Category: Spring

Calla Lily

CallaLily2

One of the perks of my tiny beach house is its proximity to Azalea Park in Brookings. I stopped by this week to see if the Calla Lilies were in bloom yet. Two weeks ago they were just starting to come out. There were only a few in full bloom this time but a few were all I needed. It had just started to rain and if you look closely you can see a few raindrops along the edges. There were also a lot of grape hyacinths and a few rhododendrons starting to come out. Can’t wait to what’s out next time I’m in town. I added a couple of textures to bring out a little bit of color.

Day 81 – Lavender

lavender

So, the lavender is just starting to bloom around the ‘hood. Sometimes I have to ask myself what is creative about another flower picture. Here’s what myself answered. I had to chose the lens to put on the camera: I chose the Velvet 28 because I wanted to isolate a single flower against a blurred purple background. I had to chose the aperture. I chose f4 so the background would be blurred but the flower would be mostly in focus. I had to chose where to focus. I noticed the little flower open and chose to focus right on it. When I got it back in the computer I chose to crop it a little for a slightly improved composition. I also chose to go out looking for lavender this day. So, yes, I guess there are a lot of creative choices to be made even it what looks like just another simple flower photo.

Again from Julia Cameron today:

By insisting to ourselves that beauty is present even on those days when we cannot see it, we make the beauty in the world more real.

Day 79 – Peony

Peony

The light was very harsh when I was out photographing yesterday. I did my best to tone this down in photoshop. It is not often I have to take out vibrance and saturation but I may not have gone far enough with this one.

I like this quote from Julia Cameron because I have been feeling it a lot lately and have been enjoying a weekend dedicated to watercolor, photography and enjoying the peace of staying home on a holiday weekend.

When our lives become too frantic, our art retreats. It does not thrive on a life lived pell-mell.

Day 75 – Dutch Iris

DutchIris

The Dutch Iris were also in bloom at Shore Acres. I thought I may have made a mistake in ordering the 28mm Lensbaby Velvet lens, but then I was watching a video by one of my favorite flower photographers and she pointed out that it focuses as close as 2 inches away. Which means you can get right up on the flower and have the who flower in focus while the background drops off in a dreamy blur. It should also be very helpful in my tiny studio where I never seem to have enough working space to get the composition I’m after. I guess it was a good investment after all.

Today from Matthew Fox:

Creativity requires the darkness as well as the light, suffering as well as joy. Could flowers grow if they were in the sun twenty-four hours per day?

Day 74 – Shore Acres

ShoreAcres

It’s been a long day of driving and photographing. But the highlight of the day was visiting Shore Acres Gardens. I’ve never been there before when the Rhododendrons were in bloom and all I can say is Wow, just Wow. I tried to chose the photo that best told the story. I was working with my Lensbaby Velvets so yes the focus is a little soft. That is intentional. But like the Rhodies in front and the color around the little caretaker’s cottage. I also like the mist filtering through.

So, Matthew Fox is downstairs and I am tired so I turn today to Julia Cameron who is close at hand:

Allowing art to move through us without impediment means resigning as its author. The work must be allowed to author itself, to take on the shapes and colors that it prefers.

Day 71 – Hydrangea

Hydrangea3

My Hydrangea is just starting to bloom. I took the Omni and a couple of crystals out to play but in the end I liked this image without any special effects best, though I did have to crop it from the original.

This week I am turning again to Matthew Fox for my Creative inspirations. In today’s offering Fox quotes writer Anais Nin and expands on her words:

Anais Nin once said: “We write to taste life twice.” I agree. I think we write to taste life twice, and we paint and dance and sing and compose all art “to taste life twice.”

Day 54 – Rhododendron

Rhody

It must be May, the Rodies are a bloomin’. I went out yesterday to see how the Irises were progressing.  Very well, thank you. But I was sidetracked by my Rhododendron which was nearing peak bloom. I find it very hard to photograph Rhody blossoms so that they look good so I was very happy with the way this one turned out.

Our quote for today is from French film director Robert Bresson:

Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen.

Day 51 – Lupine

Lupine

I wanted to get ahead of the curve today so against my better judgement I grabbed the M3 with Sweet 50 mounted before taking Cody out for his mid-morning walk. I was able to get off a few shots before he decided we needed to be elsewhere. I’ve been walking by this patch of lupine for a few days now and glad I finally had a camera in my hands today.

Today’s quote is from Jack London:

Your can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

Day 49 – Iris Impression

Iris

I had big plans for going out to photograph this morning but got preempted by rain. After an epic fail with my watercolor homework I turned to the ancestors for awhile and the next thing I knew it was 4pm and too windy to photograph flowers so I turned back to the archives for this photo of my variegated leaf Iris which is just coming into bloom. I wanted an impressionistic look and it was already a little light around the edges so I took it further in that direction with a light vignette and a texture which I masked out over the center.

And for our last day with Julia Cameron (at least for now):

Allowing art to move through us without impediment means resigning as its author. The work must be allowed to author itself, to take on the shapes and colors that it prefers.

Day 47 – Azalea

Azalea

Today and tomorrow are the North American Nature Photography Association’s virtual Summit.  That means two days of inspiration and eye candy for me, but also a challenge to get my post done. Today I decided to just go out in the backyard with the Sweet 50 on the M3 and see what I could find. I was studying my Iris which is still coming along when I turned around and was surprised to see that my Azalea was almost in full bloom. I had to go back in and get some extension tubes in order to get close enough to get this shot. I love how the texture I chose together with the Lensbaby effect gives it almost a watercolor look. I need to get started making cards to take down to the Artisan’s Emporium and I think this one will be high on my list.

And again from Julia Cameron:

If you think of the universe as a vast electrical sea in which you are immersed and from which you are formed, opening to your creativity changes you from something bobbing in that sea to a more fully functioning, more conscious, more cooperative part of that ecosystem.