Just yellow this time. . .
Yellow- or Not
Yellow!
Or not!
Morning Stroll
This morning I was out with my macro lens, trying to capture the early morning light on the flowers when I became aware of some movement across the street.
It was a javelina!
He seemed on a mission and continued up the hill and up the driveway of our neighbor’s house, where I lost sight of him.
We have lived here almost three years and, although herds of javelinas can be seen throughout Prescott, especially in early evening, we had never seen a javelina in our neighborhood until today. I know from neighbors that they are around, but they seem to avoid my camera. In fact, last month something rooted up all our bulbs in the front flower bed- and damaged some of the drip system. And now I have a potential suspect!
Unfortunately, my 80mm macro lens was on the camera, so I wasn’t able to zoom in on our visitor. The first two photos are cropped.
FYI, javelinas are collared peccaries, not boars or pigs. They are usually in small herds or family groups and can be aggressive.
And they sound like this! http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/audio/javlina_medley.mp3
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!
Do you believe in MAGIC?
A month or two ago, the instructor of my photo group announced that the topic for our final would be MAGIC.
Final?
FINAL???
We had not had any topics during my tenure with the group, so I was dumbfounded to be given a topic- and even more so that there would be a FINAL!
I vacillated between several ideas- mostly not literal interpretations of the theme- but one morning, I just woke up with the idea fully formed, including the ideal model to use- our friend, Dale.
Fortunately, Dale was up to the task and within a few days the photo was taken, edited, and printed at Costco. Later on, I got my brand new Epson printer set up and attempted to print it myself. I am still learning the ins and outs of printing photos, so it took several hours of test prints and more editing to get it to look the way I wanted.
No grades were given, but the photo was given a rave review by the instructor- whew! The only negative comment was that the edge of his watch showed- darn! It’s gone now.
I’m now on summer break, with the group/class resuming near the end of August.
Lost and Found
I was at the right place at the right time last week and was able to bring home this sweet bird nest that had fallen out of a tree at a friend’s house. Sadly, little egg shells were nearby. I intended to spend all of Mother’s Day morning in my garage studio photographing the nest (and beautiful Mother’s Day flowers from my daughter) using different lenses and backgrounds. However, rain and hail put a stop to the project after an hour.
Here are a couple lensbaby shots of the nest. More to come!
Golden Weeds
I finally upgraded my ON1 software to the latest version (there was a deal I couldn’t resist. . .), mostly because my photo group purchased some of their tutorials for us. I’ve just barely scratched the surface of the new interface and all the new filters (new to me, that is). One thing I have noticed is better performance than with my old version of the software.
I added a texture in Photoshop to this light box photo of weeds and then added another filter and a border in ON1 Effects. Fun! Now I just have to remember to use it . . .
Peaceful
A peaceful view taken on our March trip to California
Rustic and Rural
I’m once again on the lookout for photos that have elements of the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi (imperfect, impermanent, incomplete). I recently gave a presentation to one of my photo groups on this topic, and next month we will all be bringing in our wabi-sabi photos. Here are a couple shots in and by the Drover’s Shed at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, which show the process of weathering and decay over time.
The windmill:
The kitchen:
Lensbaby Tree
I love trying to create impressionist effects with my Lensbaby.
I took the photo above a bit farther by editing it in Photoshop and Topaz Impression.
Round and Prickly
Here’s one of the many pathways at the arboretum- this one guarded by barrel cactus.
On the Garden Path
at the Bryce Thompson Arboretum
Out of Town!
On Saturday, Lonnie and I got OUT OF TOWN! After a couple weeks of illness- and then a water leak which will eventually lead to our floors being replaced- we were more than ready for an outing. We didn’t go far- just southeast to the town of Superior to visit the Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, where we walked and walked and walked admiring all the different cacti and wildflowers. It is a beautiful spot! I took dozens and dozens of photos; it felt so good to get out and use my camera again.
These rocks form the backdrop of the state park, which is right by the highway. Octotillo was in bloom everywhere!
I brought my Lensbaby Edge 80 along too, which I used on these flowers (along with a bit of enhancement from Topaz Impression).
Painted Butterfly
I had fun yesterday giving this butterfly a painted look with three textures and two different Topaz Impression filters. It somehow satisfies my childhood desire to be a painter.
Upcycled Cardinal
I’m back among the land of the living again! I haven’t quite returned to photography as yet, so today’s photo is a reworking of one I took last summer in Tucson. I played with it in Photoshop and added some textures to create a painterly look.
melinda anderson photography 