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Why do you build me up…
By Silver Blue
…buttercup, baby…
Seeing Double. Well, not really double. But these ARE the first shots with the lens doubler. Took my 300mm lens and made a 600mm out of it. I really can’t wait for the full moon to see what the new photos will look like (the new moon (and lots of rain) is happening tonight, SO….that’s out the window…)
The orangy/pinky rose is getting ready to burst forth again.
Not QUITE in focus (I’m having to do it all manually), these are across the street, 1/2 of the way back on the neighbour’s property.
Finally, also in the yard…. 
Almost Crimson…and clover. Over and over.
[audio:https://www.eyesofsilverblue.com/bmubcc.mp3]Silver Blue, who has designated today as self-care day. I need sleep.
A Study in Colour (Part 1)
By Silver Blue | 1 comment
1
A trip to Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, has put me on a study of colour, from the garish tones in the above photo, which to me still work as the flowers and greenery spill forth from this window box planter to the simplistic….
…single red tulip blooming in a field of purple pansies. I call this “Never be afraid to stand out in a crowd.”
Learning to use depth of field (known in the photographic world as “Bokeh”) to throw the background out of focus so that you don’t have sensory overload from EVERYTHING being sharp and your brain going “what do I focus on? This? That? This?” is something I’m really beginning to have fun with.
Of course, I realize that most of the flowers at BGW have been “forced” into bloom in greenhouses, the weather has been so peculiar this year that it really wouldn’t surprise me to see petunias, pansies and snapdragons all in perfect harmony. (In fact, this morning while cutting the manor grounds here at the Shenandoah Forester, I noted that the wild violets are already in bloom — something that normally doesn’t happen until late April/early May.)
One of the things I appreciate most about the groundskeepers at BGW is that they aren’t afraid to juxtapose opposites on the colour wheel for dramatic effect.
[audio:https://www.eyesofsilverblue.com/aob-liaf.mp3]Silver Blue, who loves this time of year, even though I suffer from bad seasonal allergies.
Nothing’s Indestructible
By Silver Blue
Whatever you do, wherever you go, never think that just because you don’t have the best camera with you that you can’t take pictures. These were taken with a Blackberry cell phone, and while they may not be able to be blown up to 11×14 size, the moments and emotions that were captures are moments that I’m glad I didn’t let pass me by just because “I don’t have a real camera with me.”
I’ve often said that the way to tell how much you love someone is not by what they help you become, but by WHO you ARE when you’re with them.
I don’t even recall where these were taken. It may have been in my parent’s yard, it may have been at work. But the colours brought me joy and happiness, and still do.
This was shot on a lazy, hot summer afternoon in my own backyard. While not what a southerner would want when asking for a “Mimosa”, it is, and the soft, wispy flowers are so delicate and pretty…until they start to fade. Then, they’re excessively unattractive.
Shot out of the kitchen window at my parents house, I probably could have manipulated contrast to make the sky more vivid or interesting — but, as is the case with all these photos, what you see is what was shot.
I love clouds. The way they shift shape, and are just, to me, so very serene.
Finally…
Wise words, from a coffee cup for sale at our local Newport News Fresh Market.
[audio:https://www.eyesofsilverblue.com/ni.mp3]Silver Blue, who really does see the world in shades of works of art.
When Nature Calls…
By Silver Blue
…you’ve just got to answer.
Especially when it’s the Beauty of Nature that calls. Here are a selection of photos of the roses (and other flowers) around the Shenandoah Forester (the name I christened my house):
Azaleas tend to bloom in early spring, except here where they bloom into June. Strange, I know, but then again, I’m the one who has roses that bloom in December. Speaking of roses:
I had a bout with blackspot, but won. I liked the way the sun singled out this rose to “highlight.”
Red (or maroon) seems to be a very popular colour for roses, and around my house is no exception. I like the way these clustered.
Mother Nature has been PMSing the past couple of years with massive thunderstorms. While I don’t care for all the lightning, the aftereffects make for some beautiful photos.
I have a Peace rose by my driveway that does something interesting (other than hold rain beautifully). It’s actually a tri-coloured rose off one rootball (and on the same cane, no less):
You see, the roses are yellow, pink and yellow, and almost all pink. I don’t know what causes it, but I do enjoy it.
Delicate, fragrant, and prolifically pink!
I’ve lost this rose since taking its photo, but it was known as a “Charisma.” I had it, and a “Gemini” (of which, unfortunately I have no photos of) that didn’t make it through one of the massively snowy winters we had about a decade ago.
Taken just this morning (that’s my Cinnamon basil to the right, and purple basil to the left), the heat doesn’t stop my orange roses from blooming any more than they did the red one I posted yesterday.
Of course, there’s Irises (in many colours), and gardenias:
and these smell just as wonderful as they look.
The mimosa (not just a drink!) is in bloom:
and they’re a lot like dandelion clocks in their delicate airiness. Of course, then they look really unattractive as they fade.
Rhett! The magnolia’s in bloom! While everyone tends to photo them fully open, I captured this “unique” (to me) look:
Who watches over all these flowers, especially when I’m not around? Why the magical bunny of course!
He’s hard to photo, as he’s always on the go, but the lure of the delicious clover was too much for him to pass up and he posed, majestically, for my camera. (Actually, having a quality zoom lens helped QUITE a bit!)
Finally, just for my Northern Star…no flower photo journey would be complete, sans “Bud”.
Perhaps the favourite of all my roses, because this plant came into “Bud” in November, and stayed tight in its bud, weathering most of the winter, until Valentine’s day, when it opened up.
Silver Blue, who is a true romantic at heart.
(A note about comments: If you wish to comment (and I welcome them), you have to click on the name of the post, which will open it, and the comment box is at the bottom of the screen.)
The little things make me happy
By Silver Blue
Especially the fact that Mother Nature, in all her heat and discontent, still hasn’t stopped my roses from blooming.
I’m also happy with the fact that, as I’ve said I’m an audiophile, that I’ve now acquired a widget on the right of the screen “The Audiophile In Me” — while it doesn’t read the ID3 tags in the files (that’s coming in a later version), at least you’ll be able to hear some of the music I may (or may not) be listening to at the current time. If you want to know what a track is, just ask.
Silver Blue, back to work.
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