Ladybug & Cactus

OUCH!

Bleeding Heart Fantasy

Speaking of Boosting Your Photographic Creativity........ (previous post)

This spring in northern Utah we have had a lot of rainy, windy, blustery weather, and so I've spent as much time as I can manage, enjoying shooting the beautiful cactus blooms in the sunny, warm weather of southern Utah.  When we returned to our northern Utah home, however, I realized that I had neglected and missed many of my favorite spring blooms.  It has been so windy and rainy that I hadn't even been out to see what was blooming in my own yard.  When I finally ventured out, I realized with great disappointment, that one of my favorite spring flowers, my bleeding hearts, were pretty much done.  The lovely arching branches with dainty little rows of hearts were mostly dried up or gone. 

This is the time when I used to walk away and photograph another day, but now I force myself to think of other possibilities before I pack up the camera.  So I searched until I found one or two hearts that must have either been late bloomers or were sheltered from the strong winds, because they still looked fresh and intact.  The problem was that they were so hidden by foliage, there was no way I could photography them where they were as a natural, nature shot. 

So I immediately switched to 'Plan B'.  I knew this had to be a 'studio portrait' so the first thing I did was cut the little branch that had the best looking little heart and bring it inside.  I put it in a glass of water on my kitchen counter and put a piece of white foam board behind it as a backdrop.  I shot from various angles, some close ups and some including the glass. 

After downloading my images to the computer and selecting the one I liked the best, I then had to visualize how I wanted the final image to look.  I decided I wanted a colorful 'fantasy' look, so I knew I would do some major, (but simple and quick), editing.  The first thing I did was to combine the bleeding heart image with another image I took of a flowerbed that I purposefully shot out of focus to use as a soft, dreamy and colorful background.  Then I added a soft focus filter to increase the 'dreamy' look even more.  That's it!  The final result may not be what I originally intended, but I had fun using my imagination to create something unique, and definitely a fantasy!      

Tech Talk Tuesday

One way to develop more creativity and diversity in your photography is to brain storm beyond the composition you initially had in mind and force yourself to think of different possibilities.  

I was driving on the outskirts of a small town near our winter home in southern Utah, when I spied a 'field' of cactus (cacti??) in bloom.  I then noticed the beautiful sky with big puffy clouds parting after the recent storm.   I immediately thought of a composition with a large depth of field showing the entire vista, which would highlight a cactus bloom in the foreground, and the lovely red hills and sky in the background.  I was there during midday, so I chose a view that also included sun flare, which you know is one of my favorite things!

(On a side note, while it is true that many landscape photographers think the times of day near the golden hours of sunrise and sunset are best for dramatic landscape photography, I believe that beautiful photography happens at all times of day and in all types of lighting.)

After I was satisfied that I captured what I was after, I could have packed it up and moved on.  But I always try to say to myself, "What's next?  Is there a different composition here?  Is there a more interesting perspective?"  Sometimes, I just walk around and change my location while looking through my viewfinder.  Sometimes I change my elevation, (shoot from a higher or lower perspective).  Sometimes I change my lens from a wide angle to a macro and look for an intimate view.  The possibilities are as big as your imagination.

I have found that when I expand my vision and think of additional possible compositions, often one of those OTHER compositions turns out to be my favorite shot of the day!

Seeing Red

What Karen Saw

 What Karen's Camera Saw

Some of us are able to travel to exotic places where one could point and shoot an image anywhere and it would be memorable!  But for those of us who are not always able to do this, we must find beauty in our everyday world.  Then we must figure out how to isolate it from the mundane, and highlight that beauty to our own photographic and artistic interpretation.  
Learning to SEE the beauty that is where you are will greatly improve your photographic skills and increase the number of memorable images you will make!

Dreaming in Hot Pink

Dreaming in Hot Pink!

Happy Mother's Day

Mother - the Sweetest word!   Happy Mother's Day to all!

Desert Beauty

Sometimes it is hard to believe that such beautiful blooms appear on harsh, unfriendly plants, like this cactus.  Cactus blooms are often on display for such a very short period of time, that many people rarely get to see the lovely side of a desert landscape.  I hope those of you who live far away from the south western deserts of the US are enjoying what I see at this time of year. 

Tech Talk Tuesday - Salt Lake Temple & Daffodils

Salt Lake Temple & Daffodils

I haven't done a Tech Talk Tuesday for a long time, so today is just a mini chat..... really, just a couple of ideas for you to consider that might help improve your photography:

For those of us who are not fortunate enough to travel to far away places and photograph majestic wonders around the world, we need to concentrate on making great photos of what we see in our own backyard, neighborhood, city, etc.  But because we see these familiar landscapes, objects, flora & fauna, buildings, all the time, we need to be creative and look for ways to make these familiar objects more interesting.  There are numerous ways to do this, but the above photos demonstrate two of my favorite ways:

Lighting - Lighting can have a dramatic effect in creating interesting photos of familiar scenes.  Soft light, harsh shadows, directional light, bad weather, sun flare, back lighting, are a few ways to make your photos stand out.  I have taken many photos of the Salt Lake Temple in spring time, but I try to make each one unique.  This day, I purposefully found an angle where I could use the setting sun to back light the daffodils and create an interesting sun flare.

