It's been too long since I last wrote on this blog. I seem to have been busy. Looking back I can't work out where my days have gone or what there is to show for it, but it's certainly time to get my fingers tapping on the keyboard once more.
I've been working hard on some photography projects and have finally finished a book of my mum's garden. My Eastern Turkey trip of 2010 is next but I still fear that it may take even longer. I've been writing a Lightroom 3 course that I'll be teaching soon with Len Metcalf and I've been planning a couple of photography trips with some photo buddies. Dunne's Swamp next weekend and Mungo and Menindee Lakes in October. Can't wait!
But back to today - or more correctly, yesterday. I'm still in winter mode. I looove winter!! I'm less thrilled about summer. Winter for me has it all. I love the food, I love the low light, I love Sydney winters with their bright blue skies and crisp cold nights. In winter, I can always put on more clothes to get warm, but once we hit the Australian summer, unless you are smart about your day, or overusing the earth's limited resources, it's near impossible to stay cool.
And that brings me to Spring, the topic of today's post. Spring was once my favorite season. I hung around waiting for the buds to open, the neighbourhood gardens to bloom, the streetscapes to colour up. But not any longer. To me Spring is just that time of the year between glorious winter and boring summer! And it is the time for hayfever!!
I'd noticed a couple of days ago that one of the Japanese Maple trees in my yard had the start of the sweet green leaves that begin in Spring. The Ornamental Peach beside the driveway also had a hint of colour. Late yesterday afternoon I took the camera, my trusty 105 macro and a monopod and thought I'd do a quick hunt around and see what was starting to bloom. I'd also been to the nursery yesterday looking for some veges etc to put in, so the garden was front and centre in my mind.
I've included here for your enjoyment a random selection of what's out in my garden today.
I think this one (above) is my favourite. The ornamental peach. I tried to get a background that would give the impression that it was growing out in the open or against a river and NOT beside a roadway with a brown brick house across the way. I've taken hundreds of photos of these blossoms over the years and have finally remembered to think about the background!!! Yeah! There is hope for me yet!
And like everyone else, I have a few geraniums that need absolutely no care. This little one is just about to bloom.
The long side of our house with the big deck faces north and it is so very hot in summer that over the years I've experimented to find plants than can tolerate and thrive in the heat and in pots. The last few years these daisies have been spot on! Not possible to kill them and they bloom for months at a time. I've played with the colour of this one a little in Nik Color 3.0.
Now this image (above) is of the same daisy family. I've done it in a mono using Nik Silver and every time I glance at it I am reminded of the photo of Princess Di with the wet hair look. At least I think it is the wet hair look one. Whatever .... it's the tones I think. I'll go looking one time and check it out but I think the connection for me is the tonal treatment. Interesting??
Another side view of the same daisies as earlier. The light was magic late afternoon, in front of a dark brick wall.
Another example of "Ten in the bed" (above)
I had 2 very large diosma bushes in my small courtyard but removed one in Autumn so my lemon tree would do better. This is the remaining bush and I never really thought much about it until some time last year when I looked at the flowers through the viewfinder and loved the delicate shapes and the patterns the bush itself made in images.
A small lavender bush (above) with the hint of blue coming form the painted window surrounds.
This quaint plant was one that came from Ron's mother's garden when she died. It's a waxy sort of plant that just does it's own thing. Again, like the diosma, it is very ordinary until you look at it thru a viewfinder, and preferably with the aperture wide open.
Now this bit of chaos is a native that I planted along the bush side of the house. It is very fine and blows a lot in the wind. Yesterday the movement looked amazing. I haven't captured it to it's best effect but you do get some impression of movement in the background. The light patch top LHS is blown out from the setting sun. This image would be very lowly scored at a camera club comp but to me it speaks of this disorganised bush.
Another shot of the diosma.
The mono (above) is last year's chilli bush. Bright red and green. I've treated it in this way so the aging of the chillies are shown with their rumpled skin.
I've been working hard on some photography projects and have finally finished a book of my mum's garden. My Eastern Turkey trip of 2010 is next but I still fear that it may take even longer. I've been writing a Lightroom 3 course that I'll be teaching soon with Len Metcalf and I've been planning a couple of photography trips with some photo buddies. Dunne's Swamp next weekend and Mungo and Menindee Lakes in October. Can't wait!
