color

Lens-Artist: Color Expressions

/ Pat / 24 Comments

I love color, I love playing with colors when I create quilts and when I edit my photographs. I had great fun when I was arranging these bouquets of flowers for your pleasure. But I get ahead of myself, here, because what attracts my eye and draws me in with my camera is the play of light and shadow that creates the beauty of colors. The colors in each one of these flowers makes my heart and soul smile – big!

The Naples Botanical Garden has wonderful collections of orchids and water lilies so I have tended to use them the most for my winter posts. Today, for this Lens-Artist Challenge, I decided to show you some of the other colors of the the garden. I have been going two or three times a week and every time I walk around I am surprised by new small splashes of color or changes in the reproductive cycles of those plants that I have been photographing for a few weeks and result in new colors of buds, blossoms or fruits/seed pods (I’m saving those for future posts). I have provided captions for those that I can name – if you know other names I would be very appreciative for your knowledge in the comments section.

I found this last plant in the Idea Garden, where ideas are given for growing flowers and vegetables in the southern Florida tropical climate. Does color have a sense of humor? Can you identify the five colors? The chef at the restaurant in the garden really likes hot peppers for seasoning.

Chinese five color hot pepper

To find out how others are interpreting this photography challenge of “color expressions” you can click on the link.

Life in Colour: Green (with a little extra)

/ Pat / 9 Comments

During my weekly walkabout at the Botanical Garden, with camera around my neck, I was looking for green for Jude’s “Life in Colour” challenge. Not that there isn’t any green in a subtropical garden where staff and volunteers are continually working to keep “green” from taking over. Yes there is lots of green, but I was looking for greens with unusual textures and color variations and plant combinations. I was trying to not become overwhelmed by so many greens – all with wonderful textures and variations, all planted in beautiful combinations.

Maybe you’re wondering what my problem is – especially if you live up north where your world hadn’t turned very green yet. My problem is that the photos I liked the best, were really excited about, were the ones where other hues popped in. Other colors kind of photo bombed their way in. Snuck in through the back door.

See what I mean? That little red pepper just slipped in there and looks maybe a little smug or even giggling a bit on the inside. It is hard being subtle when you’re a red-hot pepper.

Oops, here’s another one…

As I was trying to photograph the beautiful form of these green palm fronds, I couldn’t very well climb up and cut down the fruit from the palm behind it. Instead, the red almost takes center stage in what was suppose to be a photograph of “green.” It would be a crime to crop it out of the photograph, don’t you think.

I never put my camera in my photography cart when I am ready to leave because the area along to exit boardwalk always had a surprise or two requiring me to get my camera out again. When I turned the corner and headed towards the exit from a direction I usually don’t take, I noticed beautiful, big green leaves and no other color trying to weasel their way in. I examined them, thinking about a good composition – and then I saw it.

This little critter was perched on a big green leaf and seemed quite happy to be there. He didn’t even move when I came within a couple of feet to take its picture. When I downloaded the photos into my computer, I got a closer look and realized that it is a work of art and very colorful.

What wonderful color in the tail, and look at how complex the wings are and especially where to wings join the body. I think Jude will forgive me for introducing this color into her “green” challenge. Right, Jude?

Details of White

/ Pat / 6 Comments

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For this week’s Photo Challenge, on The Daily Post, Jen asked us to think about the “details” that become evident when we get up close to a subject. I took this photo of a Camellia at the Hidden Lake Gardens in southern Michigan. I was fascinated by the image as soon as I framed it through my viewfinder. I was excited by the sensuousness of the curves and intrigued by the multiple shades of white.

The detail of the color illustrates why we can’t go into a paint store and say I want a gallon of white – without giving a whole lot more detail.