IT'S VOTIN' TIME!

Anne Watson Photo fans, I would appreciate your support!

The above photographs of flowers are each competing to win the Orange County Register Newspaper's Wildflower Photo Contest. (Each in its own category.)

There is no limit to how many times you can vote - so, please click & vote for each as many times as you can before Midnight on April 21st!

SOME LOCAL OC NATURE

This afternoon Tim & I ventured out to historic Irvine Park at the mouth of Santiago Canyon for a little taste of nature. Having grown up in Orange County, California in the city of Irvine, I must admit that I had never made it out to Irvine Park until today (kind of like living in Manhattan and never seeing the Statue of Liberty or somethin').  And I was so astounded at the beauty that is literally 15 minutes from our doorstep, I am now looking into an annual parking pass! 

What drew me out there today was the Orange County Register newspaper's wildflower photo contest - I wanted to find some beautiful wildflowers to capture with my camera and enter in the competition. But, once we arrived, I soon realized that there was a lot more to see than just the flowers...

OC REGISTER WILDFLOWER PHOTO CONTEST - VOTE FOR ME, PLEASE!

Anne Watson Photo fans, I'd like to ask for your support, please!

The above Orchid is the first of a handful of photos (each will be in a different category - this is for the 'Non-Native Flower' competition) that I've submitted to the Orange County Register Newspaper's Wildflower Photo Contest. 

There is no limit to how many times you can vote - so, please click & vote as many times as you can before Midnight on April 21st!

FACES OF LOYALTY

Well, I just couldn't help myself... a few more photos of our funny little pugs, Rose & Percy.

Today I spent some time in the back garden, enjoying the California sunshine, hanging out with my husband Tim while he worked on his motorcycle, and playing some fetch with the pugs.  And while they were running back & forth, enthusiastically bringing me their tennis ball each time after I threw it, I couldn't help but giggle to myself at their funny little faces that were just beaming joy - and loyalty. And, it seemed only natural to run & grab my camera to capture a few of those beautiful expressions in photos.

So, here's to our loyal canine friends!...

AFTER THE RAINS

Some of my friends and family from England (including my English husband!) probably think I'm a bit nuts for saying this - but, I really do love the rain.  Growing up in Southern California, rain is a novelty. And, yesterday we had a storm roll through So Cal that could appropriately be described as a 'Doozy'... a full-fledged downpour, complete with thunder, lightning and high winds.  It was fantastic.

So, today I felt inspired to capture a few post-rain moments -- the sun peeking through the clouds for the first time since the storm, the light reflecting in the puddles on the driveway, raindrops shimmering on the Spring leaves and fruit in the garden. Little pieces of reflective, watery magic that the rain blesses us with after a storm... Enjoy!

Spring has Sprung!

THE ANNE WATSON PHOTO GIVE-AWAY CONTEST!

It's here - The Anne Watson Photo Give-Away Contest!  I thought it was time to give a little something back, so I've created a super-easy-to-enter contest in which you can win an 8 x 10 matted & framed print of your choice from the Anne Watson Photo Gallery. 

There are two incredibly easy ways to enter:

1) Click on the Anne Watson Photography Facebook Page and hit the 'Like' button to become a fan of Anne Watson Photo on Facebook - All Fans are automatically entered in the contest!

2) Share something about the Anne Watson Photography Facebook Page on your Facebook Wall & tag us in the post to be entered a second time & increase your chances of winning!

The winner will be announced next week - So, be sure to get your entries in ASAP! Good luck!!

INCREDIBLE ORCHIDS

I am mesmerized by the incredible beauty of orchids - have you ever looked at one up-close and studied all of the amazing details that are found in just one tiny flower? Each one is unique - like a fingerprint, their 'veins' criss-cross in patterns around the petals. They have animal-like qualities that are even captured in the anatomic names for their parts - they have a 'throat' and 'lips' (And sometimes those 'lips' even have beautiful little curly-cue 'whiskers', as I like to call them - Their very own Fu Man Chu beards!)  

They are so delicate, some would even call them quite fickle, or even 'moody' - like the Divas of the flower world.  Water them or tamper with them too much and they wilt - but, don't give them enough attention or put them in the improper place to get just the right amount of sun & warmth, and they whither away on you. It's a matter of finding the perfect balance and giving them just what they need to stay happy and blooming.

I woke up this morning to find the sun shining on some orchids in our kitchen and felt inspired to capture them in photographs - the following are a few of my favorites of our fickle little Divas...

WILD, WILD WESTERN WYOMING

I've found throughout my travels that there are few places in the world these days (particularly in the bustling U.S.) that truly feel untouched by man. Growing up in California, I've heard lots of talk of the 'Wild, Wild West' - the frontier that Pioneers 'discovered' (well - cough, cough - along with the 'discovery' of the Native Americans who were already living there for thousands of years - ahem! But, I digress...)

Wyoming is one of these places, though, where today you can still get a sense of the vast wilderness - the beautiful, wild land that America once was.  It is stunning. With breathtaking landscapes around every bend, Wyoming is hands-down one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, let alone had the opportunity to ride my motorcycle through. It's the kind of natural beauty that makes you gasp inside your motorcycle helmet, and slows your mind as you take it all in. I hope to make it back one day - meantime, I like to look through my photos and reflect...

A TRIBUTE TO TRUCKERS

On a long-haul motorcycle trip it's hard to recount the thousands of sights, sounds and smells that you take in each day you're on the road. One constant, though, that seems to always be there regardless of where you are in the U.S. - whether it be on the crowded Interstate in a big city or a two-lane highway in the middle of nowhere - is the American icon of the 18-Wheeler Semi Truck.

These 'Big Rigs' are the backbone of America - our country would come to a standstill if it weren't for the dedication of Truckers out there who spend weeks on the road moving products coast-to-coast. The below is a sequence I took of my husband Tim & his Harley in the middle of the Anzo-Borego California Desert as a Tribute to the Truckers of America...