Wild Columbine

Wild Columbine

Wild Columbine

Skirting the rocks at the forest edge
With a running flame from ledge to ledge,
Or swaying deeper in shadowy glooms,
A smoldering fire in her dusky blooms;
Bronzed and molded by wind and sun,
Maddening, gladdening every one
With a gypsy beauty full and fine —
Health to the crimson columbine!

~ Elaine Goodale Eastman (1863 – 1953)

Still working on a set of photographs I took in our back yard gardens. The Columbine is one of the easiest plants to grow, and I think one of the most beautiful. Like a fairy’s cap or a tiny lit lantern or maybe even an aerialist mid-air.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Bo spends a good part of her day in the gardens in and near Madison, talking to the flowers!

Dancing with Poppies

Poppy - Bi-color Filter

Poppy - Bi-color Filter © 2011 Bo Mackison

As promised in my last post, here is another version of my abstract photograph of a poppy using Nik Color Efex Pro™ 3.0 software. In this photograph I used the Bi-color Filter which gives the photograph a combination of pink and purple highlights. After I added the filter, I worked with the many adjustments until it was to my liking.

I learned from my Nik experience that one should “never say never.” For the last few years, I chose not to do much post processing to my photographs. I  think it was a good decision as I needed to learn the basics first, and using post processing software takes control out of a novice’s hands and gives it to the computer and the software. Before I was comfortable using software such as Photoshop or Nik, I needed to know what I could do without using photo recipes and quick pre-sets.

I now have a better understanding of what I can do with a photograph using a program like Adobe Lightroom which is more of an organizational and basic processing program. I also have an understanding of what I want a photograph to convey to my audience. My intention has always been to not over-process a photo so it had that over-saturated Photoshop look. (Though occasionally in my experimenting I have a photo that is heavily processed that I do like – never say never!) But now I am in a better place to add software processing to my repertoire.

Waiting had some decided advantages. Not only did I learn how to do many things step by step instead of in a pre-set. I also gave myself enough time to get comfortable with the camera, the computer, and Lightroom without adding more pressure to learn another complicated program. I’m happy I waited. And I am happy with my new results.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is experimenting with Nik software this month — exploring and testing and comparing, and having great fun with her photos.

Flowering Onion

Umbrella Plant

Umbrella Plant © 2011 Bo Mackison

This unusual plant is formally called the Allium Bulgaricum, but really, it is a member of the well-known onion family, even though it doesn’t LOOK like an onion nor does it SMELL like an onion and it defitely did not make my eyes water when I got near enough to photograph it.

It is quite the unusual flower as it has a cascade of small bell-shaped flowers arching from the center of the plant.These flowers are a wondrous mix of  unexpected colors – pale yellow, dusty pink, a light shade of magenta, a bit of bluish-green.

Typically they flower in May and June, but this year I saw a few blooming as late as mid-July.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Bo is spending a great deal of time outdoors this summer, talking to the flowers!

 

Orange Zinnia

Orange Zinnia

Orange Zinnia © 2011 Bo Mackison

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.”  ~ Denis Waitley

Bee on Constellation Plant

Bee on Constellation Plant

Bee on Constellation Plant © 2011 Bo Mackison

Even though I have called this plant the “constellation plant” for as long I can remember – it has different sized globes shooting off in all directions, just like a constellation in space – its common name is Rattlesnake Master, a name given to it by Native Americans who used its root as an antidote for a rattlesnake bite.

This perennial is a marker of the tallgrass prairies of the Midwest, and often found with companion plants Bush Clover, Purple Coneflower, Sweet Black-eyed Susan, Big Bluestem Grass and Indian Grass. Rattlesnake Master is not easily missed, as it grows to heights of 5 feet. The honey bee pollinates the plant, and it usually has a small swarm of bees buzzing about the flowers (and the photographer!)

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Marcie Scudder of Daily Practice is again featuring a photographer on Saturday Salon, a monthly feature on her photo blog. Marcie interviewed Anita Bower of Anita’s Photoblog on her post today. I have long followed Anita who is a master at photographing botanicals with textured backgrounds. I highly recommend checking out Anita’s interview and her blog.

(If you missed it, Marcie interviewed me last month and we discussed the evolution of Seeded Earth Photography.)  Marcie does great interviews!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.