Red Poppy
with spring finally here I can hardly wait for the flowers to bloom. I am working through some old files, and finding some flower images to satisfy my needs for flowers! I love the red poppy. They are delicate, the color is rich, and they seem to dance with the slightest breeze.
What is your favourite flower?
lily at the Bloedel Conservatory, Vancouver BC
Now for something completely different. I have been publishing a lot of different portraits lately. People I have met and worked with, so I thought it was time to mix it up a little. Flowers are always so beautiful that I can’t help but take pictures of them. Especially when visiting a conservatory as lovely as the Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver BC.
It is april in Calgary, and I have heard that spring bulbs are starting to appear in people’s gardens, not in mine, and we are going to have snow today, with colder than normal temperatures predicted for the rest of the week. I do miss the flowers.
For this image I used Nik Silver Effects Pro to creat a black and white layer then reduced the opacity to allow a small amount of the color to come through. Since the flower in the original image was a bright red, it came through with a little color while the rest remain dark.
Orange Cypripedioideae- lady slipper orchid
not long ago I told you about the Calgary Foothills Orchid Society here is another of the images taken during their last show.
pink lady’s-slipper orchid
As part of my Explore Calgary Project I want to visit activities and events happening around Calgary. The Foothills Orchid Society hold an annual show at the Triwood Community Center, some time in May. On display are beautiful and show the dedication members have to their plants. Last year I went early Sunday morning, just as the doors were opening, so it wasn’t too busy. If you are planning on taking pictures, be aware of other guest to the show, try not to take up too much space or stay in one place to long. Use either off camera or diffused flash to prevent harsh shadows.
The Triwood Community Center is holding their winter festival February 17, 2012: skating, winter games, campfire, definitely something else to add to my calendar for my explore Calgary Project.
I went to the foothills orchid society show at the triwood community center on Sunday with a friend, the flowers were spectacular, the arrangements and groups gorgeous. I managed a few great shots using the canon 100 macro lens, a great lens for this type of work. Unfortunately I don’t remember the names, I guess I will have to spend some time on the internet searching them out, for now enjoy the photos.
Words can travel thousands of miles.
May my words create mutual understanding and love.
May they be as beautiful as gems,
as lovely as flowers……………….Thich Nhat Hanh
I am ready a good by Thich Nhat Hahn, he offered this lovely poem, or rather mediation prayer, as a reminder that our words have impact. If you are angry or irritated the other person will receive your negativity, he suggests we be mindful of our words and the impact they have. So I offer you a lovely flower; may your day be filled with flowers and gems.
The jolly jump ups have not yet made themselves known in my garden this year – it won’t be long now. But it seems to have been a busy week with little time to get out and photograph the world around me, and I am anxious to get out into the garden, so I thought I would dig, (pun intended) through some of my old image files and find a spring like picture to brighten the day. It is just +1 degrees here in Calgary, but things are looking good for a sunny warm weekend. Yes I might just get some pots planted.
I hope you have a bright and sunny Thursday.
Yesterday was a great day here in Calgary, people were out on the pathways and in the parks, enjoying the sunshine. I am pretty sure there were more than just a few of us out dreaming about getting into the garden, and if we forget about the snow storm of Saturday we could almost believe planting is just around the corner.
I hope you have a great Monday.
More spring tulips from the Innsifail Gowers both at the Calgary Farmer’s Market. A great place to support local producers.
I had set up a high key light table to photograph the flowers, I like the soft delicate colours of the flowers, they are a lovely way to brighten up the dining room table!
Happy Monday to you.
