Autumn Clematis Bloom CU with Seed Pods @ Trish's Lamp Post

Autumn Clematis is very fragrant, but after the white blooms in the fall there are strange looking seed pods.  Reminds you of tangled wires.  Tried to capture both in one image.  This was on my neighbor's lamp post.   iPhone 5C, edited in PSE 11  

Coral Mums Closeup - Neighborhoood JK

On my neighborhood walk, I found a pot of mums.  Mums are always a sign of fall.  I loved the size and the coral color of them. The angle gives depth to image. It was in a shaded area on my friend's porch  Took just a segment of them with iPhone 5C. Camera+  Edited in PSE 11: increased highlights, midtones, sharpened.

Japanese Maple (Red Varigated Leaves) - Neighborhood

Looking for different colored leaves at this time of year.   Came across a Japanese maple that had some color variation in the leaves.  It was late afternoon and very windy but I did try to capture this image.  With close ups or macro, windy conditions not good and then when leaves are not all in the same plane, everything is not going to be in focus.   Camera+app.  Edited in PSE 11.  Lightness and darkness, contrast increased, needed some cloning, sharpened, also rotated 90 degrees right for better composition.  

Jerusalem Artichoke Close Up - Nannette's Garden

I have some Jerusalem Artichokes (Helianthus tuberosa) growing in my garden.  This was a close up of a single blossom  taken on a rainy morning.  Some people consider it a weed, others a gourmet vegetable.  In France used in production of beer and wine.  It has a taste similar to a potato. This plant is a member of the sunflower family.  They bloom late summer and eveuntually you can harvest the root as a vegetable.  It can be pickled or roasted with seasonings and baked with other root vegetables.  Some restaurants list on their menu under side dishes as "chokes".or sunchokes not related to artichokes. These  plants can grow 7 ft tall. It is a rhizome/tuber and will come back again next year. Once you have them they multiply.  Camera+ HDR. Edited in PSE 11.

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.

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.

Queen's Ann Lace Close Up - A Challenge To Get Detail of Flowerettes

I have been trying to find a Queen's Ann Lace image to photograph the flower head close up. This is really a challenge.  If you try to do it on the stalk, they are usually blowing in the wind even if a calm day--so, a tripod won't correct that movement.  There are different cutivars and was hoping to find one with a concave head, but had to settle for one more convex.  The small individual flowerettes heads are not all in the same plane, which is an issue.  The lens on the iPhone can go down to 2.2 but it can still have a very shallow depth of field. White flowers can have the highlights blown out. I tried to capture hand held. I am waiting for a new tripod holder and a new macro lens that will work with the iPhone 6.  So, I picked a flowerhead from a weed patch along a ditch and am trying a still life. I used a black background and window lighting= no wind. You can tell what it is, but not happy about the sharpness of the individual flowerettes. Used Camera+, macro mode, square format.   Tried to adjust lightness and darkness and could only use minimal sharpening in PSE 11.  Will have to try again and compare with a designated macro lens with use of a tripod vs using D-SLR macro lens. 

Tomato and Brushetta CU - Summer is here

My neighbor, Karen, has a tomato ready to be picked.  I do have thyme, oregano and lemon basil herbs. My Roma tomatoes are all green, but went to Farmer's market to make brushetta.**  To me it is like an Italian salsa served on bread. You can vary the ingredients & seasonings. Both images taken with the native app camera. Edited right image to lighten & sharpen- PSE 11.

Per Merriam & Webster dictionary the definition of bruschetti is:  thick slices of bread grilled (baguette), rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil, often topped with tomatoes and herbs, and usually served as an appetizer.  You certainly can vary the herbs and if you look on the Internet you will find all kinds of recipes.   I prefer to make it simple and not even toast the bread and rub with garlic because I plan to eat it after I put it on the bread. Toasting does keep tomato juice from making the bread get as soggy.   If you put enough garlic in the chopped tomatoes, you would not need to rub the bread with garlic.  Once you have the basic ingredients you can use the leftovers to put on cooked pasta, squash, egg plant, or with garbanzo beans as a salad...or to use as an Italian salsa.   I don’t really use a recipe.  I chop Roma tomatoes, onions (chives), Serrano peppers, garlic then add  vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper and Italian seasoning mix or chopped fresh oregano, basil, thyme, chives.   It is best to mix ahead to allow flavors to marry.  Some people top with mozzarella and put under the broiler to melt the cheese.  You can sprinkle with grated Parmasean cheese. Hint:  You can add dried tomato powder to the mixture to give more intense tomato flavor. In GSO this powder is available at the Savory Spice Shop in the New Friendly Center.   

