Dahlia With a Twist

I attended an awesome seminar by Denise Ippolito yesterday. We began just before sunrise at the Swan Island Dahlia Gardens in Canby Oregon. The flowers were abundant and gorgeous and I took tons of pictures. I learned a lot about operating my camera and actually took almost all of my pictures in manual mode, which was new for me. After several hours, we headed to the Portland Garden Club where we took a quick look at our pictures and listened to a program by Denise about her post-processing work flow. Her photos are definitely inspiring and her love for her work in contagious.
The day was rounded out with Denise directing some specific assignments to expand our creativity, at the International Rose Test Garden. I ended up with a lot of pretty flower pictures, but the one above was my favorite. I love the way the petals flow and curl. I think they look almost like a sea anemone. The original picture didn't quite capture the scene as I saw it in my head so I played with it a bit in Photoshop.

Dahlia in Motion

In the middle of the common area at the retirement home where my father-in-law lives, small parcels of land are carefully tended by individual residents. They grow everything from beautiful roses and dahlias to corn and strawberries. I love to wander through and enjoy the color, textures and variety displayed there. Today, the dahlias stole the show with their infinite shapes and colors. I was practicing with my macro lens and had trouble keeping the blossoms in focus because of a slight breeze that came along from time to time. I actually liked the way this picture turned out because the center stayed focused while the petals fluttered slightly giving the appearance of motion and almost explosive color. I did manage to take a few that were more sharply focused but I think I like this one the best....