Summer Photography Scavenger Hunt

It's been a few years since I participated in a Photography Scavenger Hunt, but Amy at Snap Scrap Repeat has set one this year and I decided to take join in. There are 30 prompts, which are being followed by ten scrapbooking challenges to get those photos onto pages.

We've just got back from a cruise, or rather two back-to-back cruises, firstly to Iceland and then Around Britain, and I was aiming to get all the prompts covered while we were away. I toyed with sharing the photos here in chronological order, but that got too tricky, so here they are in the order that the prompts were originally posted:

1. Love - The red traffic lights in central Akureyri are heart-shaped.

2. Reflection - A sculpture called Spegilsmynd (Reflection) by Hans Pauli Olsen, outside the National Gallery of the Faroe Islands in Tórshavn.

3. Wings - A bee visiting the foxgloves in Akureyri's Botanical Gardens.

4. Colourful - A shrine atop Skúlahóll (Skúli's Hill) on Viðey Island.

5. Sun - Approaching totality of the solar eclipse.

6. Bloom - A display in Akureyri; I've never seen ornamental cabbages so big.

7. Looking up - the hillside above Ísafjörður.

8. Stripes - Skólavörðustígur or Rainbow Street in Reykjavík.

9. Path - Another rainbow path, this time in Seyðisfjörður.

10. Travel - On a cruise ship, or a smaller boat?

11. Bridge - We sailed from Rosyth, so this one had to be the iconic Forth Bridge.

12. Shadow - In the shadow of the moon, totality of the solar eclipse.

13. Home - Our 'home' for these three weeks was the cruise ship Balmoral.

14. Clouds - It was cloudy for totality, but the clouds then parted to give us a dramatic sky.

15. Treat - A marshmallow ice cream in Seyðisfjörður, certainly a treat at 900ISK (about £5.50) each. 

16. Entrance - The gangway onto our ship.

17. Wild - Icelandic ponies

18. Celebrate - Winning the evening quiz.

19. Wood - A sculpture outside the Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum in Reykjavík.

20. Furry Friend - Souvenir teddy bears.

21. Looking Down - as a tender docked alongside the ship in Guernsey.

22. Pattern - The paving outside Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavík.

23. Evening Light - Sunset after we sailed from Guernsey.

24. Glass - A window in Akureyrarkirkja.

25. Stone - A monument to Skúli Magnússon, "the father of Reykjavík".

26. Arch - A whalebone arch in Jónsgarður (Jon's Garden), the oldest park in Ísafjörður.

27. Play - One of the music recitals, with Caroline Clipsham at the piano.

28. Close-up - A hydrangea in Carreg Dhu Gardens, St Mary, Isles of Scilly.

29. Sit - A bench with a wreath in Reykjavík.

30. Water - Strokkur, a geyser, erupting in Iceland.

So, all done in a few weeks. Most are literal depictions of the prompt, and a few are more figurative. Some photos could even have fitted more than one of the prompts. Now I'm itching to start on the albums for this holiday. There will be two, keeping the cruises separate, but more on that in due course.

Summer Photography Scavenger Hunt - Cruising Finds

Sorry for blog silence; we've been on holiday and I hadn't got sufficient posts prepared to cover the gap.

It's September now, which means another month of the Summer Photography Scavenger Hunt organised by Mary-Lou at Patio Postcards is over. There's no link-up this time but I thought I'd share my holiday finds. 

3. Something to Represent Home, but not the Building

Our 'home' was a cruise ship, Fred. Olsen's Bolette.

4. Head in the Clouds

If I've identified it correctly, this is Meall Meadhonach with its head literally in the clouds.

5. The Art of the Fold
Napkins at dinner.

7. What's in Bloom

Orchids in The Oriental Room

8. Window Views

Early morning off Orkney.

11. The Shape of Round/Circular
Signage outside The Crow's Nest bar

17. An Exit

Doors out onto the Promenade Deck

19. Steps, but Who's Counting

One of the staircases onboard; we always use the stairs rather than the lifts.

Alt. A - Covid Safety

We all (passengers and crew) had to wear 'TraceSafe' devices so that contacts could be traced if anyone fell ill; also masks when moving around inside the ship.

Alt. B - A Local Landmark

The Old Man of Hoy

Alt. C - A Beautiful Landscape Photo

Our trip was quite cloudy, so the best photos are of Dover as we departed.

I was on nine finds at the end of June, and I have eleven here but some are duplicates. Overall, I am on 17 of 23 now (including a couple of unblogged August finds that weren't from the cruise).

The hunt runs until the end of the month, and you can find Mary-Lou's original post with the full list of items here.

Summer Photography Scavenger Hunt - July Finds

Today's the second check-in with this year's Summer Photography Scavenger Hunt, organised by Mary-Lou at Patio Postcards. This runs from 1st June to 30th September with 20 items to find and photograph; you can find the full list on her original blog post.

I found five of them in June, which put me on schedule at the time, but have fourr for July so I'm running behind now. I'm not bothered though as we have a few days away planned, and that should include some good scavenger hunting opportunities.

3. Something To Represent Home But Not The Building

I've gone with my keys here

6. Something That Makes You Laugh or Happy
This phone box made me smile, the smallest museum I've ever seen. You can't go inside, but there is an information panel to one side and buttons for audio commentary on the other. It doesn't quite fit the prompt but it's the best I have for now.

16. A Guilty Pleasure

Afternoon Tea (an anniversary present that was much delayed by Covid).

18. Upside Down, Right Side Up

This bottle was given to our son as a present, but it was designed for a pub optic.

I really need to spend some time outside this month (for What's in Bloom and Head in the Clouds). I have an idea for Steps and that's outside too, as will be the Delivery Truck and the Local Landmark.

Mary-Lou is hosting a link-up so if you pop over to her blog you'll find links to the other participants. And it's not too late for you to join in too.

Summer Photography Scavenger Hunt - June Finds

The first month of the Summer Photography Scavenger Hunt organised by Mary-Lou at Patio Postcards is coming to an end and (as always) it's been a slow start here. I had intended to get out and take a few pictures last weekend, but the rain scuppered that plan. 

These are just a few from earlier in the month and, if I'm honest, they were taken without any thought of the hunt.

7. What's in Bloom

Foxgloves on Denge Beach

9. Something Older Than Me

The Old Lighthouse at Dungeness (built in 1904 and replaced in 1961).

11. Round/Circular Shape

The raspberry and coconut cake that I made for my husband's birthday.

12. Something That is Cause for Celebration

Another birthday - our daughter's 21st.

Alt. C - The Most Beautiful Landscape Photo of the Season

Abandoned boats on Denge Beach. 

Some of these will be replaced by the time we get to the end of September, but five photos done is a quarter of them in one month of the four allowed so I'm on track. I'm hopeful that July will bring some better photos as we have a staycation planned, a week of day trips form home.

Mary-Lou is hosting a link-up so if you pop over to her blog you'll find links to the other participants. And it's not too late for you to join in too.