Color and nature, amazing once again. I love the way this beauty didn't take his eye off me the entire time I was getting set. He had a ladylove - and her eyes were so feminine... it was like looking at a little granny with full battle make-up on. Amazing tho - they can live upwards of eight decades years!

don't ask me why. Just let me explain. It's part of that love affair I have with my Sony... it was Halloween timeframe and we'd just staked out the heads... I just couldn't resist. Who would've thought that they'd turn out to be so cool??

It all has to do with perspective. These crocus were screaming to be photographed, and for all their colorful beauty - I was later devastated when I took them from the camera into editing mode... as saw that there was a horrible cigarette butt amid the flowers on the left hand side. But it's all about how you choose to look at things. It's still a wonderful picture - even if I hadn't told you that I'd cropped very carefully, and chose to show only the beauty.

This image makes me think I can paint... I often take shots and as I'd mentioned a few posts ago, then edit with Photoshop's dry brush effect... I was musing how to bring color back in this - and was so tempted to run a page of watercolor paper through the printer, then do a very subtle tint. But, it was just a thought.

Color, isn't it amazing? I shot these at Zilker Gardens in Austin, TX. I can't say that I really contributed too much to this - other than being where I needed to be to find it. If you click on the image - it'll enlarge in a new window - it's just beautiful.

And below, is this stained glass? Monet?

or perhaps a close-up of the water from the larger image below...

A friend of mine has a teenager who was wanting to post an image for his avatar in one of the chat sites online, I was sent a regular portrait image and took it immediately into Photoshop. Because there were harsh background shadows, I selected the core of the subject (asking: who is this person, what in this image is 'telling'?) then worked within minimalist "less is more" parameters, after all - don't you agree that this image gives enough visual information for a teen online - I do.

As much as I like realistic images, I have a great deal of fun editing digital images in Photoshop - the 'dry brush' being my absolute favorite tool. I think a lot of what makes an image eye-catching is the deliberate thought process while it is being composed. Balance, exposure, cropping, texture, color and of course subject.

Almost without editing, my images are usually pretty well composed in my camera's viewfinder, framed in what I consider to be the most pleasing way. But, often when I am faced with the 'whole' in the editing window - I will crop it way down - and find the results more pleasing because often - just a hint of what IS... really, is all we need.

Sometimes getting that perfect image is simply dependent upon the luck of timing. Being there at the right moment, prepared to capture it. I was up early to see my son off to the school bus and knew that while it had been cold enough to freeze the evening before, I was not expecting to find what I did that morning! In the quiet of early morning, we were presented with a crystal wonderland... these little ice whiskers had grown on the branches, the basketball hoop, EVERYWHERE - and they were glorious.

Later on, after a little research, I learned that this type of frost is called Hoar Frost and when it occurs, it presents the most magnificent scenarios... I was just lucky enough to happen upon it at the right moment, ready to capture it with my camera.

A few years back I did a study to satisfy my curiosity, adjusting the hue in photographs. Not surprising was the finding that no matter what direction I slid the bar, I found that, in nature - the results were always complimentary.

Interestingly enough though was this peacock...
I ask you this:

If you didn't know for a fact what the true colors were - which combination would you think was best suited?

Amazing...