042 : Twin rhododendron blooms on blue

Lucked out again during lunch with the weather and managed to get some shots of these blooms against a bright blue sky. Love how the colors turned out.

041 : Robin on roof

Pretty nasty once again by the time I got home. Didn't get any good nature shots, but got a handful of this robin walking around the roof. We actually have a robin's nest underneath the gutter on our back deck, so I assume this is the baby daddy checking out things from the top of our roof. It was too gray out to get much color out of him, but think the near-silhouette makes for a neat shot nonetheless.

040 : Rhododendrom side on blue

I was lucky to get some blue sky at lunch, because it was pouring when I got home! Just love the stark magenta of the bloom against the blue sky, especially with the stamen poking out from the line of blooms.

039 : Rhododendron bloom with orange circle

Really love how the colors turned out in this one! It was a little bit overcast, so glad the bloom kept its color and didn't have a bluish hue like these sometimes do in low light. Love the green background from the tree across the street, and the orange circle from the street lamp across the street, even though it was noon when this was taken. Glad the pistols turned out pretty crisp against the green.

038 : Dripping Rhododendron

It was raining when I got home, so I followed the gutter in front of the house to the rhododendron and managed to get some shots of the new blooms in the rain. I'm glad with how crisp this one turned out despite the lack of sun. Love all the beads of water gathered at the bottom of the buds.

037 : Fully-bloomed lilac

I wanted to get a morning shot of the lilacs in full boom since the sun was out. Thought this one turned out pretty crisp, although I think I'd try and frame it a little differently next time. Really love the crisp colors of the lilac though.

036 : Bunch of dogwood flowers

Really like how the color turned out on this one. Seems like when shot head on they have more of a translucent feel to the petals, so was glad to see that these turned out a nice solid pink on the screen. Too bad I lost the green in the background (turned out black) but I think the flowers turned out well enough.

035 : Rhododendron bud against bloom

Although some of the rhododendrons have already bloomed, others are still starting to bud. Liked the bud and green leaf against a fully bloomed rhododendron. Think the bright pink and green go well together.

034 : Dogwood bloom on blue sky

I was hoping to be able to get a photo earlier than usual today since I was on furlough, but the sun didn't poke out until just a few minutes ago. But there was a nice patch of blue sky that I was able to get behind this dogwood bloom... sure love how vibrant the colors turned out in this one... even the shaded blooms in the back have a strong purplish hue to them. Love the texture of the bottom of the upper left petal.

033 : Lilac on pink

It was overcast when I got home, but seemed to be just enough to get a nice close crisp shot of the lilac. I tried to get one of the camellias in as a backdrop to add some color to it, and think it turned out pretty well. Think the green in the corners makes for a nice accent, even if it is a bit grainy in the darker spots.

032 : Wet day lily leaves

It was raining by the time I got home, so couldn't venture from underneath the gutter. The day lily leaves always look spotted when it rains since they seem to collect big white beads of water on them... just thought it makes for a neat shot.

031 : Rhododendron row

Kind of overcast today, but at least there was a hint of blue sky. Just liked that this bunch of blooms seemed to be in a flat line instead of a ball...

030 : Lilac bordered by green

The nice thing about the weekends is that I can get shots first thing in the morning, so the sun hits at a much different angle than at 5 when I get home. Seems like the colors sure popped out in this one... even all the different shades of green, and all the different purples from the mixed blooms on the lilac.

029 : Rhododendron bloom on blue

Saw the rhododendrons against the blue sky and just had to get some shots. Love the detail in the pedal... and think the greens adds some nice dark color to an otherwise pretty light shot.

028 : Twin tulips at angle

Saw the tulips walking up the walkway after work and just had to come back and shoot them. Love the bits of green from the grass.

026 : Lilac from end

Thought I'd try and get another shot of the lilacs today (they seems to come and go so fast) but today I had some light, especially on the leaves in the back. Love how the background turned out on this shot... kind of abstract, and think the bright green makes a sharp backdrop for the purple.

026 : Dark lilac

It was pretty nice and sunny most of the day, but by the time I got home the clouds had rolled in, making it tough to get a colorful shot. I noticed the lilacs were starting to bud, so thought I'd try and get a shot of them... think this one turned out pretty interesting despite the lack of sunlight.

