Chains, Goats, & Flower Gardens {Golden Hour Photoshoot}

| Allison

Hello, dears!

How’s that for a random title? I was looking for something like, “A Post Where I Wander Around the Yard and Take Photos of Lots of Random Things at Golden Hour,” but that would be a tad long. It would have been helpfully explanatory, however, since that’s what this post is about. 😉

Walking around and taking pictures is honestly one of my favorite things. It’s so refreshing, plus I get to be creative at the same time. ❤ So yeah, I hope you guys enjoy taking this evening walk with me! 🙂

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We’ll start at our small flower garden, which attracts bees, moths, and photographers. 😛

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Ahh, the coneflowers were so vibrant and glowing in the golden hour light!

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Carmen was playing with her pet goat while I took these pictures… Well, most of the time Nellie wasn’t playing; she was preoccupied with the very serious business of sampling a bite or two of every single surface within reach. Especially the lettuce. (But it’s bolted by now so she can have it. 😉 )

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Last year, we grew lavender from seed, and Mom and I are both amazed at how well it’s grown and established itself in the front flowerbeds.

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These next few are definitely some of my favorite in the post – I love the tones and lighting. ❤ I’ve recently had fun playing around with Lightroom and making some presets for my RAW photos.

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Carmen Trying to Get Her Goat: a short series.

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I feel like you can hardly step outside in any decent yard at golden hour without feeling calmer and happier. Especially when I’ve spent hours working at the computer, just being outside is so refreshing.

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We grew hollyhocks this year, which was fun for different, even though they’re a pain when the tall stalks fall over (which is often). I wish you could have seen this in real life, guys: facing the sun with the hollyhocks in front of you, they were a column of glowing pink petals where the light shone through. ❤

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After I walked around the garden and yard a bit, I decided to explore the barns and outbuildings for more photo opportunities. I found this gorgeous, blown-over bunch of Queen Anne’s Lace. Isn’t it so stunning and intricate up close? I mean…! I’m really happy with the way I edited these too.

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It looks like there’s a huge bush growing on the roof here, but it’s actually a (very) healthy vine. I wonder if it is plotting to gradually consume the whole barn. O.o

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Several pieces of equipment reside in the barn on the left. I don’t usually find machines that photogenic, but I loved the contrast of light and shadows here! And again, I had fun editing this one. 🙂

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In the shed on the left of the vine picture, my brother Jeff set up his drum set so he can practice in peace and without deafening the rest of us. 😉 I LOVE the B&W version of this! Which do you like best?

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Then I discovered a humongous chain on a pallet and took bunches of pictures. It made such a unique and interesting subject – I feel like you could use it to tell a story through photography, but I have yet to figure out the plot. 😛 I think I still prefer the black and white versions of these. What about you?

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And since I was in the mode of looking for interesting textures and B&W subjects, I found this coil of wire that made some fun pictures.

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I shall end this post with a bit of color and the fun fact that OH MY, I loveeee graduated filters in Lightroom! XD Seriously, they’re, like, what I’ve been looking for ever since I got a DSLR. I can never get the sky AND ground properly exposed in one photo, but now I can in LR and I am most pleased. 😀

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Welp, that’s for today, my friends! I’ve also been having fun taking some indoor golden hour shots, but I’ll save those for another post. 😉 Until then, I hope you have a marvelously sunny day in both senses of the word!

Which photo(s) did you like best? Black and white or color? What do you use to edit your photos?

Thanks so much for reading, dears, and have a lovely day!

***Allison***

P. S. Photos taken with my Nikon D3400 and a 35mm lens. Edited with Lightroom.

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37 thoughts on “Chains, Goats, & Flower Gardens {Golden Hour Photoshoot}”

      1. We used to take an echinacea capsule if we got sick with a cold growing up, but I don’t know if we actually ever used it fresh from our garden. However, I just googled it and google says you can use the petal, leaves, or roots. If you try it, you’ll have to let me know how it is. 🙂

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  2. Ahhhhh so lovely! I love the coneflowers, and the B&W photos are so fun!
    Post suggestion: Lightroom tutorial, with which filters you use the most, etc. 😊
    God bless, Allison!