Caladium Close Up - Queen White & Group @ my Mailbox

This year I tried growing 3 varieties of Caladiums by my mailbox which gets only late afternoon sun. Image on R taken with Camera+ HDR - macro mode.  This plant was originally from South America.  It is a member of the genus Araceae, commonly known as Elephant Ear, Heart of Jesus, and Angel Wings.  There are over 1000 named bicolor cultivars.   I took a md-section image of the Queen White cultivar with macro mode.  This reminded me of a city street map.  I really like the patterns of a veins.in this close up view.  The image on the right is the group image of my caladiums at my mailbox.  I just sharpened and increased the midtones in PSE.  Will have to pay more attention to these plants at nurseries and gardens for more photo opportunities.
**For more info about Caladiums:  en.m.wikipedia.org

Mushrooms on a Log + More Texture with PSE

On Sunday my family and I went for a walk in NE GSO on the Laurel Bluff Trail.  I saw these mushrooms and had to capture the image on the right.  It is unedited.  I liked the mushroom having layers and thought they looked more like flowers.  So, in PSE I increased the highlights and midtones and did some medium sharpening which resulted in the image on the left.   I like it better because it defines the lines in the mushroom and gives more texture to the log.  It is possible to sharpen more and increase the light and dark sliders to come up with a more graphic design effect. P.S. When you are on a trail with non-photographers, you do not have the time to "work the scene" and take a lot of images.  

Pink Gladiolas in Bloom in the Neigjhborhood - Close Up

This image should have been posted on July 3rd but I had family in from 
out of town and I was not spending my time on the computer.  
Gladiolias are blooming the lst week of July.in Greensboro, NC.  I was lucky to
catch this image walking in my neighborhood after a rainstorm.  Some buds had
not opened yet.   I was concentrating so hard on the image of the flower I did
not see an artifact near the right edge.  Used Camera+ app to take the image
It was about 7 PM EDST. Post imaging used PSE 11.  I cropped, increased
shadows and midtones slightly,  and sharpened.
** This image would make a nice note card.

Purple Crepe Myrtle with Fence and Close Up of Blossom Cluster

 

I saw this purple Crepe myrtle - Lagerstroemia indica in my neighbor's yard. I liked the backdrop with the fence.  I have always had trouble getting a good sharp detailed image even with a DSLR.  I liked the fence but need to experiment in Snapseed app with mask to paint upper right corner and the top of the fence post. Post imaging for both images I used PSE 11, increased highlights & midtones, sharpened.  

This shrub is a popular resting place for wrens and song birds. I captured that doll hanging from the branches last fall. This shrub is originally frrm Asia.  In the summer leaves are dark green but change to yellow, orange, red in the fall. Tree trunks are smooth.  Flowers come in different colors: white, pink, mauve,  purple or carmine with crimped petals in panicles up to 4 cm.  Can growm to height of 20 ft,  There seems to be an ongoing controversy about whether to prone on not.    

Burgandy Dayliily Close Up & Mega Photo App - FG

Daylilies are blooming in NC.  My neighbor has several varieties.  I liked the burgandy color.  Shot the image on the Right with Camera+ and edited in PSE 11: increased shadows and midtones, cropped, applied vignette. The image on the left was taken into Mega Photo app to give a painterly appearance. In PSE used eye dropper and paintbucket to change a little of the lighting and applied vingette.  I could probably use this for a greeting note card.  

Blue Hydrangea Close Up

I was walking in the neighborhood and captured an image of this blue hydrangea.  The blossom heads have a tendencey to be close together and I only wanted a close up of one bloom.  Therefore, I have a narrow margin. I think I shot with square mode in Camera+.  Post editing done in PSE 11.  I cropped, increased shadows, used healing brush to get rid of some stray blossoms around the edge, and  lastly I applied a mild vignette.  I also cloned some artifacts out of the leaves. So far I have not found an in camera app that I like for post editing in iPhone camera. The Snapseed update has more functions, but I have not found a  program that will do cloning.  Need to experiment with Touch Retouch app as it is more like the healing brush.

