Capture the Colour PhotoBlogging Contest – I’ve Been Nominated!

I live in color. I’m in love with vibrant colors and full pigment. I don’t fancy wearing pastels, nor do I decorate my house with them.

I dream in color and I remember those colors. As I was looking back through shots I’ve taken, I realize that some of my favorites in both travels and in my own neighborhood are those that have a streak of indigo here or a smear of emerald there.

Yesterday, Jen from My Life’s A Trip nominated me for the Capture the Colour PhotoBlogging Contest. Thrilled! Thank you again, Jen (and please check out her entry blog here – I think the caterpillar is just adorable)! The entry for the contest is simple and fun. They provide five colors: blue, green, red, white, and yellow. You choose a photograph that you have taken inspired by those colors and provide a little detail about where it was taken and what draws you back to look at it again and again.

Simple!

There are prizes involved, like an iPad or £2000 to use towards travel, but sharing and viewing these favorite photos from some of my favorite photogs is worth an entry, prizes or not. You can find full information by going to the Capture the Colour PhotoBlogging Contest page.

And my entries are…

blue …

Back in 2010 I was invited to a secret show for The Black Angels at the Angel Orensanz Foundation in NYC. I was thrilled to be one of those in the intimate crowd of journalists and music industry professionals. The show itself was amazing, with music lifting me up and then gently dropping me back down to snuggle into a soft bed of psychedelic sound. Orensanz is a brilliant artist and sculptor who travels the world but has his home gallery in a before-abandoned and now-renovated Jewish synagogue in the Lower East Side. As seen in this photograph, the details in the building are intricate and still proudly represent its history with the Star of David. The blue lighting in the building made me feel as if I was in a fairy hall.

green …

My husband and I had our wedding and honeymoon at Crystals in Soufrière, St. Lucia. One day we decided to have a grand adventure and asked the resort owners to set up a rainforest hike for us. The vegetation was lush and dense and we hiked deep down into a ravine to a still, cool pool with a waterfall for a backdrop. This section of bamboo forest we passed was beautiful, in all shades of green, and had many etchings on their surface. Other than my husband slipping on rocks in the pool and breaking our camera and me having an asthma attack (without my inhaler) it was a great few hours. Memorable, indeed.

yellow …

Not too much says ‘tropical’ to me more than conch fritters. I first discovered them while living in Key West and it’s one thing I search out on menus now (that and charcuterie boards). My favorite conch fritters have finely minced vegetables mixed in with the conch. There shouldn’t be too much filler because I want to actually taste the conch. It should be fried lightly so it is crispy but not crunchy. This creamy yellow conch fritter seen above was just right. I got these bad boys at The Beachhouse Restaurant on Anna Maria Island, Florida.

white …

I recently had the very great pleasure of being wined and dined in Asheville, NC. Part of the itinerary was to stop at Troy & Sons Distillers to meet the owners, Troy and Charlie Ball, and sample their moonshine. Troy Ball is one of the most inspirational women I’ve ever met and she has triumphed over challenging circumstances to become the first *legal* distiller of moonshine, also known as white whiskey. I have chosen this photo for the white category because I was so impressed with Troy’s dedication to authenticity and quality and how she has made such waves in what is largely a man’s world. I was gifted with this personalized bottle of white whiskey before we left and hers is a story that I’ll share often throughout my life.

red …

If you know me, you know I adore the swine. Everything about it. Cured meat is my idea of culinary heaven. When I traveled to San Francisco and visited the Ferry Building Marketplace, the one shop that jumped out at me was Boccalone. TASTY SALTED PIG PARTS. It’s like they knew I was coming! The red sign demanded my attention and the tagline had me hooked. I want to go back. Maybe I should place an order…

I need to make bacon now.

I hope you enjoyed my #capturethecolour photos! I had a ball choosing one for each color and I hope these fellow photogs enjoy this contest too! I hereby nominate:

Erin Halvey at A Sense of Place - Erin and I share a common love of travel, food, and craft beer. And poutine.

Shanley Knox at Voye’m – Another craft beer aficionado, Shanley also founded Nakate, an organization that empowers Ugandan women through the creation and promotion of jewelry they make.

Candice Walsh at Candice Does the World – Candice also digs craft beer. Hmm…I’m noticing a trend here. Anyway, I enjoy following her travels, photos, and debauchery throughout the world. You probably will too!

Matt Lardie at Green Eats Blog – A blogger and cheesemaker, Matt makes me drool with his recipes. I’d like to see what he may share in this contest!

Olga Berman at Mango & Tomato – A food blogger who is fond of travel, Olga brings delicious shots of more than just edibles to her blog.

I’m looking forward to seeing your photos!