Category: Flora

Day 64 – Calla Lily with Rainbow effect

CallaRainbow

So this week I’ve decided to really enter into the spirit of creativity by playing with some of my Lensbaby toys. They make what they call the Omni System which is a device that allows you to place objects in front of the lens to get special effects. Today I was working with the rainbow effect tool. All I can say is it’s great when it works but it can be very hard to get the rainbow and then it doesn’t always land in the right place. While processing this image I thought it might be fun to do a black and white of the flowers and then bring the colors of the rainbow effect back in. It probably won’t win any prizes but did get my creative juices flowing.

This week I’m back to Nancy Rotenberg as my quote guru and today I’ve chosen one from the great lady herself:

If the Sacred Art Cows own your power, take it back. Grant yourself the passport to travel your own road with the map of your own devising. Create whatever it is you wish to create.

Day 63 – Geranium

Geranium

I spent most of the day working on a class I’m teaching on Wednesday and I must have stop ten times and thought “I need to get an image for today”. Nearly made it to bed when a little voice told me to go check email and sitting at the computer I realized I had never done it. Fortunately I had this geranium in my back pocket for just such an occasion.

Today’s quote is from Janis Joplin:

Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.

 

 

Day 55 – Calla Lily

Calla-Lily

I went to the nursery yesterday to get some flowers for my pots. I couldn’t resist this Calla Lily. You’ll probably be seeing it again. This one was shot with the Sweet 50 on the M3 but I may have to invoke the 180 mm macro lens. But for now I must get back to my watercolor homework.

Today’s quote is from Charles Horton Cooley, and no, I have no idea who he is:

An artist cannot fail; It is a success to be one.

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 53 – Pansy

Pansy

This Pansy was covered in pollen and what I think were bird droppings so I had passed it by. I also wasn’t very fond of the dirt in the background. But, two textures and a trip through Topaz Impressions for a Cezanne treatment, not to mention a lot of spot healing brush action, and I rather like it now.

Today’s quote is from Ansel Adams:

There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.

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 50 – Sunflower

Sunflower2

Another day for the archives. This one from my sunflower shoot in March. The good thing about being half done is there is always something to fall back on in a pinch. 

Today I start a new source for quotes. This one is a second book from Roderick McIver and Heron Dance Press called Simplicity is Profound: Meditations on Creativity Daybook. It’s out of print so I had to pay a pretty penny and wait some time for it to be delivered but the title seemed to perfect for this project so I hope it proves worth it. Today’s quote is from Pablo Picasso:

I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them.

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.

Day 45 – Iris

Iris2

I wore myself out pulling weeds today so it’s a good thing I have another Iris photo to fall back on. I never get tired of doing macro shots of Irises. They are so photogenic.

Today’s quote is again from Julia Cameron:

By listening to our heart’s desires and listening to them closely, we are not only led into making the art we dream of making but also into the dream of that art being realized on a meaningful scale.