Vintage Birdhouse on a Backyard Fence - Non-functional

These birdhouses are also not functional and hanging on my friend's wooden fence. Maybe I need to invest in a stuffed bird that really looks real for a prop.  With an iPhone unless you are close and can anticipate the pose, forget getting bird pictures. If you crop a photo taken at a distance it will be pixelated.  You might be able to use for some altered art project.  I took in color but I played around with light and dark exposures and used sepia filter for one. I like the vintage look.    Because of small sensor there is some distortion with the planks of the wooden fence in the background.   There is supposed to be an app that will help correct disotortion of buildings etc.  

Birdhouse Diner

My neighbor has a decorative bird house that is really cute. I don't think it is functional to provide food as nothing on the picnic tables.  I just had to take the image. I am sure HDR mode was on as I leave that setting as a default.    It was in a shaded area of his front yard and it was a cloudy day.

Unfortunately, no birds were visiting the "diner" just to use as a perch.           It is not like I could go ask the neighbor to move the car which is in the background. So, I did apply a vignette to make the birdhouse more noticeable.  Maybe I should do a week of birdhouse photos?.  I have         one that is a decorative hat but background would be an issue.    

Hyacinths in Bloom at O'Charley's - GSO, NC 3/25/2015

Jack and I went to lunch at O'Charley's on Wed.  The hyacinths were calling my name. However, the landscapers had just put down new mulch and so the leaves of the hyacinths had a lot of debris.  It prevented me from taking  a lot of images.There were also white ones.  I liked the multiple hues. Post processing  I think the images only had slight cropping and sharpening with the native camera.  There are times when you wish a photo could communicate the scent as well, especially with flowers like liliacs and roses.    

Large Cherry Tree in Bloom - Greensboro, NC

The end of March usually shows evidence of Cherry Trees blooming in NC. I saw this really big tree off
Friendly Ave in GSO.  It was calling my name to take a photo. This is one of the more weeping cultivars.  The tree was very big. In addition to the blossoms, there were areas where there were none, and the bare limbs reminded me of some bonsi tree shapes.
When I first saw the tree it was late morning but I could not get back to photograph till about 3:30 PM and so the lighting was different.  One I took with light shining on it from the West and the other was from the East side with less direct lighting which I did change the shadows in PSE 11.  I converted the one image to B & W.  It was a windy day and with the iPhone you cannot get greater than an f8 aperture.  I did sharpen the images so the blossoms were more defined.but would have been better with a camera shooting @ f 32.  We had low 20 temps Sun a.m. 3/29 and worried about our Peach crop in NC.  Looking forward to crab apple trees to bloom soon.    

 

Herb doll

I am behind in posting but not in taking photos. Went to a herb study meeting on Thurs.  The Renegade Craft Group of  H.S.A. had made some herb dolls to sell for $9.00.  I had other commitments when they actually made them with fresh herbs.  The doll head is a poppy seed head.  Decided to use this for a still life image.   I used a red knit top for the background and you are going to see some faint wrinkles related to the close up.  It definitely needed a contrasting color and I could have used turquoise or a dark green. I buy remants of fabric for these kind of projects. See if you can recognize some of the herbs they used.  Hint: Bay leaves for wings.  Hot glue was used to assemble the dolls.  The image was cropped, shadows adjusted, sharpened and vignette applied in PSE 11.  

Newly Planted Dianthus (Pinks) March 2015

I missed a post for 3/23.  Posting an additional one today.
Spring is the time for planting new plants in the flower beds.  These are some pinks (Dianthus) a neighbor planted by her mailbox a few days ago.  There were actually 8 clumps in the area in a circular design.   I cropped this image close post processing because I missed some leaf debris on  the ground that I felt could be distracting.  Also when taking pictures close of dirt if areas are light like stones, I try cloning  or healing tool in PSE to keep the eye from focusing on those areas. Shot in HDR.

Bradford Pear Bloassoms

Capturing tree blossoms with an iPhone can be difficult because the wind can make the blossoms blurry if blowing in the wind.   Blossoms not all in same plane, so some may be in focus and others not.  If they are taken in bright sun like this image, then it can be difficult to adjust exposure and prevent highlights.  You don't get blinkies on an iPhone and with a small LED screen cannot always tell how it will really look until you look on the computer monitor. Unlike other cameras, it really takes to hands to handle the iPhone, so you cannot really use the Carolina blue sky as a background.  I did crop, increased highlights, sharpened, and put a vignette in PSE 11.

