Born to Be Wild
Until we moved to Arizona, I had never heard of Apache Plume- but now I photograph the seed heads every summer. We have a big shrub of this native plant in front of our house. I can’t say it is lovely to look at as a landscape element- but the craaaazzzy seed heads and little flowers are quite captivating!
Macro Mood
I never tire of macro- this one was taken on a mirror. Don’t ask me what kind of feather it is; it’s part of a bag I got at Hobby Lobby!
De-lovely
Another February tulip! To me, there is something kind of wholesome and apple-like about this luscious tulip- especially when shot from below.
Things Are Looking Up
At least the photographer was looking up when taking this photo . . .
I was on the floor looking up at the flower which was positioned on the counter. That’s my ceiling with “incorrect” white balance providing the sunny background.
It’s all about how you look at things, isn’t it? .
Exhaling
I enjoy just about all kinds of photography, but when I spend time with flowers and my macro lens I can feel my shoulders relaxing and my breath slowing. This is truly my comfort zone and a wonderful escape from life’s stresses. Ommmm. . . 🙂
Alaska Sunshine
This photo was taken as direct morning sunshine backlit this little orange leaf on the deck railing.
First Fall Leaf
We spent last weekend in Oak Creek Canyon (just out of Sedona), and I was delighted to see that my favorite season has begun!
Macro Play
Last week I had the opportunity to attend a macro workshop at a photo club member’s home. It was less of a workshop than a play session with Joe’s STUFF- and he has a lot of STUFF! There were LED lights and macro light rings and a light tent. There were backdrops set up and props to photograph. There were extra lenses and extension tubes for Nikon (yay!). And there was Camranger (a wireless DSLR controller and focus stacker)- wow! It was a fun experience and left me with some new items to add to my photography wishlist!
Most of us photographed this milkweed pod.
Joe’s old watch was a favorite subject- it might need a little dusting though. . .
All in all- a good way to spend a morning!
Trio in Black and White
You might not recognize these, but they some of the wildflowers/weeds growing in the dirt pile from across the street!
Sunflower Decay
I love sunflowers no matter what the stage of their life cycle. For me, there is beauty in their decay.
A Different Take
As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been trying some different photoshop techniques. Here is a very different take on my chamomile macro from the other day!
Chamomile Macro
Here’s a closer view of some of the chamomile I’ve used in my still life shots in the last week.
Greeting Card
“It would make a good greeting card.”
The above comment is code for corny, schmaltzy, trite- however you interpret it- in my photo group. I, however, like making images that look like greeting cards; one of my childhood ambitions was to work for Hallmark. I envisioned a room of artists painting pretty cards or drawing cartoons.
So, with no apologies, here is one of my flower photos that, in my opinion, would make a good greeting card. 🙂
2 Boys, 1 Grandma, and 1 Desert Poppy
When the grandboys were here, I decided I wanted to pick some wild desert poppies I had noticed blooming down the street in a vacant lot. Caitlin, Miles, and I braved the heat wave and walked to the bottom of the hill where we could see a few in bloom. As we walked through the weeds, zillions of burrs attached to our clothes and shoes, so I ended up with just one poppy. When we got home, I brought out the lightbox and spent a few minutes taking photos with the camera on the tripod. The boys were intrigued, so I had each take photos with the iPhone.
Miles was interested in editing his photo, so that evening, I introduced him to Snapseed! He especially liked the “glamorous glow” (glamour glow) adjustment, after trying all sorts of filters. He didn’t like the tiny rips in the petals, so he made me promise to fix them in Photoshop on my computer, which I did.
Here is his photo, edited by Miles with Snapseed (with rips fixed by Gramma):
Good focus, wouldn’t you say? And I like that glamour glow!
Henry wanted a turn as well and managed to take about 10 photos with one long click- all with perfect focus! I took the liberty of editing this one in Photoshop with On 1 and Impression software.
And here’s the one taken by Gramma- a side view with texture added:
Fun with Thistles
Purple thistles abound in our area! We have a lot of weeds and native plants in the strips along the roads and sidewalks and in fields near our house, and this time of year is great for finding them in bloom. And every year I photograph thistles.
I added textures to these thistle photos and then took them into On1 for frames, stepping outside the box a bit when I chose these cool emulsion borders.
Lily Loveliness
I deconstructed my Mother’s Day bouquet from my daughter and had a great time photographing the flowers individually and small groups- my idea of fun!
The Same, But Different
I borrowed a lightbox from my friend, Debbie, and had some fun photographing weeds on it. This is the same photo with different treatments in Lightroom.
Orange and Pink
I think it was last year at this time that I discovered that Trader Joe’s sold ranunculus, my favorite childhood flower. I went looking for them the other day and discovered just a few almost wilted bunches. I picked one in shades of hot pink and orange to take home to enjoy for a few days. I took them outside for the sidelit, golden hour shot above.
I love how tightly the petals are nestled on this dark pink beauty.
I’m no longer a child, but I still love these beautiful flowers.
Pussy Willow Two Ways
My friend, Debbie gave me some pussy willow branches, which I placed in water in the kitchen window. The buds are starting to open, so I took a few minutes to capture this one with my Lensbaby Velvet 56 in macro mode.
