Celebrating gardens, photography and a creative life
Usually there are plenty of opportunities to pick an overcast day if we’re planning to visit a garden or, if not, at least chances to wait for a cloud. But this year is different. Unrelenting sunshine is not usually a big issue in northern England but Texan-style blue skies (with not a cloud in sight all day long) are all the rage. Continue reading “Sunlight Attack”
The last ever weekly photo challenge is titled ‘All Time Favourites’ – give or take ‘u’. It’s hard to mark the passing of this much loved event appropriately. I’m starting off by sharing a few favourite shots I’ve been saving until the right prompt came around. I’m pretty sure these would never have seen the light of day now the challenge is ending so, while there’s still time, here goes!
Jane Brewster’s street art shows part of the New Orleans street it is on, if my memory is correct. I like the way life plays with art and the dark shadows echo the dark trunk of the painted tree in this image. It provokes lots of ideas, for example, my eye plays with the angles of the shadows and the perspective in the painting. It’s funny how life seems to be framing the painting and how life seems more abstract than art. In retrospect I could have used it for ‘Reflections’, although it would have been a fairly subtle connection. Continue reading “Bye, Weekly Photo Challenge!”
When you photograph a hellebore, you’re faced with some stark choices. Show the plant as it is and capture the natural essence of the bloom, or lift the flower to show the inside. It’s tempting to go for a macro shot like this one to reveal the beautiful pattern of veining but it gives me a weird feeling of misrepresentation; invasion, almost. It feels uncomfortably like peeking at a Victorian lady to get a glimpse of voluminous, lacy underwear.
I would have said that this shot gives a better impression of the true character of the plant if the one in the back didn’t seem to be wearing a superman cape and keeping a watchful eye on a couple of conspirators in the foreground. Continue reading “Regular Random: Double Hellebore”
Hellebores are intriguing plants because they hybridise so readily, giving rise to many different forms. If your knees can stand it, it’s worth bending down and lifting the flower to see what’s inside as the backs of the petals often give little clue of what’s inside.
While the inner petals can be clear, they’re often streaked, spotted, splashed or neatly edged with a contrasting colour. Some forms have enlarged nectaries or double rows of petals. Continue reading “Hellebore Macros”
Erythronium from this post: Woodland Plants – Erythronium dens canis Continue reading “Weekly Photo Challenge: Favourite Flower Pics 2017”
Susan Rushton 