Camillia Pink & White @ Karen Talbert House

I was out and about and took a picture of my neighbor's two tone camilla. This fall we have been having much milder temperatures and so there are more blooms.   The center is white and the edges of the petals pink.  A darker pink when it first blooms and gets lighter as it ages.  This particular cultivar has more than one bloom on some stems. These flowers are particularly attracted to ants...so, you really have to look close at the sepals   Camera+ app,  square format,  edit PSE 11--added a vignette to help emphasis the flowers.

Pink Poinsettia CU - Posterize Edges Filter

This image should have been posted Saturday, Nov. 5th.  Went to A & A Nursery, Brown Summit, NC,  yesterday and tried to take some pictures of a pink varigated poinsettia. This plant is native to Mexico.  Sometimes difficult to get macro mode sharp with Camera Plus.  This is a difficult subject to hand hold because of the shallow depth of field. The center was not sharp.  So, decided to go for abstract look. Camera Plus app - square mode. Edited in PSE - posterize edges with slight sharpening for more texture. Going to Mitchell's Nursery Sun. Nov. 6th.  Open House for a large display of poinsettia cultivars.  Have been there before and lighting not the best.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poinsettia

Pink Camellia CU & use of Ocean Ripple Filter in PSE 11

There were several varieties of camillias blooming at the Presbyterian Church Cemetery which can be accessed from the GSO Historical Museum.  This pink double bloom is one like I have but does not bloom until Jan. or Feb.It was a cloudy day. Taken in square mode with native camera  6 iphone. Edited in PSE 11.  Petals have a soft focus. The right image I added a PSE filter called "Ocean Ripple"  which makes the camillia look more like it was painted by Monet. LOL

Burning Bush with Some Berries - GSO Arboretum

Last week I captured an image of the fall leaves. I also was able to get a few berries.  It was overcast and so the red color not as brilliant as often seen in the sun.  Canera+ app.  Edited in PSE 11: increased the shadows and midtones, sharpened.  

Pink Old Confederate Rose (Hibiscus mutabilis) - near Nannette's Mailbox

I have an Old Confederate Rose (Hibiscus mutabilis) shrub near my mailbox.  I bought it at a "heritage plant" sale for the Herb Soceity about 7  years ago and it has come back every year.  It is not a member of the Rosa family but of the Hibisucus or Mallow family.  Mine is a pink carnation type color but there are white cultivars.  It is believed this plant originated in China.  In the US, it grows mostly in the Southern states, zone 8-10.  It usually blooms less than 24 hours and is not suitable as a cut flower in water. This shrub blooms in late September and will stop blooming at the first frost. It can grow 8 feet tall and about 3 feet in diameter.  It likes a sunny area. Taken with Camera+ app.  It  has the saturated pink and greens because of the rain and shade.  Edited in PSE 11 which included cloning out some of the house next door or using the healing tool as I thought it distracted from the blossom. This was taken after it had rained and if you look closely can see the raindrops.  I had to climb on a steep stool to reach this bloom.  For more info about Hibiscus mutabilis:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/southerngarden/hibiscus.html
I am hoping for more blooms and to be able to do a macro that is sharp of the stamens.  

Golden Rain Tree Pods - Greensboro Arboretum 10-7-2015

Went to GSO Arboretum a few days ago because I thought the Golden Rain Tree would be showing it's seed pods.   They were in the bright sun and the tree had been pruned since last fall.  I could not pull down any pods for close up image.  However, there were some pods on the ground I picked up and put in a limb area which also showed texture of the bark. I like the texture of the pods and the pinkish color.  The actual size of the pods are about 2 inch tall and 1 inch wide. In the spring time the blossoms are a yellow color. Taken with Camera+; edited in PSE 11.  I did not see the pine needles near the left most pod.when I took the photo because I was so concentrating on the texture of the pods and the
composition.  Hope I can find some more photo ops of this tree and the pods at other locations in the Triad in the next week or so.  .

Pink Firetruck with Names of Survivors at Festival Park 10-1-2015

This image should have been posted on Thurs., Oct. lst.   I went to a Breast Cancer Awareness Event in downtown Greensboro. I knew there would be a pink firetruck there.  Could not get the entire image.  This image has the corner of a vendor selling shirts, etc.  There is a woman with pink pants and boots writing her name on the truck.  It was overcast.  Taken with Camera+, edited in HDR.  I did take some other images with a P 600 camera that has a  zoom.  Taking pictures of people is not my forte and you do not have to be up close like the iPhone. .

Ornamental Grass and Clouds in Sky

I am way behind in my posting due to attending a Photo Fest in Asheville, NC .Image should have been posted Thurs., Sept. 10th. There were clouds in the sky last week and I noticed some grass in the parking lot near IHOP restaurant. It was very windy but bright sun, and I think this imaged turned out with the effect I wanted.  I definitely did not want the McDonald's sign in the image, So it was cropped to square format. Camera+ HDR.  Edited in PSE 11 with minimal editing.  Hope to find more grasses/weeds to photograph along roadsides this fall.

