Purple
Pansies in Purple and Blue
The deep purple color of these pansies, highlighted by the luminescent blue, create a very royal floral feel.
If you have a good eye, you’ll notice the tiny bug on the left, top edge of the top pansy bloom. It’s small enough, I didn’t notice it when I snapped this image.
I found these, and many other beautiful flowers, blooming in small flower beds along the paved trail that runs between Memorial Drive (Highway 42) and the Lake Michigan shore in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Hats off to the volunteer gardeners who beautify their city.
You can view a larger, more detailed view of this image by clicking on the photo.
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Avid Gardener
I found this monarch butterfly carefully tending the coneflowers in a Missouri flowerbed.
I seem to be seeing more monarchs this year. I recently learned the monarch is also called by a variety of other names – milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black veined brown.
You can get a better, larger view of this one 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.
Exceeding All Expectations
The Algoma, Wisconsin lighthouse and piers stand guard over the harbor as they await the sunrise over a calm Lake Michigan morning. Algoma is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
As with other the images I captured and have posted from this particular morning, I’m impressed with the colors and textures in the sky and how they’re reflected in the water.
Though it doesn’t look like it here, this is a huge image. It’s large size comes from the fact that I joined (or “stitched”) three separate shots into one image in order to capture as much of the scene as I could. When snapping the shutter, I’m careful to overlap the edges of the shots so the software can find similar pixels and match them to each other.
Unfortunately, this panoramic format doesn’t show well here because of the limited space allotted for images. However, as I usually do, I urge you to view its full-screen version by clicking on the photo. Hopefully you have a large monitor – the bigger the better.
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.
Charmed
Every year I find wild geraniums blooming in the woodlands near our home in northeast Wisconsin. I think this is delightful wildflower which, I guess, explains the numerous images I have featuring them.
I titled this one, “Charmed,” because the stem with those hairy buds reminded me of a lady with a charm bracelet dangling from her wrist.
You can view a larger, more detailed, version of this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a full-screen image will open in another 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.
Voluptuous Iris
Look at this gorgeous, spring bloom! This exotic beauty is a bearded iris.
While driving along Miller street in Kewaunee, Wisconsin I noticed an area with several blooming flowers. There were several of these iris’ in the area but most were just beginning to open. This early bloomer was begging to be photographed.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this photo 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.
Springtime Vibe
These sweet, tiny, wildflowers are known by a variety of names such as, Spring Beauty, Virginia Spring Beauty, Eastern Spring Beauty or Fairy Spud. Not all clusters are as vibrant in color as these, most plant blooms are white with very subtle striping.
They bloom in early spring. The life of the individual flowers is short. They bloom lasts only three days, and the five stamens on each flower are only active for a single day. They can be found in many different habitat types, especially in forests. I found these in the woods of northeast Wisconsin.
You can view a full-screen version of this image 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.
Brazenly Delicate
This red tulip seemed to be taking a bold stand among another group of purple and white tulips. This is another flower I captured a couple of years ago at the annual Tulip Festival held in Pella, Iowa.
Deep red colors, like this tulip, can be a challenge for photographers because most cameras have a tendency to over-saturate the red and the image will loose all it’s detail; it can turn out looking like one big blob of red, with no texture or definition. Most of my post processing on this image was working to control the red.
You can easily view a larger, more detailed version of this image 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.
Carnival of Autumn Color
The wide variety of hues in this patch of sumac reminded me of the bright colors you might find at an autumn carnival.
I had a few minutes before I had to be an an appointment so I thought I would make a quick stop at a local waterfall to, hopefully, catch a beautiful fall scene. Well, the waterfall didn’t have much water falling; barely a trickle. Even if it were flowing, there wasn’t much color in the foliage surrounding it. However, there was a small patch of sumac in the area that was bursting with color. Normally the sumac turns a bright red. I’ve not encountered sumac in transition with such a wide range of colors before. It made my stop worthwhile.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a full-screen 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.
October Surprise
I encountered a number of surprises on this early morning visit to the lake shore at Kewaunee, Wisconsin.
The morning light was a very pleasant surprise. The variations of color in the sky, from yellow to blue with a hint of purple on the fringes, was another welcome surprise. The rough water was an exciting surprise – normally the lake is pretty calm in the early morning hours.
The overall result of this image was a very nice surprise. I didn’t think I’d be able to capture as much of the dynamic range as I did. As bright as the sky looked and as dark as the water looked, I thought it would be difficult to see much of the detail in this image.
To view a larger, more detailed version of this image, click on the photo.
Wild Geranium Family Portrait
On a recent woodland hike I found this nice grouping of Wild Geraniums. It reminded me of a family portrait…parents and children…including little buds.
In the interest of full disclosure, I altered the background. There were some small, yellow wildflowers (weeds) growing a few feet away. I snapped off a stem of them and placed it behind my subjects to add a little more color and variety to the image.
As I often remind people, I operate as an artist not a photo journalist. Most images I post are true to the original scene. However, on occasion, I may add or subtract elements to suit my artistic vision. Most times, it’s done digitally. In this case, a little impromptu, on-site, floral arrangement.
You can get a better view by clicking on the photo. That will open a full-screen version 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.