073 : Calli lily with raindrops

Finally got a little bit of sun today and decided to revisit the Calli lily. It had rained a bit earlier so there were still some rain drops hanging on the inside, but at least the colors turned out 'truer' in this shot than on Saturday's.

072 : Bee in sagging rhododendrons

It was dry for most of the day, so the bees were out on the rhododendron out front. Got pretty lucky, as this guys just flew into the frame I was shooting. Too bad there isn't the same green backdrop as there was a few weeks ago (more brown and yellows now), but still think it's an interesting shot.

071 : Orange calla lily

Made it over to the nursery today to pick up a few new plants for the yard. Came home with this one and a handful of others (sure to be featured later!) Too bad it wasn't more sunny out as I'm sure the colors will really pop, but thought this shot was the best out of the ones I got.

070 : Darkened rhododendron

Overcast again, so played with the shutter speed settings a bit to get a nice crisp shot. It's a tad dark, but thinks it makes for a moodier shot. Hopefully the sun will come out this weekend and won't have to resort to this again!

069 : Light purple iris petal

So the iris bloom I photographed a couple days ago has finally bloomed, and turns out it's quite a bit lighter than the dark violet ones. It sure makes it easier to see the texture of the petal! Still looks great against that yellow backdrop at least!

067 : Twin rhododendron leaves on blue

Managed to get some blue sky once I got home after an afternoon of rain (as evident on the left leaf.) Just liked the bright green against the blue sky, and the texture of the leaf. Like how the shadow makes a gradient from light to dark across each half-width section.

067 : Robin deep in thought

Really gray out. Again. Hard to believe it's almost Memorial Day weekend... feels more like Presidents Day Weekend. Did manage to catch a couple shots of one of our robins on our back fence. Really like the expression on the bird's face (if birds really have expressions...) Just seems like she's contemplating something. Love the color on her chest, despite it being so gloomy out. Think it matches well with the fence, and works nice against the cool gray blue of the backdrop I think.

066 : Iris bud on yellow

Pretty gloomy out when I got home. There are a couple new iris buds poking up and thought I'd try to get a shot of them... just liked this one against the yellow ground cover... some decent color considering how dim it was out.

065 : Hanging rhododendron

Sometimes when the blooms fall off the rest of the bud, they don't quite fall all the way off and kind of hang down... much like this one! Liked the pink against the steely blue with the green leaves below.

064 : Rhododendrom blooms and skeleton stems

Saw this one blooms along with a bunch of the skeletal stems and thought it made for a neat shot, especially against the blue sky. Sure lucked out on this one because I don't this there was any sun around not five minutes after I got this shot.

063 : Lucifer leaf on pink

The lucifer is starting to poke up... and the leaves sure have some great texture on them. A bit wet today, so managed to catch it with a few raindrops on it. Managed to get what's left of the rhododendron in the background, which added some warm colors to the shot.

062 : Funny poky stems

So when the rhododendron blooms fall off, they often leave behind these little bloom-stems. They look kind of alien, all pink and poking out from the tree. Just thought they looked neat against the blue sky with the green leaves around it.

061 : Rhododendron in front of bud

Managed to get a little bit of sun once I got home, and found some of what's left of the rhododendrons. Seems like most of them are on the ground now, but there's still a handful up there worth shooting. Just love the colors on this one, how it goes from pink on the left to cool colors on the right.

060 : Iris with raindrops

Lots of rain and sun back and forth lately, but I was lucky to be home for lunch during a sunny window. Managed to get this shot of one of the iris plants with raindrops on it... not sure why it seems to magnify the color where the drops sit, but sure made for a neat shot... especially with that bright green of the day lilies in the background.

059 : Violet iris on yellow

Jill's been asking that I try and shoot a new iris that's blooming in the front yard. Problem is that it's color is so dark its difficult to have any texture or shadow shown. That said, it sure made for a neat shape against the bright yellow of the ground cover.

