Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Rain Bud

Not usually awake very early in the morning. But once in a while I catch the good morning light!

Sunday, May 21, 2006
Wet Lime Blossoms

I had just finished watering the plants in our back yard. I love what water does to close-up pictures. And I love the small freckles on the blossoms, they are a little more translucent than the rest of the petals, and you can really see that with the back lighting.

Wednesday, May 3, 2006
Cactus Feathers

Zoe took me for a walk today, as she has been known to do. We took a little different path than we normally do. We went past this beautiful Prickly Pear cactus up the street from us. It is about six feet tall and it is in a pot in front of a house near the street. It is pretty obvious by the health of the plant that the growth of the roots has not been slowed by the bottom of the pot!

I think the coloring on the petals makes them look like feathers.

Thursday, April 27, 2006
Minerature Rose XCU

I've been experimenting with studio lighting. Until recently most of my photos have been available or natural light.

This is a miniature rose, the flower is about an inch and a half across. Which explains why the water drops look so big.

Thursday, August 18, 2005
Waking Orchids

These guys look like they are about to stand up, stretch and yawn.

There used to be a great place in Carpinteria that had some amazing orchids. But they moved to Tennessee or somewhere like that. Fortunately we still have the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate!

The people at both places have always been very kind when I am interested in taking pictures. Of course I rarely leave without taking one of their babies home with me so it works out good for everyone.

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 5, 2005
Lily Curves

Another of the beautiful things as close as the back yard. This was right after the sprinklers went off, on a foggy morning. The dim light made the background dark and everything a little softer. But this shot was one of only a few taken as the fog parted a little which made the drops a little brighter and sharper. To see the difference in the light you can see another shot here, taken only minutes earlier.

Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Abstract Lily

Well this was one of the few days I missed posting. So I'm trying to go back and put something nice in these little holes. This photo was taken at the same time as this image.

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.

Tuesday, March 8, 2005
Lily Drops

So, I was sitting at my computer (as I am told I do too often) when my best friend said "Hey grab your camera and come look at this!." Seems that the sprinkler had reached the new Calla Lilies that just came up in the back yard. About a half hour later and a couple rolls of film I was back at my computer, but much happier!

Monday, February 7, 2005
Dew Drop Web

One of the things I like about taking my images one at a time and preparing them for this site, is the opportunity it gives me to think a little more about each subject. When I saw this web I took an entire roll of film because of the beauty of the dew, like pearls on a string. Now, while preparing it for the site, I started to think about why the drops of dew stayed there. The water should run down to the lowest point, collect and drip to the ground but the web is covered with it.

I realized that not all of the web was sticky, the spider walks on the radial threads, which are not sticky. The concentric threads are where the sticky part is. (Apparently it is even more complex than that, There are seven different kinds of silk that spiders can spin but that is a little off topic.) The interesting thing about the sticky thread is the fact that the sticky comes from small drops of liquid on the silk. These small drops make an imperfection on the slick silk that the drop of water can hang on. Which also explains my next thought about the water, why is it so regularly spaced? Because the spider places the sticky drops evenly.

Of course, the trouble with that explanation is the fact that there are drops on the radial threads in this photo, albeit not as large and not as many. Perhaps there is some stickiness to all of the strands on this particular type of spider web? Or just other imperfections in the strand? Perhaps specks of dust?

Friday, January 21, 2005
Dewdrop Marigold

This is another picture from my back yard. When I am feeling like taking pictures but don't have enough time to go on a full expedition, I like to wander there. There is always something new if I look close enough.