WordPress’ Weekly Photo Challenge: Summer

28 May 2012

Lens:

1. Shady Hillside, Longwood Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

2. Abstract of Summery Colors, 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

3. Floating Discs, Longwood Gardens, 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

Let me know which is your favorite.

Pens:

In the Mid-Atlantic states of the USA summer is 20-something blocks away on the calendar, meaning the temps outside should still be spring-like. If you’ve ever visited this region or live here, you know the humidity can perk up a 70+ day to make it seem in the high 80s. Today’s forecast is 90, and so it is apt that the photo challenge preview’s summer.

For many who live in this part of the country, Memorial Day weekend declares the opening of the summer season. But I am a purest and await June 21, the official designation for summertime.

As I contemplated the Weekly Photo Challenge, a phrase kept sifting through my thoughts: colors of summer.  Some of those might include garden rainbows, mosaic-like butterflies, fashionable trends, flavors of gelato and ice cream, streams of kites, palettes of fruits and vegetables, patterns in parasols, luminously-dabbled wings of insects, lyrics of songs. Think: watermelon pinks, purples and reds, bronzes, limes, lemons, whites…The summer brings bright streams of radiance from the high-placed sun, stormy colors of sudden cloud outbursts, lazy patterns and shadows of sleepy afternoons, palettes of beach tones, and outdoor games on greening lawns with family and friends. Of course, there is the ongoing reward of gardening through the uplift of a singular or en masse array of flowers and leafed trees. It’s a fully-explosive array of life renewed and re-toned.

So I have a slightly skewed definition of summer with all its variables of fun-filled possibilities, including never-to-be-forgotten road trips in cars of shimmering colors. In the Lens section are three images, each reflects my theme: colors of summer.

1. “Shady Hillside” was taken this month at Longwood Gardens. It typifies the perfect place to linger on a summer’s heat-filled afternoon: the shade of a tree that skirts a pond. The hillside is dressed for a spectacular show next month called “Light,” which is an installation by Bruce Munro, a British artist and light designer. The illuminated outdoor exhibition will be displayed from 09 June-29 September.

2. “Summer Colors” is my attempt to create a photographic abstract of freshly cut flowers from my garden: deep pink peony, orange marigold, purple lavender, purple meadow sage, lime-colored hydrangea, and violet-red geranium. Except for the peonies each will still be present in various stages throughout the summer, and their hues will continue to adorn my landscape.

3. During our visit to Longwood Gardens the staff was arranging various light installations for the exhibition mentioned in the section about photograph #1. Through a wooded path we spied the Large Lake area, where floating discs captured the sunlight. These massive ovals are part of the “Light” exhibition. Apparently, the artist was inspired by the Gardens’ waterlily platters, which are on display from June to mid-October. The discs must be solar-powered, and the effect is a kaleidoscope of jewel-like colors.

Summery colors are expansive and lively; they elicit outdoor play, cooling off in a pool or lake, harvesting greens and various colored tomatoes with herbs for a fresh salad. They conjure the joys of the heat and the agony of the humidity. But that classic summer storm with its dark colorations that cools the night is as inviting as the radiance of the shimmering light on a cluster of purple phlox or violet larkspur. Each stirs the classic colors of summer.

Naturally, each season has its aesthetic that shapes it. And each has its colors that reign with a presence that brings adoration and praise.

Note: As always I welcome any comment about this post or any part of this blog. For additional information about the “Light” display at Longwood Gardens, click here.

Slowly Tipping into Spring, Part Two: Longwood Gardens, Showing the Ingenious and the Ravenous

22 May 2012

Lens:

I. Allium ‘Purple Sensation’

1. Bud of Allium ‘Purple Sensation,’ Longwood Gardens, April 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

2. Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ in Full Bloom from my Garden, April 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

II. American Pitcher Plants

3. American Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia), Longwood Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

4. American Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia), Longwood Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

5. Buds of American Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia), Longwood Gardens, April 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

6. Flowers of American Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia flava), Longwood Gardens, April 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

7.  Flower of American Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia), Longwood Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

8. Leaves of American Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia), Longwood Gardens, April 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

Let me know which is your favorite.

Pens:

Every flower, every plant is a clever invention of botanical technology. Each is destined for invasion, mostly the good kind: tiny creatures enter its vortex and during that encounter satiate an extremely tiny (aka nano) part of nature’s quest for survival.

