Last week’s photograph was of vivid red tulips. In the bright sunlight of spring, colors often become bold, striking, and rich in contrast. But there’s also a flip side to the season, and that’s the softness that’s found in the spring palette. When the sky is overcast, or in the early morning or late evening there’s a calming and quiet hush that sometimes settles over the gardens. It’s almost as if nature is resting after all its exuberance in bursting forth after winter. In trying to photograph this softness and hush I’ve chosen to take this image with a slight blur, making this more about the shapes, tones and feelings rather than the direct representation of the tulips.
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The richness of tulips
Our spring and warm weather has us all wishing for more of both. These tulips in our backyard are in full (and beautiful) bloom, although last year they weren’t blooming until after the first of May. It’s a treat to have green grass and color after our months of winter and white snow. I have photographed the yellow and red tulips many times (and you may yet see some of those images here). But today I set a new challenge for myself. As most photographers know, mid-day is NOT the time to photograph bright flowers in the sunlight. The colors become washed out and the photos are too bright. My goal was to see if I could come up with a “good” image taken in the bright sun of mid-day. What I did find was that I loved the contrast of the blue sky against the red tulips, and by getting down low under the tulips I was able to take advantage of the vibrant red and yet not have the color wash out. I welcome any comments and thoughts you might have about my final outcome.
Pasque flowers announcing spring
One of the first prairie flowers to bloom in the spring are the pasque flowers. They thrive in gravel prairies and are found in various areas throughout Minnesota. Yesterday I ventured south of the Twin Cities to a Minnesota Scientific and Natural Area. When I first arrived, the morning was cool and overcast, but I was thrilled to have found a wonderful slope dotted with these small pasque flowers. Standing only 4 to 5 inches tall, they are easily overlooked from a distance. As I walked along I found more and more of these little gems pushing their blooms up from under the brown grasses. I spent over an hour photographing, all the while accompanied by the sounds of Canada geese and mourning doves. As I stopped to take in the beauty of the landscape around me the skies slowly cleared and I was treated to a warm sun and beautiful pasque flowers against a blue sky — a delightful and wonderful welcome to spring.
Winter at Como Park
Snow has continued to fall this past week. We haven’t received the dumping that the East Coast is dealing with, but rather we have a beautiful coating that’s put everyone in the holiday spirit. The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is located in Como Park in Saint Paul, and is a wonderful gem in the city. No matter how cold and wintry it is outside, it’s warm and tropical inside. It’s presently filled with poinsettias, begonias, and hibiscus — a wonderful burst of color during this season of white. As Christmas is fast approaching this week, I wish everyone a season of joy and wonder, family and friends.
Fall colors
How quickly we’ve moved from late summer to fall! The weather change happened almost overnight, with cooler temps and much-needed rain settling into the area. Everyone was digging out their sweaters and jackets, and looking for cool-weather comfort foods to warm them up. With the season change it seems we all look to deeper, richer colors, as seen in the dark maroons and golds of the mums that are in full bloom in our area. Their colors remind us that the lighter shades of summer are past, just like the sun’s heat. But there’s great beauty in the fall too, and they’re a prime example. Soon the leaves on the trees will turn to the reds, golds, and oranges, and they will fall down to decorate the lawns and streets — one last blast of color before the white of winter settles in.
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