The snow is mostly gone, here on the prairies, but it will be some weeks before we see greenery and flowers blooming. I can’t wait! It has been a long winter and I sure could use a bit of color. Late spring or early summer images are great for it because all is fresh and green is bright and not dimmed by dust of late summer days.
We are lucky here in Alberta, because some nights are full of light show. We had a couple of gorgeous Aurora showing last fall and I have managed to capture some shots without leaving the city.
I know, I know it is winter and everybody posts winter photography, but I am not ready for it yet. I see it outside my window every day, so I want to see something warm, colorful and pretty. Hope you are in need of this as well.
It has been a while since I’ve posted anything about Elk Island National Park. So, I think, it is time for some lovely sunset from the beginning of summer, when all was green, flowers were blooming and days were warm and long.
It's been a long time since I have dedicated a post to just macros.. It's gotten cold yet again and, it looks like, winter is not ready to move on at present. Not that there was a chance of that but .. eternal hope and the like ;D Oh well, we'll have to wait for spring some more, but don't despair. At least in pictures we can find some wonderful color, borrowed from other seasons. I'm in mood for yellow in nature today and I do hope you'll find it as enjoyable as I do. I love macro photography. Love the fact that one can concentrate on a detail and that one can have wonderful colors in the background without sacrificing the main subject. Grant it, it it's not so easy to make macro interesting, but I hope, I have ben close enough to it that you'll take a moment to look at these ;D Have a wonderful day everybody! Kasia
Considering that we got, yet again, a foot of snow and the temperatures are dropping, most everybody here in Edmonton, I'm sure, is thinking of taking off to some tropical island to bask in sun and heat.. Well, since such a trip is out of the question for us, at this time, I am tempted to look at my pictures from our summer trip to BC ( to check our previous adventures on Vancouver Island see Beautiful British Columbia - Part 7), this time, from our short visit at the famous Butchart Gardens in Victoria. Such a lovely place to explore!! So many beautifully growing, disgustingly luscious (sorry, a bit of a gardener's envy on my part, here) plants, beautifully arranged for the viewer to see.. I could spend hours with my macro lens there, surrounded by all that splendor.. Alas, we didn't have too much time and I did not take my 100mm lens, just the 200mm one and had to work with that, along with my 17mm. Travel photography forces us to make the most of what we have (equipment and time -wise).. Lets see what I have managed to do with the two lenses I brought with me. Hope you enjoy!
Kasia
Our recent chat about macros on a podcast Shuttertime with Sid and Mac has given me an idea for this post. We were talking about the fact that it is easy to shoot macros all year round, for it doesn't requite taking any long trips to exotic places or getting up at a crack of dawn. All you need is a decent macro lens or extension tubes, a few plants in your backyard or a trip to the park with your family and you can always find something interesting to shoot. Whether it is a cool plant, a bug or a spider web there really always is something out there to take pictures of. As long as you find an interesting angle or a colourful background you can came back home with tons of gorgeous shots. I start the year with a trip to one of the neighbourhood nurseries in early May, before our outdoor planters can be filled safely with growing things. It is always a great pleasure to look at all the beautifully colourful flowers just waiting for the weather to warm up enough for safe planting and the bugs are usually there as well. A couple of hours of being lost in such surroundings and I come back home with a memory card full of shots. Here is a few of such spring shots that kept me happy over the recent years before the outside world turned green:
Then, things are starting to bloom outside and I start taking my camera out and about to see what new things are showing up out there. I have shared some spring images I took close by in my post Spring 2013 so I'm going to just include a couple of more recent shots today:
During the podcast we have mentioned the fact that having an interestingly coloured background makes a difference. Here is an example - a couple of shots of the same spider web covered in dew and how the angle of the shot, utilizing different colours of the background, makes a difference:
Summer! Ah.. This is a macro photographer's paradise.. Over the last couple of years I have gathered so many wonderful shots and they've kept me very happy during long winter months..
There is always something magical in catching reflections in water droplets.. You can see the whole world inside a drop if you find a proper angle. It's always so much fun!!! And if you don't want to bother with these there is always the occasional trip into the country. I try always to take my macro lens with me. You never know what you'll find on such an outing..
And if you are tired of all that colour, you can always play a bit with an image and come up with something like that:
Fall has it's own pleasurable moments with it's fogs turning into frost and covering all and a wonderful soft, warm light. There is always something that catches my eye..
During winter months I try to find something at home that can be photographed. Whether it is my son's guitar or a flower that was given to me, it makes not very big difference except it is not always easy to get good, strong light inside. I still go out and explore if I can. It may be cold, but if the weather conditions are right one can find little treasures outside, such as a couple of snowflakes (I've shared a few of those in my post Beauty of a Snowflake - Part 3) or frost covered foliage:
So keep on shooting guys. There is really no need for long trips to exotic locations and you don't need too much time . Just a few minutes here and there. Cool stuff can be found everywhere!!