Mother Nature knows little about how many of her luminous progeny satiate our human sensibilities. Usually we’re drawn to the showy, brightly hued. But sometimes there is much more to the visual narrative. On recent visits to Longwood Gardens a surprise  coaxed me, and I became an outright fan of insect-eating plants.

In April I meandered through the early Spring outdoor showcase at Longwood Gardens (see ”Slowly Tipping into Spring, Part One: Longwood Gardens” here) where containers filled with carnivorous plants startled my sensibilities. As I strolled pass ceramic planters, I was introduced to a new species of plants that trap crawling and flying insects: the American Pitcher Plant.

American Pitcher Plant, Flower, Google Images

Equipped with a facade that hides a deadly secret, these plants are beauties with a mighty agenda. They conjure decay and rejuvenation, and are laden with an unusual mechanism for making their own meals.

What surprised me was their regal and stellar appearance. Buds were sensuously rich in greens and reds, and flowers appeared colored in sunshine yellows and crimson or orangish reds. All I could do was stare.

In the Lens section photographs # 3-8 captured their magnificence in various stages. Since the staff at the Gardens rotate the contents of the Flower Garden Walk and the container area adjacent to it, I was sure upon my return this past weekend that the pitcher plants would be gone.

To my delight, they stood beaming in the afternoon light: pitchers on duty dressed in dazzling intense colors. With their bold display, their success was eminent and ongoing.

The yellow dangling petals of #6 fascinates, the foliage of #8 intrigues, the innocence of #3 and #4 distracts. They represent seduction at its most crafty, most deceptive, most skillful.

Exotic designs and electrifying palettes are what draws me to them. Still, their existence depends on the production of nectar that attracts their prey and digestive juices that absorb each insect. It’s an example of the yin/yang in the plant world where beauty can be the beastly carnivore that is ingenious and ravenous.

Note: As always I welcome any comment about this post or any part of my blog, Visit Longwood Gardens online here.

WordPress’ Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands

18 May 2012

Lens:

1. Hands, 2011; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

2. Hands, November 2011; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

Let me know which is your favorite.

Pens:

Hands are unto themselves bare and telling; they reveal a lot in their nakedness. And in action or use, they build character and a different or new facade. WordPress’ Weekly Challenge had me scan through last year’s images. While I only have a handful of worthy candidates, I selected two.

The first photograph in the Lens section captures a slice of today’s popular culture where very young girls routinely are painting their nails. In December 2011 Pantone, the standard for color charting, selected tangerine tango (click here) as the color to spread across the 2012 fashion scene. That orangey orange slipped quickly into the commercial market. Since this photograph was taken in autumn 2011, my granddaughter was months ahead of the announcement for 2012′s color choice.

I tried to capture a touch of humor in the second image where pumpkin pulp and seeds became fodder for a shoot. They foreshadow what may come: roasting seeds or making pie from the pulp. But the fun was in the possibilities.

Universal Hands

Are hands one of the most photographed subjects? Possibly. Certainly they represent the human condition. Even in their quiet (as with the example from Google Images of Universal Hands) they symbolize action and connection and promise and relationships. Hands can speak volumes in their movement or silence. They fill the spirit with their clapping, clasping, strumming, counting, praying, signing, grabbing, waving, planting, playing, holding, pointing, aging, drawing, symbolizing, resting, philosophizing…They even produce smiles with their creativity. Thanks again WordPress, t’was another fun challenge.

Note: As always I welcome any comment about this post or any other on my blog.

WordPress’ Weekly Photo Challenge: Blue

16 May 2012

Lens:

1. Blue # One, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

2. Blue #2, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

Let me know which is your favorite.

Pens:

WordPress’ Weekly Challenge: Blue had me thinking about my recent focus on architectural composition. Some results from last weekend’s photo shoot slip easily into this week’s theme.

Architectural blue summons the way in which structures can be embraced. In the Lens section the first photograph renders a blue palette through reflection–the building’s use of multiple panels of glass acts as tiny chameleons within time and space. They respond to changes in light, and color transformations are dependent on the sky’s folly and the weather’s personality. I shot this image during early afternoon on a crystal clear and cloudless day. The blues were bouncing off everything that they encountered.

The second photograph is more of what I was aiming to achieve: an abstract that mixes nature outside and within human nature. The blue sky was so pronounced that it lent itself as a partner to the roof’s dimensionality and lines. It gave me the opportunity to experiment with my mind’s notion of non-objectivity within the subjectivity of architecture.

