Introducing Fine Art Nature Wallpapers by Rhonda Holcomb

Several people have requested that I make my fine art and nature images available as wallpaper for their phone, so I have created a gallery set with 6 fine art nature images.
Purchase just one or download the entire set by clicking the buy button and then scroll down to
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Hope you enjoy!

Fine Art Nature Wallpapers

you don't have too go to far to enjoy the chase

Chasing the Texas Sunset

Chasing The Texas Sunset by Rhonda Holcomb ©2011 Panoramic, H.D.R.

"Adventure can be an end in itself. Self-discovery is the secret ingredient that fuels daring. --Grace Lichtenstein"

The inspiration behind the image Chasing The Texas Sunset 

Foreplay/Longtime by Boston

You don't have to go too far to chase your dreams because sometimes 
fulfillment lies right outside your front door.  

I found this to be true one March evening after spending a dreadful day inside tackling taxes. I had put off three years of taxes while following my passion, photography.  I’ve enjoyed every minute while on my adventure but in the meantime a lot of other things were left undone.  I am this way in pursuit of most of my enjoyable endeavors.  I’m the type of person who gives a hundred percent to anything in which I find curious, enjoyable or entertaining.  But here lately, I’ve been trying to balance all the roles in my life more effectively. 
 

Anyway on this day, what I would like to call the Procrastination Monster, had taken a big bite out of my sanity.  I know that I had deserved the attack but still I wanted to save myself so late that evening I packed up my camera bag, tripod, and the song I had been listening all day, Foreplay/Longtime by Boston and headed down a familiar road.  

It’s not a destination that landscape photographers would find interesting, but it’s a place which I have found, where during springtime, I can capture a beautiful Texas Sunset.  It’s down a china berry tree lined, dead end road only about a mile from my home.  As I traveled down the road and listened to Foreplay/Longtime, my imagination wandered with the lyrics and my heart beat raced at the thought of the challenge I was about to undertake. 

Challenges and good music always get my heart racing.  I stepped out of my van, looked down the road to see if anyone was coming my way.  Then I left the door opened so I could hear the song and breathed out a long sigh and looked at the western sky.  The clouds were singing along with Boston and I knew this was going to be a perfect sunset.  I set up my tripod, put my camera on manual focus and set up my shot for a H.D.R.- Panoramic.  I knew I wanted the sun to have a star-burst effect so I set f-stop on F11.  I also wanted to silhouette the fencepost so I set my ISO at 100 and the metering mode to pattern.  I set up my composition, set my bracketing to one step over and under, plugged in the remote shutter and the show began as the sun started sitting in the horizon.  I shot several frames in horizontal and then in vertical in three stops for H.D.R. 

It seemed like time slowed down just for me while the lyrics, I’m taking my time, I’m just moving along played in the background.  :-)

After the show was over and the sun set behind the fencepost, I packed up my gear really knowing in my soul that I didn’t have to travel to a places like Switzerland or Africa in order to create wonderful images.  I could create and capture images with a since of mystery, mood and music within a mile of my home because it’s what’s in my heart and mind that truly shines through and sings out to the world. 

On this day, a day of running from the Procrastination Monster and insanity, I also found that you don’t have to go too far to enjoy the chase and getting away to pursue what you love doesn’t have to take a long time because sometimes  it’s just right outside your front door. 

 

 

the feet of a down to earth photographer

the feet of a down to earth photographer, a photo by HappeningsPhoto-rhondaholcomb on Flickr.

A Self Portrait

I bought these hiking boots before heading out on the Trip to Washington which I won by entering a photo contest sponsored by Scott Bourne. http://www.flickr.com/groups/anpw/.

It was the first time I had ever flown in an Airplane and the first time I'd ever been to Washington. The experience is one I'll have in my memory bank forever. It was also the first time I spent $85.00 for a pair of boots. I had a twenty dollar pair once before when I was a little younger (in my thirties) and my mom would just gasp and say, "Those don't look good on you for everyday wear!". But I didn't care, I loved how steady I felt in them.

