Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. ~Lao Tzu~
These are just a few of the beautiful images made within the myriad of pine forests in Northern Michigan earlier this autumn!
Spring has finally arrived here and even though almost nothing has bloomed yet in terms of flowers, I always enjoy when plants of any type start bursting forth from the ground. In this case actually from the shallow waters of a pond, just a preview of things to come.
In this photograph of aquatic reflections you can see the reflection of trees as well as that of the sky and clouds in both the foreground and background. Green plants that are growing just below the water’s surface are beautiful, as well as the vertical shadows that the cattails cast on the surface of the water.
This is a very simple composition, and I like all of the elements it has. Originally I thought of this only as a color photograph because of the beautiful greens, as a sign of spring.
I decided to do a black and white conversion though and really liked the feeling of contrast in the image as well.
I’m really looking forward to the changes this spring will bring, and surely hoping that we won’t have any more freezing temperatures that damage blossoms this year!
I wish a very happy spring to all of you, with plenty of outdoor adventures and beauty!
Cattails in the shallow depths of a pond in spring with reflections and shadows!
This past year was a big one for me as far as abstract images go. The combination of stunning colors and dazzling light gave me many opportunities for motion blur abstracts. I have done a favorite abstract images post in previous years, so I thought I’d put together some of my favorite autumn abstracts this time. You can take a look at them here. I have a short description below instead of writing a full post. I also put a couple of beautiful autumn quotes at the end of the post! Enjoy “Autumn in Abstract” !
A beautiful and colorful flow of autumn color in abstract!
These colors can give the feel of the holiday season or autumn.
A gold and green magical light filled abstract!
One of my favorites in fall of 2015. You’ll also so see this in my 2015 Year in Review.
Here’s a beautiful quote that gives you the feeling and excitement of how autumn feels to me!
“October’s Party”
October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came,—
The Ashes, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The sunshine spread a carpet,
And every thing was grand;
Miss Weather led the dancing;
Professor Wind, the band….
The sight was like a rainbow
New-fallen from the sky….
~ George Cooper ~
I am struck by the simplicity of light in the atmosphere in the autumn, as if the earth absorbed none, and out of this profusion of dazzling light came the autumnal tints.
by ~ Henry David Thoreau ~
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The title of this post might seem a bit strange when you see this first photograph of some beautiful yet very simple leaves on a row of plants. In fact, I have no idea what these plants are.
I had originally gone out looking for some late summer flowers. Unfortunately it turned out to be a pretty windy day. The few flowers that I found weren’t very cooperative in the wind.
As I went around to the other side the garden I found rows of these leaves. They had a really nice flow to them. My first inclination, after making one simple photograph was to do a long exposure and have a nice motion blur effect. I made three photographs using different exposures.
My favorite out of the ones I made was the second image you’ll see here. It had just the right silky flow that I envisioned in my mind.
Please scroll down to see that image and also the image that gave me the idea for the title to this post.
These are beautiful leaves by themselves with a nice flow.
In this image I used a slightly longer exposure to blur the motion and give it a soft, silky, and flowing feel.
What I did in this next image is a different story altogether.
After I had processed the previous photograph in Lightroom, I decided to reprocess it again in Lightroom for a totally different effect.
I played around with solarization a bit, which I have done many times before with certain types of plants, especially succulents and cactus. However I almost always process these in monochrome. This time as I was trying out the different colors and effects, I found that I really liked the way the blur of leaves took on a look of bird plumage! Maybe some exotic bird from a far away location! The colors are of course totally unlike the original, but to me they looked like Crystal Plumage!
So if you are a Lightroom user, but haven’t yet tried out the solarization panel, I advise you to give it a try for something really fun and different!
I hope you’ve enjoyed the photos! 🙂
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These images speak for themselves. What more can me said about gorgeous morning sunlight! Pure happiness!
Wonderful morning sunlight illuminates these lovely purple orchids!
Gorgeous and golden marigold in the beauty of the rising sun!
A bokeh delight in the fresh summer grass!
It’s summer and it’s such a great time of year to get out in nature so I’ve been taking full advantage of the warm days and great things happening in the garden and other local green areas!
Here are a few photographs of my recent nature abstracts from the garden. I hope you enjoy them! 🙂
Ferns in a simple but beautiful pattern.
Green ground cover with a few of the rosettes having bloomed yellow.
Green ground cover in the shape of rosettes.
These purple flowers have just begun to burst forth.
Here’s the one image that is not like the other! These purple flowers are just starting to bloom. There are rows of them dreamily layered behind each other!
Have a wonderful week everyone! 🙂
Last spring, after the long winter we had experienced in the Midwest, I felt that I needed to see something that looked like spring, even though it surely didn’t look or feel like it outside!
I took a day to myself and went to the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids Michigan. I walked leisurely around the entire inside of this wonderful sanctuary, away from the winter doldrums, and finally ended up in The Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory.
There were lovely tropical plants and flowers everywhere. I enjoyed everything, and of course photographed too many flowers and plants to count, but sometimes it’s the little things that really capture your attention.
In this case I was strolling past some very large palm fronds. The light from above was just barely shining through. I looked up and noticed the shadows of leaves of another plant as it hung above the palm leaves. What a lovely sight! I just had to make a few photographs of these fronds and shadows! If you know me, you’ll know that one of my other favorite things is finding nature abstracts. This to me fit the bill! 🙂
The image to me imparts a hint of mystery and also a feeling of peace. The combinations of green hues and the darker but subtle shadows of the leaves, seemed just perfect!
Enjoy!
In our last post we visited the vast shores of Lake Michigan in the Upper Peninsula of MI., on a beautiful windy day. Today I bring you another image in the same colors and hues, lovely greens and blues, but in a totally different setting. The beautiful Laurel Highlands area of Pennsylvania.
This area encompasses many towns,counties, resorts, historic sights, state forests, ski resorts, and some wonderful architecture!
In this view you’ll see some of the area around Ohiopyle PA., where Ohiopyle State Park is located. The views are spectacular especially on days like this one here. Forests in all shades of green. Blue skies filled with large cumulus clouds that cast shadows in shapes across the mountains and valleys.
In Ohiopyle State Park and vicinity, you’ll find plenty to do if you want to enjoy nature to its fullest. Hiking trails galore, kayaking down the Youghiougheny River, a visit to Cucumber Falls and more.
This day is a perfect one for taking in the wonders of the natural world, and casting all of our cares aside.
Take a deep relaxing breath, and Enjoy! 🙂
Tonight’s post is going to be a quick one. I haven’t had much of a chance to get out and do anything outdoors recently with the weather we’ve been having this winter, plus I am still processing tons of last years images.
Several days ago after seeing some beautiful oil and water macro images done by Beverly Everson, I decided to do some messing around with it myself. Here is the link to Beverly’s initial image that inspired me, which is very beautiful!: http://www.eversonphotography.com/2014/02/oil-and-water/
I was lacking in some of the essential items, but I decided to do it anyway. I came out with this and a bevy of other abstracts. None of them were quite what I had hoped, but they have a beauty of their own.
I wanted to get this one up for those people who had requested it, and for those that are also messing around with oil and water too.
I’ll be doing more of these in the future, but first I need to find some very good glass baking dishes, not the ones I bake brownies in! 😉
Flowers and stone
Spring dreams
Tumbled boulders
Timeless past
Season’s renewal
Wildflowers sprout
Perhaps unnoticed
Perchance to be seen
I have noticed
I have climbed
Life ever changing
Reaching new heights
Flowers and stone
Of God’s Gifts
We do delight
by Rachel Cohen