Visions of Poppies Dance in My Head

Poppy - Tonal

Poppy – Tonal Contrast © 2011 Bo Mackison

I’m experimenting with my favorite flower from last spring – the pink poppy. I am slowly exploring a few post processing techniques. For several years I refused to try any pre-sets, instead choosing to do everything one step at a time. Every change in a photograph was a small change I chose. And I did many behind the scenes changes, but always with the intention of maintaining the look of original as I had visualized it.

Then I met Mike Moats at the Leeper Park Art Fair (South Bend) in June, and as we each looked at each other’s booth and art, Mike told me about the Nik software he is using almost exclusively for post processing. He invited me to attend a webcast he was giving on Using Nik Software.

I penciled the webcast in on my calendar, and then watched Mike demonstrate the Nik software, making tiny change after tiny change. The part that surprised me was that he often made the changes that I thought would be good changes to make. We were, if not the same wavelength, perhaps on neighboring wavelengths.

I was quite impressed with the software, and realized that the presets were only the jumping off stage — once you choose a preset, there are a million opportunities to individualize each photograph.

The above macro photo of the pink poppy did not have as much detail as I had hoped for at the focal point where the two rain-soaked petals overlap. I used the Nik preset called Tonal Contrast, and the raindrops suddenly popped off the screen. It provided a boost in the detail and I was able to get the abstract look I wanted.

So far, I’ve experimented with three different pre-sets on this poppy, plus many more on other photographs. I’ll post the original poppy plus the modified photos later this week.

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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.

 

Dutchman’s Breeches

Dutchmans' Breeches, Ephemeral Wildflower in Owen Conservation Park, Madison, Wisconsin

Dutchman’s Breeches © 2011 Bo Mackison

I finally discovered a few ephemeral wildflowers in the woods near my home. These tiny white flowers, hanging on a bright red stem, look a bit like the britches worn by men, so the story goes. I do not personally know any man who would be caught dead wearing this type of white and yellow breeches, but then again, the names of many wildflowers show a lot of creativity on the part of the people who named them.

The ephemerals–early spring flowers that bloom on the woodland floor before the trees leaf out and shade the ground–are finally blooming. I saw only bloodroot a week ago when I walked the forest trails. On my last walk in the woods, two days ago, quite a few other species were in bloom–hepatica, violets, and Dutchman’s breeches were in abundance.

Nice to see the earth coming alive with greenery and flowers.

The spring flowers are blooming and the sun is finally shining after the last days of April faded into May. Last month went on record as the cloudiest April in Wisconsin since the late 1800s.

Dogwood Blossom Variations

Dogwoods au Natural, Quincy Illinois

Dogwood au Natural © 2011 Bo Mackison

Looking at these dogwood blossoms in their natural color…

Dogwood Blossoms, Desaturated, Quincy, Illinois

Dogwood Blossoms, Desaturated © 2011 Bo Mackison

And in more muted tones…

Dogwood Flowers in Black and White, Quincy Illinois

Dogwood Flowers in Black and White © 2011 Bo Mackison

And in black and white.

Same flowers, but three different ways to view them. There are times when I love seeing the world in full, living color. Other times I prefer my world to be somewhat muted, a bit quieter. And once in a while I like the simplicity that black and white offers, a focus on the elemental shapes, fewer distractions.

Do you have a favorite? Or does your preference change depending on your mood? Do you ever use photographs like these as a focus for meditation or as a stepping stone to lose yourself in thought?

 

 

Views from Kitt Peak Road

View from Kitt Peak

View from Kitt Peak © 2011 Bo Mackison

Kitt Peak rises 6,875 feet above the Sonoran Desert floor.

As the road snakes up the side of the mountain, the views dramatically change from unending desert to juniper-pinion scrub to snow covered mountain peaks.

Tohono O'odham Land

Tohono O’odham Land © 2011 Bo Mackison

Kitt Peak which includes Kitt Peak National Observatory is surrounded by the Tohono O’odham Nation which covers nearly 4,000 square miles of land in several Arizona counties. The land for the observatories is leased from the Tohono O’odham.

Dusting of Snow at 8,000 Feet
Dusting of Snow © 2011 Bo Mackison

The Quinlan and Baboquivari Mountains are part of the Kitt Peak range.

When we visited in early April, there had been several days of cloudy weather and intermittent snow showers. Here the peaks still have a dusting of snow, even though the temperatures on the desert floor were in the mid 80s.

Last Reminder: I am having a drawing for one of my Arizona or Botanical photographs (11″ x 14″) or a set of photo art note cards in appreciation of the support my blog readers offered while I was “Solo in Tucson”.  To enter the drawing, here is the information about the contest and directions on how to enter. (Last day to enter is Sunday, April 17. Winner will be announced on Monday, April 18.)

Sunny Days at Tempe Festival of the Arts

Seeded Earth Photography at Tempe Festival of the Arts

Seeded Earth Photography at Tempe Festival of the Arts

Sherpa came out to Arizona for the weekend and proved invaluable in helping me set up and assist in manning the Seeded Earth Photography booth at the Tempe Festival of the Arts in Tempe, Arizona. Plus it was great to see him after his exile in snowy Madison!

Tempe Festival of the Arts

Tempe Festival of the Arts

The streets were filled with enthusiastic crowds and I had a great time explaining my artistic philosophy to hundreds of people. Most people don’t care why I do the kind of photography I do, but these people not only cared, they wanted to hear about my photography, why I shoot macros, and how I decided to show on the art fair circuit. The conversations were a highlight of the first two days of the show.

Tempe Festival of the Arts - Saturday Afternoon Shopping for Art

Saturday Shopping for Art at Tempe Festival of the Arts

The weather was perfect. The crowds friendly and seemed to enjoy the festival. One of my favorite parts of the show were when people would look into my booth, stop in their tracks, point at a specific photograph of mine, and break out into a huge grin. When they came into the booth, they were a pleasure to work with.

Today, Sunday March 27th, is the last day of the Tempe Festival of the Arts. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you live in the Phoenix area, there are 300 artists who would love to talk to you and have you enjoy their art.

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Bo Mackison is the photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.  She is living in Tucson for two months – exhibiting her photography in art shows, taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art fairs, and living life “solo”.  She is at the Tempe Festival of the Arts through Sunday, March 27th, showing her botanicals and several photos in her new desert series.