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    1. Thanks so much!
      Ooh yes, I should do a Lightroom tutorial sometime! But first I have to use it more myself so I actually know what I’m talking about. :’D Thanks for the suggestion – I definitely want to do that sometime.

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  3. Fab photos and looks like you had great fun taking them. We’ve attempted to grow some echinacea from seed but they don’t seem to be doing much yet. I use Photoshop to edit my photos because I did a beginners course as an evening class at college and that’s what was used but I think it would be way easier if we’d learnt to use Lightroom.

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    1. Thank you so much! I sure did. 🙂 Yes, echinaceas are beautiful – I hope yours grow well! Yes, I prefer Lightroom over Photoshop for photo editing, although Photoshop is good for exposure and the basics. 🙂 I’d like to make a Lightroom tips/tutorial post sometime, so maybe that would help!

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  4. I love the vibrancy (and purple-ness) of the coneflower photos. The sky in that last shot is so beautiful! (Well, the whole photo is perfect.) I love both B/W and color photography, so there’s no way I can pick on that! XD And wow! Nellie has sure grown! (Maybe from eating all that lettuce? 😉 )

    I’ve been using Pixlr to edit my photos, but I don’t know how it compares to other photo editors.

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    1. ME TOOO! And thank you so much. ❤ Ha ha, I KNOW. Same here about B&W vs. color. HAHA, yep, Nellie has indeed grown, especially in her girth. :'D
      Oh I've heard of that! Neat. 🙂

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  5. Yeeep! I love these so much! They’re all so peaceful and just calming to look at! *sighs* Also, Nellie is soooo cute!! *dies* *squishes her* Thanks for making me smile with these lovely pictures!! :))

    -Laura ❤ 🙂

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    1. THANK YOUU! Yes, I use Adobe Lightroom too! Well in the past I’ve used picmonkey.com almost exclusively, but I’ve started using LR recently. 🙂

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      1. I love Lightroom! I actually mostly use the phone app for editing my product pictures– but even though it lacks some of the features the computer version has, it’s still really excellent. I’ve always been super impressed with all the Adobe programs I’ve tried/used. The cover recordings that I’ve been posting on my “Music Mondays” were recorded and edited in Adobe Audition. They just do a really good job of giving you all the tools you need.😊

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  7. See, Lightroom is amazing. 😀 As are these pictures. 🙂 I can’t wait to come seeeeee youu!! Also, the coil of chain looks sort of like a snake. XD

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    1. IT IS! It’s way more convoluted and hard to use than PicMonkey, but it’s also handier in a lot of ways. I’m so glad I got more RAM for my computer so I can actually use it now. XD
      Also thaaanks and SAAAAAME. AGH I can’t wait! And ha, it kinda does.

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  8. Ahhh lovely photos!! I especially love the yellow flowers (I’m not sure what to call them… sunflowers? they’re kind of small for sunflowers…), THAT GOAT (so adorable), and the last photo. The lake and the sky look so gorgeous!!

    Thanks for sharing! I love seeing your photos. 🙂

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    1. Thanks so much, Kendra! Yes, the black-eyed susans are GORGEOUS! Hee hee. And yes, I love the pond picture too. ❤ ❤
      I love reading your comments! I'm so glad you liked the pictures, dear. 🙂

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  11. SO gorgeous! And those flowers…don’t even get me started. 😉 I really like the B&W! There’s something about that filter that just makes a photo pop.
    At the moment, I use a free website called iPiccy to edit my photos, however, I am so going to purchase Adobe Elements. My Dad said that since I am getting better at photography, I should upgrade to something more professional. So, I’ll probably get it after I get my Canon! 😀

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    1. Ha ha, THANK YOUUUU. I know, right? B&W is so fun to play around with. Aww, that’s great! I think too you’ll really enjoy using a more professional editing program especially once you have a new camera to go with it. Although I’ve never used iPiccy – it might be great!

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