photography and musings from a Midwesterner
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Desaturated Coneflowers © 2010 Bo Mackison
A pair of purple coneflowers, photographed at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison Wisconsin. I often see personification in my botanical photographs. To me, it looks like the two flowers are holding hands, you know, the way you might casually intertwine fingers with your lover or child as you stroll along…
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Wabi Sabi Dahlia © 2010 Bo Mackison
This photograph is the last in the series of dahlias I’m posting on Seeded Earth (though there are many, many more in my treasure piles). I showed you ‘Esther’ as a new bud with the light from the setting sun giving her a warm glow. I showed you ‘Esther’ with her petals just beginning to fully unfurl. I gave you a peek of ‘Esther’ from a vantage not often seen – the undersides of the dahlia, softly lit (and one of my favorites). I posted a photograph of ‘Esther’ close up, so close you could almost see her heart. Today we say good bye to ‘Esther’ the dahlia, as she is on the wabi-sabi part of her journey.
What is wabi-sabi? As defined by architect Tadao Ando:
Wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death. It’s simple, slow, and uncluttered-and it reveres authenticity above all.
Seems fitting that this is the photo for today. Today is one of those wabi-sabi sorts of days.
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A Dahlia Called 'Esther' © 2010 Bo Mackison
What a great morning! Sherpa and I spent several hours this morning at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens on the east side of Madison. The place was really busy: there is a temporary exhibit called Blooming Butterflies in the Bolz Conservatory. We didn’t visit the butterflies this morning – I can do that on a thunderstorm-y day – but if you are in the area, I highly recommend checking out this special show.
We had a great morning in the outdoor gardens. Even though we were out early, these gardens don’t open until 8 a.m., so we brought the giant diffuser along with all the other gear. It folds into a small package when not in use, but fully opened it is 36″ in diameter. I had a very enthusiastic 12 year old ask me if it was a Frisbee! I told him “no, but as light as it is, it would fly a long way.” I’d hate to chase it if it was picked up by a gust of wind, but my new friend would have enjoyed the chase. I did decline when he asked if I’d like to give it a toss.
I think the favorite flower of the morning was this dahlia, properly named ‘Esther’ and really showing off her bright colors. I photographed the dahlias in many poses, but do like this particular dahlia, not quite fully open, but strikingly beautiful in her youth.
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A Different Take © 2010 Bo Mackison
For almost all of my photography practice, I have tried to stay true to what I photographed. Now I find myself wanting to see what will happen if I increase the clarity a little, decrease the saturation. I use LightRoom exclusively. I never did purchase Photoshop, not because I did’t want to try it, but because I never managed to save my pile of money earmarked for Photoshop. I always seemed to find another photography related thing I wanted more. Eventually I want to see what Photoshop does at my own hands, but that will be awhile.
Until then I am exclusively using Adobe Lightroom. Haven’t upgraded to LR 3 yet, because I haven’t quite finished figuring out the basic workings of Lightroom 2.5. I like to putter when I’m working on a photograph. I know there are a multitude of Ligthroom Actions out there — press a button and the software changes your photo in an exactly prescribed way. I haven’t tried those yet — still in basic training, right? — but I imagine I will give the free ones a look eventually. It seems a shame to reject so much progress in a tidy package. Need to at least take a look.
But at this stage in my photography, I’m rather like a tinkerer. “How does it look if I take a bit more red out? What happens if I push that green a little more? And bleed the color from the background and most of the flower?
I experimented with the composition here, too. Let those bulky lily buds play in the front, obscuring the main flower a bit, but I like the feel of seeing the longer branch with multiple lilies as a change. Usually I focus on a single flower.
Any comments about my wanderings in Lightroom? Do you like the different, less textbook look or less macro look? Do you miss the true colors?
And to the photogs out there, if you use Photoshop, do you find it invaluable? And if you do, why? Do you use presets (hear they are the ultimate time saver) or do you prefer to tinker with your photo, bit by bit?
For me, I’m moving slowly on my journey, exploring things as I come to them. Happy with some new attempts, not so happy with others. But, for sure, I never dreamed how far a camera and a dream can take a person.
I have already traveled far, amazingly far, and I’m eager to keep on taking the walk, step by step. So much to see, to consider, to learn, to share.
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A Field of Cosmos © 2010 Bo Mackison
For a wild, abandoned look of beauty, I love a field of cosmos. They crinkle and dip low to the ground, then spring back. Nothing neat and tidy about cosmos, they always remind me of the “unmade bed” portion of an otherwise well tended garden. I do love these flowers.
Photographed at the West Madison Test Gardens, the experimental garden site of the University of Wisconsin in Madison Wisconsin.
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Lilies in Shadow © 2010 Bo Mackison
Most of the lilies at the Chicago Botanic Gardens are front and center in the main garden, framed in multiple square ponds, and offset by summery plantings. There are purple water lilies, pink ones, blue ones, even bright magenta water lilies. But I found these lilies on a lesser traveled path, up and beyond the conifer plantings. Not many people wander this far off the main paths.
These lilies offer a different feel compared to their brightly lit cousins. I love these pale lilies, quietly dressed in shadowy reflections. My favorite of all the lilies I photographed that day.
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A Curtsy for You © 2010 Bo Mackison
Seeded Earth Studio will be at the Mt. Horeb 39th Annual Art Fair, Saturday, July 17, 9am – 5pm and Sunday July 18, 10am – 4pm.
Booth 124 on the Trollway between First and Second Streets. If you are in the area ( about 30 minutes west of Madison) be sure and say hello.
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Gemini Rose © 2010 Bo Mackison
The rose gardens are in full bloom in July. I love the delicate coloring and shading on this Gemini® Tea Rose.
Photographed at the Chicago Botanic Gardens on the Fourth of July.
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Yellow Lily © 2010 Bo Mackison
It’s a cloudy day in Wisconsin, a good day to share this bright bit of yellow – a day lily photographed at the Chicago Botanic Gardens this past weekend.
I sooooo wanted to call this photograph “Lello Lily” in honor of my youngest who pronounced the word ‘yellow’ by substituting ‘l’ for the ‘y’ — and did so long after she could easily say the word ‘yellow’ correctly. She simply loved the way it sounded. Often another family member would call something ‘lello’ also — it always brought on the giggles.
She will so love the sound of these two words combined — ‘Lello Lilly’.
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Pale Purple Coneflowers © 2010 Bo Mackison
My first wander through the Wisconsin prairies this summer – a feast of color. The pale purple coneflowers were in full bloom and danced merrily with huge stands of orange milkweed. There were a few tall yellow compass plants, towering a good five or six feet high and bright orange wood lilies, too. Plus the waving grasses.
I so love the prairie in bloom.
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