025 : First dogwood bloom

The dogwood tree out front seems to be blooming (didn't even notice it until today against the blue sky!) Looks like the blooms are still pretty dark right now, but looked good against a blue sky for sure.

024 : Squirrel on pink

Seems like our little squirrel friend has regained its love for walnut bits! It was back again for more at our sliding door, and this time I managed to get her up in front of where a batch of camellias were. Think the pink in the background makes for a nice change from the usual green backdrop from most of these types of shots.

023 : Tulip on blue

There's a couple more tulips up, and this one happens to be right in front of a gray stepping stone... just love the bright yellow and red against the earthy blue.

022 : Squirrel!

Finally got a good squirrel shot! She came up to the sliding door, go I put a walnut piece up on the railing. She picked a good time to show up, because the grass behind her was pretty well lit, which made for a bright green backdrop.

021 : Front and back tulips

Another break in the sky today... actually turned out to be a pretty nice afternoon. Looks like a second tulip has popped up next to the first one, and made for a great backdrop.

020 : Rhododendron bloom

Looks like the rhododendrons are about ready to bloom, and fortunately had a nice blue sky to shoot against. Can't wait until these bloom... I don't have to get on my hands and knees to shoot them against a bright blue sky!

019 : Camellia from the side

Another gray day, but just enough light to get a crisp shot out back of this camellia. Think the colors turned out well considering the lack of direct light, but seems to me the camellia itself looks a little bluish... sounds like we're supposed to get some sun here soon though!

018 : Dark daffodil

Miserable weather again... actually had to use the flash on most of my shots, but thought I'd go with this one in the end. I actually think the dark yellow is pretty interesting with the dim blue and black. Hopefully the sun will be out tomorrow!

017 : Wet camellia on green

Another rainy day, but enough light to get out back and get a few shots. Love how vibrant the green turned out from the grass below, and the leaf to the right. Think the flower itself turned out a little bluish, but love the raindrops of the veins of the petals.

California trip photos

I finally managed to go through my California trip photos this weekend, and pick a handful of my favorite ones. During my trip, we managed to make the 30-minute drive to Yosemite one day for a few hours, and I took a bunch of photos while I was up there. They had all sorts of Ansel Adams photography classes and such up there, so I thought I'd make these photos all black and white in his honor. Enjoy!

CA 01 : Rock wall with water

When we got out of the car once we parked, this huge rock wall was right in front of you. On the left side of it, it had a bit of water streaming down its face, and when the sun hit it just right, it would become a white band on the side of the rock... made for a neat shot, especially with the darker rock from above.

CA 02 : Rock wall

Just love the texture on this one, and how the lines form across the surface... pretty amazing for sure.

CA 03 : Splintered tree

The trail we took wound under this tree, which had broken off somehow and was a splintered mess at one end. Love the texture of all the splinters, and the bark peeling off the bottom log.

CA 04 : Rocky waterfall

Just had to get a photo of a waterfall... this one wasn't a particularly tall one, but love the texture of the water coming off the rock. Glad it was fairly sunny and allowed for a quick shutter speed.

CA 05 : Smooth tree against rock

Along our path, I spotted this dead tree against this (granite?) rock and loved the smooth texture of the tree against the rocky harsh texture. This photo was practically in black and white when I took it. Love where the sun happened to be, giving the tree both light and show from left to right.

CA 06 : Squirrel?!

Seems like Yosemite has their fair share of gray squirrels, so I'm not exactly sure it this guy was a squirrel or not. He seemed friendly enough, and willing to just about walk up to me. I managed to get a handful of photos of him running about, but really liked this one of him up on the railing looking out.

016 : Tulip on blue

Just love the bright red of the tulip against the blue and green backdrop. Hope that a few more tulips pop up soon so I can find some different backdrops for them!

015 : Faint rainbow

When I got home it had just started to hail, but the sun broke out a minute later and this rainbow popped up out front... but not much of one... just this ghost of a rainbow. Still thought it made for an interesting shot against the pale blue-gray sky.

014 : Tulip on yellow

The nice thing about having my truck is that I can now come home for lunch, which means I can get some photos in if the sun is out. Not only can I get some different angles on some flowers (like this) but also will be able to shoot some things that are always in shade by the time I get home after work. Really love all the yellows in this shot... really makes the red pop out.