90 Day Photo Project | Beautiful Flower Pictures Blog

90 Day Photo Project: Photographing the Wind

by hankinslawrenceimages | Feb 20, 2012 | 90 Day Photo Project

As I worked on my 90 day photo project – I quickly realized that I was going to be photographing in all sorts of weather conditions – including ones that I usually avoid shooting in for my flower photography. I like to photograph flowers on nice calm days. It’s easier for me to capture the details and beauty of the flower if it’s not moving. In Bethesda in the winter – we get lots of wind. At first I tried photographing the calm between the gusts of wind – but that really didn’t work and I wasn’t happy with my photos. So instead – I tried to capture the feeling of the wind in my photos. Here are some of my wind photos from my 90 day photo project.

Day 5

Dancing in the Wind

It was pretty windy when I headed out to photograph this morning. So rather than trying to capture a moment when the leaves were still – I decided to try to photograph the movement of the leaves in the wind. I wanted to capture enough movement that the leaves were blurred – but not so much that you can’t tell it’s a photo of leaves. This was my favorite of the photos I took this morning.

Day 17

Berries in the Wind

I realized I”m behind again on posting photos from my 90 day photo project. I’ve managed to get out shooting every day – just haven’t gotten any editing/posting done

Day 17 was another gray windy day. I found a tree with lots of red berries and almost no leaves – and just played with my exposure to see what I could come up with that showed the movement of the berries in the wind. This was my favorite (f8 at .6 sec, ISO 100) – long enough that there was movement – short enough that you can tell what I was photographing. Some of the longer exposures ended up almost a total blur – and the shorter ones weren’t very interesting to me

Day 57

Evergreen in the wind

Another really windy day – so once again I tried to capture the wind in my photo. I photographed one of the evergreen trees across the street. I chose this tree because it had two different shades of green in needles – which I thought would look neat if I capture them moving.

I played alot with aperture and shutter speed to get the look I wanted. Final settings were ISO 100, f 20, 1 sec exposure. I like the contrast of the non moving tree trunks and the shades of green in the motion. I edited it in Lightroom – if I were to do a more serious editing – I’d probably take it into Photoshop and desaturate the dark green ivy leaves on the tree trunk – so that the only greens in the photo are the needles in motion.

Day 72

Holly in the wind

I headed out hoping to photograph some red berries against the green leaves of the holly tree. Unfortunately there weren’t many berries left – seems the birds have been enjoying them!

And then the wind began to blow – and I noticed that the different shades of green and yellow in the leaves created streaks of color as the branch and leaves blew. I like the little patch of yellow leaves on the left side of the photo – and they bright streak of color they add to the image.

This was a definate case of hoping to find one thing to photograph – being a bit disappointed – waiting and watching – and finding something unexpected and wonderful to photograph!

Day 79

Just Hanging On

One of the oak trees in the neighborhood still has some of its leaves. When I started photographing them, I was seeing the clusters of brown leaves against the tree. And then I spotted these two leaves at the end of a branch – seeming to barely hanging on to the tree as they danced in the wind

Day 82

Another windy day!

On Friday we were having wind gusts up to 30 mph. So I decided it was going to be one of those days when I try to capture the feeling of the wind blowing in a photo.

I liked the way this particular evergreen behaved in the wind – the underside of the needles looked to be a lighter shade of green than the top of the needles – so when the wind blew the branches up – I got a great two toned look to the moving branches.

If you’d like to see the full set of photos from my 90 Day Photo Project – I’ve posted them on both Facebook and Google+.

90 Day Photo Project – Oakleaf Hydrangea

by hankinslawrenceimages | Jan 18, 2012 | 90 Day Photo Project, Flowers, Hydrangeaceae Family

As part of my 90 Photo Project – I’ve found myself returning to one set of Oakleaf Hydrangea bushes several times. I’ve really enjoyed seeing how the colors and textures have changed on the plants over the past several weeks. Here’s what I’ve photographed there.

