Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit…
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.” Helen Keller
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… Overlook Mt views from the top
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… The trail sign to Overlook Mt
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… A hiker atop Overlook Mountain
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… Ruins of old luxury Hotel along the path.
Recently, I joined other hiking enthusiasts to climb up Overlook Mountain in the central Catskill Mountains near Woodstock, New York and the Rhinebeck region. The climb was an uphill battle and workout with spectacular views awaiting us. I met/saw many free spirits along the way; especially as my first stop before hitting the trails was Woodstock.
“Here the free spirit of mankind, at length,
Throws its last fetters off; and who shall place
A limit to the giant’s unchained strength,
Or curb his swiftness in the forward race?”
William Cullen Bryant
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… The 60 foot Fire Tower
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… View from Fire Tower
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… view from Fire Tower. Hudson River in distance
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… Seagulls in flight
From Overlook Mountain, I climbed the 60-foot (18.3 m) Fire Tower to capture more views of the Hudson Valley landscape below, including the Hudson River. It was a feat, like jumping out of a plane, that gave me great joy. The Tower rattled and swayed, ever so gently, as the winds swept over us 60 feet above. It was both exhilarating and nauseating.
“A free spirit takes liberties even with liberty itself.” Francis Picabia
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… The new moon I captured outside tonight. Blue tinge added.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… Feisty Seagulls.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… More feisty seagulls.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… Another spirited Overlook Mt climber.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… The 60 foot Fire Tower
For this week’s photo challenge, I’ve added shots from the hiking trip, some shots of the feisty birds/seagulls I featured on my blog once, and I’ve added tonight’s special: the fabulous blue moon. “Blue moon is the appearance of the third full moon in a season with four full moons. It is never really blue. The term has also been used to refer to the second full moon in a month.” Wikipedia I tweaked the color of my moon but that’s it. The rest is exactly as my camera caught it. Hope you enjoyed the spirit of the submissions. 😉 More below!
“I like to be a free spirit. Some don’t like that, but that’s the way I am.” Princess Diana
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… Fire Tower Museum stop along the way.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… More hikers
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit… seagulls
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit…
Hope you enjoyed the outdoor, free spirited venture…. Do come back soon. Have an awesome weekend! 
Thank you for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed this! What are your thoughts? What photos did you share on Free Spirit to fit the challenge? Was it easy/hard to find photos that supported your perspective on the subject? Were you drawn to certain types of photos for the prompt? Do share? Thank you! 
*Please bear with me as I continue to catch up on your blogs and commenting… Thank you all for your patience!
My fellow bloggers were equally creative with their selections. I listed several via Zemanta & WP Daily Post below. (I will update it and add more). We all appreciate trackbacks/ping-backs and Likes from fellow bloggers too! Check out how others interpreted the theme – Free Spirit – also below. ***
This post was inspired by a prompt from WP Daily Post: Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit. This week’s photo challenge is guest hosted by Strauss Louw. Read on for more about this week’s theme and photography tips! Free Spirit. I chose this as the topic for this week’s photo challenge as it lends itself to so many possibilities for subject matter and composition. I work exclusively with film and believe this element is quite important concerning a theme such as the free spirit, as it allows for more experimentation and creative exploration due to how film reacts differently to light than a digital sensor would.
To capture this idea of the free spirit, I would suggest breaking some rules. Sometimes it is necessary to overexpose a frame slightly and point the lens to the sun for a bit of glare to capture that sense of a different, free, moving reality. I shot this image at the Fish River Canyon in Namibia on a road trip with a dear friend of mine who likes writing and always keeps her typewriter close by. When she took it out and started writing at the edge of the canyon, it was just too perfect of an opportunity for some interesting shots to pass on. Share a photo—film or digital—that means FREE SPIRIT to you!
Positive Motivation Tip: Free Spirit… A warrior who doesn’t hold back even when the odds are stacked against her is free to go down any path… Follow your heart to that path.
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos from my personal collection.
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
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Thanks for taking us on your hike, I really enjoyed the freedom!