Trillium cuneatum CU @ the Bog Garden NLT

Went to the Bog Garden a few days ago because John Neal, a member of the NCNPS - Triad Chapter,  had posted an email about trilliums and trout lilies being in bloom on the Nell Lewis Trail last week.   This is a Triullium cuneatum and the only cultivar I saw blooming in the bog garden area.  This has a very nice burgandy colored bloom.  Sometimes the bloom is more brown than burgandy. I will post the trout lily images as a separate blog entry.  Editing was done in PSE 11: used sliiders for shadows, highlights, and midtones, sharpening, and cropping. It was taken with HDR mode about 4 PM, and lighting was overcast but I did not change the WB setting.  I used iPhone 5C with native camera app.
.  

Henbit - Noxious Spring Lawn Weed

Springofficially arrived last week and so we have many spring flowers and trees starting to bloom. I have posted several already on this blog.  I was able to capture an image of a weed called henbit close up.  Found in waste areas or in thin turf areas with lots of soil moisture.  Some people confuse it for another plant, "heal all" which does have medicinal properties.  This image taken with iPhone 5C.  Image was only cropped for better composition, sharpened in PSE 11.  .

Lichens - Close up on Dead Log

 I have always been facinated by lichens on dead tree branches/logs.
Their structure makes a very interesting texture when you look at them close up.  Some are different colors and can even have what appear like micrp blooms.  The left images I edited with the native camera app and the right one I increased the highlights and sharpened in PSE 11.  These were taken in March before officially spring

Pink Blossoms ? Ornamental Plum

All over the Triad area there are pink blossoms coming out.  I think this is an ornamental plum.  Next will be the Bradford Pear blooms.  I have seen one cherry blossom tree in bloom in the neighborhood.  The deciduous tulip tree should have some blossoms this weekend.  May go to the Bog Garden to check out trout lilies and trillium.   Images taken with HDR mode with Jack's iPhone 5C.  Slight sharpening in PSE 11.   The image on the right I added a vingette.

Forsythia Blooms - March 2015

Another sign that spring is here in NC.  The forsythia shrubs are now starting to bloom.   I took these as a close up, but hope I can try to take some macro shots with the OllieClip Macro lenses. Used HDR mode. Editing in PSE 11. Sun was shining and coming from behind the fence. It was about 10 A.M. EDST.  I think I used the Camera Plus app instead of native camera to take the image..

Twig Maize NC Botanical Garden Chapel Hill 3/19/2015

Yesterday I forgot to post an image.  I went to the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill, NC. It was a very dreay, rainy and overcast day.   My iPhone was out of space . Sp, I took some images with my friend, Sue Hughes', Samsung mobile smart phone.   I did convert the image with her in the window to Sepia tone to give a vintage look.  Not really happy with the images but it definitely was an interesting structure. It takes a lot of manual labor and time to put one of these structures together.   I forgot to ask her how to get the sharp focus on her at the twig window and was not familiar with her phone functions.  Thus the image of her is not sharp but the twigs appear to be.  Not sure what the settings were for the image but I would guess the f stop was less than f8. Should have changed WB to shade to avoid the color cast.    .  

Shadows from Railing Sculpture at GSO Arboretum

Another image from the GSO arboretum.  I liked the pattern of the leaves with the flourish effect from the railing sculpture but could not figure out how to get more of the sculpture itself and the shadows that were cast on the footboard.for a reflection.  I thought it was an interesting design.  It was taken around noon on a bright sunny day.  I played around with filters in PSE 11 and like the note paper one with the white background which is on the right. Probably I could this pattern as part of a digital collage.

Shamrock Plant & Flowers - Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patick's Day!!  I  bought this Shamrock plant last week at New Garden Nursery on Lawndale Ave.  The day I bought it, it was raining and outdoors temp in NC like 60 degrees.  I set it outside on the deck to get some raindrops.  Then I took a close up picture of it.  Only one bloom was really open and a lot of the blooms were hanging down.   I wanted to try to get an image that showed some of the 3 heart shaped leaves.   For now I have to treat it as a house plant and keep it inside, but this summer I can plant it outside. There are some plants that are periennial but this is considered an annual.   I need to try a macro with the Ollieclip lenses.  May have to make raindrops with glycerin and water and then mist the plant.

Snowdrops at Bill Craft Community Park

I found these snowdrops blooming at Bill Craft Community Park .Like the crocus, these are one of the first signs of spring.  This image is darker than I wanted but I also needed to see more detail in the white blooms. Editing was done in PSE 11.  I did add a vignette which is dark as well.  These blooms are difficult to capture as the least amount of wind will cause issues with a sharp focus.  In this original image there was a twig across the bottom that I did not notice when trying to plan my composition.  So, I did try to clone it out...or at least not get your eye to focus there.  I would like to try again when there is more light from the sun with one of my Ollieclp macro lenses.

