Tulips and Aging Gracefully

I seldom pass the opportunity to purchase cut tulips in the store. They beckon me with their teardrop shape and graceful stems. I know I will be rewarded with a week of ever changing blooms as the tulip fully opens and finally withers.







This bouquet lasted me almost 10 days! On the last morning, even with mostly yellowed leaves and wrinkled petals barely holding on, they still gave me immense enjoyment and caused me to reflect on the prospect of aging. If the tulip can die gracefully, and in each phase of aging retain beauty, giving joy to those around them, then that is how I want to age. (Because let's all be real - each passing year brings new aches, loss of some ability and physical changes that we don't like).


Like the old tulip - open, wrinkled, withered and faded - I aim to open myself up to new ideas, new technologies; to not get bogged down in what used to be, to not close myself off from the world and people. To be flexible and flowing; to open up and show the insides that had been hidden in youth. To embrace the imperfections, the wrinkles, and know those marks still give off your beauty. To give love and joy to those around you - like the fading tulip.

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Focus Stacked Macro Tulips

With the current Stay at Home directive, I've been working from home, my kids are back from being overseas and I have a tiny bit more time on my hands. It's a great time to learn something new and I decided to try my hand at Focus Stacking. With Focus Stacking, multiple photos taken with different focus points are merged together. The composite image renders more of the subject in focus when compared with any individual image.

I own a wonderful macro lens, but due to the shallow depth of field (small slivers of the subject in focus) I find it challenging to output what my eye envisions. Focus stacking gives me the output I desire.

Case in point - the photo below has the lovely stamens in focus, but that's about it. The petals are blurry, and I while I like the overall photo, wouldn't it be great to have all of it focus?


So, to create a focus stack, select your subject and take multiple photos with different portions of the subject in focus. The most effective way is to use a tripod. The camera should be as stable as possible. A focus tip - use the Live view option on your camera (most newer cameras have this feature) and move the focus rectangle around your subject. For higher control, zoom in with live view to refine the focus area.

I'm looking down the wee opening of a white tulip - I've captured the yellow stamens here and the rest of the bloom is fuzzy, much like the first photo.


I shifted my focus point to the edge of the bloom opening. The stamens are but a yellow blur.


In the third photo, the middle section of the petals are in focus.


I used four photos in the focus stack, it was very similar to the third photo.

Here is the composite photo:

I see the stamens and the petals in focus! Success!

Here is another focus stacked composite of another tulip, taken from the side. I used 5 photos to create this composite.


Of course, the composites were created with the help of photo imaging software. Yes, you can do this in Photoshop, but I found an alternative - Affinity Photo, which automates the focus stacking process just like Photoshop without the price tag and subscription requirements. I've downloaded a 90 day trial and so far have been extremely impressed by this photo editor's capabilities. I will most likely purchase the software (currently a steal at $25!).

I have more tulip photos to run through so look for more in the coming weeks.

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Tulips Make Me Happy

There's not too much to add. I hope Spring is blooming around you.

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March 2015 Desktop Calendar - Free Download

It's no secret - I love tulips, as they signal the transition to spring, rebirth and growth. After February's cold and snow, I am ready to see their green shoots emerge from the awakening ground.



To Download this month's free desktop calendar, click on this link at Box.com:
Free March 2015 Calendar - Tulips

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Every Time It Rains

It has to rain every now and then.


The light feels different.


More diffuse.

Every Time It Rains.

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Tulips Galore

I can officially state I've been spoiled by the abundance of tulips in the house this year. I received not one, but two bouquets for Mother's Day - one from hubby (a nice surprise - he doesn't often buy me flowers, probably because in the past I've stated I didn't want them, but this year I secretly did), and one from sweet friend, Kellie (she must have sensed I needed them).

Today's photos are from Kellie's gift.


In addition to the flowers, you get a bonus - to see my kitchen sink and surrounding counters free of dirty dishes, glasses, water bottles and other "stuff". It's certainly not that clean right now...


I love how the morning light through the window creates a magical halo effect - layering beauty on beauty, if that could even be possible.

And a different perspective here - one that wants to stand out from the crowd.


I hope you see the simple beauty that surrounds you today.

