Sunday, December 11, 2005
Wild Petals of Gold

If you have been around the site for a while, or just looked back through the history of images you already know I love California Poppies. This one is a little bit different than most of my poppy photos. I really like the imperfection of the petals, the wild angles seem to bring out the beautiful texture more.

Saturday, November 26, 2005
Orange Calendula

Well this was a hard one to find. Most of the images I found online that match this flower exactly are labeled "Orange Daisy". And, I was pretty sure that was not right.

Fortunately my best friend, the botanical genius, was able to identify it with her trusty flower guide.

Thursday, November 24, 2005
Sunset Reflection

Well I tried to find a Turkey, but I guess a couple of sea gulls will have to do!

Happy Thanksgiving anyway!

Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Santa Barbara Sunset

This is the view from the stairway to my old office. It may not have been the most fun place to work, but it was a great place to watch our beautiful winter sunsets.

Sunday, November 20, 2005
Poppy from a different point of view

I thought this would be a nice contrast to the Photo of the day for the 17th. They are quite different images, but they were taken only moments apart of exactly the same flower.

Thursday, November 17, 2005
Backlit Poppy

I had fun getting this image. I actually had to lay on the ground to get this perspective. (and it was a very HOT day to lay on the sidewalk)

This is one of my favorite subjects, in fact it was the subject of the first image on this site.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Monarch & Zinnia

I really love the background in this image. It is a bit abstract. And the low aperture that makes the background so interesting made the butterfly's wings just out of focus enough to look like they are fluttering a bit.

Tuesday, November 8, 2005
Poppy Profile

So I have been building this site for a while, but this evening was a first. I went to Google to search for the scientific name for Icelandic Poppies and this is the page I found.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Bee's Eye View

A very cool flower at a different angle. One of the best things about building this site is it makes me stop and research my subjects a bit more. Today I found out these guys are native to South Africa. They can be grown from seeds, but the seeds are only viable for 20 days. And, even if you get them to grow in that short window, the resulting plants may have no resemblance to the parent plant.

Sunday, October 2, 2005
Poppy of the Day

I had a lot of fun with the Poppies this year. I can't remember a time when I saw so many different California Poppies. Perhaps it is a result of the amazing rainy season we had last year. I believe it was the second wettest year on record. Perhaps the beauty here is our reward for the precarious spot we choose to live. Right now we are seeing some nice sunsets as a result of the wild fires. Not a lot of consolation for those that have lost their homes, but the firefighters have done nothing short of a heroic job this year keeping that to a minimum.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Dangling Orchids

Another angle on an orchid from a few months ago.

If you are in the Santa Barbara area this weekend be sure to visit the Art Walk at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. I have been working on new items for the show that I do not normally have available. It should be a great weekend!

Sunday, September 18, 2005
Feathery Tulip

I grew this from a bulb that I got while on vacation. It was late in the season and the bulbs were on "closeout sale" so we were not sure how they would do. As you can see we were pretty happy with the results.

Friday, September 16, 2005
Backlit Monarch

This flower seems to be a favorite of the Monarchs, and this was almost a tree. So, it made it easy to get a great backlit shot.

Thursday, September 15, 2005
Abstract Julia

The filters I use to take my close-ups are a combination of several lenses. This particular combination gives me an extremely low aperture, so there is only a very specific distance that is in focus. In this case only a couple of millimeters.

The effect ends up looking like a painting, especially when enlarged.

Thursday, September 8, 2005
Julia Heliconian

Yesterday I went back to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. It is almost the end of the butterfly season there. Each year for the past few years they have had a live butterfly exhibit called "Butterflies Alive". Something that is done other places too, but from what I have seen their exhibit is particularly nice.

In addition to getting some shots I am very happy with, I was finally able to identify this guy. He is from Texas or Northern Mexico. And, I found out that it was not that they are not documented well online, it is just that I did not recognize the images on the butterfly sites. Most of the images are taken with the wings stretched out making them look more of a classic butterfly shape. But, with the exception of a few basking in the sun, they seem to rarely hold their wings that way. They have a more stealth appearance in real life.

Sunday, September 4, 2005
Abstract Poppy

I like the simplicity of this one. There is enough texture in the closest petal to keep it interesting. One of my favorite subjects!

Wednesday, August 3, 2005
Sunlit Poppy

The first explorers to California dubbed these little beauties "Copa de Oro" or "Cup of Gold". I can see why.

Saturday, July 23, 2005
One from the Pepper Patch

This is one of my little pepper plants living in a hanging basket in my back yard. One of my favorite restaurants (Los Arroyos, on Figueroa in Santa Barbara) makes, among other things, some incredible salsas. One of which is made from Habaneros, one of the hottest peppers. After getting used to eating their blazing salsa I decided I loved the flavor of this little pepper as well as the kick it gives things. So I had to start a little pepper patch in my back yard. Trouble was, I did not want my muse to get into the plants on one of her evening perimeter checks of the back yard. So they are safely tucked away well out of her reach in a hanging basket.

Thursday, July 21, 2005
Poppy Petals

Another scan from my recent lunchtime walk in Ventura. The red of these poppies looks like it was brushed on to a normal orange California Poppy. They are a beautiful variant.

One of the interesting things about these poppies is the way they adapt to their local area. There can be a slightly different variant that lives only in an area as small as a single small valley. This variation actually makes them more hearty in a specific area, they are adapted to the exact conditions and climate.

In fact, it is actually possible to hurt the wild poppy population by plating seeds. Since most of the seeds you would get from the local garden supply shop are from stock that was originally exported to Europe. Being acclimatized for European gardens, releasing these plants in an area with native plants can actually weaken the resulting cross-pollinated next generation. Strange but true. Oh, and don't even think of collecting seeds in the wild, thats illegal. Oh well, some things are just meant to be enjoyed where they live!

Friday, May 6, 2005
Daisy Dew

Yesterday was a bit rainy. I kind of like the rain, especially when the timing is right to lay around and listen to it on the roof. Right after the rain is a great time to take pictures and yesterday was exceptional. The clouds were clearing after an overcast day as the sun was slipping down. I'm sure I got some beautiful shots, one of which this is not. I took an uncharacteristically small number of shots so the roll is still in the camera. But I will finish it off soon and upload the results!

In the mean time, the lighting in this photo reminds me of what I was seeing in the viewfinder yesterday.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Sunset Cloud Shadows

More sky shadows. Like the shot from yesterday, this was a particularly interesting sky, and I was happy to have my camera with me. :-)

Saturday, March 19, 2005
Spring Daisy

The intense colors of this photo are partially from the fact that it was a particularly beautiful flower. But, it was made more striking by the color of the light at sunset.

Sunday, March 13, 2005
Flaming Poppy Close-up

It was a wild weekend getting ready for a show, that is my only excuse.

This is the first day I missed a post since I started the site. But, I thought I should put something nice in this place for those of you that have come back to look.

Thanks for your dedication!! :0)

With a little luck you will soon be able to give me feedback on my images too. I'd love to hear what you think!