Rose of Sharon - After the Rain

I captured these images in my backyard when the sun came out after a rain storm.  Beauty is there everywhere just waiting to be noticed if we open our eyes to it.

Keep Makin' Art!

Carl

Hydrangea after the rain

Keep Makin' Art!
Carl

Skylands - Irises in the Wildflower Garden

It was a beautiful Sunday morning in the Wildflower garden at Skylands.  The Irises are starting to bloom and the meadow was wet with dew as the sun peaked over the Ramapo Mountains to start the day.

Keep Makin' Art!

Carl

Day Lily - Detail

See the world from a different point of view.... Get close, move back, shift your position.  You may just see things in a whole new way....


Keep Makin' Art!
Carl

Daylilies from my yard.

Daylilies from my backyard were my inspiration today.




Keep Makin' Art!
Carl

Mountain Laurel - Skylands

The Mountain Laurel are starting to bloom in Skylands (New Jersey Botanical Gardens).  I look forward to this flower every year!  The pink buds look like candy before they bloom and always tell me that summer is on its way!

Keep Makin' Art!
Carl

WildFlower Gardens at Skylands

The wildflower gardens at Skylands are staring to wake up and should make some great photography for the next three months.  Every week different flowers will be blooming starting with the Irises and Mountain Laurel then the Cone Flowers and Butterflies will be out along with many others.  I really enjoy the wildflower gardens over the formal gardens.  They have a more organic layout and offer much more creative photography.  I always enjoy shooting here.  In a later post I will discuss my technical approach to shooting here.  For now enjoy these early offerings.


Keep Makin' Art!
Carl

Purple Irises in Late Afternoon Light

I caught these wonderful purple irises in my friend Terry's garden.  They were bathed in beautiful golden end of day light.  The light was fleeting and cooled down as the sun lazily drifted into the western horizon.  A great end to a nice long weekend.  Summer is off to a great start.

Keep Makin' Art!

A Stroll Thru Skylands on a Cloudy Sunday Morning....

As a nature photographer even when you plan for exactly what you want to photograph have a back up plan.  I looked thru my calendar of when I shot where last year and saw that a year ago this week wildflowers were blooming in the Skylands wildflower garden.  It has many types of irises along a meandering trail with lots of high grass for a nice soft green backdrop.  I arose this morning and noted the heavy, foggy overcast and and thought it would be perfect... Alas it has been so called and rainy this spring that nary a thing was blooming in the wildflower garden, but the rhodo gardens were full of color so i wandered over there.  I generally have avoided the rhodos in the past, but they were in perfect bloom and the leaves were covered with water droplets.  I took out my trust 100mm macro and got to work.  I am really happy with the results.  It may not have been what I planned, but I went with what nature gave me to work with and am all the happier....


Keep Makin' Art!
Carl

Last of the Dogwoods....

We had Wendy's Mom and my folks today over for brunch.  Afterwards I got out a step ladder and photographed the dogwood flowers in the yard before the edges get browned up too much to be photographable.  What a beautiful day.  I hope you all had a wonderful mother's day!


Keep Makin' Art!
Carl

First Dogwood Blooms

 The first dogwood blooms of spring appeared in my yard today!  Flowers are starting to bloom all over the place now.  It was perfect to find these on an beautiful eighty degree day.  What a pleasant break after all this rain we have had.


Keep Makin' Art!
Carl

Sargent Cherry Blossoms - Skylands

OK.  Spring has finally come to the Hudson Valley!  Sargent Cherry Blossoms are out at Skylands.  We had some nice light this morning and I headed out with my macro lens (canon 100mm f2.8 for anyone interested).  I have been practicing shooting these hand held at 200 or 400 asa.  I think I see more photographs when i shoot and compose this way as opposed to the tripod.  Some times you do need a tripod, but I am enjoying the freedom of finding a composition and shooting quickly.  This was the perfect way to start a spring sunday morning.


Have a great week everyone!


Keep Makin' Art!


Carl