Kasia
Easter is always connected to spring in my mind. It is the time when I look forward to things starting to grow. In our climate, we have to wait for that to happen for a while yet, so, in order to satisfy my need for colorful, growing things I have to bring them indoor and feast my eyes with them there. Thus I was very happy to acquire a bunch of daffodils. They are so beautifully vibrant, and colorful! With their juicy yellow they bring cheer and joy to my life. Of course, there is no way I could stop myself from snapping a few shots and share them with you all ;D I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do.. Kasia
Sick of winter, yet? I know, I am!! That's why I have decided to postpone my post with winter Rockies in black and white (the continuation of Rockies in Colour..) and share some of the colorful images I've been working on recently. I am so very happy to have a huge amount of pictures from summer saved for such an occasion! With recent weather, turning my world yet again into vast whiteness, those flowery shots keep me sane!! I hope they will work for you as well. Enjoy! Kasia
As I have mentioned in my previous post: Summer in my garden.. Part 1, in this series I will be sharing with you macros that were taken right in my backyard all summer long. In this instalment I would like to show you a series of pictures of a particular blooming plant that belongs to Argyranthemum. This one has the most amazing colour and I am sure I must have taken hundreds of shots of it. But judge for yourself how pretty it is:
It's so gorgeous that not only people are drawn to it ;D
I can literally spend hours photographing this gorgeously coloured beauty!
I am going to miss it when winter comes... I am glad I have created a large library of images with this pretty thing, for it is going to brighten a many of the gloomy winter days..
Kasia
It is September already!! To my despair the summer is almost over. One can see the signs of fall all over in nature, but there are still some things that seem to defy Nature and try to pretend that spring is here instead. I am starting this series with some pictures of my apple tree blooming again, which I took just a couple of days ago. Amazing!!
Feels like spring, doesn't it?!! :D It's been a lovely growing season this year and my flowers did beautifully allowing me to take some great and colourful pictures of them that will last me long into the winter. Here is a few more of things that grow so very close to home.
It is wonderful to have a source of wonderful pictures right under once's nose!!
Kasia
The weather continues to be absolutely wonderful and, since summer is not going to last forever (definitely a bummer, the way I see it) one has to use all available opportunities to be outside and soak up all the sun and scenery. And we're doing just that yesterday while visiting Bowden SunMaze! It's located about 30 km south of Red Deer, AB and we have arrived there shortly after noon and spend hours getting lost in sunflower maze enjoying wonderful sea of sunflowers, occasional ear of corn and an army of busy bees pollinating all those golden treasures.
We have decided to stay for a sunset, since sunflower fields are not that common around here and we would not be able to come back this year. The evening sun was painting all the surrounding fields beautiful colours and I was in photographer's heaven :D
It was a great outing!! I have taken lots of pictures and, I am sure, I will share some more, especially when our world turns dull with winter's approach and we all will miss the golden tones of setting sun and bright and gorgeous sunflowers... Until next time!
Kasia
Summer is in full swing and it is my great pleasure to walk around my yard every day with my camera and see what new happened over night. There is always something interesting to find and take a picture of and I thought it would be neat to follow one weed from bloom to seeds and share this transformation with you. So here it is, a weed from it's bloom to the seed..
Neat weed, isn't it?! I just could not resist taking pictures of it, whether in sun or right after a rain. It seems to always be quite lovely. I hope you like it, too :D
Kasia
Ardgour Island, located right next to the Glenfinnan Monument is a home of many interesting species of fauna and flora. Visiting Loch Shiel we have had a pleasure of taking a little nature walk that took us there. The spring was in the air, the flowers were blooming and the weather was still great. So we grabbed our cameras and went exploring:
First thing I noticed in Scotland was that everything is covered in moss and lichen. It grows on rocks, on trees, on buildings and pretty much anywhere it can find a bit of nutrition. It gives the objects it covers a bit of a velvety feel, which I liked a lot.
As you can see, I even managed to find this lovely creature taking a stroll on the ground ;)
What I did enjoy the most, though on this walk were the trees. The pine trees on Ardgour Island are thought to have a different genetic makeup than the rest of pine tree population in Scotland.. Their ancestors, apparently, have survived the last ice age.. They are wonderful, some very old, some younger, but all with lovely shapes and impressive sizes..
Travelling in spring gave us an opportunity to witness their glory unobscured by leaves of many other kinds of trees growing there as well as a great colour contrast to view them before everything turns completely green. This early development also has given us the ability to enjoy the surrounding views..
Even our boys could not resist exploration and wondered frequently from the wooden path..
Alas, eventually the weather system has caught up with us and it was time to leave this interesting place and wait for the rain to stop falling before we embarked on the next part of this trip where even more amazing views have awaited us... Until the next time!
