Blog Archives
Flowers
Friends, these buds and flowers were found in the badlands, i could only guess at their identity, good thing i don’t need to know the name to enjoy their beauty, til Tomorrow MJ
Blue Flowers
Friends, some blue flowers from the Black Hills of South Dakota. these blue bells also grow in Minnesota and Wisconsin. They are universal, do they grow where you are? the purple flower is larkspur?? found it along French Creek til Tomorrow MJ
Along French Creek
Friends, today we are in Custer State Park and walking along the trail at French Creek. The star lilies greeted us at the trailhead then the red rock high above our heads. Enjoy your walk this morning. til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Color
Friends, the word color means blooming flowers to me, I had to travel 90 miles and go to a giant greenhouse to photograph these Asiatic Lilies, I used a softer effect to show the flower within a flower, one of my favorite subjects, don’t really like the rusty hue against the pink petals, but nature made it that way so I share with you, til Tomorrow MJ
Pretty in Pink
Friends, this pretty pink is one of thousands of azaleas in the Como Conservatory exhibit, a literal wall of pink is displayed as a warm up for spring, My mother enjoyed the children almost as much as the flowers. She raised five of her own and is still very attracted to baby faces. So this pretty in pink is dedicated to her and her motherly love. til Tomorrow MJ
Tiny Angel
Friends, went to Como Conservatory with my sister and mom, this orchid struck me as a red angel against a cloud of yellow. The colors in the indoor jungle atmosphere were a wonderful lift when winter is still menacing and spring is not far off. These orchids were perched in front of a gray neutral card and seemed the perfect background, maybe this was planned so I made use of the planning. Orchids are so varied, til Tomorrow MJ
Summer Cheer
Friends, this bright yellow is to cheer up those who need cheering, including me, til Tomorrow MJ
Pink Bottle Brushes
Friends, these late summer water plants are found in Crex alongside the water lilies. I cannot identify them but they look like pink bottle brushes that we used to use to clean flasks and test tubes. At one time in my life I was a chemist for a company that specialized in shampoos, cream rinses, hair dyes and hair spray. All the chemical glassware was washed by hand at the end of the shift. Everyone was a dishwasher as well as analyst so I knew how to use a bottle brush. I was twenty-one and straight out of school, those were the days (my friend), we thought they’d never end. Seems like a century ago now. The internet community calls this flower smartweed or redshank, til Tomorrow MJ
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
MJ Springett 