Paw Paw - Forsythe Ag Center, W-S, NC

Saturday I went to the Forsythe Ag. Center to a Paw Paw Festival.         I learned a lot about them but I did not buy a plant. They had samples of ice cream, salsa, and a bread for tasting ...handouts. The taste is between a mango & a peach. Will not  keep long-- not in groc. stores.. Camera+ app. Edit: PSE 11 & Touch Retouch.  

Milkweed Propellers Blowing in the Wind -KCP Meadow

Last week I went to a meadow near KCP Library in Greensboro, NC.  I did not see the dead stalk on the diagonal in the LED screen when I was concentrating on the design and the milkweed propellers being in focus.  So, of course, when I look at it on my monitor there it is and really distracting.   So, I used an app Touch Retouch to remove and it did a really neat job. Taken with Camera+ HDR.  Final image darkened slightly & sharpened with PSE 11.   P.S. Touch Retouch can be used on iPad or iPhone.  It won't work for everything but it is amazing and worth $1.99.

Mystery Pink Blossom CU in Neighborhood

This image was taken in my neighborhood.  Did not have a lot of options for blossoms that looked good. I love the color. It was taken early evening.  Not happy that I did not see stem in front of blossom to the left. Would have been good to have pulled the blossom in front of it had I noticed on the LED screen.  Maybe I should carry a pair of scissors with me.  Some things you cannot use Touch Retouch app. to remove.  Native camera app, HDR.  No post editing with this image.

Hellianthus in KCP Meadow

This week I went to a meadow for birds and butterflies near KCP library in Greensboro, NC.  It was about 4:30 -5:30 PM   Not quite the golden hour.  I tried to capture these hellianthus backlit from the sun  Camera+ app, HDR.  Post processing slight adjustment to saturation, sharpened.in PSE 11.  I think this could make a pretty greeting card.  Would have been nice if a butterfly or bee was there.   Liked the blue sky with the clouds.as background.  

Mushroom Macro - Neighborhood DD

One of my neighbors had some mushrooms in her yard.  I chose this small one and tried for a macro image.  The image on the left is actually as the camera saw in color with Camera+ app.  I did not notice the highlight on the top right area.  I increased the shadows, shaprened in PSE 11.  The right image I used hue and saturation to get a more vintage look and also sharpened more.  The highlight looks a little less evident than the image on the left.

Sweet Pea Macro - Neighborhood

Sweet peas seem to like to grow along roadsides.  I captured this image while I was walking in the neighborhood.  It was in the shade but I think the colors tuned out great without an edits except applying a vignette in PSE 11.  I cropped and then did some cloning to get rid of leaves with disfigurement which I thought was  a distraction for the macro image.  Taken with Camera+ app.  HDR mode.

Goldenrod in Meadow near Kathleen Clay Price Library

Yesterday I went to a meadow near Kathleen Clay Price library in GSO.  I will probably go back again as one of the things about a meadow is there are lots of dead weeds which can be a distraction. These are not always that noticeable until you look on your computer.
It was not a windy day which can be an issue.  There were lots of butterflies flitting around but difficult to capture--mostly tiger swallowtails but I did see one Monarch..  Will have to go back in the morning when cooler and they are not as active.  Taken with Camera+ app, post processing with PSE 11.  

Inside of Milkweed Pod - Neighborhood & Posterize Effect

OK if this image did not have a title I bet you could not guess what it was? I am always looking for texture images and what kind of filters might change the look. I was trying to release milkweed propellors from a pod but they were not really dry yet. Then I noticed that the inside was moist with an abstract pattern. This
texture prompted me to take a closeup/macro image.  Taken with Camera+.  Cropped and edited in PSE 11. Probably could have tried higher level of sharpening and lightness/darkness sliders on the original image.  I decided to go with a posterize filter in the right image.  

Pampas Grass Silhouette and Saturated Film Effect

These images should have been posted Sunday, 8/23/2015.  I was walking past my neighbor's Pampass grass late last evening when it was really dusk.  Decided to try for a silhouette against the sky to just pick one stalk.   That was not an easy task to avoid ones next to it.  I actually took & edited in Camera+.  Then I wanted to see what would happen if I tried "saturated film" effect in PSE 11.  I also removed the left most frond? using the healing brush. This gave some color back to the image and I liked the lighter backgound with the sky seemed to have a motled effect. Will be looking for more Pampass grass images..   