Kasia
With a great sadness we have said our good-byes to our friends in Almerimar and undertaken the long drive back to Madrid. The views, again, were quite lovely and I have taken a few shots (again) of the lovely wind turbines that make the scenery even more picturesque..
We have chosen slightly different route this time and were hoping to be able to stop on the way in Granada and visit Alhambra.
The palace of Alhambra is rather famous for it's great Moorish architecture and rich history and I always wanted to visit it. Unfortunately we were unable to gain entry to the palace itself. To preserve it only a certain amount of visitors is allowed daily and we were just too late.. When we approached the entry they were just announcing that fact over the loud speakers.. During the high season, in order to visit the place one has to book tickets on line well in advance, otherwise there is no way to get inside... So... since we have planned to stop there anyway, we have decided to, at least, visit the grounds and took a long walk around the palace. The weather was gorgeous and everything was blooming and so green that it was a delightful break in our long drive. Of course, I was not only interested in the architecture of the place but, as usual, gave in to my fascination with plants so different than what I am used to.. And here is a few shots from there:
We were given only glimpses of the palace buildings, stolen through shrubbery and walls.. I'd love to see them closer, but, will have to wait for the next time..
Being located on top of a hill Alhambra has a wonderful view of the surrounding Granada, which we could spot also from our walk:
It was very pleasant there. Quite a restful place, where you can be surrounded with greenery and listen to the sounds of trickling water..
But, as everything, this little respite in our journey had to come to an end and we left Alhambra, promising that one day we shell be back! For now Scotland was waiting for us, with it's wonderful mountains and heavy skies and a promise of yet another adventure..
Kasia
I don't know about you, but I find water droplets on flowers incredibly beautiful. Like tiny jewels on velvet they shine and sparkle, if the light is right. I always find myself quite fascinated by such sights and, when I have my camera handy will always take tons of pictures. Here are a few of them from my records. I am gladly sharing them with you in hopes that they'll brighten your day as much as they always do to mine. :) Kasia
Well, since my post about saying goodbye to winter, sort of blew up in my face yesterday, when we received about 4cm of nice fresh snow. Theoretically it's spring, but practically it is still winter here in Alberta. So since Kasia posted some really wonderful flowers last time. I thought that the images of our apple trees from last year would be fitting. I guess our apple trees will be that way again very soon, but for me it just can't be soon enough. Mac
They say the Spring has arrived, but looking out the window, here in Edmonton I, somehow, have my doubts.. I am so looking forward to the time when the grass is green and the first spring flowers bloom. For now, though I have to be satisfied with the pictures I took at Muttart Conservatory some weeks ago. I hope they will brighten your day and make the wait for the Real Spring a bit easier to survive for you and me. Enjoy! Kasia
The weather is rather dreadful with blowing snow and cold so we decided to brighten our day with a trip to Muttart Conservatory in Edmonton, AB. Three of the four pyramid shaped greenhouses accommodate a collection of plants coming from tropical, arid and tempered climates. The forth pyramid, features ever changing exhibits of plants throughout the year. It is a lovely place to escape winter blues. I'm pretty sure I will be displaying pictures from this trip for some time to come, because it was a feast not only for our eyes, but also for our cameras :) Kasia
Mac has been entertaining us recently with his amazing series of landscapes. Whether at sunrise or at sunset, Alberta is so beautiful seen through his lens! But since it is wintery outside and they are forecasting some more snow to come, I thought a change of "scenery" would be in order. I have been able to get my hands on some nice lilies recently and have been, as usual, quite happy to spend a nice afternoon taking pictures of those gorgeous flowers. And since they are yellow and sunny and take my mind away from the cold outside they are perfectly suited to cheer everybody up, or so I hope ;) Kasia
Yeah, it's cold out there again. With temperatures reaching -24oC in the morning one really doesn't feel like going out and about and taking pictures.. The world in fog is beautiful (and our river was covered by a nice vapour this morning) but, considering the cold, I decided against taking the camera and freezing... That's OK, though. One can always dive into the store of pictures from last summer and surround oneself with glorious colour :) Today, I thought, it would be nice to focus on pictures of single plants. Some of them were taken in Devonian Botanical Gardens, located close to Edmonton, Alberta and some in the surrounding area, and some in my own backyard... You can guess of which I'm talking ;) So simple and yet so beautiful... Kasia
I was recently going through my collections trying to find one photo to dedicate to my mother for her birthday. A flower is a perfect gift for any mother, since to us they are the personification of beauty and what is more beautiful than a flower? The problem is, I can not choose only one picture! So instead here is my collection of the ones I really love and think that are close to being worthy to be dedicated to my mom. Hope she likes them, though I wish I could personally deliver the real thing.. Enjoy! Kasia