Feeling steady on my feet and having great balance is very important to me. I like protection too. Hiking boots protect your feet from water, sand and mud. I'm very adventurous so flip flops will not work for me. I'm also a no-frills, frugal kind of girl, so with boots I don't have to worry about taking time out for pedicures since no one is going to see my toes :-)
Plus, the money I've saved on pedicures has paid for these.

I'm also the type of person who likes to have the right tool for the job and these boots have proved to be one of my best tools. If it gets the job done then who cares what it looks like, although I think I look gorgeous in them. :)


This photo was taken at one of my favorite places Surfside, TX doing my favorite thing-beach combing.




Via Flickr:
Self Portrait
the feet of a down to earth photographer
©2010 Rhonda Holcomb All Rights Reserved
94. looking down

I done it right and was rewarded. (smiling to myself and speaking with a Texas accent)

From Scrapbook Photos Taken with my Android camera. Balancing home life responsibilities and my creative passions like photography is an adventure in itself.  I have so many  creative ideas running through my head all day long but I have to put them aside to tend to the everyday things like  cleaning, washing clothes, and cooking. Don't get me wrong- I love the life I have been fortunately provided in the way of a nice house, a backyard get away complete with a small pond and vegetable garden in a small quiet town but sometimes my heart and mind want to get away from my spot of dirt and hit the road for more excitement. On this day I did something right; I tended to my family needs and then headed out on my little adventure.  I made the guys hamburgers and tator tots then loaded all my photography gear into my van and headed out to my favorite place-the beach.  I can't say that it is always been this way.  In the past, I've spent hours taking pictures, practicing my skills or creating art which left my family wondering what's for dinner and having to fend for themselves by making cold sandwiches or a bowl of cereal. As in times past, I am usually fortunate enough to find a sea heart, sea purse or a hamburger at the place I decide to stop at which this time was beach mile 16.  I combed the beach for little pieces of drift word, shells and rocks and was headed back to the van when I spotted a vehicle coming towards me so I looked down at the moment to avoid eye contact and what do I see?  A hamburger!   I thought to myself, I done something right. I took care of my family first and this little treasure is here to reward me. I snapped a couple of pictures and picked up my treasure and put it my pocket. I now have this Memorable Moment displayed on my treasure shelf to remind me always to take care of what is most important even if it is done in little ways.

Google+ me

Circle me gplus.to/HappeningsPhoto



This image was taken with my Lensbaby.
I love the bokeh circles in the background.

Gone With The Windmill

Gone With the Wind is my favorite book and this image reminds me of imagery that was in the movie.
Taken at sunset after a wonderful evening of photography at Brazos Bend State Park, TX. A cold front was approaching Houston which made the clouds spectacular.
I processed this image in Lightroom 2Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 [OLD VERSION] but later, I'll process an HDR of this image with PhotoMatrix and eventually, I want to purchase HDR Efex Pro by Nik Software.





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Note to Self: Relax: Life's A Dance

Sometimes I get a little up tight about the things in my life that are undone or about things I don't know how to do.  Tomorrow I have a Photographer's Meet Up and I was asked by a fellow photographer if I would share my textured art processing technique.  To tell you the truth, I'm a little shy and unsure of myself when it comes to these kind of things and didn't really want to share.  However, when I thought of his generosity and other photographers who have shared their photographic knowledge my thoughts then became I should give back.  So, I opened an image which happens to be the one above and started the process so I would know how to present it at the "Meet Up".  After I saved it in Photoshop and looked at the clock, five hours had passed.  Ah, time flies when your are creating art, having fun and doing what you love.  I never thought about my insecurities; I just danced my way along with the brushes and colors.

The Life is A Dance can you hear the song with its simple  lyrics roll along in the colors of this art? 

Life's a dance

You learn as you go-

Sometimes you lead

Sometimes you follow.

Don't worry 'bout what you don't know.

Life's a Dance

You learn as you go.

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