Watercolors I

So much of my time lately has been spent testing our swimming pool water to get things all chemically in balance that I decided to photograph it! 

It was quite breezy today and what first caught my attention were a few small orange flowers that had been blown into the pool and were being tossed about on the rippled water. However, it wasn’t too long before I began to notice some interesting reflections, so the floating flowers were abandoned as I began to randomly capture the reflected patterns and colors forming in the moving water.

At first I went for the obvious…poolside annual flowers making floral reflections. (Hey, I like flowers, what can I say?) The more I shot however, the more ‘loose’ my shooting became and my full-on right-brain process kicked into high gear.

"Reflections of Her" (Woman's Face Formed by Water Ripples & Reflections) Nikon D300, 650mm (200-400mm w/1.7x Teleconverter), F/9, 1/200s, -0.3EV, ISO 400

This image took me completely by surprise! Very little post-processing has been done here, folks. What you see is what the camera captured in that split millisecond. Amazing, right?

(I now get why Lynn likes photographing water reflections. They’re fun! 🙂 )

A few more really interesting reflections were captured today so it looks like I may have another series on my hands! 🙂

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UPDATE: Okay, for those not seeing the woman’s face, does this help?

Defined Eye (with eyelashes) and Mouth

Feelin’ blues-y

“Rhapsody in Blue” (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Bailmer’ Endless Summer) Nikon D300, 105mm F/2.8G Macro, F/7.1, 1/250s, ISO 640

 
It’s certainly looking like a banner year for hydrangeas! Woo hoo!  

I have several of these ‘Bailmer’ Endless Summer shrubs and when you look at that gorgeous blue color, can you blame me? 🙂

Best thing about these is, (well, aside from the fact they are easy to grow), the blooms last for months! 

So, it looks like I’ll besinging-the-blues all summer long… 😀

Compose thyself

While I was shooting this Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail at the Tawny Daylilies, a hummingbird unexpectedly appeared off to the left just outside the frame. However, instead of getting the shot, all I could manage was [Gasp!] “Oh my God, there it IS!” followed by a bit of fumbling with the camera before it vanished as quickly as it came. 

You really can’t blame me. Every time I’ve seen the (rare) hummer in my landscape it is only for mere seconds so I never get the chance to compose myself as a proper photog should and focus fast enough to capture the image. 

Sigh. Oh, the photo that would have been! 🙂

“Swallowed” (Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail with Tawny Daylily) Nikon D300, 650mm (200-400mm w/1.7x teleconverter), F/9, 1/250s, ISO 400

All in all, I’m still pretty pleased with the shot I got and there’s always hope for another day when perhaps, just perhaps, by then I’ll have learned to click first, then gasp! 🙂

Dandelion Seed Head VII

“Fantasia” (Common Dandelion Calyxes) Nikon D300, 105mm F/2.8G Macro w/3-Ring Extension Tube Set, F/5.6, 1/20s, -1.0EV, ISO 800, Color Efex Pro ‘Bi-Color Filter’

 
I hope you are not tired of dandelion photos! 🙂 

This time we’re focussing our attention on the calyx ends (those hairy things that help to carry the seeds along the breeze to their final destination which typically, ends up being my lawn 😉 ). 

For some reason, this shot makes me think of that famous ‘March of the Brooms’ scene from Disney’s Fantasia. 

I don’t see any buckets of water so I think we’re safe from drowning! 🙂