dandelion fluff

A pile of dandelion seeds you would not want to see in your lawn. They make a pretty design. Found these in the mountains, where some really healthy specimens grow!

tribute to a dog

A tribute to my dog friend Mollie, who passed away last year. I still miss her.

Snow!

We finally got some measurable snow! We need the moisture and it is pretty to look at - just not to shovel.

voting day

A cold wind is blowing here today and in the picture of the apache plum seed head. I look at my work for images appropriate to be turned into a Black and White image, this was my selection for this months competition and I got a 1st place!!

black and white butterfly

When I made this mandala, I just said yes! It pops, the purple adds a touch of color. Went on a photo shoot at the Butterfly Pavilion a couple years ago, love the color of their wings! Just a fun experience if you have a similar place near you - go!

butterfly wing

Butterflies are movement in the garden - beautiful, colorful movement. I enjoy having them in the garden. The speckles in the middle are reflected by the speckles on the edges of the wings in this mandala.

Buzzing by

Buzzing by to say - Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving!

butterfly in black and white

The photo club I belong to has competitions in color and black and white, so this is butterfly in black and white. Some pictures lend themselves to this others not so much.

4th of July

Sometimes a plant provides a mandala shape all on it's own - with no help from me. Skeleton of an allium blossom.

Bubble Storm

Always on the lookout for better bubble blowers.  Think we found a pretty good one this year.  The bubbles showed up against the black background of the outdoor grill cover.  The colors in the middle are my grandson's tie dye T-shirt. Liked the way the bubbles seem to move.

doodle 2

Same doodle looked at from a different angle (different pie piece of the scan).  Completely different! Neat!

doodle

I doodle when I am in meetings, not sure what that means, but some of them are quite detailed.  So I scan them into the computer and put them through the kaleidoscope program.  Above is one version.  Granted the kaleidoscope makes it more complicated by coping it.  I liked this one and I'll upload another one from the same doodle soon.  

Snow on the Patio Umbrella

Spring in Colorado can bring any kind of weather, in 2015 again on Mother's Day we had snow.  This year we had 13 1/2 inches in my backyard which draped the patio furniture in snow (and broke several tree limbs).  I liked the pattern the folded umbrella, chair and table gave the mandala.  The top of the umbrella is toward the middle of the mandala, the table and chair toward the edge.

Patio Furniture Snow

A local news anchor doesn't like people sending in pictures of the snow on their patio furniture, but thought this one was a little different.  With most of the nation under cold and snow, here is about 8 inches of snow on my patio table.  Fortunately it is melting off between snows here in Denver, but another storm is headed our way this weekend.  We will really be glad for Spring when it finally arrives.

Square Water Lily tile

Every so often I like to try the 'tile' format.  This is a reflection but its hard to tell.  The thin 6 sided shape in the middle is the water surface with lily pads but it doesn't read well as a reflection. And the pattern comes out as a circle more than a square. Try again - still interesting. 

butterfly on pink

Liked the side view of the butterfly and the bright pink flower it was sitting on with the background out of focus.  We have been having really strong winds over the past couple of days and colder temperatures.  (Grateful the winds were not tornado strength! as others have had) I'll be glad for warmer days and no wind!

Butterfly on a cold day

This Butterfly from the Butterfly Pavilion got into moisture condensing on their windows - because it was a cold day outside, just like today.  He did fly off after getting free of the surface tension. When I measured outside today there was about 6 inches of snow in my back yard.  It was melting and turning to slush on the roads, driving was a bit iffy.  We need the moisture - it is just sloppy to get around in when it's snow and it's supposed to be spring - as in April showers bring May flowers!

Adding Color to the B&W Butterfly

Adding color to the Black and White butterfly was easy in this mandala, because the butterfly was sitting on a wonderful purple flower.  I like the patterns and the pop of color.

Butterfly Wings

Just like flowers butterfly wings provide many opportunities for pattern variations.  I liked the yellowish glow in the middle of this black and white butterfly wing.  Color was probably reflected off a flower the butterfly was perched on.

 



Black and White 6-pointed star

In my early photo career I worked in a darkroom making black and white exposures, now in Photoshop it's much easier and no chemicals involved.  The photo club I belong to recently opened up digital B&W competition so I submitted this one.  Picture was two dangling glass teardrops  with reflections of the greenhouse support structure - the gray lines are the corrugated greenhouse roof, and the dark stripe was a cross beam of support.  It made for a dramatic 6-pointed star.  And you don't always need color to make things interesting.