Bryce Canyon ampitheater panorama

I was lucky enough to go down to Bryce and Zion the first of April, and to be able to see some stunningly beautiful sights. This is the result of an experiment with my camera and PhotoShop Elements. I put my camera on the viewpoint railing, took a photo, then rotated the camera a little clockwise, taking another shot, and then one last rotation. I then used the Photomerge option in PSE and "stitched" them together, making a panoramic shot. I am pleased with the way this turned out.

Lines and a line-up

Mama Turtle and all the babies, lined up on a log and sunning themselves
an abstraction of lines (from ugliest building I have ever seen, the Experience Music Project at the Pacific Science Center)
Stately lines and columns
a little abstract of architectural lines in Bellevue

Assignment: Lines

I looked for lines in nature. Man-made lines are easy to find. I'd rather look for something small and overlooked.
Douglas firs in the forest are perfect examples of straight lines.
A spiderweb consists of straight and curved lines--this one is embellished with dew.
I love the veins in these perennial geraniums--dark lines against the light.
Cannas have the most fantastic lines and stripes on their leaves!
Zion National Park--this bluff of Navajo sandstone looks as if it has been pleated. There are lines going in all directions.

Assignment: Art

A Dale Chihuly chandelier; taken shooting straight up. The piece is massive. I love the way Chihuly works with color, shapes, movement, and mass.
One of my favorite statues; I especially like it in the spring when the trees are blooming and providing such a delicate canopy.
Detail from a hand-made tile I just got. Love the NW feel of this. There are borders of pine cones and needles above and below this panel.

more spring blooms

I was out nursery crawling and just couldn't resist taking a few pictures. Sure would like to have some of these blooming in my yard! If I could just get the deer to stay away...

Spring Flowers

The first two were taken up at Roozengaard in the Skagit Valley. #1 has been Ortonized, which gives the colors that extra pop and softness. The tulips in #2 look like something from a Rembrandt painting--I'd plant them in my yard, if it weren't for the deer and elk who eat everything. The camellia in #3 is at the temple.

Spring Flowers

I LOVE spring, and all the color, form and texture that bursts forth after a dreary winter. I think growing up in the Midwest, where we had months upon months of snow, gave me this appreciation for something starting to grow. There is nothing quite as exciting and heartwarming as seeing a crocus poke its way out of the snow, and bloom in defiance of the weather.

Bugs

This yellow spider scared the daylights out of me, hiding on the daffodil. It is flower crab spider, and they have the ability to change color--either yellow or white--depending on the flower they are on. The red stripes are the spinnerets that it uses to spin it's web.
I love a macro shot. Look at the fuzzy hairs on the back legs of this guy. He was on an orchid at... Home Depot! (yes, I carry a camera with me almost everywhere. You never know when you will see something. I'm not at all shy to whip my purse-size camera out and shoot away. You get some wierd looks, but you can also get some fun photos.)

Movement

Frankly, when I heard the assignment for this week, I thought I might just post a blurry picture--camera movement, hand movement, busy subject--it could be a very abstract kind of interpretation. However, here is a bona-fide movement shot, taken from my plane as I was landing at SeaTac on Friday. Timing is everything!...and being in a window seat.

Spring trees

I love the blooming trees around here in the spring. The color is so heavenly, and so welcome. I used the Orton technique on both of these. The top photo is the depot in North Bend; the 2nd is a shed on the road between North Bend and Snoqualmie. I love that the moss on the trunk of the magnolia echoes the moss on the shed roof.

Leading

I love "leading lines" that draw you into a picture. Don't you want to follow this path and see where it will take you?

This family of handcart pioneers lead the way to Zion, never knowing how many generations will follow in their footsteps.