Of course, blue has been the frontispiece for word interpretation, metamorphosis and sayings. Think: blue Monday, sky blue, baby blue, blue streak, sing the blues, blue moon…The iterations continue. Blue can be a: color, feeling, shape, destination, description, negative, positive, metaphor, and so much more. Whatever one’s understanding, this color has guts and tenacity to stick out the abuse, skepticism and love.

The worldwide standard for color usage is Pantone Matching Color System. It finds Reflex blue as the most commonly used blue. Check out more on its site (http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx).

For me architectural blue summarizes my photo shoot, giving it a context when it really did not need one. But once again WordPress’ challenges give me a chance to re-imagine my own focus, to re-adjust my thoughts, to force ideas to clarify themselves, and to re-enforce those that have been percolating. Mostly, these weekly personal contests push limits and act, well, as bluebirds of happiness.

Note: As always I welcome any comment about this post or any part of my blog.

Spring’s Oriental Pink Poppy and Other Meadow Flowers, Part Two

14 May 2012

Lens:

1. Oriental Pink Poppy, UD Botanic Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

2. Oriental Pink Poppy,UD Botanic Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

3. Ladybug and Daisy, UD Botanic Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

4. Blue Cornflower, UD Botanic Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012 

5. Visitors, UD Botanic Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

6. Oriental Red Poppies, UD Botanic Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

7. Oriental Red Poppy, UD Botanic Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

8. Seed Pod of Oriental Red Poppy, UD Botanic Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

Let me know which is your favorite.

Pens:

Flowers are the universal communicator; they summon the senses, and are given and received with pleasure. Strangely, the silence of flowers are louder than we think. Within their gaze at us and ours at them, a conversation ensues. For me, that exchange is calming and cathartic. I slow myself to appreciate their quiet gifts.

One single flower or a meadow of profusion, spreads abundance. The drama is contagious and palpable. But in order to grasp what nature has to offer, I must notice, really see each one for its individuality.

For me a photo shoot usually acts as a mirror of life itself. I’m always ready for the camera to do what draws me to its genius: providing a superb eye for my eyes to slow or stop time.

And so, yesterday before twilight I returned to the University of Delaware’s Botanic Gardens. My thoughts were aimed at the small meadow area. How much had progressed in a week.

The mixture of cornflowers, daisies, phlox, and poppies are sublime. Some were flamboyant, and others were quietly awaiting recognition. Oriental poppies grab hold, especially as the light radiates through their papery thin petals. The new and the spent mingled in a lovely slow dance in a chapter of Spring’s story.

This rich array of wildflowers foreshadows the jewels that will sweep across the landscape over the next four to five months. Whether annuals or perennials these offerings of Mother Nature have exploded into existence with the combination of rain and sun that has graced us. Just as I think that we are heading toward a dry spell, the rain intercedes and rescues.

This outing conjured the notion of fragility and generosity within the life cycle. It demonstrated how the shadow of a few days can give us a chance to see the rise of a bud, the pronouncement of a blossom, and the presence of a seed pod. All these elements stand side-by-side, truly giving us a chance to see rejuvenation and transformation up close and personal. And fortunately, a meadow garden creates an ideal place to reflect about renewal today and tomorrow.

Note: As always I welcome any comment about this post or any part of my blog.

Spring’s Oriental Poppy, Part One: Red with Splashes of Black

09 May 2012

Lens:

1. Oriental Red Poppy, UD Botanic Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

2. Center of Oriental Red Poppy, UD Botanic Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

3. Center of Oriental Red Poppy, UD Botanic Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

4. Exterior of Oriental Red Poppy, UD Botanic Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

5. Interior of Oriental Red Poppy, UD Botanic Gardens, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

Pens:

This post is dedicated to Amy who nominated me for two awards: Kreativ Blogger Award (I was nominated and accepted this award in my 19 April post, visit here) and the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. See Amy at her blog “The World is a Book,” just click here.

Here are the rules for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award:

1. First, acknowledge and thank the giver, link it back, and put the award on your page. (Check)
2. Next, list 7 things about yourself (see below).
3. Last, pass the award to 7 bloggers who inspire you (see below).

