nature

Backside Beauty is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at Hopeland Gardens in Aiken, SC. This is from the same flower as my last post. It was one of those moments where you create something that you hadn’t originally intended or really didn’t even think about beforehand...

Glorious Morning is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at Hopeland Gardens in Aiken, SC. I have wanted to capture a morning glory for several years now, but they can be quite difficult to frame in a way that is aesthetically pleasing. If you place the focal point on the...

Organized Chaos is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at Hopeland Gardens in Aiken, SC. This is algae on the surface of a reflecting pool. In my mind’s eye, I thought that the randomly dispersed strands looked as if they may have come from a bubble that popped and sent them...

Injection is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at the Yonce Farm in Ridge Spring, SC. This is another canna lily leaves scene. In my mind’s eye, the large drop near the top of the needle-like protrusion immediately made me think of a liquid that had been forced from a...

Down The Drain is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at the Yonce Farm in Ridge Spring, SC. As I looked down the tube formed by the rolled canna lily leaves, in my mind’s eye, the spiraling effect immediately made me think of a drain. With the very shallow depth of field...

Blue Pod is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at the Yonce Farm in Ridge Spring, SC. In my mind’s eye, the interesting shapes and colors of the anthers reminded me of dolphins.

Ribs is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at the Yonce Farm in Ridge Spring, SC. I searched this daylily for a location on the flower that was free of any anthers, stigma, or stamen to create a relatively clean, minimalist feeling, composition. I love how using nothing...

Red Drops is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at the Yonce Farm in Ridge Spring, SC.

Ripple Glow is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at the Yonce Farm in Ridge Spring, SC. As I mentioned to Alan in my previous post, the DOF is extremely shallow with this combination of equipment. Here, I dealt with it by composing several versions with different focal...

Pile Up is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at the Yonce Farm in Ridge Spring, SC. This was my first "dip of the toe" into the extreme macro world. I decided to add an extension tube to my normal rig. So, for those of you wondering, that's a Canon 180mm L, 2X Extender...

Wind Down is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at the Rye Patch in Aiken, SC. I refused to give up on capturing this even though Mother Nature tried hard to convince me that I should move on to another subject. She threw wind, cloud cover, and lighting changes at me, but I...

Icy Pink Flames is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at Hopeland Gardens in Aiken, SC. In my mind’s eye, the florets looked like pink flames with light blue and purple tips.

Veins is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at Hopeland Gardens in Aiken, SC. My initial artistic vision was to capture the spatter-like features since they have an undeniably abstract feel. But, in the process of doing that, Mother Nature modified the appearance of the...

Ascending is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at the Yonce Farm in Ridge Spring, SC.

Illuminated is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at the Yonce Farm in Ridge Spring, SC. This is torch lily. Bob only had two of them, but they both looked real good with excellent colors and freshness.

Canna Waves is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at the Yonce Farm in Ridge Spring, SC. I jumped at the chance to capture as much as I could of what I first saw. Though not all of the backlighting remained, I was able to utilize some of it for this. The golden hour rising...

Zapped is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at Hopeland Gardens in Aiken, SC. I discovered this coleus in a pot on the side of the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame & Museum. I loved how the colors were brightest next to the vein and then gradually decrease in...

Vein Wheel is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at Hopeland Gardens in Aiken, SC. This is some type of a round leaf. I discovered many of them down by the water.

Hypnotic is from my Naturally Abstract collection and was composed at Hopeland Gardens in Aiken, SC. I’m not sure what it is, but it has characteristics similar to a coneflower.

Connected is from my Naturally Abstract collection and is another composed at the magical Yonce Farm. This flower was an excellent candidate for placing the focal point deep inside of it. Not only were the colors fantastic, but the petals and stamen helped create a naturally abstract setting...