Varigated Poinsettia - Center CU Nannette's

Went to Mitchell's Nursery & Garden on Sun., Dec. 6 th.  They have over 150 cultivars. of Poinsettias and are always doing research for new varieties.  This is one I bought is called December Ice.  I was trying to get a sharp close up of the center, but I  need to try and see if I can do better with a tripod before it loses it's center buds. I like the detail of the veins in the leaves. It was taken at dusk and had more pink color but I decreased the blue in color variations.  Have shallow DOF issues since not all of subject in same plane.  I like the composition and square format.    iPhone 6, Camera +, IS0 32, 1/30th sec.   Edited in PSE11.

Christmas Cactus Blossom - CU

I really like Christmas Cactus blooms this time of year. I may have waited too late to get close up images.  They come in different colors.  The one I purchased, just has not produced additional blooms.  At A & A nursery yesterday I tried to take one red bloom close up but unfortunately you cannot move plants around--so plants are crowded together or have other pots, tags, etc, in the view. Neither can you pick a blossom up and put it somewhere else on the plant like those you own.  This was the only good blossom in this pot.  Other varieties the petals were droopy or had a translucent look which was less than optimal.  So this is my attempt to capture a close up.. May see if my friend has any that look better.   She actually propagates for our H.S.A. Plant Sale.  

Bromilaid CU - Walmart

Another image from the garden (indoors) section of Walmart.   Usually you see this flower at a conservatory as it is considered a house plant or tropical plant.  It can come in a varietuy of colors.  You don't have a lot of choice of background when taking an image at a commercial site. In lower right corner you can see evidence of the shelf but not too noticeable.  It was taken in landscape but cropped to more square format.   iPhone 6 - Edited in PSE 11.  

Japanese Maple Red & Gold Leaves

This image should have been posted, Tues., Nov. 24th.  Autumn leaves have been falling but I managed to find this Japanese maple with quite a few leaves in place with colorful red and gold colors.  iPhone 6.  Edited in Smart Fix PSE 11 but did some cloning of leaves to remove spots on some leaves.  

Red Berries - Autumn @ Sarah Duke Gardens, Durham, NC

There are lots of berries in the fall, but they are a challenge to photograph.            I have trouble seeing lighting with LED screen on the small iPhone.  Even on an overcast day berries are shiny and can reflect off light. The iPhone does not give you the blinkies like the DSLR.  I took this image at Sarah Duke Gardens in Durham, NC, a couple weeks ago.  I didn't see a sign to know for sure what these are.  My guess would be a Viburnum. Taken with iPhone 5C.  Edited with PSE 11, adjusted highlights, shadows, midtones, sharpened.

Oak Leaves on Ground after the Rain - Neighborhood

Image should have been posted Wed., Nov. 11th, 2015  I actually took this image in landscape rectangle mode but decided to crop to square.  Love the these colorful oak leaves lying on the ground after the rain. No acorns present. Makes you want to walk through them and kick them around with your feet.   Camera +, Edit in PSE 11.

Red & White Berries -Climbing Spindle Tree Sarah Duke Gardens, Durham, NC

Image should have been posted on Mon., November 9th, 2015.   Found these berries on an unlabeled plant at Sarah Duke garden on Sunday.  I took it in the horizontal mode, but thought with the arrangement of the berries I should really crop it.  As you can tell it is not an exact square.  I had to ask a horticulturalist at the garden about the identification of this plant.  See Comment.  The information from the web site she provided showed that the distribution of the plant is more likely to be in the Northeastern part of the US, i.e Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire. Camera+, Edited in PSE 11.

Virgina Creeper on Neighbor's Fence - Autumn

Image should have been posted on Thurs. November 5th, 2015. I saw this Virgina Creeper( Parthenocissus quinquefolia) vine on my neighbor's fence. Normally during the summer all the leaves are green but in the fall the leaves change color. Sometimes a more brilliant red than the ones I captured. This is one image after seeing on the computer, it makes me think I should have tried with a selfie stick so I could take a view from the top down.  Camera+.  Edited in PS11.  I did clone out some spots in the leaves.   For more information about this vine:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_quinquefolia

Fallen Maple Leaves in My Neighbor's Yard 10-24-2015

Leaves are falling from the trees. Sometimes it is just nice to take a picture of the fallen leaves.  I was walking in my neighborhood.  This maple had yellow, orange and various shades of red leaves on the grass. I tried to find a patch that had the leaves mostly facing forward. The left images is without editing and had a blue tone because late afternoon in the shade.  So, I had to decrease that in PSE 11.  I also wanted to give the leaves of this image more "pizzaz" which would make them appear brighter and more satrated with post processing.

