Wow! Another month has whizzed by for some of us. Spring has sprung, the winter is done, and we're feeling alive again - able to get outdoors and enjoy God's creation, work in the yard, take a trip, or enjoy a BBQ. Summer will be here too soon, so enjoy what cooler weather we have before we're beaten up by the Dog Days.

I was able to shoot quite a bit in April, thankfully. Barb and I took Angel to the foothills a few weeks ago to shoot wildflowers on the river. That was a lot of fun, even though the show wasn't overwhelming. So some of the photos for the challenge will be from that trip.

We have a newcomer this month. His name is John Guffey. He lives in Paso Robles. He has two kids. One wife. And at least one surfboard. You can find him at the beach, at the nearest triathlon, working hard, or being the best father and husband. Welcome, John. Oh, I should say that he's Megen's brother and Ginnie's son and my nephew. It's a family thing.

April's themes are Vivid, Negative Space and Motion Blur. I assume most folks understood the meanings for each since I didn't receive and "What!!!???" emails asking about them. Which proves beyond a doubt that this group weighs in on the intelligent side of the equation. Of course, you may have been shooting randomly and later said, "Hey, that's a good example of negative space." That's okay, but you don't get any extra points for it. And I don't dock your intelligent quotient.

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Don will start us off with his versions of 'Vivid.' Vivid black and vivid sunset. Looks like he's using his 'star' filter here, which he bought in SLO at Jim's Campus Camera. Pretty cool, Don.

Sunsets are everyone's favorite sky-color pictures. Add some foreground silhouettes and you have a masterpiece. I think this one almost qualifies for a negative space shot as well as vivid, since there is so much sky in it.

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Angel was a bit limited to lens choice when we went to Electra Road for picture taking. She used my old Nikon D70 and 55-200mm VR zoom lens. But she likes to zoom in on things, like her grandpa. Her first shot is a negative space rendition of the Mokolumne River. The white water is contrasted with the darker foreground to show a minimalist rendition of the scene. The camera automatically underexposed the picture since she focused on the light area, but that brought out the detail that would have been washed out if it had been exposed otherwise.

I had spotted this Live Forever in the shade with a glimmer of sunlight on it and tried to explain to Angel about contrast and what a great photo it would make. She got the shot, a good example of negative space, even though the leaves might be too dominant in the frame.

Her last entry is in the Vivid category. Sun Spurge is a shrub whose leaves turn yellow and look like flowers.

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John's first photo fits the Motion Blur theme pretty well. When you leave the lens open long enough, you can't really see the subject. Can you guess what made the light streaks here? No, it wasn't Rudolph.

A second entry of John's was also taken at his winery from inside one of the tanks. With just a small area of light contrasted with blacks and grays, it is a good example of negative space. John, are you really down in the tank, or did you just stick your arm in one of the drain holes?

Symmetrical rows of Monterey Pinot line the horizon for this picture that we'll put in the vivid category since the grape leaves are pretty green. Or is it motion blur? Didn't you see that golden eagle just fly by?

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Ginnie was really into the motion thing - must be that artsy/crafty mode she's in a lot. Plus, it's just plain fun to swing your camera around with a slow shutter speed and keep the neighbors guessing about your sanity.

And here is her negative space submission, which is quite interesting. Kinda looks like a stainless steel strawberry! Cool!!!!

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Dave's negative space entry incorporates a bearded iris and a poppy. He has this thing for poppies, if you hadn't noticed. They're always screaming, "Take my picture! Take my picture!" Right, Dave!

Second on the list is a purposely taken photo for the Vivid theme in Sutter Creek.

Ginnie's right: motion blur is fun. Ha! More poppies. It's all about flowers with this guy!

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Thanks to everyone who participated.

Folks sent in a few more pictures for April, but I've limited the posting to only three each. Sorry if I didn't put up your favorite. I think it proved to be an enjoyable challenge for everyone. You're all thinking more about what you're doing. That's progress. You're all taking more risks and stretching a bit. That's great. Keep it up.

For May, let's really stretch ourselves and try some Street Photography. And if you're a bit too chicken (or don't want to get beat up), how about Black and White? Or if that doesn't fit your bill, you can try Backyard/Frontyard. Three choices.

Keep shooting and have fun!

Dave