'Pale Champagne' Lily © 2010 Bo Mackison
This year the day lily season has lasted for months in southern Wisconsin.
This pale peach colored lily has streaks of yellow which are nicely highlighted by the evening sunlight. Photographed at the University of Wisconsin Test Gardens in Madison.
A Dahlia with Heart © 2010 Bo Mackison
Continuing the photo series of the dahlia called ‘Esther’, photographed at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison Wisconsin. AMazing how many personalities a single flower can exhibit – rather like their human counterparts.
A Dahlia Called 'Esther' © 2010 Bo Mackison
What a great morning! Sherpa and I spent several hours this morning at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens on the east side of Madison. The place was really busy: there is a temporary exhibit called Blooming Butterflies in the Bolz Conservatory. We didn’t visit the butterflies this morning – I can do that on a thunderstorm-y day – but if you are in the area, I highly recommend checking out this special show.
We had a great morning in the outdoor gardens. Even though we were out early, these gardens don’t open until 8 a.m., so we brought the giant diffuser along with all the other gear. It folds into a small package when not in use, but fully opened it is 36″ in diameter. I had a very enthusiastic 12 year old ask me if it was a Frisbee! I told him “no, but as light as it is, it would fly a long way.” I’d hate to chase it if it was picked up by a gust of wind, but my new friend would have enjoyed the chase. I did decline when he asked if I’d like to give it a toss.
I think the favorite flower of the morning was this dahlia, properly named ‘Esther’ and really showing off her bright colors. I photographed the dahlias in many poses, but do like this particular dahlia, not quite fully open, but strikingly beautiful in her youth.
Sunny Delight © 2010 Bo Mackison
Took a walk through a prairie near Madison yesterday. Only had about 20 minutes before the clouds started getting dark and I could hear thunder in the background. I managed about 30 shots, mostly of the sunflowers and compass plants before I decided to make it a short session.
To soothe my minor disappointment, I stopped at a nearby McDonald’s for a caramel frappe. Yeah, I know, I know. But once in awhile, I just can’t stop myself. So yummy and cooling. And it was hot and muggy outside. Wouldn’t want to get dehydrated, right?
Hmm. I do like to photograph sunny-dispositioned sunflowers when it’s overcast, not so much sunflowers in thunderstorms however.
A Different Take © 2010 Bo Mackison
For almost all of my photography practice, I have tried to stay true to what I photographed. Now I find myself wanting to see what will happen if I increase the clarity a little, decrease the saturation. I use LightRoom exclusively. I never did purchase Photoshop, not because I did’t want to try it, but because I never managed to save my pile of money earmarked for Photoshop. I always seemed to find another photography related thing I wanted more. Eventually I want to see what Photoshop does at my own hands, but that will be awhile.
Until then I am exclusively using Adobe Lightroom. Haven’t upgraded to LR 3 yet, because I haven’t quite finished figuring out the basic workings of Lightroom 2.5. I like to putter when I’m working on a photograph. I know there are a multitude of Ligthroom Actions out there — press a button and the software changes your photo in an exactly prescribed way. I haven’t tried those yet — still in basic training, right? — but I imagine I will give the free ones a look eventually. It seems a shame to reject so much progress in a tidy package. Need to at least take a look.
But at this stage in my photography, I’m rather like a tinkerer. “How does it look if I take a bit more red out? What happens if I push that green a little more? And bleed the color from the background and most of the flower?
I experimented with the composition here, too. Let those bulky lily buds play in the front, obscuring the main flower a bit, but I like the feel of seeing the longer branch with multiple lilies as a change. Usually I focus on a single flower.
Any comments about my wanderings in Lightroom? Do you like the different, less textbook look or less macro look? Do you miss the true colors?
And to the photogs out there, if you use Photoshop, do you find it invaluable? And if you do, why? Do you use presets (hear they are the ultimate time saver) or do you prefer to tinker with your photo, bit by bit?
For me, I’m moving slowly on my journey, exploring things as I come to them. Happy with some new attempts, not so happy with others. But, for sure, I never dreamed how far a camera and a dream can take a person.
I have already traveled far, amazingly far, and I’m eager to keep on taking the walk, step by step. So much to see, to consider, to learn, to share.