Day 8 – Oak Leaf Hydrangea

Lots of colors in this patch of Oak Leaf Hydrangea. I like the contrast of all the colors in the leaves and the pale brown of the dried flowers. There were some neat textures in the flowers – I may head back with my macro lens in the next few days and see what I can do with them in.

Day 8 – Oak Leaf Hydrangea

Day 12 – More Oakleaf Hydrangea Leaves

What a difference a few cold days make! Just a few days ago (day 8) the leaves on the oakleaf hydrangeas were shades of green, yellow & orange. This morning I found lots of incredible shades of red and purple!!!

Day 8 – Oak Leaf Hydrangea

Day 23 – Oak Leaf Hydrangea

I was really surprised to see so much color left in the Oak Leaf Hydrangea leaves. Just about all the other trees and shrubs in the area have either dropped their leaves – or are full of brown leaves. Lots of great reds and purples in the leaves – not sure how much longer this will last.

While I was out photographing this morning I saw lots of robins and other birds eating the berries off some of the trees. Not sure if I’ll try to photograph them or not in the next few days – I do a much better job photographing non-moving subjects than moving ones 🙂

Day 56 – Oakleaf Hydrangea Abstract

So day 56 was new Year’s Day and I ended up with a very different type of photo. Perhaps I can attribute it to the mimosas Jimmy & Rose were serving on New Year’s eve. . .

I started photographing the dried flowers on the Oakleaf Hydrangea bushes across the stree – inspired by a great photo of a red-winged blackbird on hydrangeas that Dan Williams posted. I had the dried flowers in sharp focus – and the background kind of blurry – and then I realized I liked the blurry background more interesting than the dried flowers.

So I recomposed the photo – on just the out of focus background. I kept the image out of focus – and started seeing what I could find. This was my favorite shot. There’s enough in focus to tell that it’s hydrangea bushes (if you know what they look like) with enough out of focus to not make it obvious what it’s a photo of.

Then I did more post-processing in Lightroom than I usually do. I played with all the saturation sliders – bringing out the blue, aqua, purple and magenta tones that were pretty sublet in the original image.

Overall I like it – and I may play with the idea of deliberately out of focus photos if I find something that I think will work.

I’d love to hear what you think about this photo.

Day 70 – Oak Leaf Hydrangea Blossoms

I decided to head back to the Oak Leaf Hydrangea bushes I’ve photographed several times previously. Most of the leaves are gone – and those that are left are primarily brown. Some of the flowers have dried on the stalks – and are quite beautiful.

If you’d like to see the full set of photos from my 90 Day Photo Project or would like to follow along as I post new photos – I’m posting the photos and comments to both Facebook and Google+.

Nature’s Beauty Everywhere I Look

by hankinslawrenceimages | Jan 11, 2012 | 90 Day Photo Project

How fine Nature’s methods! How deeply with beauty is beauty overlaid – John Muir

For the past several weeks, I’ve been working on a 90 Day Photo Project. Every day, I head out the front door and take at least 30 photos of something beautiful I find. It’s been an amazing project. I’ve found Nature’s beauty is places and things that I’d never expected to.

Heading out and photographing every day hasn’t been a challenge for me. The challenge has been photographing in different conditions that I usually shoot in. I photograph flowers – so I’m usually out early morning or late afternoon on nice warm sunny days. As for wind, I rarely photograph in anything heavier than a gentle breeze.

So you can just imagine what a challenge 90 days of photography from November through February is! I’ve been photographing in weather conditions I’ve always avoided – so far I’ve been out in the rain, cold, wind, and even a few snow flurries!!!

And it has been wonderful. Without the obvious subject of a flower in perfect bloom or one just beginning to bud, I’m taking the opportunity to slow down, explore different subjects and experiment with different techniques. I’ve photographed everything from tree bark to grasses. I’ve tried to capture the feeling of the wind and the cold.

This project is not only improving my photography, but it is also helping me to appreciate the incredible beauty of nature around my home – no matter what the season or the weather.

