POTD CHALLENGE: FLOWERS

Most of today I was in one of my favorite places: on a local trail at last! It has been too long since I have done some bona fide hiking...just ask my body tonight! I have some fun pictures, but these are for staying on theme: flowers; wild ones.
Shooting was a challenge as, in the forest, there were bright spots and sunny spots.
These two are SOOC; didn't pack my macro lens. This is with my Nikkor 18-200mm 3.5-5.6 lens, hand-held.
A wild bleeding heart. They never do have a vivid color, and this one was fading fast. They are so very fragile in an old-growth forest.

POTD CHALLENGE: FLOWERS

This is a different type of "flower" today. Rather than photograph "in the wild", I thought I would post the arrangements I did for our gr.son's Eagle Court of Honor. I spent most of yesterday on our patio doing 5 arrangements. Pictured first is the largest - 3 1/2 feet tall, and very, very heavy! I had spent the previous day cutting fresh flowers and they were all free! Thanks to local farmers who let me be on the loose in their fields!
This one is done in my own very large Polish urn-type thing

This medium one is in my mother's deep red Venetian glass:
I didn't have any measurements for the pulpit, but it fit perfectly. Whew!

A more restful moment of practicing focal points, into the center of a full arrangement:

POTD CHALLENGE: FLOWERS

I seem to have a color scheme going here today! I love rhododendrons when they first pop their bud shells. That first color is often quite different than the final color of the mature rhodie in full bloom. This pale sherbet-y color will later be a solid, deeper pink.

This shot may have been better if I had focused on the entire gathering of snapdragon rather than the one on the right...I am not sure how I like this. But I do love the calm summer colors.
Another cream sherbet! Maybe I took these shots because I needed the calm, dreamy colors after cutting, then spending more than half a day arranging vibrant red, white and blue flowers for a d gr son's Eagle Court of Honor.

POTD CHALLENGE: FLOWERS

Lucky me! I have been scouting the near-by fields 'n farmhouse yards for red, white, and blue flowers so that I can ask the "owners" if I could prune some stems from the backside of the shrubs. I am arranging the flowers for a gr.son's Eagle Court of Honor and I so prefer garden flowers to store-bought. Well, there was huge patch of these Siberian iris in a pasture and sure enough, I got permission to cut!
Of course, my camera was the first tool I used, before the pruners!
A little abstract work here:
These are all SOOC - I was lucky to have the rich green background.
The wild grass was waist-high and dew-y. Can you guess how much I LOVED being out there?

POTD CHALLENGE: FLOWERS

There are 2 things I like about this flower: 1 - that it is a California poppy, but not the the common bright orange of most; and 2 - that this one is still hanging onto its bud shell, yet it is in full blossom! KInd of a poppy sucky blankie?

Also, this week's challenge is a personal one for me. My files are FULL of my favorite subject: flowers! So I am trying to get a new one each day rather than rely on my plethora of photos.

POTD CHALLENGE, CATCH LIGHTS

I still miss Pea-ing so much! I am still in my heavy committment until school is out, but I did take a grD to the zoo last week (we were babysitting her all week while dd was out of town), and I showed Pat this pics. She said "you must" post them because there are some catchlights there. Not great ones, but at least the pics are new ones and I can pop in here for a moment. These are both sooc. I can't resist the multiple expressions of orangs...they never disappoint!

Oh, whatever are you thinking, Babe?