Grace United Methodist Church - GSO, NC

 Trying to take more images of buildings.  However, there are problems with disortion if too close. Luckily there were no power lines to deal with in capturing the image.  It was a bright sunny day so detail in the white area is not sharp.  It was taken in HDR mode.  I used PSE 11 "Old Fashioned Photo - Urban" to convert to a B& W image.
   Grace United Methodist church on W. Market St. in Downtown GSO, near Greensboro College.

Gazebo - Greensboro Arboretum (Winter - 3/9/15)

 While I was at the Arboretum, I decided to capture an image of the gazebo.  In the summertime this is a venue ised for weddings.   It was overcast and I did not change exposure. HDR mode was on but I felt the image was too dark when I really looked at it on my monitor. In PSE 11,  I decided to play with the highlights, midtones, shadows sliders and increased the shapening.  It is nice that the foliage was not out yet.  I should try taking this image in the different seasons.  Who knows if we will have more snow this year. Now it looks more like an illustration or a different HDR. With the square format, this would be a good photo to try to send in Instagram.

Unknown ? Shrub - Greensboro Arboretum 3/9/2015

Despite the winter weather, I did find some different images at the Greensboro Arboretum in March.  I have no idea why this shrub has red branches sticking out of a trunk that has been cut off.  There were no labels present. I took the image with Camera Plus and edited it in the same app.  I used clarify and it made the branches a more vibrant red.   It will be interesting to see what happens this spring and summer.   

Witch Hazel Shrub inBloom - Greensboro Arboretum 3/9/2015

Winter is a great time to capture images of a witch hazel shrub in bloom.  It took several trips to the Greensboro Arboretum to capture an image to post.   There are numerous cultivars, this one was labeled "Sunset". There is a native one. It was overcast and so I had to change the hue to more yellow. I did price the cost for a 5 gallon one at New Garden Nursery. It would cost me like $65. It was shot in HDR mode.  This image was not cropped.  I increased the midtones and shadows and sharpened --maybe a little too much but the petals are part of the uniqueness of the bloom.  I would like to try some macro shots when the sun is shining.  They even had one with red petals but none of those images were in focus.  See previous post for a one with smaller petals.
   

Colorful News Stands for Community Papers

I was in downtown GSO near the Carolina Theater and saw these newsstand boxes that were
all different colors, sizes, and shapes. An instructor once said "the best image may be behind you".  My original thought was that this image might be an opportunity to use filters or some new app.  It was shot in HDR. I used PSE 11 to edit.  I cropped, increased the saturation.  Considering the Internet as a source of information, it was amazing to see this many options of community publications.  There were actually 3 more but a lightpost was in the way.   I actually edited out the window and filled it in with the navy blue color using the fill bucket.  The original had a refection of a car which was OK but this makes the boxes stand out more.  

Viola Close-up with Ollieclip 21x Lens

Not a lot of choices for blooms in NC in the winter time.   I bought some pansies in Dec. Only one of
the 12 plants had a bloom 3/8/2015..  I put on my 21x macro (OllieClip 4-in-1) lens for my iPhone 5s to take a picture of this viola.  It was about 1 inch in diameter.   Because of the shallow depth of field and not everything being in the same plane, it is difficult to get everything in focus.  I wanted to see the texture of the petals and it took a lot of patience to get this shot.   I will show you the before and after.  I cropped,  cloned and sharpened the image.  I may have played with midtones a bit for a richer color.  Edited in PSE 11

Witch Hazel - A Winter Bloom @ GSO Arboretum

At the Greensboro Arboretum yesterday I found a witch hazel shrub in bloom.  Not native and the petals/blooms were a lot smaller.  It was difficult with the witnd blowing to capture a sharp image.  I added contrast & sharpened contrast to image on Left.  The Eight image I used an invert filter in PSE 11.  I want to go back and try again - even a overcast day..  I did get better images with a Nikon P600 camera which has more megapixels and much easier to stabilize  for branches not close to the camera by using the zoom. If I go back may, also want to try for macro images with my Olliecip 4 in 1 macro lenses.

Wind Chimes Sculpture in Winter - GSO Arboretum.

Today I was at the Greensboro Arboretum looking for spring flowers or something I could use for my  challenge image.  This is a wind chime sculpture that has been in place for some time.  Recently they have added a ring walkway around  it. Usually there is green foliage in the background but I like the bare trees and blue sky.  I did take in HDR mode so sky is more blue.  I used the Camera + app to take the picture and to edit.  I cropped and used clarity.  It is not as noticeable on this small scale but there is a piece of wood leaning against one of the center posts.  On the small LED screen difficult to see.  I am not very good about remembering to enlarge the image to check for clutter/debris.  Then it shows up on the monitor and it is too late to remove and retake the image. At a public park removal can be an issue.      