So now you’ve seen what beauty I’ve been finding in my neighborhood. Is it making you curious to see what you can find in yours?

If you’d like to see more photos from my 90 Day Photo Project, I’m posting them on Facebook and Google+.

90 Day Photo Project – Bare Branches

by hankinslawrenceimages | Jan 4, 2012 | 90 Day Photo Project

Once the leaves fell from the trees, I discovered how many different branch structures the various species of trees in my neighborhood have. Somehow I’d never paid attention to what bare branches looked like before.

Here are some of the photos of bare branches I’ve taken so far as part of my 90 Day Photo Project. If you’re wondering what this project is about – see last week’s blog post 90 Day Photo Project – Colorful Leaves.

Day 15 – Trees in the Fog
It was really foggy when I went out this morning to take my 30 photos. As I looked out the door – I could see the bare branches of the trees silhouetted in fog. So I just stood at the end of my driveway and photographed the trees. It was neat seeing the shapes of the different species of trees and how some have straight branches and some have very crooked branches.

Day 30 – Bare Branches

A gray rainy day here in Bethesda. I started photographing the tree branches – I really liked the shapes and curves in them. Then I noticed the flat gray sky – and the contrast between the branches and the sky when I photographed them against the sky. I did something I rarely do – overexposed the photo by +1 to really emphasize the contrast between the branches and the sky.

And I discovered an unexpected benefit from my 90 photo project. I’m meeting my neighbors – as they come up to me and ask me what I’m photographing. I had a great conversation today with a woman who has lived 3 houses down the street from me for 15 years – and until today – I’d never even talked to her before 🙂

Day 31 – Cherry Tree in the Rain

Another rainy day today. I finally got enough of a break in the weather that at least I didn’t get totally soaked while out photographing today.

I liked the way the water drops looked on the bare branches of my cherry tree. And that without any leaves – there just seemed to be layer upon layer of bare branches and water drops.

The sun is supposed to come out tomorrow . . .

Day 34 – Bare Branches

When I went out today – I loved the shapes in the bare branches on this tree. They remind me of some of the corals that Bill used to photograph on the reefs off of Florida.

My original version of this photo was in color – with blues and greens in the background. But I tried a conversion to black and white – and all of a sudden the amazing structure of the branch stood out even more – I also liked the way the light highlighted the branches in the center.

I’ve been surprised at how many B&W photos I’ve posted recently – usually my photos are full of bright colors. . . .

Day 40 – Tree Tops

Today was one of those cold gray days in Bethesda. If it were a few degrees colder – I’d suspect we were going to get snow- but fortunately – that’s not in the forecast

As I looked around – I was struck by how different the tops of various species of trees look. Some still have a few leaves, some have curved branches. This tree had fairly straight branches – that split into three little ones at the top. I liked the way they looked silhouetted against the flat gray sky

Day 44 – Tree tops

I found the structure of the top of this tree really interesting. Lots of branches splitting off other branches – in V shapes. And then what looks like a bud or berry starting to from at the very tip of each branch.

Day 45 – Raindrops on the Dogwood Tree

Another rainy day in Bethesda. I’m not sure if this year has been rainer than previous years in December or if I’m just noticing it more because I’m out photographing every day. . .

On this particular rainy day – I noticed the shape of the branches on the neighbor’s dogwood tree – and how they looked with raindrops on them. The curves and lines of these branches are so different from the straighter branch structures I’d photographed the previous day.

Day 46 – Magnolia Buds

Day 46 was December 22 – the first day of winter. A few days earlier I spotted these buds on one of the local magnolia trees. While they won’t bloom for several more months – I thought they are a great reminder that spring (and all the wonderful flowers) will return.

If you’d like to see the full set of photos from my 90 Day Photo Project or would like to follow along as I post new photos – I’m posting the photos and comments to both Facebook and Google+.