058 : Stalks over first day lily

Finally... a day lily! But I think the stalks still seemed to be more interesting since this day lily was so tucked away. Thought the bloom added some nice color though... can't wait until it pokes his head out a bit and isn't so buried in the stalks. Love the couple stalks that seem to have a portion eaten away.

057 : Pink rhododendron on stark blue

As much as I love all the greens that come along with the rhododendrons, sometimes it's just nice to have the pink against the stark blue sky. Love the texture of the bottom front petal.

056 : Side rhododendron on pale blue

Gorgeous day here, so got plenty of shots against the blue sky. This one turned out to be my favorite one... love how the stamen all poke out with the dark tips against the pale sky. Love the light and dark of the bottom pedal... sure has some neat texture to it.

055 : Rhododendron on back

This bloom appeared to be on its back, pointing upwards. Guess it's just the way the stamen point out that make me think that, but either way it sure turned out to be a colorful shot. Love all the greens and blues from the surrounding leaves and sky.

054 : Dark Rhoddie on green

Went to go shoot the rhododendron again, but this time the bloom that caught my eye was mostly in the shade and down below. Love the bright green backdrop for the dark bloom, and think the dark green leaf adds a nice dark green to the palette.

053 : Mother robin on roof

Pretty gray out when I got home, and thought I'd try my luck out back. When I went out, the robin from the nest under our gutter flew out and onto the neighbor's roof. Thought it made for a neat shot against the blue and gray skies. I'm guessing this one is the mother because she seems to be a bit pudgier than the other robin... think she's expecting!

052 : Rhoddie on circles

Really thought the colors turned out great on this one... love the pink with the earthy blue with the light circles in the back. It was nice to have some blue sky to shoot against, and glad it turned out to be more of this earthly blue than a sky blue... sure makes for a neat palette I think.

051 : Dogwood blooms

Just like how this dogwood bloom looked up in front of all the other ones. Sure turned out to be a nice day here once again... finally a nice Spring weekend!

050 : Lucifer leaf

Wanted to get away from the rhododendron for a bit, and noticed this Lucifer plant was coming up. Sure love the texture of the leaf though... almost like a corn husk. Love all the little stripes of darker color along the leaf.

049 : Rhododendron colors

Really love all the colors in this shot. I don't think it was framed particularly well, but it was the best way I think to get all these colors in so closely! Be sure to check out the enlarged version (click on the image) so see it at a larger resolution!

048 : Bee on rhoddie

The bees seem to be out, and they sure love the rhododendrons. Problem is they're tough to shoot because they don't seem to stay long in one place... makes it tough to frame it just right. Managed to get a halfway decent shot of the bee, but I think the backdrop turned out a bit busy. At least the colors turned out pretty interesting...

047 : Rhoddie stamen on blue

Managed to find some blue sky again earlier today (which is good because it's raining now!) Really can't get enough of the rhododendron out front... the tulips have died off (sorry mom!) and no other flowers have bloomed yet, so it's between these and the dogwood most days it seems. Love the colors of this one, and how sharp the stamen turned out against the crisp blue sky. Love how everything on the left side has a pink hue from all the nearby blooms.

046 : Rhoddie on green

When I got home the sun was shining, lighting up a section of our lawn. I managed to fine a rhododendrom bloom alone in front of that bright green spot and thought it made an ultra-colorful shot!

045 : Rhododendron cornered on blue

Although cold, managed to get some blue sky upon arriving home. Found this one bloom poking out against a cloudy sky and took a handful of shots of it. Really love how the colors turned out, and that the sky isn't a sold blue, but more of a gradient blue thanks to the clouds.

044 : Dogwood bloom on green

The dogwood tree is in full bloom, and thought a nice isolated shot of one bloom would be pretty interesting. Managed to find a nice green backdrop of this bloom... love the texture in the petals, and the lines emanating from the green center.

043 : Wet rhododendron

Still a bit wet out here, but at least it was light enough to get a crisp shot. Love all the pinks against the green. These rhododendrons out in our front yard have been a lot of fun to shoot this Spring.