Category: Cultivated Flowers

Whatever Weds. Lunar Eclipse and Flowers

Posted in Astro Photography, Cultivated Flowers, Lunar Eclipse, Nature Photography, Photography, Whatever WednesdayTagged , , , , , , , , , 75 Comments

Copyright ©2022 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Last week-end we went down to SoCal to visit Big Baby Boy and the Dark Haired Beauty for several days. It was lovely walking on the beach and in the canyon with them and just hanging out. We talked about their upcoming wedding a bunch, and how that’s going. It’s coming up so fast! Less than 8 weeks to go now! I’ve got my dress and hat and He-Man’s good to go suit wise too, So far everything is falling into place so, it should be beautiful.

I also passed a milestone last Thursday…I turned 65 years young. There are many days my body feels 65 but, not my spirit! I’m still a kid inside. 😀

There were lots of cultivated flowers in late stages of their bloom around Big Baby Boy’s, some I’ve missed because they just don’t grow where we live. Here are a few;

Hibiscus

Bird of Paradise

? I don’t know what this is called

Sunday we had heavy clouds predicted and strong winds and sure enough they rolled in all day just in time for the Lunar Eclipse. I hoped there would a pocket or two of clear sky in the Moon’s path so I could see and photograph just one frame. There was a nice pocket along the mountain tops so I quickly made a few images of the Moon as it crested the mountains. It was already in Totality by then as well. It was very different from last year’s May Lunar Eclipse when there was a clear sky.

Totality Lunar Eclipse May 15, 2022

It quickly rose into the clouds and I didn’t see it again that night.

We’re going to see Baby Girl and the boys later this week to celebrate her birthday, my birthday, and Mother’s Day. I’m looking forward to that.

The weather has definitely warmed up here. It was 81 degrees yesterday and just as warm today, so I put out the patio cushions and spent a lovely hour out back chatting with the neighbor. How’s the weather where you are? Ready for summer?

I hope you’re having a good week!

Nikon D810| Fuji X-T-3| PS CC 23.2.2

more to come…

Wild Wednesday 32/52 Flowers Plus One More

Posted in Cultivated Flowers, iphonegraphy, Macro Photography, Photography, Wild WednesdayTagged , , , , , , 49 Comments

Copyright ©2018 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I’ve been neglecting my flower images for oh, so, long!  Here are three from cultivated gardens, and my back yard.

Columbine- Blake Garden

Columbine

On approach-UC Davis Arboretum

Bee on Approach

Daisy of some sort- My backyard

Gerbera

I’ve been feeling a day off so far this week. I hope that gets straightened out today.

If you follow me on Instagram you know I’m painting rocks and leaving them on trails, and in some places I’ve passed by for a Summer Project.  I don’t leave them in State or National Parks because I think that’s a rule. Anyway, here are a couple of iPhone images showing some of the rocks I’ve painted to be left somewhere in the near future.  I’ve left quite a few in the wild already. I hope those found new homes.

Cat and the Moon

Palm Tree Reptile Mandala

I hope you’re having a good week, and I wish for you a wonderful week-end!

Nikon D810| Nikkor 105mm macro lens, Nikkor 24-120mm| iPhone 7 Plus| Photoshop CC 2018

more to come…

Spring makes an appearance in the Backyard

Posted in Cultivated Flowers, Flowers, Nikon, Photography, Spring, Still LifeTagged , , , , , , , , 23 Comments

Copyright ©2018 Deborah M. Zajac.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Baby Girl’s cruiser looks cute there among the flowers.

Bicycle among the Flowers

I wish it wasn’t so windy I’d do some macro photography. Maybe this week-end. Fingers crossed.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Nikon D810| Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 @ f/8| 1/50s| ISO250| SanDisk Digital Film| PSCC 2018

more to come…

Thursday Doors: Blake Garden

Posted in Cultivated Flowers, Nikon, Photography, Thursday DoorsTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , 52 Comments

Copyright ©2018 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I haven’t shared any doors in a long time, but thought I’d share a couple of doors, and some flowers that are in bloom from my visit to Blake Garden last Saturday with Gordon from undiscoveredimagesamonstus and a few other friends.

Blake Garden is owned and operated by UC Berkeley. It’s open Mon-Fri. Closed on week-ends except once a year it opens on the week-end for public visiting.

I’d never been there before and was looking forward to seeing and photographing flowers in bloom.  I wasn’t disappointed, and there were DOORS! Well, just a couple.

This Mission Style building was marked private. It looked empty, but had huge windows overlooking the view of the bay and San Francisco. Unfortunately, on this morning it was very overcast so the view wasn’t good.