But back to today - or more correctly, yesterday. I'm still in winter mode. I looove winter!! I'm less thrilled about summer. Winter for me has it all. I love the food, I love the low light, I love Sydney winters with their bright blue skies and crisp cold nights. In winter, I can always put on more clothes to get warm, but once we hit the Australian summer, unless you are smart about your day, or overusing the earth's limited resources, it's near impossible to stay cool.
And that brings me to Spring, the topic of today's post. Spring was once my favorite season. I hung around waiting for the buds to open, the neighbourhood gardens to bloom, the streetscapes to colour up. But not any longer. To me Spring is just that time of the year between glorious winter and boring summer! And it is the time for hayfever!!
I'd noticed a couple of days ago that one of the Japanese Maple trees in my yard had the start of the sweet green leaves that begin in Spring. The Ornamental Peach beside the driveway also had a hint of colour. Late yesterday afternoon I took the camera, my trusty 105 macro and a monopod and thought I'd do a quick hunt around and see what was starting to bloom. I'd also been to the nursery yesterday looking for some veges etc to put in, so the garden was front and centre in my mind.
I've included here for your enjoyment a random selection of what's out in my garden today.
I think this one (above) is my favourite. The ornamental peach. I tried to get a background that would give the impression that it was growing out in the open or against a river and NOT beside a roadway with a brown brick house across the way. I've taken hundreds of photos of these blossoms over the years and have finally remembered to think about the background!!! Yeah! There is hope for me yet!
We have a few vines covering a very ordinary looking colourbond fence. This vine has a pinkish toned flower that was a little too high up for me to capture but this shot is of the spent flower and I actually really like the look of the dead flowers.
And like everyone else, I have a few geraniums that need absolutely no care. This little one is just about to bloom.
The long side of our house with the big deck faces north and it is so very hot in summer that over the years I've experimented to find plants than can tolerate and thrive in the heat and in pots. The last few years these daisies have been spot on! Not possible to kill them and they bloom for months at a time. I've played with the colour of this one a little in Nik Color 3.0.
Now this image (above) is of the same daisy family. I've done it in a mono using Nik Silver and every time I glance at it I am reminded of the photo of Princess Di with the wet hair look. At least I think it is the wet hair look one. Whatever .... it's the tones I think. I'll go looking one time and check it out but I think the connection for me is the tonal treatment. Interesting??
And this little one (above) is again, the same daisy family, but accepting the movement the breeze was making and accentuating it by consciously capturing the flower a little out of focus. Well, perhaps I should have said, "quite a bit out of focus"? By playing with the focus ring, in my mind I've accentuated the shape and the colour. Perhaps to others it just confirms that I can't take sharp photos!!!
And when the bush is ablaze with flowers they crowd each other as if it's the children's song "Ten in the bed and the middle one said, roll over, roll over!" What I attempted to do here with this arrangement, was to play on the crowded bush idea. Wide open aperture (2.8) and therefore a muted background.
Another side view of the same daisies as earlier. The light was magic late afternoon, in front of a dark brick wall.
Another example of "Ten in the bed" (above)
I had 2 very large diosma bushes in my small courtyard but removed one in Autumn so my lemon tree would do better. This is the remaining bush and I never really thought much about it until some time last year when I looked at the flowers through the viewfinder and loved the delicate shapes and the patterns the bush itself made in images.
A small lavender bush (above) with the hint of blue coming form the painted window surrounds.
This quaint plant was one that came from Ron's mother's garden when she died. It's a waxy sort of plant that just does it's own thing. Again, like the diosma, it is very ordinary until you look at it thru a viewfinder, and preferably with the aperture wide open.
Now this bit of chaos is a native that I planted along the bush side of the house. It is very fine and blows a lot in the wind. Yesterday the movement looked amazing. I haven't captured it to it's best effect but you do get some impression of movement in the background. The light patch top LHS is blown out from the setting sun. This image would be very lowly scored at a camera club comp but to me it speaks of this disorganised bush.
Another shot of the diosma.
The mono (above) is last year's chilli bush. Bright red and green. I've treated it in this way so the aging of the chillies are shown with their rumpled skin.