Monarda Citriodora CU (a Bee Balm) in Trish's Garden.

I have been admiring my neighbor's plant (Monarda citriodora) but did not really like the mulch background as I could not blur out that well. She told me it is a bee balm. It has many names, considered a wildflower with medicinal uses.  Unlike the monarda didyma, it keeps adding bloms the taller the stalk gets.  It blooms for a really long time.   I tasted it and it is very pungent aftertaste - almost pepper like. It has low growing foliage compared to the Monarda didyma.  Native Camera app - HDR.   Postprocessing PSE 11.
For more info: 
http://www.wildflower.org/clearinghouse/propagation/Mo
narda_citriodora.pdf

Autumn Clemitis CU Blooming in the Neighborhood

This should have been posted Fri. 8/21/2015.  My neighbor's Autumn Clematis (Clematis paniculata) is blooming.   It is very fragrant and one of those images you wish the photo could capture that fragrance.  This plant is growing around her lamp post.  It was captured in the evening and in a shaded area.  I hope I can find one in the neighborhood that blooms in a sunny area and do more of a macro image. I usually see this blooming in September. I hope I can find one in the neighborhood that blooms in a sunny area and do more of a macro image. I usually see this blooming in September.
Native Camera app- HDR.  Post processing in PSE 11.

Sweet Autumn Clematis becomes a silvery mass of fluffy seed heads in the fall.  It is a prolific, small-flowered species that will look equally impressive covering an upscale arbor or embellishing a utilitarian fence or garden shed. It is a hardy climber and can reach a height of 30 ft, but can be kept in check if stems cut back in spring.  It blooms on the current year's growth and will thrive and bloom well in partial shade.  Usually does not bloom the first year, but expect them to begin blooing the second year.

Zinnia Bouquet CU - from GSO Farmer's Curb Market

This should have been posted Thurs.  8/20/2015.  When I was at the Farmer's Curb Market last Saturday I bought a bouquet of zinnias because I liked all the different colors in the bouquet.  I did not have time to really take the image until several days later.  I put a green cloth down for the background and then shot from the top down to show as many of the colors and varieties. This was outdoor lighting in the shade.  Camera+ HDR.  Postprocessing with PSE.  I did use paintbucket to make the background better as cloth had wrinkles. Cropped, increased highlights, midtones, sharpened.  

Osage Orange Fruit - Green Monochrome

This should have been posted Wed. 8/19/2015.   I was walking in the neighborhood last week and saw that the Osage orange (Machura pomifera) tree fruit was starting to appear.  Because it is not ripe yet this made a monochrome image.  I was trying to do a close up in Camera+ but it almost looks like this fruit is floating if it were not attached with a stem.  When it is ripe it will be yellow and can have more texture.  Some people make bows with the trunks which can be very time consuming.  he neighbor said the first year it bloomed it was orange.  This tree has very sharp thorns.  In the spring it has pretty white flowers.  Post processing in PSE 11:  cropped, increased highlights, sharpened to show more texture.
For more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera

My Native Rubeckia around the Light Post

My native rubeckia is blooming and I previous posted an image with lots of them and two closer = bigger in the image that had an appearance of them in a field.  This time I wanted to capture the light post which they surround. If you look closely in the glass you can see some reflections.   Native camera app.  No cropping, increased brightness as this was taken on overcast day, sharpened in PSE 11. Maybe I should turn on the light at dusk or later and see what kind of image I can capture. I could even try with filters in Instagram.  

Anniversary Tuberosa Bouquet and CU blossoms

This should have been posted 8/17/2015  Yesterday was our 52nd wddding anniversary.  On Sat. I went to the Farmer's Market to buy a bouquet.  These images are of Tuberosa.  They bloom in August and are very fragrant. Too bad you can not attach smell to a digital photograph.   Native camera app.  for the left image. I know I cropped the top of the left image too short but I could not really spend the time I needed.  This image shows that the buds were not open and for some reason they did not open up as I had anticipated. So I could take more images.  I used my kitchen window lighting and the black background is the side of my refrigerator.  The image on the right I used outdoor lighting.  Camera+  Macro mode.  Post processing  PSE 11.