Carnation Bouquet -Window Lighting

For Vaentine's Day I bought a bouquet of carnations from Wal-mart to enjoy as my favoirite flower as well as celebrate the day.  Carnations are my favoirite flowers becaise of their clove-like scent. Pinks just not as good.   I used window lighting from my bay window in the kitchen. The background is a very dark green background cltoh over the back of a kitchen chair. The background was a material remnant about 2 yds in liength and 45 -54 inches wide.  Despite these carnations being in different planes, the focus was pretty good for a close up.  The color range for the flowers another challenge R/T white balance and white areas being blown out.  You don't get blinkies for highlights on an iPhone 5s.  May not be able to evaulate that well on a small LED screen. on playback.  I was not able to figure out how to eliminate the glare on the green vase. I have not mastered WYSWG for the amount of space around a close up object.  I don't remember doing any editing with this image. ? Maybe sharpening.. Scott Kelby  believe every digital image needs sharpened.  

Winter Texter - Foliage CU + Artistic Cutout Filter

Another texture taken of some winter plant foliage (close up) in a container. I do not recognize this plant. I thought it would make a great background when I get into doing digital collages.Original does not have as much depth.


 I cropped, adjusted midtones & highlights, sharpened and then applied artistic cutout filter in PSE 11. Other filters also showed interesting effects. 

Sculpture Downtown Greensboro - Life & Culture (Courthouse Plaza)

Guess I am not getting out to take images of more spring flowers this a.m. So, am posting an image of a sculpture I took on a sunny day in downtown GSO. It is a copper swing gate that shows various aspects of life or famous people that have impacted our culture. Difficult to get everything showing due to shadows of the sun at about noon. I wanted to include the building in the background go give a sense of place. No editing of the image. HDR mode on iPhone 5S. This might be one to try a vertical panorama in the future.

Crocus in Bloom, Greensboro, NC - 3/04/2015 (Signs of Spring)

Found some sign of spring 3/04/2015. Was walking with Jack and Leo around the block and found some crocus in bloom.  Photo on Right, I actually took the image with Instagram camera app and did not edit.  I sent directly to Facebook to post. Will have to go back when I don't have an audience with me and can take my time composing, etc.   It was 74 degrees today but tomorrow may get some snowflakes.  Photo on Left cropped in PSE 11, darkened slightly,  added vignette and sharpened.   I think I need to try capturing the crocus with my Ollie-clip 4 in 1 macro lens.  Later on the way home I saw a daffodil and some snowdrops--more signs of spring.

Leather Wall Hanging - LaBamba Restaurant, State St. GSO, NC

Went out to eat at LaBamba Restaurant on State St. in Greensboro yesterday. They had changed their decor. I liked their leather wall hangings and took a few pictures of them. Did not use flash, but had incadescant room lighting. You will see some shadows. Also the leather will be lighter in some areas of the design because of the highlights. The hanging was higher than eye level and so some disortion present which I could not really correct. I used native camera app to convert to sepia (Fade filter) increased the midtones, lightened to show more detail and then sharpened. The other example with the image was to make high key.in PSE 11 which shows you more of the design and stitching.

Holly Berries with Snow & Ice

Today's photo was taken later in the afternoon after our snow last Thurs.  Not many branches on the Ilex (not a native holly culivar) had snow still remaining. Minor editing with native camera app. Vignette applied in PSE 11. If it snows again maybe I can try for a macro shot with my Ollie Clip 4 in 1 macro lens.  

Yellow Orchid Daniel B. Stowe Orchid Conseratory

Adding an extra post because this Orchidclose up image showed up
on Facebook yesterday when I posted a birthday greeting to my friend, Sue Hughes. Image was taken in HDR mode at Daniel B. Stowe Botanical Garden, Belmont, NC.  It has a separate Orchid Conservatory so there are always orchids in bloom any time of year.  They have a waterfall wall with numerous orchids and an arch with various air plants.  This was actually taken in Aug. 2014. If you are in the area, The University of North Carolina - Charlotte has numerous orchids but they bloom Dec -Feb. They also have a great succulent area in gteenhouse
.

Snow Covered Trees and Randy's Shed

Another picture from the snow on Thursday night. It is actually in my neighbor's backyard. Edited in native camera app -- cropped & used chrome filter, but sharpened in PSE 11.Too bad no children, deer, etc. around at the time but it still shows snow covered trees in the early a.m.. By afternoon a lot of the snow had fallen from the branches.