A week ago, I spotted this ladderback woodpecker, all puffed up as it warmed up in the morning sunshine.
Sunny Morning, Snowy Day
Solar Eclipse 2024
When one doesn’t have the high tech gear or knowledge, you make do with what you have- in this case a colander! I heard about this in my photo group today- and evidently it’s a very well known technique- so I gave it a try. I took many shots of the shadow of the moon over the sun as projected through the colander (also a saltine!) on our driveway. Then I tried other places and found it made a pretty good shadow on iris leaves. They look like little hearts, don’t they?
Where is Spring?
Where is Spring (sung to the tune of Where is Love? from Oliver!)? We just keep getting snow- and some rain. And then it melts- and then we get more. Today it is sunny- and cold (it snowed last night). Our plants just don’t know what to do! We have blossoms and buds and leaves and a nest with finch eggs attached to our wreath on the front door, but we still get snow. Can you tell I’m getting impatient?
Hidden in Plain Sight
Spotted at Moorten Botanical Garden in Palm Springs a few weeks ago!
We actually saw two nesting hummingbirds while we were there. I’ve never been so close to one before- it was a real treat.
Happy (Snowy) Easter!
Happy Easter! It has been a rainy and snowy Spring, so I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that we woke up to snow today. But it’s the first time since we moved here in 2013 that we have had snow on Easter. Our plum blossoms have endured several snowfalls this year and are so far surviving. Nature is amazing!
That Morning
Winter trees + a bit of imagination . . .
Trippin’ on Agave
We just spent a wonderful week in the Palm Springs area with our daughter’s family- hanging out, swimming and relaxing with our grandboys. One morning, we drove with our son-in-law to a botanical garden and had a lovely time looking at the variety of desert plants. I had fun photographing the curves of the agave leaves, which just seemed to call out for some intentional camera movement. Afterward we had lunch at the amazing Manhattan in the Desert- always a favorite!
Ice Abstract
By playing with colors and realigning layers, I created this ice abstract using one of my frozen flower photos.
So much fun!
Ice, Ice, Baby!
What else can you do with flowers beyond their prime? Freeze them, of course!
Beyond Their Prime
With the approach of Spring, I was in the mood for Lensbaby photography. I purchased some poppies at the grocery store, but realized when I got them home that they were already beginning to wither. No matter- I love taking photos of flowers at every stage from bud to their demise. This one is my favorite.
And below is a diptych with another in the series, both shot with the Velvet 56 to emphasize the blur.
Tulip Imaginarius
Just having fun here. . .
Imaginarius 3
And here is the last imaginarius image for now. It was suggested that these would be good backgrounds/textures to combine with other images. I love the minimalism of these images on their own, but have worked a few into other images. Stay tuned!
Imaginarius 2
Just another intentional camera movement image taken through my glass apple last weekend. . .
Imaginarius
I watched a video tutorial on intentional camera movement the other day, and, inspired by a photo friend who did a whole series of ICM images in her bedroom while ill, I created a series while watching the video. I used a glass apple from my teaching days and focused into the glass, swirling my camera around, picking up other colors. I am calling my series Imaginarius, because of the imaginary landscapes and abstracts created by this process. I will post more in the next week or so.
Envy and Geometrics
When visiting the Phoenix Art Museum in November, I was captivated by the view into a special gallery below us. It brought me back to the envy I felt when visiting the home of my parents’ friends when I was a little girl. Their two daughters shared a huge bedroom with a giant roofless dollhouse on the floor, laid out like a 3 dimensional floor plan. You could move the dolls (larger than typical dollhouse dolls- more like Ginny or small Madame Alexander dolls) throughout the house, guiding them through doorways and onto beds and chairs. The girls’ dad had made the doll house, and oh, how I wanted one like it! But where would I have put it? That question never came to my mind. So alas- my Ginny and Madame Alexander dolls never had a house, except in my imagination.
Below is a view of the gallery in color and in landscape orientation. In both views, I was drawn to the geometry of the setup- and I attempted to emphasize that in my editing process. I brought both images to my Monday photo group for critique and stated my preference for the black and white. I was guided by several friends to remove some “color blocks” I had added for emphasis, and that has made all the difference in the color version. I so appreciate the positive and helpful critiques from my photo friends- especially Gail this time!
melinda anderson photography 