Who doesn’t love to relax with a great book?

See more excellent pictures on the theme “Part of the bigger picture” at X/52.

A single seed of life. Waiting for the wind to take it to a better place.

For more nature inspired pictures, be sure to check out this weeks theme on X/52.

Nikon D80 with Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro at 105mm;ISO100;1/60 sec at f/8

A little bunny was standing in the rain when I was taking out the trash. She was quite wet, so I took her in.

Together, we are going to explore the world. Always taking my trusty camera with me.

This post is a part of the X/52 project with the theme “Uncle Travelling Matt”. The postcard-sending muppet.

Top: Nikon D80 with Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro at 105mm;ISO200;1/80 sec at f/2.8
Bottom: Nikon D80 with Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro at 105mm;ISO200;1/640 sec at f/4

Like some may have noticed, I enjoy photographing flowers. I know I’m not alone in this. The orchid is a favourite, because of the elegance it presents, with many variations in colour and form. While many subjects have the same effect on me, I find photographing flowers especially calming.

Nikon D80 with Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro at 105mm;ISO100;1/12 sec at f/4

“Calm” is the word of the week for the X/52 project.
Be sure to take a look other contributions on this theme:
Anne: Ro
Vibeke Prestmo Valestrand: Keip
Geir Ertzgaard: Calm
Jelrik Nylund-van Berkel: Enjoying calmness
Yngve Thoresen: Elegance
Line Aakre: Tea time
Ståle Ertzgaard: Sammen
Anne Ueland: Creative Moment

Globe-flower (Trollius europaeus)

Not quite ready to come out yet, but getting there soon. This weeks theme for the X52 project was “Close”. So I got close, only to find this little flower closed. Got wet elbows and knees too, but getting dirty getting an image I’m pleased with is never a problem.

Other images you definitely should take a loot at:
Sonja Middelhuis: Surfeflua
Joar Alvsvåg Etterlid: I can see you
Anne Ueland: Dandelion Seeds

The Eastern Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla Patens) has not blossomed yet and reminds me of the ugly duckling in its current state. In a short time a beautiful flower will unveil itself, and it will be ugly no more.

There seems to be many names for this plant. Common names include Eastern pasque flower, prairie smoke, prairie crocus, and cutleaf anemone. It is also the state flower of South Dakota.

This image is a part of the X/52 project for the somewhat hard to translate theme “Styggfint”. “Stygg” meaning ugly, and “fint” meaning pretty. Ugly/pretty, nasty nice?

Other contributions on the theme:
Anne Ueland: Mr Ugly Pretty
Sonja Middelhuis: Styggfint
Naturglede/Randi Lind Styggfin padde
Jelrik Nylund-van Berkel: Planet Meat
Ståle Ertzgaard: Himmelvendt
Vibeke Prestmo Valestrand: Sweet

This image is a part of the X/52 project, where one image is produced every week based on a new theme. The theme for this week is “Contrast”. Other great images can be found here:

Sonja Middelhuis Kontraster i en midtsommernattsdrøm
Naturglede/Randi Lind Vårens kontraster
Anne Ueland Chess
Ståle Ertzgaard: Storveis
Jelrik Nylund-van Berkel: The Burned House
Line Storlid:Sand & kontraster

This is a typewriter belonging to my parents, an antique L.C. Smith & Bros. Typewriter, No. 8. Produced circa 1920′s. It is in almost pristine condition, so I’m wondering what it can be worth.
I haven’t tried using it, but it seems to be in pretty good shape, with every press of key resulting in a letter hitting the paper that is not there any more. I wonder what letters, what words and sentences, this old typewriter have produced.

This post is a part X/52 project. This week the theme is “Weird things in my house”.

Other participants this week:
Ståle Ertzgaard: Krus i hus
Line Aakre: Tursti
Line Storlid: Weird things in my house
Anne Ueland: Happy Moon
Sonja Middelhuis: Rar pynt
Jelrik Nylund-van Berkel: The Old Violin
Anne: Eggstokker på utstilling

For week 12 in the X/52 project the theme was Joy. I had many opportunities for this theme, but still struggled to find the picture that I was happy with. I took pictures of my kids, nothing bring me more joy than them. I took pictures of cars, animals (dogs and cats mostly), and I tried some different stills, with toys, flowers and other subjects.

