Abstracts in the Garden

Yesterday afternoon I joined some friends in Cleveland where we attended the Orchid Mania exhibit at the Cleveland Botanical Garden.  While there, I kept in mind Scott’s Assignment 18:  Abstract Photography.  If you’d like to participate, click on the link I just provided for the rundown on what, how, and when.  The deadline to submit your photo (or photos) is on or before midnight (your time zone), March 21, 2012.  Have fun!

I took a series of photos of some large leaves in the Costa Rica glasshouse garden.  My attempts at abstracts with the orchids (straight out of the camera) didn’t work nearly as well.

This is the third year I have gone to the Orchid Mania exhibit and the first year I used all manual settings for my photos.  It is amazing what a difference it makes.  I came home with more terrible photos than usual (and who knows?  I may turn those into abstracts), but I also learned a lot of lessons and managed to get a few good shots here and there.

(The shadow in the photo above reminds me of Yoda so I named this one “Yoda Leaf.”)  The Cleveland Botanical Garden does schedule a tripod day, when photographers can bring their tripods in to take photos.  I thought of going on that day, but found myself feeling a little intimidated about it, as if I am not a real photographer.  In truth, my camera is not the camera of a “real photographer,” and while I shouldn’t let that bother me (yes, we’ve all heard the saying “it’s the photographer, not the camera”), it does bum me out a little when I’m out and about with those who have big name (and big money) cameras.  But please don’t let my camera know I even think such thoughts as I do love my Kodak.  It takes some beautiful images.

I did have a great time, especially since I was spending time with people I care about.  There were very few people at the exhibit while we were there, something I really enjoyed because I didn’t have to wait for people to move out of a shot/scene before taking photos.

That’s it for the abstracts.  I’ll have some orchids for you soon.

View through the waterfall

In other news…

It’s a beautiful, chilly, blue-sky Saturday here in the Bogs.

The occasional puffy cloud floats by, but otherwise it’s mostly clear and blue up above.  Breezy Acres is living up to its name with a brisk wind a-blowing.

M and I spent a couple of hours cutting down willow trees.  (Gasp!!)  I don’t like doing it, but the willows were planted to shelter the hemlocks from the wind and now it is time to give the hemlocks room to grow and stretch out.  The hope is to grow a hemlock hedgerow (see the photo here for an example) to take over for the hedgerow the neighbor bulldozed.  We have been working on the hemlock hedgerow for a five years or so, learning early on that the hemlocks do not care for the breezy conditions if allowed to stand on their own while small.  The willows did their job well.  The hemlocks are growing, and it’s time to thin out the willows.  We will be planting more willows in the future woods.  Willows are easy.  Just take a branch, stick it in the ground, and make sure it gets plenty of water.  Eventually it will root and grow.

Sunlight on the pond

There is not much else going on in the Bogs today.  I’m going to bundle up and go sit on the deck for a little while.  The sunlight is too good to pass up (and I’m sure my body could use some vitamin D).  You’re welcome to join me.  We can warm up by the fire once the sun goes down.

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