Flowers and Monsters

A word about the flowers. When I went to get groceries, I walked by the 'flower' stand at Wally World and was so surprised at the price that flowers have gone too. 

I used to buy flowers at this time of year once in a while just to brighten the house up. These weren't the freshest, but it was a small bouquet that I could see spending $5 on for some photo challenges and experimentation.

The roses do have a nice scent to them.

I don't watch much TV so sometimes I need to occupy myself with something. Experimenting in photography is always a choice.

I used a flashlight and another little light called Small Rig to play with the light and dark.

 

I even tried some ICM. I sort of like it and sort of don't. But it was fun trying it out on the tiny flowers.

I need a lot more experimenting to try and come up with something artistic and beautiful.

Then of course I couldn't help but make good use of the lighting to feature my Fuggly Monsters.

They are so ugly and fearful, they are sort of cute. 

I have no idea why I love monsters and dragons so much. I just think they are neat. Not real life human monsters ---> they are horrid. I like fantasy monsters. Toy monsters are the best of course.

Update on the chair

Here is the chair I started with. This is actually a favorite chair of mine as it sits me at the correct height for doing things at the table.

It is sturdy, strong, and cost me all of $5 at a barn sale. Rich said I'd ruin it by painting it. But I like color and this chair was begging to be prettier. I started by sanding it as much as possible and then just got going.

I rarely plan colors. I just start and go with the flow of what feels right. Blues and greens seemed to be what the chair wanted. Somehow the purple snuck in, but I really liked it.

You may not be able to see it but there are 7 shades of blue-green and green on this chair.

So the seat is covered with Chalk Paint, that old color green that is found on really old chairs under a brown paint like my Christmas Chair [it is patiently waiting for its turn with the paints]. 

Anything turquoise-ish is sort of my favorite color to paint. 

I like greens also. I like anything that is colorful and bold.

The chalk paint is pricey but really spreads nice on the larger parts of the chair.

Those little bottles of acrylic paint for crafts really go a long way. I was surprised at how much coverage I can get with a tiny 2 fl oz bottle of paint. 

The purple just happened. I don't know why but I thought it would just be appropriate for the middle of the back of the chair.

I was stumped by what to do with the bottom half of the chair. I added another chalky blue-green paint I used for the first chair I did for the rungs underneath. That gave this chair 8 shades of greenish colors. 

I tried a few different things for the front legs. I thought I'd use two tones for it and then decided to go with purple again.

I couldn't decide if I wanted the metallic purple or the flat purple. I liked the darker color with the shiny surface.

It will take a few coats to get it to look even.

When I am finished with the painting, I go back to touching areas up. Then I will do a little bit of stressing and sanding to give anyone looking at the chair [mostly me] a way to see beneath the paint in areas to remind me what was underneath.

The chair will be finished off with a Satin Sealer and after a couple of coats, it will then reside in its honorable spot around the table. I've done this before and the painted chairs stand up quite well to everyday use.

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the beauty of wood and the wood grains. But I also crave color and cheer. My old unmatched chairs that sit around the pretty table all want to be works of art as well as chairs.

And there it is, vibrant and ready to take its place around the table.

Quiet Riot at the Bee Balm Patch...

The last shot is something that used to be impossible without modern cameras.

Getting several shots in quick succession while keeping things in focus used to be nearly impossible in the film days.

Now there are cameras that 'track and focus' on whatever you choose to follow. It is quite amazing. I love 'shooting' butterflies and hummingbirds as they move from flower to flower.

I miss a lot of shots even with the fantastic modes in my camera. It may take me a few days worth of trying to get anything decent, but it is always worth the extra effort.

The Swallowtail shot consists of 3 shots blended together later in a program I use called ON1. It is so much simpler [and cheaper] than Photoshop.

Anyway. 

Enjoy my Quiet Riot at the Bee Balm Patch.

 PS~ I did get a visit from one of the Tree & Brush Folks! Yeeehawww!

Beautiful Morning....June 1st

I woke up early which is normal for me in the summer. As soon as my sleeping body senses a light change, I am up.

Charlie followed me around the house and demanded breakfast as I as started making my morning decaf coffee. 

I walked outside with him and looked to our east. It was still pretty dark, however the sky looked amazing.

I grabbed a to go cup and my keys. Charlie wasn't letting me go without him. There was a time when he would run and hide any time I grabbed the keys. Now? He is a car ride nut case.

We headed up to the spot where two of our gravel roads intersect.

I've photographed this ridge for nearly 10 years at least so I generally know where I want to go for a shot. I let the folks in the new house on the corner know that I parked or walked up to the intersection often in the middle of the night or predawn.

They have no issue with that.

Charlie got out of the car and explored the crops while I watched the land start to appear.

The sky just kept me amazed. 

I kept trying out different shots and some were up to 10 seconds long. The clouds were barely moving. 

Then for the last shot, I decided to go wild or go home....

I don't normally do HDR but sometimes it can be fun.

Happy June 1st. Looks like a beautiful weather day!