Seven things about me:

1. I’m a vegetarian.

2. I do not have T.V. service, but I’m not a Luddite.

3. Arugula (yum) is grown year-round in my garden.

4. I work daily in my gardens.

5. While no board game will ever replace my affinity for Scrabble, a friend just introduced me to WELDER. It’s going to be a blast.

6. Hummingbirds and house wrens are two of my favorite parts of spring’s arrivals.

7. Snoopy is my guy.

It is my pleasure to nominate the following bloggers for the Very Inspiring Bloggers Award (in no particular order). Each nominee deserves this award for their inspirational and spiritual work. Please visit their sites.

Gracie at http://framesandfocus.wordpress.com

Emil at http://kodakmomentos.wordpress.com

Matthew at http://photolord.com

The Island Traveler at http://thismansjourney.net

Suzie at http://suziebluephoto.wordpress.com

Anne at http://zenandgenki.com

Otto at http://munchow.wordpress.com

Now I want to spread my enthusiasm for the first of the season’s Oriental poppies.   Whether a single flower or meadow-like swatches this dainty flower head has a delicate display of beauty. Their paper-thin petals are saturated with hues that pop. Even the softer colors are appealing with the light of a Spring day capturing their magic. You have to savor the poppy (P. orientale), because its extravagance fades quickly, leaving the center to stand in remembrance.

On a photo shoot with my grandson last weekend a small garden of mixed Spring flowers grabbed our attention. The pink and red poppies were slightly bending in a light breeze.

In the Lens section are the first of the poppies that dazzled my senses. The outer petals of the red poppy were awash in splashes of black that were brushed with care upward toward the sky. The center of each quietly mounted shades of purple. Each poppy having its own personality. They stood three-feet high and were impatient to poise for me.

That highly-cultivated area was our first stop at the University of Delaware Botanic Gardens. The mid-season bounty of their others gardens were beaming with newly-blooming shades and shapes. We had our choice of several areas with spaces designed for native plants, wetlands, woodlands, and even areas with color trials. It’s splendrous.

The small meadow garden was, by far, the most enticing. But as the season ambles toward summer, each visit will reward with expected and unexpected flora. Each one doing its best to be the best. My effort is one of voyeur–a voyeur who records the exuberance of these beautifully-rendered botanic gardens.

Note: As always I welcome any comment about this post or any part of my blog.

WordPress’ Weekly Photo Challenge: Unfocused

07 May 2012

Lens:

I. Objects

1. Grater, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

2. Grater, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

3. Grater, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

4. Knife, May 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

II. Flowers and Leaves

5. Close-Up of Azalea, April 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

6. Center of an Azalea, April 2012;

7. Two Leaves, April 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012

Let me know which image is your favorite. And which one captures the essence of your definition of the word unfocused?

Pens:

WordPress’ Weekly Photo Challenge provides yet another chance for individual interpretation. Thankfully, that leeway to go left, right or center is part of the limitless opportunities of the photographer’s lens. Each person becomes a visionary to produce an unrestrained explanation for the unfocused. And the challenge allows us to view other entries, thereby enlarging our own conceptualization. You can click here to see their work.

Unfocused can be defined in several ways. When the photographic subject or subjects are out of focus, the image might: not be discernible (#1), be slightly recognizable (#3, 5, 6), or be apparent (#2, 4). Or parts of the image can be in-and-out of focus (#7). In my visual explanations of the challenge, each can claim to be within the definition of the unfocused.

The still photograph offers pure experimentation, which is part of the beauty of the Weekly Challenge. We can push our own level of comfort through the door of the unknown, especially managing depth of field. While it seems easy to produce an out-of-focus image, it can be tricky. Sure, most of us have taken piles of blurry images, but that’s simply a by-product of human, mechanical and technical interaction. Sometimes, just sometimes, the unplanned unfocused image can be magical and whimsical.

Usually a photographer wants to stun viewers, and have them captivated in the moment of seeing, which results in multi-faceted or precise visual memories. But to produce an out-of-focus image and achieve the same “wow” factor or even an acceptable rendering is truly the challenge of this challenge.

A sampling of life’s journey includes a meandering on an unfocused path. That ambling can bring a crystalline sparkle or dim lights or lack of clarity. But in that process of exploration often the out of focus instigates a new understanding, which is unbound with possibilities. And so these weekly photo challenges offer, even in the unfocused, a chance for personal illumination, a chance to reconfigure our reality.

Note: As always I welcome any comment about this post or my blog.