10 Wildflowers Blooming by the Road

It is the time of year to keep one eye on the side of the road -- the see what wildflower is in bloom and where you can find it.  I have been looking and here is a quick list I put together of 10 that I am seeing now in Georgia just a little bit south of Atlanta.  Depending upon where you live and when you read this -- things will be different...

1. Blackberries  Those beautiful arcs of bright white blooms are blackberries.  There seems to be an abundance of the blooms this year. Blackberry blossoms are good nectar producers.  The berries are well-known for their antioxidant properties.   hmm, last year I made Dandelion Wine -- this year maybe wine from blackberries.
2. Purple Verbena  This flower is so pretty.  As you drive along you spot a nice low growing splash of purple right on the side of the road.
3. Oxeye Daisy  This has to be my favorite flower of all time.  The simple Oxeye Daisy is so elegant on its tall slender stem.  I have read that Native Americans used a weak tea made from the oxeye daisy to sooth a fever.
4. Horrible Thistle  So harsh and so easy to spot whether it is in a cow pasture or by the road.  The heavy duty looking plant with that bold magenta bloom stands out like the sore thumb you will get if you grab it in the wrong spot.
5. False Dandelion  Not your Common Dandelion -- this one is on a tall slender stem, very much like the stem of the Oxeye Daisy.  The bloom does look like the other Dandy.
6. Common Dandelion  This is the one with the brilliant yellow blooms and those seed heads filled with tiny parachuting seeds.  The Common Dandelion's stem grows about 10 inches high and the False Dandelion's stem can grow to about 3 feet high.  About this time last year I posted a blog about making Dandelion wine from my great granddaddy's recipe. 
7. Hastate-Leaved Dock  This plant is seen just about everywhere.  It grows in groups, spreading patches.  The reddish haze in a field is this plant.  The stems are clustered and can grow as tall as 3 feet.  
8. Bluets  Tiny perennials that grow to 6 inches or less.  Four pale blue petals form the bloom.  The middle of the bloom is a yellow eye.  These are very delicate, small, and pretty.
9. Crimson Clover (OK I have that song stuck in my head now too -- the Joan Jett version) is pretty and a striking deep red to see along the side of the road.  This is an important plant.  The plant is used to control erosion in many places.  The clover produces a lot of seed that will spread or can be collected easily for other areas.  There have been studies to determine that the main pollenators of crimson clover are honeybees.  We have all heard about the disappearing honeybee -- so this is good news and will help keep them around.
10. Blue Toadflax  Another one of those plants responsible for that haze of color you see along the roadside or in a field.  Taken one by one these are tiny, delicate blue blooms on tall, slender stems.  When they grow in large groups -- the effect is beautiful.  I am thinking of one field I saw recently.  The red barn sets back from the road and in the field in front of it are clouds of blue here and there.  Very pretty.

One man's weed is another man's wildflower.  The photo on the blog today is of a blackberry bloom from my backyard taken yesterday with my Lensbaby Composer using the macro attachment.  The aperture was f/4.

The Clematis is Blooming

For a long time I thought the clematis vine was dead.  During the summer last year it looked kind of sad.  All winter I looked at it and thought about replacing it with morning glories or something like that this year.  

One day when it was warm I ventured down the deck steps to see if I could see signs of life any place in the backyard.

I did noticed something about the vine -- there were little green sprouts on it that looked like leaves.  It was not dead.    More time goes by -- and I start to see buds.  

Jump ahead a few more days; I went out to see how big the buds were now -- and guess what....three were blooming.  I found these on a nice day, nice late-day light -- so I went for the 50mm lens.  I sat on the deck steps until it was too dark taking many photos of the bloom.  The next day I went out with the lensbaby.  I took quite a few photos of the blooms with the macro filters, stacking them at times.  I also used the f/4 aperture ring and also took the ring out and shot wide open.

The photo on the blog today is using the f/4 aperture ring and the 10x macro attachment.  I really like this photo -- I like it in color and in black and white.  It looks more delicate in color and more architectural in black and white.

Nature Undisturbed Photography Exhibit

It is hard to believe it is already March.  I have been working on Nature Undisturbed with Abby Jordan and Greg Blair since last fall.  Soon the show will open.  In just a few days, the letters will go out to those photographers who sent in entries notifiying them if they have work in the show.  

Nature Undisturbed, a photography exhibit benefiting the Southern Conservation Trust, opens April 24 at Dogwood Gallery in Tyrone.  That Friday evening at 6pm there will be a reception, award ceremony, and a talk by the jurors.  It will be very interesting to hear what the jurors were looking for and how they found it.  

Saturday, April 25, I will present a lecture on "Lensbaby and the Nature Photographer."  The Lensbaby lens (as you all know) is a favorite of mine; using one in nature photography can really give you a new perspective.  The lecture will begin at 2pm.

Sunday, April 26, at 2pm the spotlight is on the Southern Conservation Land Trust.  The Trust will present a slideshow.  Also on hand will be Okefenokee Joe and a bird of prey demonstration.  This will be a great time to bring the kids!