Fall Leaf Colors on an Unknown Shrub/Tree @Guilford Military Park

This post should have been for Fri., Oct. 23rd, 2015.   I stopped by Guilford Military Park on my way home from a meeting.  It was noon so harsh lighting was present.  I liked the colors of these leaves against the blue sky.  The left image is without any editing, but to show the colors like I thought I saw them I edited in PSE 11:cropped, increased highlights, mid-tones, sharpened.  I think I did zoom in since the branches were not at eye level and there seems to be digital noise in the sky which can happen when you use that feature on the iPhone.  I do not have a telephoto lens for the iPhone.
This image really reminds me of fall with all the colors on one tree/shrub. I do not know the name by the shape of leaf.  It soon will peak color in Guilford Co.

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.  

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.  

Autumn - Maple Leaves with Blue Sky GSO 16th St.

The maple leabes and beech trees are beginning to change color in the Triad.  I like to capture some of these with the "Carolina" blue sky.   However, since I don't have a zoom or telephoto lens for my iPhone 5C., it is hard to get the leaf detail.  It was windy but even a tripod won't help if wind more than 7 mph. Vignette helped to make sky darker. This was takein about noon in full sun. Camera +, HDR.  Edited minimally in PSE 11.  

Lobelia Cardinalis - near Nannette's mailbox

L

Lobelia Cardinalis (Cardinal Flower) is a plant I have growing by my mailbox.  It usually blooms in August and September.  I decided to take the left image from the top down as it had clusters at the top which is an unusual formation for this plant.  It is usually a single stem (right image) wit\h blossoms starting to bloom at the bottom and evetually bloom at the top.  It is a great plant for hummingbirds.  I had a difficult time getting a good background because this plant by a mailbox and near the curb/street. The right image I used the Old Confederate Rose leaves as a background  Images shot in Camera+.  Editing done in PSE 11.  In the right orignal image the beetles had "done a number" on the leaves with holes.  I did use the healing brush and clone tool to try eliminate them.

Autumn Maple Leaves - Backlit Rankin School

Today is the first day of fall.  Some of the leaves have a hint of color in Greensboro, NC, especially some maples.  It can be difficult to find them at iPhone level to get a close up.  One of my favorite things to do is to let the light shine from behind the leaves so you can better see the various colors of the leaves, plus the texture and the veins.  I stopped at an elementary school in my neighborhood. The Left image was taken about 4:30 PM EDST.  Camera+ HDR.  Edited in PSE 11.  Played with lighting, brightness, saturation and decreasing green in color variations. The Right image was cropped to a square and then posted on Instagram.  I had selected the "Hudson" filter.  I guess I like the Instragram one better because the red veins stand out more more texture. It was also a lot less work than  editing with sliders in PSE 11.

Dogwood Leaves Early Fall Color - My Neighborhood

Fall is not officially here but there are a few trees in the Triad of NC that are starting to change color.  I captured this image in my neighborhood of a dogwood with some leaves turned red..  Most of the leaf color change in our area occurs the end of October.   I wanted to try to get an image at eye level with the leaves backlit but those leaves were too high up to capture with an iPhone.  I may have to remember to bring my selfie stick with meas it has an extension rod. Camera+; edited in PSE 11 with sharpening to enhance the leaf structure and bark. I did some cloning of the pavement and holes in the leaves.

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.  

Ornamental Red Grass in Median at Reynolda Village, W-S, NC 8/29/2015

T his image should have been posted Sept. 6th, 2015.  I took this image of the red grass that was part of a median landscape at Reynolda Village in Winston-Salem, NC. I do not know the name of this cultivar. I wanted to just capture the grass but it was blowing in the breeze and  had coleus, banana plants, elephant ears in this same area. Depending on the angle, you could get parked cars too. The good thing was it was overcast when I took the image.  I had gone to a Paw Paw Festival and bought one these plants for my garden.  Camera+ app, edited the highlights, midtones, sharpened & applied slight vignette PSE 11.

Fall Blooming Native Azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium) CU - GSO Arboretum 9/3/2015

Yesterday I went to the GSO Arboretum and took a shady trail which I usually do not take.  I found a real surprise.  There was a fall blooming native azalea in bloom.  Luckily it had a sign with the botanical name.  I could look up more info when I got home.   This is a Plum Leaf Azalea.(Rhododendron prunifolium).  NC is not shown on a map where this is commonly  found.  There was density between AL & MS ...images taken from Georgia.  My original image had a lot of disfigurement in the leaves.You are seeing the one I cloned in PSE 11.  I did not use the macro mode in Camera+ as digital zoom = decreased sharpness.

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