Take it or "Leaf" it....

Today's challenge was to showcase the beauty of living foliage. Make a photo of a single leaf or and entire "greenscape".

Taking a walk in the garden this evening made me realize two things:

1) Fall is just around the corner. The garden was once filled with big , beautiful blooms and has now transformed into an area of dead, dried up foliage.

2) It's getting dark earlier these days and there is the nip of fall in the air which means it will soon be time to focus on indoor shots instead of outdoor (unless freezing your butt off in the middle of winter is your idea of fun).

I managed to capture this shot of a beautiful variegated coleus . I loved the jewel-like colours that really stood out in the dying garden. Sadly, time will soon be up for these beauties as you can see the leaves are starting to fade and wilt. *Sigh* How many more days left until summer begins again?

Mags.

The Road Not Taken...

Today's challenge was to make a photograph of a path, sidewalk , trail or road and post it. Lead our eye through the scene......

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

I Ain't Afraid Of No Ghost........

Today's challenge was to make a photograph with a shallow depth of field.

Taken from my garden, I focused in on a cluster of the red trumpet-like blooms found on my Ghost Weigela. Apparently I'm not the only one drawn to this plant. It appears that the fly perched on the bloom isn't afraid of a little "ghost" as well. 

A cool weigela with dark red flowers in spring and remarkable foliage that magically starts green then turns to a ghostly, iridescent butter yellow as the summer progresses. They provide seasons of colour and are a good rebloomer.

It’s a great impulse plant that easily adds season long color to any garden, container or landscape.

Mags.

"Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave When First We Practice To Deceive."

Today's challenge was to make a photograph of a plant. I found this weed growing on the side of my neighbour's house and noticed the large webs that the spiders had recently spun. Upon closer observation, I thought it interesting to see how the weeds had been intricately woven into the web. I loved how the water drops reflected the light appearing as glittering crystal in the flower bed.

Mags.

With Deepest Sympathy

Sympathy can be difficult to express in words.Today's challenge was to make an image suitable for the cover of a condolence card.

Not feeling really energetic for a photo shoot today after last night's festivities, I decided to shoot the blooms on a Gerbera plant that was given to me as a gift. I wanted to try out the Macro feature on my new point and shoot that I purchased yesterday and followed up with some editing to soften the photo and tone down the bright hues.

Mags.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Today's theme was to make a photo of something growing in my garden or a neighbour's garden. I found this Rose of Sharon bush growing on the side of my neighbour's house and was intrigued by it's unusual stamen.

Rose of Sharon is a deciduous flowering shrub that has white, red, lavender or light blue blooms. These bushes, which prefer full sun, can grow 8' - 10' tall and 4' -6' wide. Although naturally a multi-stemmed bush, through pruning it can be trained to simply have one trunk; thus some people refer to it as a Rose of Sharon "tree". The main selling features of this gorgeous bush include it's attractive flowers and it's late blooming period (generally in August) thus giving the garden late summer colour when many other shrubs and flowers are way past their prime. They are also drought-resistant and can hold their own in the heat. This is definitely a plant I'm going to look into purchasing as an addition to my garden next year.

Mags.

Earwigs: Friends or Foes?

I took this photo of an earwig hangin' out on a flower a few days ago while working in the garden. When I was little, I used to be scared of them as I thought they were really creepy.

Despite their scary appearance and reputation, earwigs are not directly harmful to humans. In fact, they are often beneficial, acting as scavengers of decaying matter and predators of insect larvae, slug eggs, aphids, and other garden pests.

Adult earwigs are about 1.5 to 2.0 cm (1/2" to ¾") long and have antennae about half as long. The male has a large, curved pair, while the female has smaller, nearly straight ones. The earwig uses these during courtship and as a defence against attackers. Earwigs have a long, flat body with a tough, shiny, reddish-brown hard outer shell and prominent pincers (or forceps) at the end of their bodies. They do have wings but seldom fly. The female earwig can lay up to two batches of eggs per season and protects the nymphs (young earwigs) for the first two weeks, often chasing the male earwig away.


Mags.

Dreamy

Today's challenge was to compose an image that has a soft and dreamy look.

I ventured out into the backyard between raindrops early this evening to capture a shot of a blush white Verbena. I loved this one as it seemed to be "deformed" with a few fuchia petals. I edited the photo simply by blurring the edges.

Mags.

The View From Down Here.....

Today's challenge was to take a photo from a low point of view.

I have to be honest... today I was not feeling very motivated to take photos (and it shows from this shot). Feeling sore from an intense class at the gym tonight and tired from lack of sleep over the last week or so, my creative energy is running very low. I wandered into my backyard, laid down on my patio and shot up capturing my Astilbe shrub and fence trying to make them appear more elongated than they really are. Original? No. Creative? Far from it. But, it's the best I could l do for today.

Mags.

Busy as a Bee

I was watering my container plants early this evening when I spotted this bee busy at work trying to get the pollen out of this tiny, trailing Bacopa flower . After several hundred shots, I chose this one. I really liked how the wings on the bee seemed a bit iridescent.

Mags.

A Refreshing View on a Stinking Hot Summer Day

With the humidity, it was over 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degress Fahrenheit) today. You can understand why I was feeling lethargic and not really motivated to create an exciting masterpiece today. I picked up my P&S and decided to stick my nose out the door to see what was close by. I took some shots of this flower from my neighbour's side garden. I croped the photo to give it a little added interest. Hoping tomorrow will be a better day for pics.......

Mags.

