080 : Dark rhododendon

Not much sun to work with today, but supposedly that's going to change soon! Looks like all sorts of things are on the verge of blooming, so should have some new subjects shortly! Really like the earthy green of the backdrop from the overcast skies.

079 : Rhododendron against pink and green

I always seem to get a lot of these 'profile' shots of the rhododendron again the green lawn or the blue sky, so thought it was neat when I saw a chance to get one against this bright pink. The background sure turned out pretty vibrant!

edit: for some reason the 'preview' image on this post looks awfully pixelated... not sure if it is Safari, or how Blogspot compressed the image, so be sure to click on it to see the original image!

078 : Bursting purple bloom

Wanted to get a nice up close shot of one of the flowers. Kind of neat that this blooms is really dozens of little tiny flowers... very cool.

077 : Twig silhouetted leaf

After a week of photos from last weekend's Sister's trip, I'm back to 'original' photos today. Went out back and caught this image of a leaf from the the lilac bush with the shadow from some nearby sticks, and thought it made for a cool shot. Love the texture of the leaf... seems to really pop out when the sunlight passes through it, as opposed to just reflecting off it.

076 : Tulips

Another gray day here, so I'm posting another shot from last weekend. Just loved all the colors from this shot, from the oranges and pinks of the tulips to the hint of purple in the bottom right.

075 : Twin red tulips

Another shot from this weekend... although I really like the shot, I hesitated posting this one because I feel that the red isn't quite right... maybe a little too overexposed and 'glowy', but everything else turned out well enough that I think it's far better than any rainy-day shot I would have gotten today.

074 : Closed red tulip on speckles

Pretty rainy out, so posting another photo from last weekend. Just loved the shape and color of the tulip... against the splotches of purple from the tiny flowers below... would love to get some ground cover like that somewhere in our yard!

073 : Peach tulip on green

Mom, probably should have posted this one first knowing that you wanted another orange and green photo! Once again I've pulled a photo from last weekend to post... and I've actually got a couple others that I might be tempted to post throughout the week, depending on if the weather holds or nor I suppose. Just loved this bright orange against the sunlit greens.

072 : Peachy tulip

Seemed a shame just to use one shot I took over the weekend, so though I'd upload a second one today. This one is of a tulip from my mom's backyard against some little blue flowers hidden in the shadows. Loved the colors of the petals, and how the tulip seemed to open up as opposed to keeping their usual cone shape.

071 : Pointed tulip

My mom has these super-cool tulips in her backyard, and had to get some shots of them over the weekend. Just love the colors against the cool blue... love the white highlights in the petals.

070 : Rhododendron half

I found a spot where the rhododendron bush had a nice dark backdrop, and thought it was perfect for the white stamen to poke out against. Just love the simple color scheme of pink, white, and black.

069 : Purple plant against tulip

Added these to the front yard last fall as well, but don't recall the name of them off the top of my head. They sure have a lot going on with them, but really work well against the greens and pinks of the grass and tulips in the front yard.

068 : Shaded rhododendron on green

Although it was blue skies and sunny, the best shot I got was actually of this shaded rhododendron. Loved all the stamen poking out against the bright green background, and the dark pinks and greens of the petals and leaf respectively.

067 : Lilac just blooming

I love shooting this time of year... the days are longer, the weather is (usually) sunnier, and there's so many options for me to shoot. Dogwood blooms, rhododendron(s), the last of the tulips, and now the lilac. I'll be sure to return out back in a week or two when all the little buds are blooms.

066 : Tulip corner

Seems like the tulips are losing their petals, so thought I'd get some shots before they're gone for the year. Really love the bright pink against the green, and the texture of the back petal.

065 : Stamen silhouette

Worked late tonight, so by the time I got home most of my usual subjects were already in shadows. Got some silhouette shots of the rhododendron out front, and really liked how this one turned out, from the detailed stamen to the ruffled (and multi0colored) petals along the side.

064 : Backside of dogwood

Didn't have much sun to work with, but managed to find some sun and blue sky to get some dogwood shots. Just really love the colors in this one.

063 : Sun-spotted dogwood bloom

Really loves all the sun and shadows in this shot, from the bloom to the backdrop... really helps bring out the bright colors in the sunlit areas.

062 : Lily stalk shadows on tulip

Just thought these shadows made an interesting pattern against the tulip petals. Just glad to have enough sun recently to have shots with shadows!

061 : Shadowed dogwood bloom

Had some issues with Blogspot last night and this morning, so hopefully it will 'automate' these next two posts at two minutes to midnight on Friday night as it should! Here is Thursday's shot... a shot of the dogwood in the shadows. Love how the pink turns almost purple, and how the stem and leaves turn almost black.

060 : Peek inside tulip

Thought it was neat that this tulip had a little gap to be able to peek inside. It's tough shooting 'down the barrel' since the stamen are so tall and narrow, so think this was a preferable vantage point. Think the lawn made for a great backdrop.

059 : Shaded dogwood

Really thought this one turned out pretty interesting. Love how bright the background turned out, and love how the branch winds back into the distance and up to the top right corner.

058 : Raindropped pink tulip

I guess the one nice thing about getting rain so often is the interesting patterns that raindrops form. Think this tulip had the perfect angle to catch so many raindrops. Love the sparkle of each of the drops... especially the ones further down closest to the tulip's shadow.

057 : Dogwood bloom on blue

Rained most of the day, but did get an afternoon break of sun and blue sky. Really wanted to get some dogwood shots as they finally have this bright pink color to them. They seem to start off darker and lighten as Spring goes on... but were a perfect shade today!

056: Raindropped petal and blades

Just liked this shot of the petals and green blades with the raindrops. Was lucky enough to just get enough light... just enough to cast a soft shadow it seems!

055 : Rhododendron bud

It was dumping rain by the time I got home, so thought I'd use a shot I took earlier in the week and didn't use. Just love the textures in the petals and those coarse leaves.

054 : Looking down yellow tulip

Not sure why only the pink ones popped up first, but now a yellow tulip has finally budded out front. Thought I'd try and get a shot looking in since it was a nice sunny day, and seemed to turn out alright. Wish the tulip would have opened up a bit more, but thought it turned out pretty interesting nonetheless.

053 : Pink tulip against Japanese maple

Maybe my favorite shot this year. Just saw this tulip out front, and thought the purple of the Japanese maple would make for a nice backdrop. Love that the bottom of the tulip has a nice white border, and the hints of green in the bottom right as well. Be sure to click on it to check out the detail in the tulip!

052: Backlit white daffodil

Love how the back petals provide shadows for the front petals, and the texture on the white petals. For whatever reason the daffodils in the back yard seem to pop up later, but last longer, so maybe I'll get a few more daffodil shots yet.

051 : Closed Tulip bud

Wet, but some sun as the evening went on. Managed to get this shot of a closed tulip out front. Love the blades coming across the bottom of the shot... and think the green goes well against the magenta of the bud.

050: Bright tulip on daffodil stems

Got a bunch of photos of the pink tulips opened, and two of this tulip. Unfortunately, the pink tulip shots didn't turn out well, and loved the colors in this one. Will have to figure out a way to get a solid open tulip shot in the near future...