Oh thank you Marion! Will check out yours shortly! 🙂
It’s really interesting to see everyone’s interpretation of these challenges. Great entry
Thank you! Will stop by to check out yours soon. 😉
When you are ready. The hard part is finding time to do what we want 😉
TY and I enjoyed visiting your post too. 😉
Some really wonderful photos here, particularly the views of the mountains! Thank you for sharing 🙂
TY Emma! This was a bit of a challenge for me… 🙂
Very impressive post and brill’ pictures to go great take on theme.. thanks for share.
TY Gerry and also thanks for planting that Woodstock seed in my head. I’ve visited the place twice in the last month. 😉
Great mountain views, I find seagulls entertaining to watch.
Same here… and some see them as predators. 😆
To keep our faces toward change…
And so it is… 😉
terrific photos that capyure the spirit of the theme
TY JG for your feedback… loved yours too! 😉
Love the moon and the seagulls.
TY! It was fun to take those shots… 🙂
Great shots, especially the moon and the seagulls. I enjoy pics of birds, all kinds. In my own efforts, I’ve tried many times, but mostly have failed at getting good shots of avians. One of the few I’ve taken that turned out okay:
http://ackans.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/pic-o-the-day-38/
Thanks for visiting my blog. I enjoy your photography, and I’ll be back to see more.
TY for your feedback… I’ve had a rotten time with avians too, but finally, a friend told me that they sensed my impatience and that is why they flew away. For these shots, I hung out and fed them for a while, and then started taking pictures once I felt they saw me as friend not foe… 🙂
This is the second post I’ve read this morning about free spirits, it must be free spirit day, yay!
Tis… on the WP Photo Challenge! 🙂 TY!
Love the photos of the seagulls…I always associated doves with free spirit. But in today’s world how do we define free?
Righto about definitions of free… TY! 🙂
Interesting ideas for Free Spirit. I’ve never been to this part of the US but would like to some day.
Do come visit.. You’d love it for sure. NY State offers such variety in location and landscape. You won’t be disappointed. TY! 😉
View from the mountain clearly shows the free spirit.
TY Cocomino! I believe so too! 🙂
Thanks Eliz for such a wonderful display of photo’s for Free Spirit. I hit LIKE for facebook too, today. Blessings.
TY Jackie! Appreciate the like too. Do you have a Facebook page? Le me know and I’ll like you back. 🙂
I tried so hard last night to get a picture of that moon, and all I got was a tiny image and a big bruise (fell on the slippery grass). But hey, at least I saved the camera & tripod! 🙂 Love the moon shot here.
Sorry to hear about your fall… Hope you’re doing better. if this helps, I’ve tried over the years to capture the moon, but only got rotten shots. This was a first for me in the great moon shots dept. TY! 🙂
Wonderful!
TY Marilyn! 🙂
The photo of the moon is amazing. BTW which camera and lens are you using?
TY for your feedback and sorry for responding so late Shibin! I’d love to say it was taken with my Canon DSLR but it wasn’t. It was taken with my Canon Powershot SX130; it has a ridiculously impressive optical zoom. I love that camera as it is portable and capable of shots that my DSLR requires 3-4 lenses for… TY! 🙂
Great pictures, and so many good examples.
TY! It was a fun challenge… I think. 😆
Those seagulls are certainly free-spirited. Love your blue moon. 🙂
TY Adin… wasn’t that an amazing night? 🙂
Some excellent images! Very nicely done.
TY Phil! I’m glad you liked some of my images…especially coming from a photog! That is one huge lens and tripod you are carrying there. Love it. 🙂
Well I liked ’em all!
It’s not all that big but it does get heavy at times.
See ya
Phil
TY and same! 🙂
Beautiful post.
TY NN! Appreciate it. 😉
Yes, love that moon…. 31 August was the second one of the month… once in a blue moon! LIke your eclectic mix of free spirits.