Green Flower Ecchinacea - Trish

This is an ecchinacea that was in my neighbor's yard.  She told me what she what cultivar she thought it was but did not write it down. A lot of the plants she chooses to grow have medicinal properties.  You can see the sepals are not as rounded as the regular ecchinacea (cone flower purpura).  Would have been nice if a bee or butterfly would have been looking for nectar but you have to capture the :"moment in time" as is..  This image is without any post processing. I have upgraded to iPhone 6  but not sure which iPhone-- sometimes I borrow Jack's 5 C.  This could be considered a monochrome image with the green flower and then green foliage.  The background of the wood chips is blurred with shallow depth of field. My Echinaccea purpura will be blooming soon.

Tiger Lilies - Photoshop Express App

Having computer issues and unable to edit images in PSE11 on my computer. Used Photoshop Express app which means I cannot clone and do more precise post editing of images.  There were some tiger lilies at edge of parking lot at St. Francis Episcopal Church, GSO, NC.  I tried taking one with many lilies and another close up of the stamens.  It was about 9:30 a.m. and they were in a shaded area. So, the one on the right has more blue tint in it since I did not adjust the WB when I took the image.   The one on the left has vibrant filter attached and if I left it normal, colors would have looked like the CU.   PSE 11 definitely gives you more adjustments with lightness, darkness, mid-tones and can change color variation.  

On Saturday, June 13th I had the opportunity to find some tiger lilies in bloom at mid day and so took an image of a single bloom which shows more like what the orange color of the tiger lily would be. I only sharpened.  Yeah! today my PSE 11 program is working.

Pale Yellow Poppy with Honeybee and Ant - Sarah Duke Garden 5/10/2015

Another poppy from Sarah Duke garden.  This image I was more intereted in capturing the bee and ant.  So I did not get the entire blossom. With the digital delay it is almost a certainty that I will get a butt picture instead of the eyes looking at me or the insects will quickly flee the flower. I increased the shadows and sharpened slightly in PSE 11.  .

Weigela Close Up - May 2015

Weigelia now in bloom.  This shrub was in a neighbor's yard.   It was late evening.  HDR mode.  Sometimes difficult to get the blooms in focus because not all in the focal same plane.  Minimal editing in PSE 11.
I think I used Camera + app because I wanted to use macro setting and focus and exposure can be controlled separately.   .

Oriental Pink & White Lilies & CU of Stamens

Mother's Day is not for about 3 weeks, but I was shopping at Lowe's on Wed. and saw these Asian lilies for sale.  There were 5 stalks and only one starting to bud out. I purchased it with the intention of taking images, but it is also has a wonderful fragrance. 

Because of the low 40 degree temps outside at night I brought the pot in the kitchen.  I must admit my kitchen smells much like my memories of a funeral parlor.  They did not have any Stargazer cultivars but I bought one with similar colors called After Eight Oriental Lily.  The image on the left is of several blooms with the pot setting on some grass as a backgrounf.  The image on the right is a close up which I liked that leading lines from the petals direct you to the center.  This was taken with the Camera+ app--used some macro slider to get closer to the center stamens.  I used Camera+ app to crop but the clariy and exposure filters I did not like.  So I used PS 11 and to sharpen a tad.  More blooms have popped out and I still have about 5 more in the bud stage.  I plan to plant in the garden and have for Mother's Day next year.  

Iris Blooming in the Neighborhood 4/22/2015

When I lived in Ohio, we always associated the blooming of Iris in association with Memorial Day.  The irises in my NC neighborhood started blooming about a week ago. I took one image of a small clump, but then used Camera + to zoom and use the macro mode for a CU.  I could see down into thethroat center of the iris. I did the post processing in Camera +.  The image on the left was not cropped.  I did adjust sliders for shadows, highlights and midtone...plus sharpened to bring out the veins and color in both images.  HDR mode was used. I think I will post the close up image on the iPhone Academy FB page.   .