Than suddenly it appeared in front of me. A cup of coffe. Now, it didn’t magically appear, I had ordered it. But it was so perfect. The manager of the place even gave her a compliment on this coffe!

So I took some pictures of it from different angles and ended up with this one. Simple, clean, and a little work of art. It tasted excellent too.

But I still prefer my coffe black.

Other excellent images on this topic:
Line Aakre: Smiiiiiiletabelett
Geir Ertzgaard: Nummer 14
Anne: Glede
Line Storlid: LOL: Glede
Ståle Ertzgaard: En fargesymfoni
Stein-Evert Pettersen: Hoppende glad
Naturglede: Gledesutbrudd
Jelrik Nylund-van Berkel: Gledelig gjensyn
Sonja Middelhuis: Pur Glede
LykkeYade: Vårlig glede

This weeks theme of our photo project is “Escape” (or “flight” depending on the translation of the Norwegian word “Flukt”).

There are many ways one can illustrate an escape, but I chose a book. For me, reading a book is often about escape. To flee from the outside world, wilfully letting the mind slip into a world only existing in books and fiction. Or perhaps the same world, but within the head of another person, a master detective perhaps? Or maybe a truly fictional character like a vampire, sorcerer or a little hobbit? Often it can be a textbook. About photography many times, I must admit.

Other takes on this theme:
Jelrik Nylund-van Berkel: Flowerpower
Vibeke Prestmo Valestrand: Trying to escape
Ståle Ertzgaard: Hverdagsflukt
Anne: Flukt
Randi Lind: Ekornflukt
Line Storlid:Virkelighetsflukt
Sonja Middelhuis: Flukt fra fatet
Stein-Evert Pettersen: Flukt
Vanja S. Lund: Plopp

This weeks theme for the X/52 project was “Abandoned places”. After visiting most of the places I could think of nearby I started to worry. Sure, I got some shots I’m satisfied with, but nothing more. So I tried to find another solution to the subject and ended up with this. This is a snail shell, long abandoned from its former owner. Maybe by force, to make its home an ornament within another home – ours.

This weeks “task” for the X/52 project is “Sensory input” or “impressions by senses”, I’m not too sure about the translation on this one. I have also seen seen Sensations being used.

I have used the whole week trying to get the right idea, but ended up lying at home sick at the end of the week. It would be my first week giving up, so I decided to look around the home for anything that could be used. And surely this seemed fitting.

We use our senses all the time, without even thinking about we experience the world around us by sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. But the list continues with temperature, kinesthetic sense, pain, direction, balance and acceleration. Other species have senses we don’t have, and vice versa. Sight seems like a natural choice, since this is a photoblog, so I decided on something else. Sound.

So I ended up with picture of my sons rattle. To be honest, he doesn’t use it much, and I’m glad. It makes a lot of noise! I don’t know much about the clown, but he seems happy. Albeit dead, but happy.

This photo project for this week was harder than ever. Not because the subject was so hard, but because the week has been. The subject was “Catch a Melody” – meaning the goal was to take a picture that fits a song and/or vice versa.

To reflect my last few weeks I took this picture entitled “Under Cover of Darkness” – a fairly new song from one of my favorite bands The Strokes. You can hear the single on YouTube.

As you can see from the image, I haven’t got much sleep lately. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go to sleep now.

Valentine’s Day is not far away. It’s time to buy your camera girlfriend/wife/other some roses.

It’s been a while since I did macro shots. I haven’t done abstracts in a while either. This is a combination of both.

This is the second image in a series of 52. The subject this week: “patterns”.
Other takes on the subject:
Anne Ueland: 2/52: Pattern
Geir Ertzgaard: Patterns
Ståle Ertzgaard: Spor i det hvitblå
Jan Ivar Vik: Mønster fra Kulåsparken

One of the first images I took with my Nikon D80. I’m sure a lot could be done with this image to improve it, but this is one of those images that I just want to be simple.