links to their posts:

Sarah kicks things off with a touch of class in By Sarah, where she shares a photo of her wedding cake…looks delicious!!
Danny’s post in Danny James Photography features an amazing moment at a Japanese Tea Ceremony in Kyoto.
Shelley’s post in Quaint Revival is not just for the birds! These birds are singing for a reason…
Nicole has another gorgeous photo in her post in Une Photo, Un Poéme, and that birthday cake looks amazing!
In a delicious post in pensivity101 we even get the recipe for the wonderful looking cheesecake that hubby couldn’t enjoy…
In ladyleemanila‘s post there are lots of great cakes to enjoy! We should be able to share across the web!
Gwen brings us the story of the lamb Easter cake in Field Notes from Over the Hill; a sad ending to the cake…delicious it was!
In another great post in Don’t Hold Your Breath, we get to encounter the king of cakes in Porto! Looks amazing!
Maria shares a wonderful photo of a wedding cake in KameraPromenader; that looks like a delicious combination!
The Crazy Nerds post is crazy cool! That is an interesting cake that might just whet someone’s appetite!
Stella has some stunning cakes in her post in Giggles & Tales, which must have been delicious!
Jase brings some soul cakes week in Proscenium; those look ready to eat and very tasty!
The wonderful post in A Day in the Life is definitely nostalgic, as olden days of baking are remembered.
In this week’s contribution from Heart2Heart, we get a view of an amazing harvest festival cake!
Debbie’s post in Travel with Intent brings us the most delectable cake, donuts!
In an awesome post in Another LQQK, Teressa takes us to a charity auction, which featured some stunning cakes!
Sandy shares a stunning photo in her post in Out of My Write Mind, which reminds us how good it is to be young and enjoy cake!
In another great post in Alive and Trekking we learn about some of the best cake shops in Amsterdam…add them to my list!
Debbie takes us to a rather literary tea party in her post in Twenty Four; I bet the cakes were amazing!
Ken finds the most interesting sign in his post in Pictures without Film; the choice is simple! Awesome cake as well!
Woolly definitely takes the cake in his post in Woolly Muses; birthday cake photos should be part and parcel of every photographer’s collection!
Susan captured a great bit of enjoyment in her post in Musin’ with Susan; the girl really enjoyed her cake!
David’s post in David Meredith’s Photoblog has the bird going gaga over suet cake! Great shot!!
This week’s post in One letter UP – diary 2.0 has two types of cakes…one that you don’t want to eat!
In this week’s post in Land of Images we get wild berries and seeds! Yes, this cake is for the birds!
Donna takes us back down memory lane in her post in Wind Kisses, as we get to play pat-a-cake!
In a great post in Life Amazing, we not only get to see fantastic cakes, but get the full directions to make banana fudge cake!
In a rather cool post, sgeoil quotes George Carlin (always a good thing) and presents some pancakes!
This week Geriatri’X’ Fotogallery definitely takes the cake! That butterfly cake looks stunning!

Please let all of these great bloggers know your thoughts about their posts!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Comfort

Tempt me with your comforts!

Welcome to Week 133 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

After a rather Slippery week of entries, I thought we’d need a bit of respite from all the slipping and sliding and settle in for a bit of Comfort! As the weather is getting colder in New England and many other places in the Northern Hemisphere, the idea of a cozy comfortable spot by the fireplace is rather inviting. This led me to this week’s theme, which I hope you will all be comfortable with handling! Think about what denotes Comfort to you and how you would capture it in your mind’s eye, or with your camera’s lens.

Be mindful and creative, and let fun and comfort collide into an expose on the finer parts of our human condition! I look forward to your creature comforts!!

Here’s some comfort food to get you going…

mac-n-cheese-121-8x10 — *Comfort food… You tempt me!*

Macaroni and cheese is definitely one of my favorite comfort foods, as its cheesy, gooey goodness is just pleasing to the eye, nose and tongue! Add some cubed ham and bake it in the oven and I won’t be late for dinner!! I shot this image for a food photography class with the intent to create an image that would be at once inviting and give a sense of home-made comfort. I did do a bit of food styling to get the look that I wanted (yes, there was a blowtorch involved 🙂 ).

The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:

Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

Can’t wait to see what comforts will be highlighted this week!!

Three Line Tales – Artificial

If it looks good…

Many thanks to Sonya for Week One Hundred and Thirty of Three Line Tales, part of her awesome blog Only 100 Words!

three line tales week 130: acrylic paints

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Spruced up, food looks good,
Taste buds, guided by our eyes.
FD&C Blue 1

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Thank you to Sonya of Only 100 Words for coming up with Three Line Tales.

You’ll find full guidelines on her TLT page, but here’s the tl;dr:

Write three lines inspired by the photo prompt (& give them a title if possible).
Link back to this post.
Tag your post with 3LineTales (so everyone can find you in the Reader).
Read and comment on other TLT participants’ lines.
NEW: If you want your post to be included in the round-up, you have until Sunday evening to publish it.
Have fun.

Happy three-lining!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 117

You’ve created a treat!

Welcome to the 117th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge! The volume of your responses this week has me blown away, as it might be a record!

Of course, your responses to the theme of Treat had lots of wonderful treats, some of the edible variety, some of the experience kind. You really created a great set of posts, which show the depth of your commitment to great blogging!! There were a number of your posts that put a smile on my face; see if you can find out which ones!