This view was very good I thought, but the reflection had me the moment I saw it.  Anna and I waited sometime for this view to be people free.

Private Building with Koi Pond reflection

A closer look at the door:

Door Blake Garden

Standing in front of the house/building and looking east you see this! Do you see the Koi?

I love Stone Bridges, and this one is so cute. There’s a little door and a hidey hole too.

Koi Pond and Stone Bridge_DMZ6540-crop

A Columbine. I think it’s a Blue Columbine, but I’m not positive.

Blue Columbine

I laid down on the path to get a view of its face which was hidden when looking down and walking along the path.

Columbine

The Green Tool Shed had its door open and I liked the little peek inside and the foliage framing it.

Tool Shed

I have quite a few flower images, but I’ll end with a Red Poppy so it doesn’t turn into a Flower Post. 🙂

Red Poppy

This post has been part of Norm Frampton’s Thursday Doors.  He’s a master gardener of doors.

Click on over to his website here and at the bottom of his post you’ll find the little blue frog. Click that and be taken to a list of all Door Gardeners that are sharing their door finds this week.

If you have a door or two you’d like to share please do! Norm gives us until noon Saturday Quebec time to post and link up!

Nikon D810| Nikkor 105mm macro lens & 24-120mm variable lens| SanDisk Digital Film|PS CC 2018

more to come…

 

 

Wordless Wednesday 31/52 Thistle

Posted in Bokeh, Close Up Photography, Cultivated Flowers, Flowers, Macro Photography, Nikon, Photography, Wordless WednesdayTagged , , , , , , , , , 23 Comments

Copyright © Deborah M. Zajac  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Thistle

Nikon Df| Nikkor 28-105mm + Canon 500D Close Up Lens| PS CC 2017

more to come…

Flowers and Knee Update

Posted in Blur, Cultivated Flowers, Flowers, LensBaby Composer Pro II, Nikon, PhotographyTagged , , , , , , , , , , 45 Comments

Copyright ©2017 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

While taking it easy and resting my knee from last Fridays fall while hiking I’ve been going through flower images from this Spring, and having a lot of fun photographing the bouquets my daughter and I received for our birthdays, and Mother’s Day.

I took one big blossom…I’m not sure what it is; a Dahlia? Anyway, I took it out in backyard and stuck it in my little Asters one afternoon and photographed it with my LensBaby Composer Pro and Soft Focus Optic.

Flower with LensBaby

I love this swirly blur!

My knee is still tender, and a little swollen, but the limp is nearly gone.  It’s time to go to the fabric store to find a knee patch for my hiking pants.  I haven’t had a knee patch since I was a girl, but I hate to give up a favorite pair of hiking pants for a little rip in the knee.

I also signed up for two online watercolor classes. I’m previewing the classes now so I can purchase any materials I don’t have but will need, and have a look at what I’ve taken on. I’m planning to do these during summer so will start them in June.  One class is on birds, and the other landscapes.

Big Baby Boy and his Dark Haired Beauty are coming home for the long week-end.  We’re going to have Baby Girl’s Birthday Dinner since we missed that this year because she and #1 Grandson were on vacation.  I’m pretty sure she’s chosen Mexican food, and we’re planning to BBQ on Monday. He-Man bought Tri-tip and burgers.

I’m off to get my photography, and art stuff put away and tidy up the retreat for Big Baby Boy, and Dark Haired Beauty then do the rest of the grocery shopping for the week-end.  I’ll be mostly offline over the week-end, but will catch up with you all next week!

I wish you all a wonderful, and safe week-end!

Nikon D810| LensBaby Composer Pro w/Soft Focus Optic @f/5.6| Hoodman Digital Film|PS CC 2017

More to come…

Arizona Sunflower and more

Posted in Cultivated Flowers, LensBaby Composer Pro, Macro Photography, Nikon, PhotographyTagged , , , , , , , , , , , 39 Comments

Copyright © 2017 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I took my D810 mounted with my LensBaby Composer Pro out for a walk looking for flowers in the neighborhood the other day.   I put the Soft Focus Optic in the Composer along with the 16mm macro adapter; here’s a few images from that walk.

Arizona Sunflower at f/2- I love that blur!

Arizona Sun Flower

Artichoke f/2

Artichoke

a Rose f/4- I wanted to get a bit more in focus so stopped it down a stop.

Copyright © Deborah M. Zajac ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

It looks like my LensBaby will get along fine with the D810.

I’m off for a “ladies  long week-end” with a good friend. We plan to hike in the mountains by a lake, and do a lot of photography. I hope the sky is clear so we can photograph the stars at least one night.

I hope you all have a lovely week-end. I’ll catch up when I return.

More to come…