I took around 500 photos while I was in California recently. Most of them are of plants. Today, I post yet another example of the flora that grow in southern California.I believe that nothing in nature develops accidentally and when I look at this I wonder about the purpose of all of the parts of this fern and of their design. Maybe a fern expert could chime in. Or maybe I could look it up on Wikipedia. . . .
I don't think that Moses ever made it to southern California but if he had, I'm sure he would have enjoyed the palms and the pure morning sun as I did the morning I took this photo.My son, Brian, has astutely observed that this version of Moses doesn't have the horns that Michelangelo gave the original version of this statue. It would be interesting to know why this editorial decision was made by the copyist.To see the "real" sculpture, check out this post from a few years ago.
I spent 5 days in California and most of what I photographed was done with my 100mm macro lens at two different gardens. Yes, I'm in a rut. But I like it. . . .
I was in photography heaven at the Sherman Gardens in Laguna del Mar, California - especially in the cactus section because of all of the amazing lines and textures. Sorry but I don't know the name of this cactus but it looks like a little magical kingdom with decorated domes.
Taken at the Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar, California.
I am in California for a few days and because I am using my iPad and iPhone for work and connectivity, keeping up with this blog is a little more challenging - especially the photo editing. But I'll try to do my best.This photo was taken a few blocks from my aunt's house and it is like alot of green things I post - it is very green.But aside from that, I really like the luminescence of this photo. I probably took 40 photos of this plant and they are pretty redundant. But, as usual, my photography wasn't so much about what I got as it was that I was out seeing and seeking. And it was a perfect southern California morning, with temperatures heading into the high 70s. :-)
On our trip to LA (where it got up to 80 degrees) we had to have antifreeze sprayed on our plane. Paradox? Kind of. . . .Check out a short video I took:
This was taken shortly before we landed at MSP on our business trip to LA. Enhancements are courtesy of an app called Camera+.
Such is the nature of the creative process that one often ends up with something very different from what was originally planned. Such is the case with today's rather self-indulgent photo.The task was to take a self-portrait. I was doing this because I had assigned the same task to my "Lighting for Photographers" students at LATI. My goal was to take something simple that would illustrate the idea. At first I tried using a crystal ball that has been in my family for at least a century. But that didn't work (I still want to try it!)I then stepped into my den to see what else I might be able to do and, low and behold, my closet mirrors had me staring back at myself. So I took a photo that showed three of me. And then I remembered that I had an app called WordFoto that I had just downloaded. And then I thought maybe I could do something with layers in Photoshop. . . .And then I ended up with this photo.I do believe there is some kind of symbolism in the fact that the part of the photo with "i" all over it shows less of "me." You tell me what that means!
There are always details in an event that get ignored and I certainly missed these amazing shoes. They were part of Evelyn's D's baptism outfit but were generally hidden by her gown. It wasn't until I was prowling around Derek and Alecia's house looking for photo opportunities that I found them.See more of Evie's baptism day here.
I don't think sunlight actually has texture nor can you actually see it - sunlight texturizes the things it illuminates. Right?But, instead of talking philosophy and physics I would rather talk about this photo, which wouldn't exist if my mother-in-law hadn't pointed out the look of the sunlight streaming through open Venetian blinds onto the curtains in Evelyn's nursery at Alecia and Derek's house.Thanks, Glenyce. It's always good to have others help me see things. . .
I took several photos of Evelyn D's baptism, but I liked this one best because while the main elements of the scene are identifiable, the purest point of focus is mother Alicia's face, which is suffused with a look of love and concentration.
Of course, Evie is not an afterthought in this image, nor is her oldest brother, Ethan, who, if you ask me, has one of the best seats in the house.Incidentally, I mean no sacrilege in this comparison, but it was hard for me not to see similarities in the expressions of Michelangelo's Mary and Alicia. Though the circumstances in Michelangelo's Pieta are vastly different from those at Evie's baptism, both mothers exude a sense of calm that is striking to me.Click here to see Michelangelo's Pieta, which is housed in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.