Favorite
Beauty in Red
But friendship is the breathing rose, with sweets in every fold. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Botanists have classified around 400,000 different flowering plant species in the world. Many are very beautiful but, in any judgement of floral beauty, I believe all must be compared to the rose.
This beauty was not photographed at our home. Nor did I find it a the botanical gardens. This one was photographed one morning at the Yellow Rose Motel in Branson, MO. – which had a variety of roses and other beautiful flowering plants on the grounds but, ironically, I could find no yellow roses.
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Troubadours of Basin Spring Park
Colorful street musicians entertain visitors to Basin Spring Park in the heart of Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
I rarely engage in “street photography.” This couple offered themselves as easy targets and the resulting image, in my mind, is priceless. I realize, most people wont find anything special here – it doesn’t reveal the awesome light of a landscape sunrise, the intricate design of a floral macro or the wonder of a well crafted nature photo. Still, it is special to me because, within its frame, I find so many interesting elements. The more I stare at it, the more I see. Let me start a list…
The musicians, themselves; an interesting couple to say the least. I find their expressions and attire intriguing. I wonder if they are romantically engaged or simply musically engaged. (By the way, as musicians and singers, they were quite enjoyable.)
Then there’s the instruments. These something highly appealing to me about an aged, well-worn guitar. Zooming in, I couldn’t tell the brand, but the fret board has “125th Anniversary” printed with pearl inlay.
The upright bass shows comfortable wear, but what grabs my eye is the rosette (made of terrycloth, or some similar material) on the head.
The gal’s knee brace reveals something about injury and personal struggle.
Her boots are an interesting match with the Under Armor knee socks.
The banjo on the bench. An interesting accessory.
The banjo case at their feet – a collection point for appreciative patrons (a couple dollars visible) with the “Hobo Knife” bumper sticker.
Both have some interesting tattoos on their arms.
That’s a good start. I purposely left out a few other items that I find interesting, to give you a chance to point them out. If you see something that catches your eye, leave a comment below.
You’ll want to examine the details in the larger version, available by clicking on the photo.
Floral Salad
Foggy River
On my way to the Lake Michigan shore…just around the bend from my house…I cross the Kewaunee river. As I was returning home after shooting a sunrise over the lake, I stopped to snap a few of the river.
There is often a hint of fog in the cool, low lying areas of the river, but this morning there was more than usual and the warmth of the still rising sun (just out of the frame on the right) added a great quality to the scene.
Fog is always cool but, I think, one of the more challenging situations to photograph. I find it very difficult to capture in the camera what the eye can see. Even when you can snag a cool scene like this, it still lacks the actual experience.
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Captivating Beauty
This rose may be one of the most beautiful flowers I’ve ever photographed. It is not perfect or without blemish, but there’s something about its soft blush of pink and the gentle furl of its delicate petals that captivates me; makes it difficult to look away. I snapped a lot of frames of this bloom over a couple of days. (Please excuse my gushing. I understand, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may not have the same effect on everyone.)
I found this beauty in, of all places, the small flowerbed of a motel in Branson, Missouri – the Yellow Rose Inn & Suites. They had a nice variety of blooming flowers around the property but, ironically, there were no yellow roses.
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Luscious
But friendship is the breathing rose, with sweets in every fold. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
This is another one of my “can’t wait for spring” creations. Still in the dull, cold, dreariness of early spring, I picked up a few flowers from a local florist.
This was a particularly beautiful bloom. I took a number of photos of this image dry and then added some moisture from a simple spray bottle. I propped it up on a kitchen chair and photographed it in early morning, natural light from a nearby window.
I recently posted a Black & White image of this same flower titled, A Light Caress (Check it out for an interesting comparison. Let me know which you like better in the comments.)
You are really missing out if you don’t view the larger version. To see all the lucious detail, click on the photo.
Break of Dawn (vintage)
This is an image that dates back a few years. I was searching for it on this website and was surprised that I had never posted here. It’s a digitally enhanced version of one of my most popular images – Break of Dawn. (See the original HERE) The original is a wonderful color image. It would be my favorite of the two, but I also like the aged look this one receives from the monochrome and textured effects.
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Comforting Shoulder
Lakeside Sedation
Heads Up
Two Sandhill Cranes are up to the necks in wheat. This wheat field is in southern Door County, Wisconsin.
Sandhill cranes have always presented a challenge for me. They seem to be very shy and quick to take off when I try to get close. These two required a creative, persistent approach. Here’s how it happened.
Sara, my wife, and I were on a weekend getaway in Door County. We were heading to Peninsula State Park for a day of hiking through the woods. On the way Sara spotted these guys in a wheat field that we passed. We decided to go back an try to get a shot. I pulled over and we switched positions, so Sara was driving and I was free to take the photos. The plan was to approach the field at a relatively slow speed…but not too slow, so the birds wouldn’t get spooked. I would try to focus in and snap a few frames before they caught on and disappeared.
The first pass was a resounding failure. The movement made it hard to find and focus on the birds with my zoom lens and my exposure settings were way off. We turned around and tried it again. This time I had the right exposure but the birds sensed something was up and were on the move. Their heads were bobbing up and down in the field, always in a different spot than the last. Sara remarked, it reminded her of a Whack-A-Mole game.
We approached slower and even stopped as the birds headed for the brush at the edge of the field. Before they really took off, I got a couple of decent shots. There were actually 4 or 5 of them in the field, but with their concealed movement and head bobbing, I was never able to catch more than three in any shot. This is the one I liked best.
To get a better, more detailed view, click on the image.