changes in the air...

Hoping to make some substantial changes to the layout of this blog in the coming weeks.  Just not feeling it, you know what I mean?  So, if there is any suggestions, please chime in!

Also thinking about going with one subject per day, just multiple possibilities, putting something out there to allow for some feed back!  I love feed back!!!

I bought a beautiful lily yesterday and was getting ready to do some shooting when I looked up and saw this yellow and orange gerber that came home with me a couple of days ago.  It just stood there and was kind of saying, "Hey look, it's now or never!"

I have to add, that the flowers I select, you may think this strange but, they talk to me.  I walk into a shop and look around and someone will always say can I help you but, I look and look, until one of them says, "Hey, I'm the one."  I have tried forcing the issue before and just gone in and said "Okay I'll take that and that and that" only to get home and just not feel the magic that helps me create these, warm intimate flower portraits.


So, without further noise here are six, yes six views, of this awesome Gerber Daisy.  Pick your favorite and let me know which one it is.  Perhaps it will be the next one that makes it to my Artfire page.

 #1

 
  

  #2

 #3

 #4

 #5

 and last, but not least #6

So there you have them, let me know what you think and I'll see you tomorrow...

almost missed it...

It's 9:30 and I have come very close to missing my plan to post everyday.  It's been a rough couple of days.  Don't know if it was just a stomach flu or food poisoning, but whatever it was, it almost knocked me out of the box.

Well, any ways here are the latest two:

Liked playing with some of the presets in Lightroom so I thought that I would take this cannon back in time.  Kind of rough, but with some more time I think it would look even better.

And it's that time of year again.  Trillium, which grows in my backyard.  Love this time of year because I don't have to go very far to find some excellent subjects to explore.

Time to call it a day and do some reading before I crash.  Have a nice evening and I'll see you tomorrow...

on going study...

Back again with the white gerber daisy, an on going study.  I don't believe that I have ever shot this many pictures of one subject and I don't feel finished yet.

So, here are two more views.  Any favorites?

Up close and personal from the side.

And then from the same side but lower.

Little under the weather today so, have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow....

spring at last?

Got up this morning and it had to be at least 50 degrees outside, finally! Should be a lovely day, let's see what we can find today, or what finds me.

Interesting day yesterday to say the least and with it a large variety of weather conditions making for a variety of images.

The first image today has been edited but I was playing with some of my captures from yesterday and this is how one came out, hope you enjoy it.

This is the results of playing around.



This is the original, what do you think?


For the second image today I jumped back into my old passion. I bought this gorgeous white gerber. Extraordinary flower.




I did do a little tweeking of this image as well, brought the green out a little and not really sure that I like it. Must have spent hours with this flower and not done yet! Thank goodness for digital. I can honestly say that I took over 100 pictures of this gerber and if I had done it with film it would have gotten quite expensive.

I have a lot of additional keepers and I will probably share some of them over the next few days

Looks like it will be a glorious day today and I have a family commitment to go to today so I hope everyone has an outstanding day and...I'll see you tomorrow...

winter just doesn't want to go....

Have two more pic to post. Of course the way they are posted you would have thought that they should have been in the reverse order...

I was driving down a back road yesterday evening when I came upon these beauties.

There was a whole wall of them but these bright orange ones really stood out.
I liked the composition too, it forms a Z.

I was talking to my housemate yesterday as she was starting the fire in the fireplace saying how cold it was getting in such a short span of time. I teased and said that's alright I hear that we are going to get 4 feet of snow tonight.

Well, maybe not 4 feet but when I looked out the window this morning I had to laugh...Snow! Not 4 feet but a very healthy dusting.

Good old winter just doesn't want to let go.

Some day spring will get here, but until then, Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow...

directional/texture....

Tough day today! Feels like someone cracked me over the head with a 2x4 and it's not from drinking!

Short and sweet. Two more offerings, both with what I would call interesting possibilities and if I can get rid of my headache I intend to explore them!

The first;

I think that this needs to be reexamined up close, the colors and texture and flow keep your eye moving through out the whole thing.





Love the colors, the flow. Reminiscent of a Georgia O'Keefe, no.

Well, time to do battle with the brain tumping.

Have an outstanding day all and I'll see you tomorrow...

where does the time go...

Just doesn't seem to be enough time today or I am badly organizing it. Got up early this morning with the thought of getting a lot done and here it is almost noon and I am just now getting this posted!

Well, enough of the small talk let's get cracking, or typing or shooting or......

So, I walked around the house yesterday, really focusing on my surroundings and shot, oh probably close to 50 pictures of what I would call interesting things. Today I shall share at least one of them with you.

This is a statue of one of my friends, well not of my friend but, belonging to her. Strange but interesting all in one! I really like the texture and color.




Ah, finally, back to my favorite subject!!! Also my favorite time of year...Spring!!! Everything is in bloom and everything is fresh! I went into the Riverside Nursery (one of my favorite places to score flowers) this morning, to selected a few things to keep myself busy for a couple of day! While I was at the front counter checking out I asked the gal when they might get some Parrot tulips in and she replied "didn't you see the ones that I had in the case!"

DOH, don't I feel silly!!

This was one of them, kind of looks like Napa cabbage.

Got to run, was invited out to lunch today and she never takes no for an answer!


On that note, Have a fantastic day and I'll see you tomorrow...

outside of the box...

Two days in a row with no flowers, talk about leaving the comfort zone!

I figure if I am going to live up to this Photographer in training gig, I need to expand my horizons, step outside of my box so to speak and explore all possibilities. I'm sure in the long run it will even help me get better at the things that I really do love to shoot.

The first shot that I took last night was a variety of different apples. I have had a number of people ask me to do some fruits and veggies so, what the hay, lets give it a go!

