Other Flowers

I was driving in my old neighborhood on Lewis Street near Lakeview School when I spotted these unique flowers. With my macro lens, I was able to isolate the background and quickly made this image.

In a small ravine on our property, dame’s rocket grows brilliantly. They can be considered invasive, but for me, they are stunning.

My front yard has several large bushes that are near the house. I was excited to see that many beautiful bright pink and purple azaleas bloomed this spring.

So many wishes have been made over the years. As I blew these dandelion seeds into the wind after making this photo, another wish was made.

I love living so close to Cartier Park now. The kids and I can walk there pretty quickly from home. Tonight, we walked there together and we spent time enjoying the beauty of the dame’s rocket flowers.

My brother and sister-in-law’s yard has a large variety of beautiful flowers and plants throughout. Today I worked at capturing this poppy in magic light. To me this flower looks like a strange bug with big eyes and a large mouth.

My mom’s yellow roses climb the wall of the farm’s garage. Each year we welcome their sight. I hope to transplant some of them to our home soon.

After a dinner with family visiting from Cleveland, I noticed tiny daisies in the yard of their vacation home. It was covered in them! I crawled around until I saw a perspective I liked.

I compose this shot of cattails along the Pentwater River with my largest telephoto lens. On my Nikon D7000 camera body, which does not have a full-frame sensor, my 500-millimeter lens is making an image that is the equivalent of 750 millimeters or a 15-power scope. The resulting compression and shallow depth of field or focus helps me make a dreamy-looking image that emphasizes the fuzziness and large amount of cattails. F5.6 at 1/1000, ISO 800, 500mm lens at 500mm

The sun was shining bright today, and I think the bees were enjoying the warmth because they were very active in my brother and sister-in-law’s garden. Using my 105mm macro lens and getting in close, I was able to capture this image.

Rachel and I made the ten-hour drive south to visit my mom in Clarksville, Tennessee today. The house she is renting has a beautiful backyard full of flowers, birds, and critters. This stargazer lily greeted us as we pulled into her driveway.

Brad and I took a quick trip to visit his mom, Kay, in Tennessee. She has several flower gardens around her house. This one stood out above the rest.

This softball-size wonder of nature stood out like a white stop light in the green grass along the roadside south of Ludington. I stopped my vehicle for a better look. The close-up view is far more impressive than the one from behind the steering wheel. F8.0 at 1/250, ISO 200, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Kay, Brad, and I took a walk along the Cumberland Riverwalk in Clarksville today. We shared lots of stories and laughter. This blooming bush was too lovely to pass! I knew it had to be my photo of the day.

Wild mustard grass grows all over Michigan and is one of our favorite "added ingredients" in our photographs. Today I wanted it to be the "special of the day," so I got in close and isolated one plant that looked particularly beautiful. F2.8 at 1/500, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 44mm

Sweet peas still wearing the morning dew create a colorful pattern along Iris Road. I make the picture and then discover my Suburban has a dead battery. Oh well, more time to smell the flowers while waiting for a Good Samaritan. F5.6 at 1/320, ISO 100, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

As I am walking along the marshy shore of Lincoln Lake at Epworth Heights, I notice how some pink daisies are catching the light as they sway in a gentle breeze. I work hard to time my exposure to a moment when several of the daises are sunlit. F5 at 1/400, ISO 200, 300mm lens at 300mm

Daisies make me smile. This little cluster in my backyard made me happy tonight as I searched for my photo of the day.

This wild tiger lily is one of dozens of these colorful roadside attractions lining Meyers Road between Ludington and Scottville. It is a bit breezy so I will have to shoot at a fast shutter speed and bump up the ISO to make a sharp image, but I like the way the picture looks in the viewfinder. F3.2 at 1/250, ISO 200, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

These bright red lilies lining my brother’s driveway were beautiful tonight!