It was hard to let them go, so I took a few lensbaby shots of my peony petals before saying good-bye.
From above:
A black and white:
With added texture:
An abstract:
Denouement
My peonies have bit the dust, but here are a couple more images from their glory days.
Tomorrow or sometime later in the week I will post a couple images of their last days.
My lensbaby class officially begins today, plus I have FOUR meetings this week- so, over the next week or two, you will be seeing some photos from the (mostly recent) archives.
Cheery
Is there anything more cheery than ranunculus? Happy Friday to you!
A Lensbaby Still
Next week I start an online Lensbaby class through Clickin Moms with Caroline Jensen! I’m beyond excited to learn from this Lensbaby guru (and also from some of the amazing photographers taking the class- Holy Cow!). I’m taking it “study-along”, meaning I won’t get any feedback except from my classmates, but I will have access to all the class materials and can read the feedback Caroline gives the other students. We’ve already been given “pre-assignments” well in advance of the class starting, so I already have started learning.
Because I’ll be so involved with the class, it is possible that I’ll be pretty behind in my still life assignments, unless I combine the two (which I may in fact). But since I often use a lensbaby for my stills, I’m going to try to step outside of my comfort zone and practice outside and with people.
So here is a lensbaby still life of PEONIES (surprise, surprise!) and my chair.
Still loving those peonies. . .
Chocolate Peonies
I found peonies for sale at Trader Joe’s last week!
Edited with Kim Klassen’s chocolate preset in Lightroom for Texture Tuesday.
I Heart Daisies
Friday I posted photos of the lone pink gerbera daisy amongst the white ones in my Trader Joe’s bouquet.
So today I present the white ones!
My Friday Flower
Happy Mother’s Day weekend!
I bought a bouquet of white gerberas yesterday. When I got home I discovered this bright pink one tucked away between the others. Sweet!
Linking up with Friday Finds today.
Boots, Part II
I had so much fun with these, I just had to post some more. Thanks, Debbie!
Potting Bench?
Monday night I was inspired by a prompt in Kim Klassen’s Studio to create a still life potting bench . . . of sorts. . . inside. . . in my entry way. I long ago let go of the idea that all still life photographers just come upon these beautiful vignettes in their houses- well, some do- but most often they are created or styled for the camera. Since I was avoiding making dinner, I quickly gathered some pots and garden-y props to create a still life. I enjoyed it so much that I kept it up and took even more the next day.
Here is my first photo. If you’ve been to my house, you might recognize the antique dental cabinet. I had to remove some of the liqueur glasses and little dishes in the cabinets, but missed a few (thank goodness for Photoshop!). I also added some texture to rough it up a bit.
And here are a few other shots from the next morning. I took more time with these, using a tripod so I could slow my shutter to add more light (it has been dismal and rainy here). I used my lensbaby for the first one and edited them all with one of Kim’s presets for a dark and earthy look.
Unique Vessel
When my friend, Debbie, texted me a photo of the old boots she had just bought, I knew I had to photograph them before they became part of one of her art pieces. I had so much fun playing around with them for some still life and macro shots. As I mentioned last week, one of our challenges for BeStill 52 was to use a unique vessel in a still life; I think the boots were up to the challenge!
The first and third photos were edited using Kim Klassen’s darklight preset; the middle is almost straight out of camera.
Linking up with Texture Tuesday today.
Scissory Stills
The Merry Month of May!
It’s May! When I was teaching, May was a big CRUNCH month: testing, Open House, Authors’ Party, Mother’s Day presents to make, field trip, parent helper gifts, student gifts, end of the year party, report cards, room pack-up, etc. etc. It makes me tired just to think of it! Now, May is SPRING, for sure, and summer isn’t far behind. And in Arizona, I know monsoon season is only 6 weeks or so away!
Our latest lesson for BeStill 52 asked us to find an unique vessel for flowers or whatever to use in our stills- so I thought of this new teapot I bought this week to replace the cracked one, which didn’t make the cut when we moved. Turquoise is becoming one of the colors I love to use in our Arizona house, although my husband thinks it doesn’t match our multicolored walls. So far, I’ve acquired Mason jars, a bowl, a lantern, and now this teapot in shades of turquiose. I just really love the color and am so glad that it’s popular again!
In my life, a teapot isn’t an unusual vessel for flowers, but I do have an idea for another take on this challenge. Stay tuned!
Linking up with Kim’s Friday Finds today.
More Tea for Me
Here are a couple more tea time still life images from my shoot earlier in the week.
Tumbling
One of the new experiences we’ve had since we’ve moved to Arizona is tumbleweeds in our yard. Last week we discovered a new one, and before my husband could capture it for yard waste, I picked it up with gloved hands to take into my garage studio for some macro and still life shots.
The first photo above was edited with Kim Klassen’s kk_moody-ish preset; the second just converted to a high contrast black and white.
The photos below (showing how sharp and prickly these guys are!) were taken with the Lensbaby Sweet 35 with macro converters. All have Kim’s kk_organic preset applied.
melinda anderson photography 