photo art friday & {summertime colours} 52 Photos yr2 wk9

I have three philadelphus (mock orange) bushes in my yard...

One on either side of the house at the back corners

and one right outside my living room window.

For some reason the one in the front blossoms slightly later than the other two

so the scent is still prevalent in the yard, the house and the neighbourhood!

As the blossoms are starting to fade, 

with more than a little help from high winds and a wicked thunderstorm last night,

I collected what was left intact on the bush and brought them inside...

trying to capture the scent for just a wee bit longer, I guess

...and a few photos as well (of course!)

I layered this photo three times in PSE

using different blending modes at differing opacities

Posting to Photo Art Friday
I love that I can smell them as I type this!

Experimenting with textures on the other shots and hope to share the results early next week...

Though that shot could also fit Bella's "summertime colours" prompt over at 52 Photos Project,

I chose shots of the most recent bloomers in the garden

because they are so much more colourful!
...and for some reason I am more inclined to post SOOC for 52 Photos

Wishing everyone an awesome first weekend of summer!  

Janet

macro monday 18.6.12

Despite my useless hands, I was determined to get the last of our planters done this weekend

before all the plants I had carefully selected and purchased had died!

Ever my hero, the mister stepped up and bravely volunteered for the task

(he doesn't like me not to follow doctor's orders)

...so, what began under my close supervision and watchful eye

was finished beautifully...

However I got distracted by my camera

and the final four planters were finished by the time I 

was done snapping!!

I suspect he rushed a bit a LOT for exactly that reason...

This is what created the initial distraction...

This guy is so laden with pollen I think he was too tired to fly...

he let me get right up in his face and take multiple shots

(you can see how really handsome he is if you enlarge the photo by clicking on it)

Posting to  Macro Monday.
Why not head over to see the other contributions or, better yet, join in yourself?

{shadows} over Sedona - 52 Photos yr2 wk8

Hands and fingers have been a little, shall we say, uncooperative this week

Thanks to the wonders of modern medicine aka cortisone injections

I am able to type a bit this morning, though I am supposed to be resting them...

(have I mentioned that I am not good at following rules?)

As a result, I will be using photos from my archives this week 

for Bella's prompt at 52 Photos Project

I chose these particular photos because it was the shadows 

that called out to be captured,

over all the awe and beauty of the scenery,

at moments when my eyes wanted to be looking everywhere at once.

The journey began while the town of Sedona, Arizona
still slept in the shadows of night as the sun prepared to rise over the valley

while we waited in near darkness to climb aboard our balloon
and follow our companions into the sunrise

we watched the sun rise as our balloon rose with it...
...we came over this crest to witness a beautiful scene below us
where the shadows crept across the valley while the sun continued its ascent

even when the sun was fully awake
and the people of Sedona headed out on the highway to work
Oak Creek Canyon was full of shadows...
...and we were casting a tiny shadow of our own!
(that would be 'me' in the centre, above the highway)

we went down into a gulch in the canyon and again
it was the shadows cast by the rocky wall that caught my attention

and the trees shadows mingling with our own as we went lower

and then we rose again to continue our flight over the world
which was now bathed in sunlight
with only tiny shadows cast by trees and bushes being visible

until our own shadow was cast over the Suburban that would shuttle us to
a celebratory champagne picnic breakfast and our balloon 'pilot' certificates!

I have to admit that I was very impressed with the incredibly accurate precision
with which these gentlemen could estimate and execute our landing!


"Shadow owes its birth to light." ~ John Gay

Thanks to Bella for a great prompt this week!

Have a wonderful weekend!

skywatch friday 15.6.12

We had some stormy days this week and I grabbed as many shots as I could 

I haven't had much of a chance to look at them yet...

This is what it looked like from my patio earlier this week:

Posting to:

http://skyley.blogspot.ca/

negative space - photo art friday

I have just been the victim of multiple cortisone injections 

so need to stay off the computer for a few days...

I already had this ready for Photo Art Friday so putting it up here 

(with a little help from the mister)

I posted this photo a while back for Skywatch Friday

but have added one of Bonnie's lovely textures this time

This was the original photo SOOC

I added Bonnie's 'pdpa painterly texture'

using the linear burn blending mode at 100%

I removed the texture over the rocky outcrop 

with a soft brush in normal blending mode at 29%

and I liked the way it allowed me to imagine what the Canyon would look like at night

so I deemed it to be finished (for now)

For:

THIS (is what I have been up to) & THAT (is why I've not been around much)

I am missing blogging and hopping!!

but I have to get our wedding invitations made and sent out!

The clock is ticking...

and of course we had to make our own because...

we couldn't find anything that grabbed us

we wanted to keep it simple and affordable

we wanted something we designed that would be unique to us...

because "you only get married once"

or, in our case, twice.

They apparently call it an 'encore wedding'

I sorta like that...

So I was going to cheat a bit...

or

maybe I could say multitask?

...and just post photos of the invitations we've been making

But then I managed to get a few shots yesterday after the rain to post for this or that Thursday

here they are...

followed by the photos of the invites

A private sneak preview for my blogosphere buds

invitation on ivory recycled card stock
'gate' made with copper vellum
'belly band' of handmade ivory straw paper
raffia bow with a lavender spike from our garden...

Heading out to mail them now!
Cross your fingers that they are not over standard card weight! *lol*

macro monday 11.6.12

Wedding plans are starting to eat into my blogging time

but I am still getting out for snap some shots fairly regularly...

This weekend I was thrilled that one of my favourite bushes have bloomed! 

Philadelphus coronarius is the fancy name

I always knew it as Mock Orange growing up with one outside my bedroom window.

I remember my mother making a corsage for my Grade 8 graduation with the flowers!

I was so excited when I realized I had not one, but three on the property 

when I bought this house four years ago...

For days now, despite some rather nasty thunderstorms, 

their most delightful scent has filled the air inside and out!

Posting this shot to Macro Monday
then heading back to make more wedding invitations!

Have a day!

Pop over and see some of the other amazing entries...

especially Lisa's awesome captures of a swallowtail butterfly!