Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Nature (and a Bonsai Photomontage)

03 April 2017

Lens:

Taken in Camera+ and edited in Snapseed and Pixlr

Pomegranate Bonsai and Loose-Flower Hornbeam Bonsai Photomontage, Longwood Gardens; Copyright © 2017 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved

Click onto image to enlarge. Let me know your response to this photomontage. Prints are available upon request.

Pens:

“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926)

As the thunder hums in the morning light, I pull the covers over my face once more. Those few extra minutes of inner sanctuary give the day a gentle beginning. The thunder brings spring rain, and my garden smiles.

Tiny greenery is peeking from native grasses, Helleborus is in spectacular perennial bloom, dandelions are beginning their invasion, tulips are inches in flight, garlic shoots reach for the sun’s energy, early-blossoming trees are recovering from seesaw temps, wild things continue to surprise, and my heart sings.

The morning has become a coveted time for luxurious lounging and musings. Winter has receded into the past, and days spread more light upon my world. That light is a catharsis, a wash of glorious spirituality. Maybe rising out of winter’s grasp into spring’s hope illuminates my first watch, gently and quietly.

The soil is being warmed by higher temps, and plantings of arugula, greens and peas are part of next week’s plan. Arugula, the mere sound of its name brings thoughts of its culinary punch. Freshly picked ingredients being the tastiest and packed with vibrant vitamins and minerals. How the mind drinks as it wanders and takes hold of the day’s mindful beginnings: thoughts that cruise through a myriad of labyrinths before I rise into the day’s possibilities.

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In the Lens section is a bonsai photomontage that layers a Pomegranate tree (training began in 1910) and its fruit onto a Loose-Flower Hornbeam tree (training began in 1991), and photographed in Longwood Gardens’ bonsai collection.  This blend is a tribute to the way that nature’s longevity can astound and confound by the partnership between nature and human nature.

Tip of the Week:

I recommend that you take a break from the world’s intrusion, and view “Seasons” (2016, runs an hour and 37 minutes), which is directed by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Claud. This nature documentary is an introduction into the evolution of the seasons. As a visual timeline from the ice age to present, it shows how a few degrees difference and/or an earth shift can have radical effect on the land, its creatures and habitats. For a  review read The New York Times’s article, “Review : The Nature Documentary ‘Season’ Looks at Land” by Jeannette Catsoulis and published 24 November 2016. It can be viewed on iTunes.

“Seasons” (2016)

View other entries for this week’s challenge:

https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2017/04/03/nature-juxtaposed/

https://piecesofstarlight.wordpress.com/2017/04/03/spring-is-in-full-swing-for-sally-ds-nature-challenge/

https://ohmsweetohm.me/2017/04/03/

Nature ~~ Spring ~~ Green

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2017/04/04/a-shared-moment-of-joy/

https://angelinem.wordpress.com/2017/04/03/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-nature-overlook/

https://nowathome.wordpress.com/2017/04/03/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-nature-2/

https://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2017/04/04/mobile-photo-challenge-nature-and-follow-of-the-day/

https://chasingtheblooms.wordpress.com/2017/04/06/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-nature-2/

Note:

As always I welcome comments about this post or any part of my blog. My photographs for the mobile photography challenge are taken with an iPhone 6.

****If you would like to buy a print of any of my photographs or have any questions, please view the Contact Information found on the masthead. Thank you.

If you’d like to join this Mobile Photography Challenge, please click here for details and history of the challenge. If you have any questions, please contact me. Below is a reminder of the monthly schedule with themes for upcoming challenges:

1st Monday: Nature.

2nd Monday: Macro.

3rd Monday: Black and White.

4th Monday Challenger’s Choice (Pick One: Abstraction, Animals, Architecture, Food Photography, Night Photography, Objects, Panorama, Portraiture, Photomontage, Still Life, Street Photography, and Travel).

5th Monday: Editing and Processing with Various Apps Using Themes from the Fourth Week.