90 Days Photo Project – Colorful Leaves

by hankinslawrenceimages | Dec 28, 2011 | 90 Day Photo Project

In early November I started a 90 day photo project – where every day I head out the front door and take at least 30 photos of what I’m seeing. I’m more than halfway through my 90 days. So far the project has been amazing. At the workshop I took in October, George DeWolfe suggested I undertake a 90 project. I’m really glad I decided to take on the challenge. I’ve been photographing in weather I don’t usually photograph in (rain, wind, cold). I’m noticing fascinating details and textures everywhere in nature – not just when I’m out photographing for my project – but whenever I’m out walking. I’m also learning to identify some of the trees and shrubs in my area. I’ve also met neighbors I’ve lived up the street from for years – lots of people have been asking what am I taking photos of!

I’ve been posting photos from the project on both Facebook and Google+. I’ve decided it’s time to start sharing groups of photos here on the blog. I’ve been commenting on what I’ve been seeing/thinking along with the photos on the other social media sites and I’ll be including the comments here on the blog.

Most of this first set of photos are from the beginning weeks of my 90 day photo project – when there were lots of colorful leaves on the trees!

Day 2 – Colors of Fall

Day 3

Japanese Maple

I was fascinated by all the shades of red, orange and yellow in the leaves of one of the Japanese Maples trees down the street. What I’m not so wild about in this hpoto is the blown out highlights. I tried toning them down – but I think they’re still pretty distracting. I may head back to the same tree tomorrow to see if i can do something I like a little more

Day 4

Japanese Maple

I headed back to the same Japanese Maple tree that I photographed yesterday. The light was wonderful on the tree this morning – beautiful diffuse light since it’s pretty cloudy today. I’m much happier with today’s photo – I think it better shows all the amazing shades of reds, oranges & yellows in the leaves

Day 5

Dancing in the Wind

It was pretty windy when I headed out to photograph this morning. So rather than trying to capture a moment when the leaves were still – I decided to try to photograph the movement of the leaves in the wind. I wanted to capture enough movement that the leaves were blurred – but not so much that you can’t tell it’s a photo of leaves. This was my favorite of the photos I took this morning.

Day 7

More colors of fall

While most of the trees in my neighborhood are dropping (or have dropped) their leaves – there’s still one (maple???) that still has most of its leaves. In this one section of the tree – there were so many shades of color in the leaves.

Day 8

Oak Leaf Hydrangea

Lots of colors in this patch of Oak Leaf Hydrangea. I like the contrast of all the colors in the leaves and the pale brown of the dried flowers. There were some neat textures in the flowers – I may head back with my macro lens in the next few days and see what I can do with them in.

Day 9

More Colorful Leaves

It was nice and overcast this morning – so great diffuse light for photographing leaves. I suspect I’m getting close to the end of the leaves on the trees photos – while there are still colorful leaves on a few of the trees – most have dropped their leaves – and the remaining leaves aren’t in great shape. But who knows what I’ll find tomorrow!

Day 11

Last few leaves on the tree

After yesterday’s rain – there aren’t many leaves left on the trees in my neighborhood. There are still a few on this Japanese Maple – it won’t be long until the ones on the branch join the rest of the leaves on the ground

Day 12

More Oakleaf Hydrangea Leaves

What a difference a few cold days make! Just a few days ago (day 8) the leaves on the oakleaf hydrangeas were shades of green, yellow & orange. This morning I found lots of incredible shades of red and purple!!!

Day 23

Oak Leaf Hydrangea

I was really surprised to see so much color left in the Oak Leaf Hydrangea leaves. Just about all the other trees and shrubs in the area have either dropped their leaves – or are full of brown leaves. Lots of great reds and purples in the leaves – not sure how much longer this will last.

While I was out photographing this morning I saw lots of robins and other birds eating the berries off some of the trees. Not sure if I’ll try to photograph them or not in the next few days – I do a much better job photographing non-moving subjects than moving ones 🙂

Day 39

Red and Yellow

I found a few bushes full of colorful small leaves. Some leaves were shades of red and yellow – others were yellow & green. Not sure what they are – but they do add a nice splash of color to the neighborhood – and all the shades of gray and brown I’ve been photographing lately 🙂