For more information:  The tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa) is a perennial plant related to the agaves, extracts of which are used as a note in perfumery. The common name derives from the Latin tuberosa, meaning swollen or tuberous in reference to its root system. Polianthes means "many flowers" in Greek. In Mexican Spanish, the flower is called nardo or vara de San José, en.wikipedia.org

Mushroom CU on Rock Springs - Neighbor's Yard

 About 2 weeks ago I spotted this mushroom in my neighbor's yard.  Have never seen one like it before and have no clue about names of cultivars for mushrooms. It was about 8" x 6 ".  Native camera app.
Postprocessing with PSE 11: cropped, increased highlights and midtowns slightly, sharpened.  It does have soft covering of the projections.

Red Clover CU - Neighborhood

The late afternoon sun was highlighting this red clover and it was calling my name to take a close up image.  Too bad there was not a bee on it. Camera+ HDR Macro mode.with Square Format. I increased highlights, sharpened, cloned areas of foliage to eliminate some tiny white specks, and applied vignette in PSE 11.

By some red clover (Trifolium pratense) is considered a weed in your lawn, but it is knowm to have some medicinal benefits. It is a berbaceous species of a flowering plant in the bean family, Fabaceae. It is native to Europe, Western Asia and Northwest Africa, but planted and naturalized in many other regions.   For more info see en.wikipedia.org

Native Rubeckia Blooms in My Front Yard

I have a lot of "native" rubeckia blooming in my front yard.   Decided to take an image that would show more blooms but have some closer to the camera that could show more detail. It is a periennial and seems to have more plants every year.   Taken with native camera. Post processing with PSE 11. Cropped, shadows increased and midtones slightly, sharpened.

Cedar Limbs without Leaves - Texture & Glow Effects

This image should have been posted for 8/12/15.   I was walking in the neighborhood last night and came across this twisted piece of cedar limbs without any leaves.   You could call this "Patterns of Nature".  I did not like the oiriginal because I took it late evening in color HDR and it had blue cast in the highlights.  Native camera.           The image on L I played with sharpness, conversion to black and white and increasing contrast/darkness.to make the texture of the limbs show up better.using PSE 11. I also played with glow color filter in PSE 11 to get the effect in the right image. It gives an eerie effect.  Played with the sliders to get the effect I liked.

Tuberose Bouquet from Yanceyville Farmer's Curb Market

Saturday I was at the Yanceyville Farmer's Curb Market and purchased a bouquet of Tuberoses from a vendor.  If you have never purchansed these, you are in for a treat.  They are very fragrant and will perfume a small room.  I took this image in a hurry thinking more flowers would open up and I could rearrange the bouquet for a better capture of the blossoms and maybe take some macro images. I used my kitchen window lighting.  Well, that didn't happen as my kitchen was being painted this week and I had used this black background which is the side of my refrigertor.  The blossoms really never opened up and the older blossoms started to not look fresh.  So, I will just have to go to the Market again this Sat.  Used native camera app. Increased the highlights and sharpened with PSE 11.

Wooden Yard Art in Neighborhood

This wooden carved yard art was in my neighbor's backyard,  Camera+ app,    app, HDR mode. The left images I cropped for better competition,  increased the saturation, sharpened slightly and applied a vignette in PSE 11. The right image I tried to convert to B & W and keep higher contrast between the B &W
(urban legend) .  You can't always rearrange the statue or change the background when in a neighbor's yard.

Pomegranate Blossom Midsummer - Azalea Leaves as Background

One of my neighbors has a Pomegranate (Punica ranatum) shrub/tree. His is an ornamental cultivar and the fruit is very small -no real pulp - just alot of seed.  This plant flowers spring through summer with bright coral, red,  or varigated coral flowers.  I picked one of the blossoms to be able to get a better close up shot with the owner's permission, and it did not include a lot of leaves.  It is difficult with an iPhone to hold the flower and then use the Carolina blue sky as a background to get a sharp image like I can do with my P & S digital camera.  So, I used my neighbor's azalea bush foliage for the background. Native camera app, HDR mode, no post processing.  Could have probably sharpened and cloned out the white area to the lower right corner or cropped to square format.  .  