TY and I’m glad I finally captured the beauty of it… I love the moon but my moon pictures usually fall short… I’m grateful for this one. 🙂
Beautiful Elizabeth! You couldn’t pay me to climb that fire tower, but I admire your adventurous spirit very much!
b
TY Babs! You couldn’t pay me to do it again! 😆
Beautiful Post. I enjoyed your journey and felt like I was right there with you. Thank you for sharing!! 🙂
TY Dana! I’m glad you had that experience as it was my intention too. 🙂
fly like a bird run like the wind be happy!
TY Willowdot. Amen and amen! 🙂
Awesome post! I loved the mountain views and the seagulls in flight. Thanks for sharing.
TY Deepali and I loved your submission too… I’m still learning so compliments are appreciated.
Beautiful images and the moon is my favorite!
TY! I had a bit of fun with this one. 😉
The moon picture is really nice. I don’t have a powerful lens, so all my moon photos look like dots.
TY Connie! I’ve taken moon pictures that looked like dots too and so when I zoomed out to the maximum on my camera, I was shocked that it had such capabilities it never displayed before… or I hadn’t tested before. Go figure!
this was such a great experience to share…so many amazing images
TY Jo! I wasn’t quite sure about what woudl work but I’m glad I went hiking as that one helped. 🙂
Love your selections, Elizabeth. Free spirits, all of them!
TY Marcia and enjoyed it too! 🙂
Your post is lovely and so are the pictures. The picture of the sea gull in flight is such a standout. What a great capture. 🙂
TY Imelda, I had a fun outing with them that day. 🙂
I love all the images but my fave are the seagulls…and love your positive motivation tip. Thanks! 🙂
TY Sunshine… Those seagulls were a trip. 😆
Great work as always my friend , Stunning photography I love all of it 🙂
TY so much Jake… always appreciated! 🙂
This is a fabulous post! I would love to hike there!
TY and it is easy to do… I went through Woodstock! 🙂
on the edge. . . love it.
Righto! 🙂 TY!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful adventure! Superb and free spirited shots 🙂
Oh TY Madhu! It was free and spirited for sure. 🙂
oh what a stupendous hike you had. Climbing that fire tower would have been a knee-shaker for me! I may have had to look only up as i climbed. I loved the photo of the two seagulls close together in flight. We are having a relaxing weekend here, and hope to have some fun just being out and about later today.
TY for your comment… It was a daunting climb up the tower as I’m not a huge fan of heights… Initially, I balked at the idea but mustered the courage and went for it. After climbing to the top of Overlook Mountain, I just had to make the final push for the spectacular views the tower offered. I don’t regret it. 😉
It feels wonderful to embrace and express the free spirit in all of us. Great post!
TY IT! True and felt all the way. 😉
the first picture has an excellent view 🙂
TY Joshi… appreciate your feedback! It was kinda hazy and I kept looking for a way to capture the amazing view before me. 🙂
fine pictures. I hope you enjoyed the hike
I did and felt it afterwards… Great workout and views. TY! 🙂
Eliz…you always have such interesting posts! That must have been quite a hike to reach such gorgeous views! And the fire tower….wow. I’d say you were very brave and indeed a free spirit to climb Those steps! yikes! Woodstock….a blast from the past! Your photos are lovely.
I’ve come to the decision that Helen Keller has some of the best quotes. The one you have here is excellent. Great post for the challenge! Thanks for the ping!
TY for your generous words. I enjoy visiting your blog too and it is the variety that makes what we do so much fun. Thanks again! 🙂
Startled by the picture of Ruins of luxury hotel .
It makes me wonder what happened .
TY Shammee! The hotel burned down in a tragic fire and was never rebuilt. The old ruins have become part of the landscape of the hiking trail.
Fabulous photos and information. I love the way the seagulls don’t give any thought to the dog who is relaxing on the grass. Very nice capture of them in flight.
Actually, the dog is on Overlook Mountain and the seagull is at my local discount store. However, in the seagull shot, there were cars and people milling around and the seagulls were more interested in fighting for food and anything else… so yes, Isn’t that remarkable? Thank you for your feedback! 😉
You have such an amazing eye for capturing the spirit of an image. I can absolutely feel the free spirit in your photos.
Still learning. Thank you for the vote of confidence! <3