Friday, May 1, at 6pm is another evening event -- a wine tasting and a chance to meet local photographers.

Saturday, May 2, at 6pm is a reception that should not be missed.  Susan Todd-Raque will talk about collecting photography.  Susan is one of the founders of Atlanta Celebrates Photography. This is definitely an event that anyone interested in photography should  attend.

The closing day of the show is Sunday, May 3.  At 2pm Tom Evens will show photos from his African photo safari and talk about preparing for such a trip.  All photographers are asked to pick up their photos after close of the show.

It is getting more and more exciting as the opening date nears.  

I Like Good Bokeh

It is not hard to figure since I like using a Lensbaby so much that I would like bokeh.  Some people reading the blog now are thinking -- huh?  Bokeh?  How the heck do you even say it???

I prefer the pronunciation Bo-Keh as in BOne and KEn with an "h" on the end of it.  Just a week or so ago I was listening to a new podcast and the guys kept saying bo-kay.  Yes, I believe this is acceptable -- but I don't like it.  This is a Japanese term and does mean fuzzy -- it also refers to the cobwebs in the heads of older people.  Sometimes I think I have some of those cobwebs!  

Anyway -- I like good bokeh!  I love having a subject in sharp focus and the background (or other areas) very out of focus and even to the point of having the highlights look like I have water spots on my glasses.  I believe this is why I love using my Lensbabies.  Those lenses are the perfect bokeh makers.  On  the blog today there is a black and white photo that I used on my Christmas card this past season.  This shows the out of focus background and how the lights are abstract looking.  The highlight spots (along the beads) are not only out of focus here -- they are stretched slightly.  A companion photo to this one was featured on the blog in December, The Christmas Card.

Both of these Lensbaby images show bokeh.  The photo featured on the old blog post also shows how you can use special aperture disks to shape the out of focus highlights in the photo.  I love the stars in that photo!  DIY Photography has instructions online on how to create your own shaped highlights -- so if you don't have a Lensbaby (yet) and the creative aperture kit -- check out the link.

Another photo on the blog today is from the backyard.  It was taken in May of 2004 and I used my old Fujifilm S7000.  This camera has excellent macro capabilites -- including the super macro setting.  The aperture in this photo of a yellow lily after the rain was f/2.8 and the shutter speed was 1/100.  I love the sharpness and the out of focus areas equally.  I especially love the blue light that was coming under the fence and you can see it through the gaps in the petals.  The out of focus area and fuzzy highlights help make this a great photo.  This photo is one I never considered for black and white.

If you are in search of bokeh -- you will need a lens that can be opened up -- meaning the aperture needs to be large (the number small).  The 50mm lenses (1.2, 1.4, & 1.8) all will work.  I have the 1.4 and love love love that lens.  Also the 85mm (1.2 & 1.8) will also be an excellent choice.  Remember I am talking about these lenses from a Canon frame of mind.  Of course a Lensbaby works well; but think of this -- the yellow lily photo was taken with a super-zoom point and shoot.  

To see more examples of bokeh -- Google "bokeh".  You can also visit Flickr and search for groups devoted to bokeh and photos tagged with the work bokeh.   Now get out there and get those backgrounds out of focus!

In the Company of Daisies...

I have had some of my favorite subjects around the house the past couple days.  I love daisies.  Usually I bring home the white ones.  Call me a purist -- but I just like white daisies.  Well, this weekend I had a baby shower at the house.  The shower was for a boy -- and since it was a baby boy, I found a really pretty bunch of daisies that included blue.  There were white as well -- but the blue was a very pretty blue.

So again the Composer got a workout today.  I started with the +4 macro attachment.  Then I switched to the +10 attachment.  Then I stacked them.  The photo on the blog today was made with the +4 and +10 stacked.  

I really like the focus point.  The blue petals get the blur -- they appear almost fluid.  Again -- my eye sees blur in photos first as movement.  These petals are like water in a creek -- the curves, the flow.

When I am playing around with flowers at home, I have a nice place in the kitchen near a window.  I like to use the window light and the light in the kitchen -- no flash.  This photo was taken using auto white balance.  I used the f/4 aperture ring in the Lensbaby.  The shutter speed was 1/30 and the ISO 100.  Of course, I used a tripod.  In Photoshop I adjusted the contrast, shadows, and highlights a little and ever so slightly boosted the saturation.  Just a little on the saturation -- too much always looks funky to me.

So now I can add blue daisies to my list of favorite flowers.  

Bare Trees

This week I have been looking at bare trees -- a lot.  This is a good time to get out and get those shots before spring arrives.  Just about an hour ago I noticed buds on the tips of some limbs as I drove by a favorite swampy spot.  Redbud trees are blooming -- as well as a couple other trees that I have no clue what they are -- but they are sporting some blooms.  