Background Interest -  This time of year, many of us love to photograph the never ending array of colorful spring flowers.  Sometimes I like to get up close to capture the beauty of a single bloom or petal,  but that often includes a dark, boring background.  I always look at my composition to see if the background is adding to the image, detracting from the image or doing nothing for the image.  Once in a while a solid black or white background is dramatic and adds to the image, and often a softly blurred background of supporting flowers makes the image more interesting.  But my favorite background is one that is unique, not easily recognizable and causes the viewer to take a second look.

  

Beautiful Light

Beautiful Light!

Sometimes it really is all about the light.  This beautiful cactus bloom was back lit by warm early morning sunshine, tickling all the right places.

Argentine Cactus

Argentine Cactus

I think this is the most beautiful and exotic cactus bloom I have photographed to date.  You probably wouldn't be surprised if I said I discovered this rare beauty on one of our long treks in the isolated deserts near our southern Utah home.  And that I had to hike for several miles in the sweltering desert sun, before I discovered this beauty tucked away on the side of a cliff.  And to top it off I had to suffer multiple punctures of sharp brambles and cacti spines as I leaned over the edge to get this shot.  Gosh, that would make a great story!    

Well, I'm just so darn honest that I have to tell you I actually found this beautiful cactus in the parking strip, alongside a busy city street about a mile from where I live.  It was early morning and I was on my way to a zumba class when I spied these blooms and pulled over.  Luckily I had my camera with me.  But it was so windy and chilly outside that I literally rolled down my car window and snapped a few shots from inside my cozy warm car.  I did have my camera set on shutter priority with a high shutter speed to freeze the movement from the wind, but still, these are not great conditions for flower photography.  I was pleasantly surprised that this turned out as well as it did! 

Glistening Petals

Glistening Petals

I love the way the light makes these petals sparkle.  This is another beautiful cactus bloom found in southern Utah.

More Desert Springtime

Desert Paintbrush or Indian Paintbrush

A Ladybug's World

Cactus Beauty

Cactus Beauty

This was taken about a mile or so away for our home.

Salt Lake Temple - Spring

Temple Square - Spring 2015 

(taken with a 15mm fisheye lens)

Spring 2015

Spring Has Come to Northern Utah!

 

Although snow still covers the mountain peaks, and the weather is often chilly, spring has definitely come to northern Utah.  Temple Square is a riot of spring color, and the tulip festival at Thanksgiving Point begins tomorrow.  

For a nature photographer, I don't think there is anything more glorious, peaceful, or uplifting, than to be outside after a long winter, with the sunshine warming my back, hearing the birds chirping in the trees, and getting up close and personal with the colors and fragrance of springtime blooms.  Feels like experiencing a piece of heaven here on earth!

He Is Risen!

He is Risen!

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Mormons), Easter is a sacred day.  It is a day to renew our faith; it is a day to remember with deep gratitude and humility, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer;  and, it is a day to rejoice in our belief of a glorious resurrection where we will not only have the opportunity to live in the presence of Jesus Christ, but to be reunited with our loved ones who have passed on before us.  It is also a day to attend church, and then gather together with our families to eat, socialize, have fun and enjoy being together.  Yes, the Easter Bunny usually makes an appearance, but we try to put greater emphasis on the sacred events that are the reasons we celebrate Easter.

Isn't it wonderful that Easter comes in the spring.  I can't think of anything more symbolic of the death and resurrection of our Savior, than observing all the beauties of nature created by our Father in Heaven, and knowing that when the vibrant colors of spring, summer and fall slowly fade and life withers away as to appear dead, it is not really the end.  Sleep comes for awhile, but soon God's creations will burst forth again, fresh and beautiful with renewed life, in the spring. 
Likewise, so will we!  

I wish you peace, joy, and renewed faith and hope for the future on this Easter Sunday.

Desert Gold

 Fields of Desert Poppies

Desert Marigold with Friend

Pretty in Pink

Desert blooms are every bit as spectacular as tropical blooms, (IMHO)!

Wild Rhubarb and Ladybug

Wild rhubarb in Snow Canyon, taken just before the sun set.

Ladybug balancing on edge of rhubarb leaf.  I learned that ladybugs love wild rhubarb.  They were congregating on this bush, but the darn things would not hold still for a portrait.  It took me about an hour to finally get a decent photo!

Bees, Cactus & Gopher Plant

 I took these photos about two weeks ago in my southern Utah backyard.  This is a close up of what is commonly called a gopher plant.  (I was too lazy to see if it has a more 'official' name.)

 The gopher plants in my yard were in full bloom and the bees were going crazy!  Here, one cluster of blooms was nestled against a cactus, creating a very interesting backdrop.

The bees were so busy with their work that they hardly noticed me.  The lens of my camera was only an inch or so away from this guy.