Auditorium Flower Pots

This is another shot from the pre Irene walk. These planters of color ring the Auditorium here in Verdun. I took the first picture and felt the ground pounding underneath my feet. I turned around and saw that i was being approached by twenty odd hulking sweat machines. The Juniors were doing laps around the building and were being timed.I quickly snapped two more photos, then grabbed Nalin's leash and pulled her to safety off of the sidewalk. I swung around the front of the building and tried to get a picture of the coaching staff checking the stop watches, but it was the end of the run and hockey players laying on the concrete didn't seem like good subject matter to me.

I didn't imagine that the flower pot shots would turn out, not having time to check the picture and adjust, but by some fluke they were pretty clear with a slightly blurred foreground. The vibrant colors didn't need any help in editing. If you click the shot and enlarge the photo, notice the crazy seed pods on the stalks of the white flowers.

Paw Prints In The Mud.

I was out taking a few photo's while walking the dog the Sunday morning before we were supposed to start feeling the effects of Hurricane Irene. We had received quite a bit of rain that week and the ground was already wet. Down by the waterfront was busy with folks getting a last good dag walk in before the deluge. There was a puddle that had just finished being dried off by the building wind and one brave canine adventurer couldn't resist marking his or her territory by walking straight up the middle of the ten foot length of sticky gray soup. It was just firming up good when Nalin and I came along with the camera.

Wild Carrot Seed Head

Here is another picture of a Wild Carrot seed head before it dies and dries out. The greens blend in a little too well with the background, but it is still a stunning image just for it's clarity. I was tempted to color the background, but I don't think I am up for that yet. If I do get proficient with it this is a photo I will revisit.

Midday Light

It is hard to photograph anything in the harsh midday light. Plants are one of the only things that can turn out well in bright sunlight depending on the leaves. The foliage on this purple leaf Sandcherry bush was perfect because of the angle of the two sides of the leaf allow for lots of contrast between light, dark and color. The background green is a perfect color companion for the image.

Fall Begins.

One of the sure signs of the beginning of Autumn is the bloom of the New England Aster. This vibrant lavender and orange flower blooms for about two to three weeks once the heat of summer is over. These are a favorite of all types of Bees and Butterflies.

Black & White Nature Shots

Black and white nature shots can be a bit tricky. You have to make sure the subject mater isn't something that the viewer will colorize in their own head. I try and stay away from b&w when shooting anything with blooms or wildlife in it. I have always loved shooting outdoors in the fall and winter in black and white because of the shorter days and longer shadows.

The image below is of a dried out seed head of a Wild Carrot plant. It expresses itself well in monochrome because it is very evidence that it is dried out and on the far side of its summer glory. This was taken at a focal length of 194mm, 1/12o sec., ƒ6.3 with a EF-S 55 - 250mm lens from a little over three feet ( 1.1m) away.

Spider Webs

Another easy way to get a good shot of spider webs is having them against a dark background but well lit from above. The light catches the top edge of the webbing and illuminates it very well. With a little bit of Recovery, Clarity and some Sharpening strands jump right out.