I had a blast reading all your posts, and I want to thank you for your great contributions!

Here’s one of my favorite treats…

Strawberry_14E9527 — *Strawberry and Kale*

I created this image for a food photography course using very simple lighting (one studio light and a reflector to reduce the harshness of the shadow). I love strawberries and you can always give me some fresh kale!!

The following were this week’s participants in the challenge with links to their posts:

Sarah kicks things off with a rather sweet treat in By Sarah! Those look rather scrumptious!!
Lee’s post in ladyleemanila contains a couple of wonderful treats, just make sure to wait for a bit after enjoying one to enjoy the other!
Xenia’s first post is in her blog Tranature treats us to a beautiful snapdragon! Xenia’s second post is in whippetwisdom brings us the awesome treat of falling water, which is sure to be enjoyed by Eivor and Pearl!
In Geriatri’X’ Fotogallery, there is a perfect treat after last week’s heat… I bet that many of you will agree with this one!
Kammie’s post in The Nut House shares the special treat of a rather amazing collection with us!
There’s a method to getting a treat, as demonstrated in MV obsession‘s post; with the right behavior, any treat can be gained!
One of the most important treats on a hot day is shown to us in CitySonnet; I’m curious to find out how many of you enjoyed it!
Ron’s post in Progressing into Solitude highlights one of Nature’s best treats and definitely one of the best insects that I can think of!
Todd talks about some of his favorite treats in Serendipity. Encouraged. Do you think they are sweet or savoury?
With another great photo in Chateaux des Fleurs, we get to experience a really wonderful, laid-back treat!
In Don’t Hold Your Breath, we experience a special treat: the monsoon! Of course, this might be more of a treat for flowers!
Nicole’s post in Un Photo Une Poeme has beautiful photos of osteospermum! Treat yourself and go check out what that might be!
Petra’s post in Photoworld vol. 3 treats us to a wonderful set of photos with a lovely deer, which you just have to go see!
Miriam shares something very lovely in her post in the Shower of Blessings: family time, which is an amazing treat!
In pensivity101‘s wonderfully written post, we look at the treat of time spent with our parents; enjoy the time while you can!
Emily’s post in her blog, Zombie Flamingoes, looks at the fantastic treat of enjoying the outdoors; kiteboarding looks very cool!
Ed enjoyed his vacations, as shown in his post in In My Mind’s Eye, where he shares some amazing spots!!
Jason asks not to be judged in his post in Proscenium: I think we have all enjoyed that treat ourselves!
In a great post in WoollyMuses, we get to enjoy a real treat, particularly for those of us experiencing heat waves… go check it out!
In her blog Out of my Write Mind, Sandy shares some fantastic photos of Nature’s royalty!
In a cool post in One letter UP – diary 2.0, we experience a lovely treat that many of us will enjoy!
Olga’s great post in Stuff and what if… takes rather magical approach to organic textures!
Nicole treats us to some fantastic, radiant roses in Doar Nicole, and includes a wonderful poem that you need to read!
Miriam share her taste for adventure in Out an’ About, where she shares a great article about the King Valley!
Wow! that is some special treat in theOnlyD800intheHameau! I’m sure most of us would forgo any calorie counting for that one!
Susan’s post in Musin’ with Susan features a rather juicy treat, that is healthy as well!
Be careful with Stella’s post in Giggles & Tales; it may lead to sudden appetite increase with those delectable treats!
A different approach to our theme is seen in Photography Journal Blog; that is an awesome treatment!
Marie shares some rather awesome looking treat in The New 3Rs: Retire, Recharge, Reconnect! Their name seems rather appropriate!
In the Land of Images blog, we get the treat of entering heaven: Foxglove Heaven, that is!
Debbie write a wonderful post in ForgivingConnects, where she focuses on the facat that it is okay to struggle!
Donna has a carbohydrate laden post in her blog Wind Kisses; there’s nothing tastier to me than bread and her post is just tasty!
George reminds us all of something rather important in his post in The Alchemist of the Woods: if you did something, you deserve a treat! (Ice cream, anyone?)
Klara shares one of her favorite treats in her blog Sliku svoju ljubim II; can you guess what it is?
In Na’ama Yehuda‘s post, we are reminded that a treat can be very different, particularly in the eyes of a child!
In a wonderful photo post in sgeoil, we get to see a wonderful Summer treat in the form of a honeysuckle!
Khürt posts another amazing photo in his blog, Island in the Net; that is a truly stunning sunset!
Ilka shares one of the most important treats for us all in A Thousand Miles: silence! It is amazing what sense of inner peace can be achieved through some silence.
Robert’s photography in his blog Photo Roberts Blog is stunning; the way he captured sports in this week’s post is a real treat!

I hope that you enjoy these posts and let the authors know!

Do you remember laughter?

Laugh out loud!

The WordPress Daily Prompt provides the theme of Laughter, which caused me to take a little mental detour…

I started thinking about sources of laughter, which can be jokes, funny situations, and many other scenarios. Usually, such merriment is all too short-lived, so what should make us happy enough to be a platform for lighthearted laughter? How about ice cream?

2013-12-25 13.25.03 HDR-1 — *We all scream!*

There’s nothing like children’s excitement and joyous laughter at the sound of a nearby ice cream truck! Let’s enjoy this ice cream moment, and laugh out loud to clear our worried minds and release some much needed endorphins!

Have a wonderful day!