Category Archives: Wild flowers
The Asters-Ortonized
Friends, when trying to decide on what the subject of this image, i realized that it was both the perfect and the imperfect that told the aster story, At first i wanted to return to the meadows of Crex and reshoot for the perfect rendition, but then this image spoke and said that the imperfect also have their place in the world and can be objects of beauty. Venturing into the world of philosophy is hazardous so for the photographic world, I used the Orton Effect to soften the overall effect. In short this technique is two layers blended with the multiply filter. The bottom image layer is sharpened and lightened to 2.00 with levels, then the top layer is blurred with the Gausian blur tool and lightened to 1.5 with levels, the top layer is then blended with the multiply filter. til Tomorrow MJ
The Painted Lady
Friends, this pretty butterfly is called the painted lady, i think she is quite beautiful and she loves the blooming fall asters. These butteflies are quite common and are found all over North America in the summer months. Unlike the monarch who may migrate both north and south, these ladies only migrate one way. The image below shows the underside of the wing with small eyespots that are characteristic of this specie. They even have a feminine specie name, Vanessa. til Tomorrow MJ
Blazing star detail
Friends, this blazing star is now in bloom at Crex and this image is a close-up magnification of the one inch buds, the details are hidden when all the little flowers are open by the mass of purple styes so one needs to see at the earliest stage of blooming to see the tiny blooms. i love the macro approach so i can see the substructure of things. Guess that is why i was a microscopist in another life, seems like a very long time ago. Only six years ago but seems forever, I am much happier now til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Inside
Friends, Searching for remnants of the tall grass prairie on Thursday yielded many shots of this Queen Anne’s Lace. This image tells the flower story, the beautiful sweet blooms attract many bees and then the flowers fold into the seed pod up above the flower. You can still see the structures inside the spent bloom, i like the insides of this image. Do you? til Tomorrow MJ
Turks Head Lily
Friends, this beautiful wildflower is native to this region but somewhat rare to find in Crex except in areas that have been burned and not mowed. The biggest threats to its survival are people picking wildflowers and the whitetail deer who think this lily and the wood lily make a delicious snack. So don’t pick and scare away any deer you see eating these pretty flowers :), til Tomorrow MJ
Wild LIlies in Motion
Friends, another experiment with multiple exposures, these lilies were moving in the wind so i have shown them in a high key image with multiple exposures. Photography is an expressive art despite what some think and this expresses what i saw and felt in the Namekagon barrens on a windy hot day in June. Having fun with Photoshop. til Tomorrow MJ
Namekagon Pine Barrens-Wilderness
Friends, In the early morning light, the Wood Lilies are so nice with backlighting. With this bloom I got a bonus, a yellow butterfly also liked this bloom that I was photographing. I like that you can see his circular proboscis and antenna on his head. Sometimes the unsuspected details make the image more compelling. These Lilies are common on the sandy pine barrens of the Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Area, a new area for my photography. The Namekagon River runs into the St. Croix River and they are both part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers network. A real wilderness area where canoes rule!, til Tomorrow MJ
The Wild Lily
Friends, In Crex Meadows the wild Lilies are blooming here and there on the prairie grasslands. Their bright orange attracts the eye and my camera. These are a bit different than the domestic day lilies in that the cup where the petals meet are not closed and each petal is separate from the others, six beautiful orange petals with spots. I didn’t like the glare from the full sunshine so i used the Orton effect to soften the image. Thanks to Denise Ippolito and her book “The Softer Side of Macro”, well worth the read for you wildflower fans. til Tomorrow MJ
New Experiment
Friends, this is the Indian Paintbrush flower, getting tired of my mundane flower shots so I am experimenting with radial blurs. This effect can be captured in-camera by twisting the zoom barrel while exposing. Since I had already taken this image in the field, I chose to add a radial blur in photoshop. I really love photoshop and learning new skills. What do you think?, you can sign up for this newsletter in the column at the right, I blog every day and try to photograph every day, especially in the warmer months. til Tomorrow MJ
Blue Flag Iris, Traditional Approach
Friends, this blue iris or blue flag iris is difficult to photograph for two reasons. One is that nearly always is perched in a complicated green background and two is that the blooms are ravaged by bees, butterflies, dragonflies and hummers as soon as the blooms open. This unusually fresh bloom was found early in the day against a water background. What a find!! for a flower person. How do you like it ? You can subscribe to my blog in the column on the right. I blog every day so stay tuned, til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 