Small Hen and Chick Succlent - Macro Center

Today I went to the Yanceyville Farmer's Curb Market.  One of the vendors was selling small succulent plants. I have always liked the texture or structure of the leaves of this "Hen & Chick"** plant.  I chose a cultivar with pink tones to the outer leaves.  The vendor said it will grow rapidly if I plant in a bigger pot with sandy soil.  I only wanted to capture the center.  Used square mode in Native Camera app with HDR.  Minimal editing in PSE 11.  Right image I decided to try for an altered image with the posterize filter which is my of my favorites.  I am sure I will be taking more images as this plant grows.  It is supposed to winter over.  However, succulents are great container plants.  It could be brought inside to enjoy in the winter.  
**See link for more info:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hen_and_chicks

Raspberry Fruit CU - in Weed Area Downtown GSO

Forgot to complete draft and post this image for 8/7/2015
It is raspberry season in NC.  I found this black raspberry shrub in a weed patch near a park in downtown GSO NC.  Only one berry is starting to ripen.  Not sure why the leaves have tints of blue as it was mid-day and sun was shining brightly.  Camera +.   Minimal post editing with PSE 11

Spider web with Raindroplets

I was at the dentist this a.m. When I went to get in my car there was a tree with  a spider web and rain drops on it.   I tried to capture the image to get a close up.  However, I was not able to hold the camera very still as it was higher than my arms.  Although I used autofocus and tried to lock, I could not capture a sharp imageof the bubbles.  Probably were blowing in the wind too. Oh well, it is something beside a flower and would be considered "a pattern of nature". . Will keep looking to find a better one.  There was no spider hole evident.  Used native camera app: cropped, clarity to increase hue and saturation.

Sharon's Mandevilla Blossoms CU

This image was to have been posted 8/5/2015  - had power outage last night.  This year my neighor put up a piece of lattice by her mailbox and then planted some mandevilla.  It is a subtropical vine.  For more information about the plant:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandevilla
Camera+ app.  Increased higjhlights, sharpened with PSE 11.

Bee on Sea Hollyl Blossom - MaryJo Wilson's Garden

I have been trying to capture a bee on a flower image all summer.  This is the first one I could see the face.  These are sea holly blooms.  Usually I can only capture "butt" images because bees are always on the move and with digitial delay other images have ended up in the trash.  This one has it's own faults as there is pixelization in his head which is related to cropping a downzied image. With macro images you have a very shallow depth of field which why the blossom on the left out of focus.. Very difficult to determine the bee's next movement. It was taken early evening so I may have done better with sunlight as.would have been higher shutter speed.  I used PSE 11 for editing. A vignette was applied after cropping.

Graffiti Carved in Tree Bark

This is a tree that people have chosen to write their initials or ??(graffiti).This is just a small segment.  This is at Tanger Garden which is a public garden for the City of Greensboro.  I don't think this graffii will tell much about the year 2015 and our culture like we saw with the cavemen who depicted figures performing daily activities.  I think this was a beech tree which has pretty smooth bark.  Taken in square format with native app.  Not sure if I used HD mode--usually on as a default.  No post processing. of L image.  Right image Brightness 13, Contrast 21, Sharpen 110.  Vintage Photo - Urban (B&W) with increased texture.  

Green Foliage at Tanger Garden, GSO, NC - Texture

I took this image about a month ago at Tanger Garden.  I do not know what plant it is but thought I might be able to use for texture.  I would class it a monochrome green image.  No, I did not use any color variations to manipulate..  I do not think I have done any post editing.  It would be interesting to see how it looked with various filters or to push lighten and darken, plus sharpen to the max.  Unfortunately, this a.m. PSE 11 was not letting me access my photos from the external drive.

Baby Birds in Nest - Selfie Stick Used for Composition

Yesterday I went to my neighbor's porch to capture this image of some baby birds.  They were high up on a ledge above some columns.  I had to use a stepstool to be able to even see the bird's heads.  To really get a good image with the iPhone I used a selfie stick and experimented with different anglees.  The birds were awake with eyes open and had a fair amount of feathers.  I do not really know what kind of birds they may be and the parents were not in the area.   The selfie stick was great for getting the angle but the button on the stick required a lot of pressure which meant movement in a low lighting situation. I ended up pushing the regular button or the volume button to capture the sharpest image.  Used the native camera app for iPhone 6.HDR was off.  The back wall behind the birds had excrement which I did not want displayed.  I used PSE 11 to increase the mid-tones & sharpened minimally.  Spent most of my time using the healing brush and the clone tool to get excrement eliminated.  I think I did a great job.  If you look closely at the nest it has excrement as part of it's foundation. May try to go back and take some with the macro lens on my D-SLR but will just have to shoot blindly as can not see LED screen.