05-23-13 Stately

Here's one more version of the pink tulips I've been posting for the last couple days. This is the side view of the same two flowers pictured two days ago.

05-20-13 Bird's Eye View

I am hung up on flowers, obviously. And I am also once again compelled to comment on the power of the photographer's point of view. The conventional view of flower is from the side and from a short distance. The tulip becomes something quite different when you view it from the top at close range.

This is one of my wife's beautiful flowers, incidentally. I'll admit that I did wander into the neighbor's yard again today. But the pink tulips called me back home. . . .

05-19-13 My Neighbor's Tulips II

Well, here they are: my neighbor's purples tulips Water droplets from morning dew or from a spray bottle? I'll never tell.

Canon 5DIII 1/80s f/7.1 ISO400 100mm

05-17-13 Our Neighbor's Tulips I

My wife has nice flowers but does our neighbor and the other day I couldn't help but be drawn to her collection of yellow tulips, which had just bloomed. The light was poor but I enhanced the scene with on-camera flash. I rarely use flash but I have taught my students that it's ok to use flash as long as it doesn't overpower the scene. In the case of this photo, I think it works.

I call this post "Our Neighbor's Tulips I" because she also has some amazing deep purple tulips and I am waiting patiently for them to bloom. And though I've featured them before, those who follow this blog know that I like 2nd chances on most photos I take.

Pink Explosion

What caught my eye as I drove by this beautiful bed of tulips in front of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis was the fact that there were a few yellow flowers scattered amongst all then pink ones. Look closely at this photo and you will see one small, yellow tulip.

I took a few shots of the yellow flowers thinking my theme would be "Nonconformity." but I ended up shooting a plethora of pink tulips. The shots I liked best were the ones where I shot not the early morning sun. This way, the leaves and the heads are all backlit.

My Neighbor's Flowers

I shouldn't admit that I've been admiring my neighbor's purple tulips. But I couldn't help it. All of her tulips are purple and, against the green grass, stunning. And so I sneaked over to their back yard and took several surreptitious shots before I made my way back to our yard. Only their dog noticed me: it barked continuously while I was in their yard. Fortunately, the dog was shut inside. So I was safe. And my wife doesn't know I have a thing for my neighbor's flowers.