A couple days ago I was out in the back yard -- again -- playing with the Composer -- again.  I looked up at the trees at the edge of the woods.  The photo is interesting to me.  I like the bits of sharpness, blur, and almost the smudge of the tree on the right.  Since the tree on the right is so blurred -- it gives me the sense of movement -- like that tree is running away from the other one.  The sky was mostly overcast but bright.  I blew out the light enough to hide shapes of clouds.   The look I wanted was just the bare tree against the background of a blah sky.  The tree is the focus not the sky -- and I did not want even a cloud to detract from the tree.

When the end of a season is looming I feel all this pressure to get out and get my photos of the "look" before it is gone.  In fall I hustle for the color before the leaves drop.  Even after they start to drop -- I hustle for the bits of color left on a tree.  In summer you are hunting the least bit of full green foliage or flowers.  In the spring you are competing with the time and the life of a bloom.  Those cherry trees have a "shelf life."  Now I am feeling it (the hurry up thing) for the bare tree photos or photos of the woods without leaves getting in the way.  Just the other day I noticed the leaf buds on my clemantis vine.  

Spring is coming -- get in those winter photos now -- next thing you know leaves and blooms will be all around you.

Finding a Photo Where You Least Expect It

Many believe that in winter you will be limited for photo opportunities outdoors.  A couple weeks ago someone mentioned to me about the photo show -- and the site specific category -- that they felt they were incredibly limited to get out and get a great shot at this time of year.  They said that there was no color -- no interest.  I pointed them to my photos taken January 15 and 16 at Sam's Lake.  I love those photos.  The early morning color on the water is great.  And remember -- it was pretty darn cold when I took those photos!  Even in February you can find interest outdoors.  I am thinking about heading down through the woods behind the house tomorrow.  

On Groundhog Day I stepped just outside my back door (I did not see my shadow -- yay early spring) -- into the 'courtyard' area of the yard.  OK -- I admit it right here and now that I am a neglectful gardener.  There are old stems of flowers in the beds -- they should have been removed months ago.  But they weren't -- and now I am glad.  I went out with the Composer to see what could be found.  I found a couple clumps of volunteer broomsedge -- it will be removed within the next couple weeks -- promise.  But in the mean time -- it makes for an interesting subject -- especially with the Lensbaby.

There were quite a few old dead butterfly bush blooms.  These are great for a macro.  Then I spotted a few yarrow stems with remnants of the bloom that was last year so brilliant red.  Now it is skeletal and an excellent subject.  This is the photo on the blog.  Another one of the yarrow I like fills the frame with the skeleton bloom.  The toughest part was the slight breeze that would jostle around my subject -- this is not a good thing -- especially for macro and double especially for the Lensbaby.

I am still playing with the Composer and in the next few days I will blog about it and the contrast to the 3G.  I can say that I like them both and that they are so different I don't feel that one would replace the other.  Yesterday I bought some beautiful tulips to use as subjects for some play.

The Lensbaby Drop

No -- I did not drop my Lensbaby.  I have been looking to take a nice photo with the Lensbaby where the sharp focus was on a drop of water and the rest of the photo was slightly out of focus.

I chose one of the smaller aperture disks (actually not a smaller disk -- all of the disks are the same size -- the hole in the center is smaller).  

I wanted the bare branches in the background -- out of focus but still where you could make out what it is.

This photo was taken the foggy day I was disappointed in cows.  When I walked home from the edge of the pasture I noticed something.  As I walked up the sidewalk to the front porch the Japanese Maple had many little drops of water on the branches.

I had that old Nikon lens on the camera -- so I had to get into the house and swap lenses (and add one of the macro diopter filters to the lens -- and head back out.

I like this photo -- I like the little highlight that is just below the drop -- I like the way the branches are in this photo.  The composition works for me.  The drop is placed at a good point in the photo.  Of course I converted the original color image to black and white.

This works for now -- next time it is foggy -- I will be at it again.

The Christmas Card

I got the Christmas cards in the mail late yesterday. Usually I get them out early in December. The past few years I have been trying to use photos for the cards. This year I did not have much of an idea of what I wanted to use. I was planning on taking a photo of my Christmas tree after it was up and decorated -- but when I tried to get a photo of it -- the whole thing -- I did not like what I was getting.

Then I had an idea about using the Lensbaby for the photo. After a little playing around with the placement of an ornament and the lights. I had a photo I kind of liked. As with many of my black and white images, I took the photo in color but planned all along to use the black and white version. The card I have is a silver embossed frame that you slip the photo into. I wanted to put a black and white photo into the silver frame.

Over the weekend I printed the photos I needed for the cards. As soon as I had printed them all, I got a great idea of what would have made the photo even better (isn't that always the way it goes!). The creative aperture kit from Lensbaby has a star aperture disk (it also has a heart disk and blanks to make you own). Sunday I had to take some photos using that disk -- even though I would not use it for the card -- I wanted to see what it would do with all of the light from the tree. The photo on the blog is the one I wish I had used for the cards.

All of the stars you see in the photo were created by the aperture disk. The little 'band' of stars that crosses the photo and goes behind the ornament is the bead garland. The reflections from the beads show up as stars when I use that disk.