Southern Dogwood Seedpod - Neighborhood

Was walking in the neighborhood and captured the left image close up of the Southern Dogwood.  Not all the fruit has this arrangement of berries.  This tree blooms with the white blossoms and is in another neighbor's yard.  The birds love this fruit. Camera+ HDR  Slight editing in PSE 11 which included some cloning of disfigured leaves. Did not use rule of 3rds or center because I was trying to get this particular seed pod and avoid others in the same area.

The image on the right is for reference.  It was taken with my Verizon cell phone before I had the iPhone in another neighbor's yard in spring 2013.  

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.

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.

Stargazer Lily Close-up - Stephanie's yard

Took this image of my neighbor's Stargazer Lily close-up.  It is always so fragrant when it blooms.  Wish you could capture scent in a photograph.  Took  with Camera+ HDR. Only sharpened slightly and applied vignette in PSE 11. Chose not to crop this image closer which shows more of the leaves.  

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

Rose of Sharon CU of Single and Double Petal Cultivars

Rose of Sharon is in bloom in NC in June.  It can be a challenge to get
a good shot because the ants love to crawl in the center and between the petals.  The left image is a double petal variety that  was in my neighbor's yard.  I used Camera+ macro, HDR mode.  The backround contains blooms that have fallen on the ground.   I used PSE increased the highlights and midtones, cloned out some disfigured petals, and sharpened. This might be one to try on a black background with window lighting.  The image on the right is the single petal variety of which there are many cultivars.  This one I also used the macro mode & HDR. Post imaging I used a vignette to make the blossom stand out more.  

Margie in Floral Impatients Frame @ Cameron Village, Raleigh, NC

On Tuesday my sister and I went to Raleigh for the day.
We stopped at Cameron Village Shopping Center near NC State. We purchased some spices at Penzey's and ate lunch at Noodles Restaurant..  We saw this structure with impatiens around it.but center section open. I tried to capture Margie's picture like in a picture frame. However, there were cars in the parking lot behind her ...don't think Touch Retouch would work to remove them. It was overcast day-- sky was pale.  Camera + HDR.  Post Processing with PSE 11: cropped, increased highlights and midtones, contrast.  
                                                      She may use as a new Profile picture on FB.  She took one of me too.

Nigella (Love in a MIsrt) - Legacy Garden, GSO, NC

Nigella (Love in a Mist) is a really nice flower that blooms about mid-May in NC.
As you can see from the image they come in different colors,  The left image has various colors of blue, white, & purple.  The right image shows a close up of the center with a pink color..You can see in lower left hand corner the outline of a seed pod which in itself is very interesting.  I have some drying.
Camera+ HDR.  Post processing PSE 11.

Nannette's Banshee Rose Close Up

This is a Banshee Rose blooming in my garden the first week of May.  
It is an old-fashioned rose. I obtained it from my good friend and fellow Herb Society of America member, Dorothy Bonitz. . She originally got her plant from a member of the Heartland PA Unit.  It only blooms once a year and is a climbing rose. When it first starts to bloom it has a more medium pink center, but within a day becomes pale pink.  Camera+ with HDR mode for capture. Cropped for better composition and slight increase in highlights and sharpening for editing with PSE 11.

Clematis with Different Variations

My neighbor had these clematis blooming.  It is weird how the one in the forefront is a different variety than those in the background.  If a cultivar maybe reverting to one of the previous cultivars.  I waited till evening--maybe too late to capture the image because would have been blown out with the sun.  I had to do some cropping and editing -so more digital noise and cannot always remove with a denoise filter.  Did some cloning of artifacts.  Taken with Camera + .  Editing with PSE 11.

Purple/Pink Rhododenron & Native Rhododendron 5/10/2015.

At Sarah Duke on Sunday, I wanted to capture more than just a couple ghododendron blossoms.  The image on the legt was shot in the shaded area near the cafe. I thought the tree bark added some other texture to the imatge. Because it had rained earlier there was increased saturation  Shot in HDR mode.  The native azaelas (right image)  in the Blowmquist Garden were not as good as I had hoped.  Shot with Camera + app   Post editing in PSE11.  Adjusted sliders for shadows, highlights and mid-tone  Slight sharpening.

Pink Peony CU Center with Raindrops 5/10/2015

Sunday I went to Sarah Duke Gardens, Durham, NC, as a treat to myself for Mother's Day.  It is only about 50 min. from Greensboro on a good day. We left at 7:30 A.M.hoping for some early morning sun on the flowers in the "Annual Terrace Garden".  Well, it was overcast and trying to rain but we were determined to go to the garden "rain or shine". We did stop at Trader Joe's in Chapel Hill first hoping the sun would shine. There were many cultivars of peonies in bloom.  I wanted to get a picture of just the center close up.  I used the Camera+ app and the macro mode.  HDR modeon Post processing done in PSE 11 used highlight and mid-tone sliders, slight sharpening.  Stay tuned for more images from the garden.