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Make Me Happy

I don't have much to say, so no words today

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What's Going On

I've not been around lately - I came down with a cold that knocked me down for almost a week. Normally when I'm sick, I take some drugs, take things a little easy and pretty much continue with the normal course of life. Not with this cold - I spent three days in bed sleeping. I didn't go out, I didn't go to church, I didn't go to work - a surreal experience. I'm pretty much back to "normal" now, with the exception of continued head congestion and a bit of a cough.

Of course, the weather turned spring-like while I was sleeping my days and nights away. And now that I have rejoined the land of the living, the weather has reverted back to winter.

There's an upside to it all - days are longer, there's a pink and blue sunset right outside my window and I managed to take some photos while I was sick (so maybe I didn't spend each waking hour in bed - it just felt that way). Spring is on its way.

I bought a second bouquet of tulips right before I got sick. These flowers lasted over a week....






Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

From A Prayer in Spring by Robert Frost

The amaryllis is starting to bloom. I know it's not a traditional spring flower, but I cannot resist its lush, velvet petals. I'm glad I didn't kill it this year....





Here's to warmer days ahead.

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More Flowers

Since we're apparently still in the grips of Winter's wrath, some flower photos to brighten your day.





We were so hopeful towards the end of last week - temperatures popped up into the mid 40's, much of the snow melted and our ears were greeted to the sing-song strains of birds chirping in trees. Needless to say, the snow and ice that rained from the sky Saturday night was not a welcome sight. And unfortunately, my weather channel app claims more is on its way - tonight.

OK, these make me feel better:


Hoping you are staying warm!

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Still Life

It's that time of year - when the long winter becomes a weight, heavy and dark on many people's souls. I can tell the days are getting longer, but the cold, the bitter cold just lingers and I yearn for some rays of warmth to divert my mind. It's the only time of year I buy flowers and I seek out the harbinger of the coming spring - the tulip.




Nothing comes close to its grace, color and delicate beauty, inside and out.



Brighten my day and night.

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Friday Night Tulips

Yes, I lead such an exciting life. So exciting that on a Friday night, I'm sitting in the dining room, on the computer, posting photos of the tulips I took photos of this afternoon.





I'm also trying to keep the cat off the computer mouse. He likes to sit on it. Kind of makes working on the computer a little difficult.

And I'm listening to Sara Bareilles on my iPhone. I've found videos from her current acoustic tour on You Tube and yearn to see her again in concert.

Yeah, I'm singing along to the music - I can tonight without being accosted because it's just me and the cats in the house - ah, such freedom.

Can you stand the excitement?



Here's to hoping your Friday night is livelier than mine....

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Textured Bouquet

The very last of the tulip photos, as they have faded after filling the house with beauty for over a week.



I adorned the original with two textures - a linen one and two layers of Kim Klassen's Reentry texture. I used two layers of the same texture to enhance the soft light blending mode I was using. I also removed the linen texture from the middle flowers using a layer mask.

Here's the original:

The textures, especially the Reentry layers brighten it all up.

Here's to brightening things up this Tuesday. It's cold here, but the sun is shining, so we're all good.

Sharing with Texture Tuesday.

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Indulgences | Tulips

Please pardon me as I indulge with more tulip photos. The wonderful winter sun shone bright all day long and I found myself at home earlier than normal. I moved the bouquet into the dining room where the afternoon light streams in.





Louie wandered in, curious as always.





I couldn't shoo him off - he was so interested in the flowers. No, he didn't try to eat them... just a sniff here and there.

For these next two shots, I placed the bouquet on the floor, with the white flowers in the sun. I spot metered the white of the blooms, resulting in the dark background. In the past, I've placed a black shirt on the floor when trying to get this sort of effect, but I've learned with brightly lit subjects, this isn't needed as long as I spot meter.




I leave you with two final images from today's tulip shoot. Have a great Friday!

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One Week Later

Not only are they gorgeous fresh, tulips have this way about aging so gracefully. From the curve of their stems as they start to droop, to the gentle opening of their petals. Grace in still motion, each day a subtle change from the last.

Like a shy girl, hiding.....


Slowly revealing her inner beauty.....


And Inner Strength .....


Today's shots are SOOC - I have a new photography tool that I used to take these, making the SOOC possible - I hope to share soon, but I'm still trying to take thing easy for now. Hopefully I'll be able to get out to shoot something other than these tulips!

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