Flower
Violet in the Wild
These, very tiny, delicate beauties are common blue violets. I photographed this set while hiking along a woodland path in northeast Wisconsin.
According to my Audubon Wildflower Guide, common blue violets can be found in damp woods, moist meadows, roadsides and even lawns. The violet leaves are high in vitamins A and C and can be used in salads or cooked as greens. The flowers can be candied.
You can view more of the beautiful detail in this flower by clicking on the photo. When you do, a larger version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Softly and Tenderly
There is something about the delicate furl and opening of rose petals that draws the viewer in. Doesn’t this image make you want to get closer to smell its intoxicating fragrance?
This is a flower I found on a trip to Branson, MO a couple of years ago. It was in a small flowerbed, next to the parking lot, at a motel we spent the night at. You never know where you will find beauty to behold…and capture…so keep your camera close by.
You can view more of the detail in this image by clicking on the photo to see a larger version.
Deeply Devoted to Love
A closeup view of the delicate, and often emotional, beauty of the red rose.
On occasion, I’ve picked up a few long-stem flowers from a local florist for the main purpose of photographing them. Photographing flowers in the wild is a seasonal sport. Photographing flowers purchased from the florist can be a year-round activity.
If I remember correctly, I set this one in a vase on my kitchen table. I used the normal overhead and ambient light available in our kitchen. The drops you see are not water. (Though I’ll also use water in some shots.) These drops are glycerin – looks like water but holds better to the petals.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Bright Idea
This azalea was one of the more colorful and prolific bloomers in my wife’s flower bed this year.
I enjoy getting a close up view of flowers (and other things) to see the details that we often don’t notice in a normal view.
You can get an even closer view by clicking on the photo. A larger view will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Ladies In Red
If you’re looking for springtime beauty with vivid color, it’s hard to beat tulips. These unique, deep red beauties, surrounded by a sea of pink, yellow-fringed tulips were photographed during the annual Tulip Festival in Pella, Iowa.
I struggled with this image. I spent a lot of time trying to get the five red tulips to stand out from the background. The colors are close enough, it’s hard to distinguish the detail of the foreground from the blur of the background. I’m not sure I achieved the separation I wanted the average viewer to experience. I’ve looked at it so much, I can no longer be objective. You’ll have to decide and let me know your first impression.
If you’re a tulip fan, be sure to view a previously posted image from the same outing with a similar name: Ladies In White Try this link for even more tulips: https://popsdigital.com/?s=tulips
You can enjoy a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on it.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Sitting Pretty
Creation is teaming with unique, delicate beauties for the observant who are persistent to see beyond the obvious.
Within the Puelicher Butterfly Vivarium in the Milwaukee Public Museum there are hundreds of specimens. This one, a Small Postman butterfly, (heliconius melpomene), was among the tiniest. (To view the largest, visit my previous post: Owl Butterfly.)
Postman butterflies are tropical butterflies found in Central and South America. They are most common along sunlit forest edges with flowers.
As sweet as they may appear, they have little to fear from predators. As caterpillars, they feed on passion flower leaves, storing up toxic chemicals they retained throughout their lifespan that makes them foul-tasting to typical predators.
You can get a better look at this beauty by clicking on the photo and viewing a full-screen version.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Technicolor Tulips
A delightful, vivid variety of blooming tulips photographed at the annual Tulip Festival in Pella, Iowa.
To get a large, full-screen view, click on the image and a larger version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Bejeweled Begonia
This is an extreme close-up of a potted begonia I photographed at our home, after an early morning shower.
This is part of my experimentation with macro photography. This image was created using a technique to overcome the limited depth of field in macro photography known as focus stacking. This image is a blend of three separate photos – each focused on a different part of the flower. I think more experimentation is needed.
You can view more of the sharp details by clicking the photo and viewing the larger version.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Star Power – B&W
This exceptionally colorful flower takes on a whole different persona in black and white. Take a look at the full color version and compare the two: Star Power
When comparing, be sure to view the large size by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Cool Dude
A macro view of a cool dragon fly resting on the buds of a hosta plant in our flower bed. Those eyes remind me of aviator glasses. Seems like there should be a cigarette loosely dangling from his mouth.
You can get a better, more detailed view of this creature by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.