The second is more in line with my over all goal which is to be a Nature photographer. Although I will always return to my flowers, being in Nature, (I didn't say camping), is very soothing, gives one that Zen feeling, that being one with my surroundings...



Okay, okay enough of that, let's enjoy some pics.




I like the colors here but, think the composition could use some work...any comments?

I really like the earthy feel of this photo!

So, this is a short and sweet day. Lots of projects on my table and never enough time!


Have an outstanding day everyone and I'll see you tomorrow...

turkey shot...

A dear friend of mine made a comment this morning that seems to have been taken to heart by my computer! She said "My sense is that *slow and steady* will win today's race." The computer is going so slow I may fall asleep waiting for it!

Any ways, I have two, actually for some, three new pictures for the day. One that was done with a dear friend in mind, the second goes with the first, and the last explains the title today.

I hope you enjoy...

This was taken last evening, needs a little work but I can't believe how much of a beating she has taken compared to this next one!

This was taken a few weeks back but when I am finished with the first it should make for a nice pair!

So, I was in my studio, setting up the lights, the subject, playing the music I like to listen to when I shoot, when I got a phone call telling me that I might want to head down the road from my house and bring my camera and check out the field...

Needless to say I did and here is the title for the day...

Funny, or sad, depending how you want to look at it but, every time I go to photo something in this field I forget to bring the right lens! I really must think before I run! Not that I have a super long distant lens but I think the 300mm lens would have given me a much closer view of these strutting Tom's then the 18-200mm that I slapped on the camera as I was leaving. Any way, this photo had to be cropped to bring these competing turkeys,(pun intended) much closer to view!

Well, time to get back into the studio and work on the project I started before going to the turkey shot!

Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow...

a different perspective...

If you hadn't noticed a trend, I love to shot flowers, (although don't say that in a florist, they will give you funny looks).

There's just something that keeps drawing me back to these intricate, beauties. I just love all the twist and turns, different shades, the sameness and difference of everyone of them and every time you take another look there is something that you missed the first time.

Typically, we always see flowers from the same direction and usually from a distance. Well, here are two today, up-close and from a different perspective...

I hope you enjoy them!

I REALLY love this shot!!! Before the day is out we have a date for a more in depth shot! I can see this as a nice 20 x 30 print!




There is just something about the color and texture of this flower, the lay of the petals, the softness and the hardness that play together perfectly!

Well, much to do today! Look forward to seeing you tomorrow...

lesson learned...

I think I learned a valuable lesson yesterday!

I kept thinking about the bell photo I took Friday evening. I was really unhappy with the feel of it and just couldn't put my finger on why...

Then it hit me, PASSION!

I took that picture like it was an assignment instead of the reason I take photographs, no, the reason I capture moments! PASSION!!! I love standing (or sitting), in front of a beautiful flower or reveling in the breath taking beauty of a scene I happen upon.

and on that subject, do we truly just happen upon some place or thing or are we called and just don't realize it.

Well, before I get carried away and bore you to death! Here are my daily offerings.

I hope you enjoy them, as much as I "ENJOYED" taking them.

This was a beautiful anemone, which even in it's end was still beautiful!




When a moment grabs you, take it!

This was one of two daffys, I rescued this morning from the wicket rain we got last night. I spent a lot of time with the other, not pictured here and then focused my eye on this one! The first shot out of the camera was this one...just absolutely perfect!

Incidentally all of these images, moments, are unedited. Straight from the camera to you with the exception of the water mark!

Excuse the length today but one more thing I wanted to add. I was reading this book last night, "The Zen of Creativity by John Daido Loori" and I came across this passage I thought was appropriate...

The state of mind of the photographer while creating is a blank....[but] It is a very active state of mind really, a very receptive state of mind, ready at an instant to grasp an image, yet with no image pre-formed in it at any time.
MINOR WHITE

Well, breathe in the beauty of the day and I'll see you tomorrow....

the continuing saga....

Day two and still going, later than I would like but still going!

The brain trust that I am, left his lens in the car last night and it got mighty cold!!!! Brought it in and it took, what seems forever to get the fog off of the lens. Thought about just shooting through the fog but it was so dense that I couldn't see the flower at all! For future reference, not that I will leave the lens in the car but, just in case I do it again, does anyone know a quick and harmless way of defog your lens?

Oh well, onward we go....

Took a 10 minute ride from my home and this is what I found....

The photo is okay but I am not overly impressed. As I am teaching myself photoshop I will see if I can do something here to punch it up...

Will let you know how it goes down the road a spell!

Okay, so after I got the lens defogged this is what I captured this morning...


again, it's okay but....

Guess it is back to the books (five books I'm reading, more on this later), continue to shoot and see how we grow...

Have a outstanding day, see you tomorrow!

and so the journey begins.......

A few weeks back I purchased a new DSLR, gorgeous camera, definitely going to be a learning experience!

Since it came out I had been using a Nikon D80, nice camera, shot some really nice photos but, it was time for an upgrade.....

Well, here we go!

The new camera is the Nikon D300s! This thing has got more bells and whistles than you can shake a stick at. Will be spending a lot of time learning all of the goodies that this is packed with.

Join me on this journey and see how it goes and where it leads....

Ambitiously, it is my plan to shoot at the end of the day and then again first thing in the morning. These are the first two offerings....

this was taken last night, hand held, which I never do, but it looks pretty good....

then there is this one which I shot this morning. I was heading for the front door when this cactus screamed at me and said "Hey, look here, take my picture!" The sun was streaming through the window and just illuminating these branches. I can't decide which I like better, so I offer them both for you to decide. Let me know what you think....

Well, on that note, Have a great day and we'll see you tomorrow..........