Texture

Texture is perceived surface quality. There are two types of texture: tactile and implied. Tactile texture (real texture) is what we are most familiar with. It is the way the surface of an object actually feels. Examples of this include sandpaper, cotton balls, tree bark, animal fur, etc. Implied texture is the way the surface on an object looks like it feels. The texture may look rough, fizzy, gritty, but cannot actually be felt. This type of texture is commonly used by artists when drawing or painting.

I liked this photo because it depicts a few different textures from the roughness (and smoothness) of some of the river rocks and also shows the prickly leaves of the weeds growing through the rocks.
 
Mags.

Symmetrical Balance

Symmetrical balance is mirror image balance. If you draw a line down the center of the page, all the objects on one side of the screen are mirrored on the other side (they may not be identical objects, but they are similar in terms of numbers of objects, colors and other elements. Sometimes they are completely identical (often seen in architecture).

 

A good example of this can be seen in this hosta leaf found in my side garden. You can draw a line down the middle of the leaf, and everything on either side would be mirror image.

Mags.

Radial Balance

I came across a school project that I had completed a few semesters ago in my Design Fundamentals class and thought it would be fun to see if I could apply these principles to everyday objects. While working in the garden early this morning, I came across a perfect example of "Radial Balance" with this blooming Lanai Blue Verbena.

Radial Balance is where all elements radiate out from a center point in a circular fashion. It is very easy to maintain a focal point in radial balance, since all the elements lead your eye toward the center.

Mags.

Gorgeous Gerberas

After a few days of using the P&S, I decided to pull out the DSLR and shoot a few pics of stuff outside before it started to rain again. I came across these gorgeous gerberas planted in a container along the side of my neighbour's house . I edited the colours a bit to really emphasize the large bloom.

A bit of information on these beautiful blooms: Gerberas are an ornamental plant from the sunflower family and are very popular and widely used as a decorative garden plant or as cut flowers. In fact, it is the fifth most used cut flower in the world (after the rose, carnation, chrysanthemum, and tulip).

Mags.

Green With Envy

MAY 5, 2010

I was at a friend's house today for a BBQ and while most of the guests sat around and "talked shop" (ugh, really? Can't we find something else to talk about besides work?), I decided to wander around my friend's garden and snap a few photos of this unfamiliar territory. It was a visual feast as I snapped away taking photos of bird feeders, beautiful murano glass hummingbird feeders, fruit trees, dogs, even the food on the grill. I spotted a cluster of plants still in the original plastic nursery pots. I wandered over to take a closer look . Suddenly my breath was taken away when I saw these beauties: Asiatic Lilies. Anyone who knows me well knows that Lilies are my favourite flower. As you recall, I'm having an issue with mine. So when I saw these, I knew I had to grab a few shots, if only to drool and dream of what it would be like to have perfect lilies growing in my garden again......hmmmmmm wonder if my friend would notice if a few of his plants went "missing"......

Mags.

Distorted Dan

MAY 30, 2010

This weekend was super busy and I spent most of it outside gardening. Planted the pots yesterday and today was up super early as we had a yard of topsoil delivered this morning and we wanted to get it spread before the killer sun overtook the backyard. Earlier this evening, Dan cut the lawn and as I sat on the porch drinking some refreshing water, I noticed that his image became backwards and distorted (in the glass, it appears that he's stick thin and looks like he's pushing a kids toy) but on either side of the glass you can see the reality. Weird.........

Mags.

In the Spotlight....

May 29, 2010

My Peonies have always taken the centre stage in my garden, but this is just ridiculous......I loved the way the afternoon sun cascaded down on this big bloom as if it were a spotlight......

Mags.

"Praying" For A Miracle

MAY 28, 2010

Thank you everyone who helped identify the bugs that are feasting on my lilies...I spent a good half hour last night holding a flashlight and picking the beatles out of the succulent lily leaves and crushing them (a solution presented to me via the world wide web). Imagine my frustration and disappointment when I found more of those bugs hanging off of the leaves this morning. That's it.....this is war!

I went to a reputable nursery in Georgetown this evening and spoke with the resident bug expert. When I explained to him my dilema and showed him a photo of the bastards, he led me to the bug killer aisle and explained all the different sprays, liquids and powders available. I'm concerned about accidentally harming neighbourhood animals with these solutions and was looking for something a little more "green" and easy to use. While all were "environmentally friendly", he presented me with one more option that peaked my interest. As he opened the fridge door, he handed me a bright, child's toy -like container. It was a praying mantis' cocoon. I was confused.....add MORE bugs into the garden? Mr. Garden Expert explained that Praying Mantises are exclusively predatory. Insects form the primary diet, but larger species have been known to prey on small lizards, frogs, birds, snakes, fish and even rodents; they will prey upon any species small enough to successfully capture and devour. Most species of mantis are known to engage in cannibalism. The majority of mantises are ambush predators, waiting for prey to stray too near. The mantis then lashes out at remarkable speed. Some ground and bark species, however, pursue their prey rather quickly. Prey items are caught and held securely with grasping, spiked forelegs. He instructed me to leave the "cage" in the sun and within a few days, hundreds of praying mantis are hatched. All I need to do is release them and nature will take it's course.

At this point, what's the harm in trying. It sure beats standing outside in my jammies in the middle of the night, shining a flashlight into the garden and picking and crushing bugs......wish me luck............

Mags.

Caught In The Act...............

MAY 27, 2010

After the heavy downpour and thunderstorm earlier this evening, I decided to venture out and capture some photos of the drenched garden. It wasn't until after I downloaded the photos that I noticed these two bugs going at it while the third one in the background seemed to be looking on. I'm not sure what these little pests are; however, am NOT to pleased that they seem to be destroying my lilies in the process. Anyone know what they are and how I can get rid of them?

Mags.