WordPress weekly photo challenge: From above

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Today I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is “from above”. Most photos I take are from a different angle than right from above, but sometimes when it comes to close-ups and macros, placing the camera right above can capture the best picture.

Here are a few samples of photos taken from above. Remember you can click on each photo to view it in a larger format. And if you like what you see, I invite you to subscribe to this blog so you can get new updates as they come. I publish new photo posts 3 to 5 times a week. Enjoy!

I love photographing raindrops, especially as they linger after the rain has gone. If the sun shines a bit, it can makes for a really nice picture.

WordPress weekly photo challenge: From above - Raindrops on the leaves of a rose tree
WordPress weekly photo challenge: From above – Raindrops on the leaves of a rose tree

I don’t like spiders but I like how raindrops sit on a spider web. Here’s an example of a spider web right above smooth river rocks with raindrops on top of it. I have more examples of this type of raindrops here and here, but this photo is a few weeks old.

WordPress weekly photo challenge: From above - Raindrops on a spider web
WordPress weekly photo challenge: From above – Raindrops on a spider web

I usually don’t photograph flowers from right above but these flowers below seemed like the perfect exception. Look how the center of the flower seems almost white as the petals go from yellow to red. Only a shot from above can amplify this pattern.

WordPress weekly photo challenge: From above - bright yellow red flowers
WordPress weekly photo challenge: From above – bright yellow red flowers

Of course I can’t talk about flowers without talking about bees. I like photographing them from above to show their beautiful wings. On this photo I shared a couple of weeks ago, I noticed something quite special. Take a close look at the bags of nectar the bee is gathering on its back legs. What an efficient way to gather a lot of nectar!

WordPress weekly photo challenge: From above - Bee carries bags of nectar on legs
WordPress weekly photo challenge: From above – Bee carries bags of nectar on legs

Finally you also can’t talk about flowers without mentioning butterflies. When they stay put and leave their wings wide open, you have the opportunity to photograph beautiful colors from above.

Here’s a beautiful orange julia butterfly (Dryas iulia).

WordPress weekly photo challenge: From above - Orange julia butterfly (Dryas iulia)
WordPress weekly photo challenge: From above – Orange julia butterfly (Dryas iulia)

And here’s a postman butterfly (Heliconius Melpomene).

WordPress weekly photo challenge: From above - Postman butterfly (Heliconius Melpomene)
WordPress weekly photo challenge: From above – Postman butterfly (Heliconius Melpomene)

Macro Monday: the blooms of the violet honey-myrtle tree

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Let me start this post by announcing that you can save 40% on any poster, print or canvas in my online Zazzle store until May 1, 2013 by entering coupon code ARTDEALSFORU at checkout. See a photo you like on my website but not in my store? Just ask me what product you’d like to purchase and I’ll create it for you.

Today I’m taking part in Macro Monday at Lisa’s Chaos. Remember you can click on each image to see it in a larger format.

I recently discovered a violet honey-myrtle tree in bloom at the San Diego Botanic Garden. Very pretty flowers, but I wonder why they’re labeled violet when they’re clearly more pink than anything.

Macro Monday: the blooms of the violet honey-myrtle tree
Macro Monday: the blooms of the violet honey-myrtle tree

No matter the color of its blooms, bees seemed very interested in this tree. Here’s one I captured hard at work.

Macro Monday: bee on a violet honey-myrtle bloom
Macro Monday: bee on a violet honey-myrtle bloom

Happy macro Monday!

Macro Monday: Bugs hiding in flowers

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Happy Earth Day! Save 22% on most products in my online Zazzle store today only by entering coupon code 22EARTHDAY13 at checkout. See a photo you like on my website but not in my store? But ask me what product you’d like to purchase and I’ll create it for you.

Today I’m taking part in Macro Monday at Lisa’s Chaos. Remember you can click on each image to see it in a larger format.

While recently hiking at a local county park in San Diego, I found these tiny purple wildflowers bordering the trail on the hillside.

Macro Monday: Small purple wildflowers
Macro Monday: Small purple wildflowers

Each cluster of these purple flowers was no bigger than the size of my thumbprint.

Macro Monday: Tiny purple wildflowers
Macro Monday: Tiny purple wildflowers

After photographing the first two clusters, I thought I had enough, until I found the next set of wildflowers and saw several tiny bugs keeping busy inside the flowers. I felt I had been transported into Miniature Land for a minute.

Macro Monday: Tiny bugs in small purple wildflowers
Macro Monday: Tiny bugs in small purple wildflowers

Travel theme: Contrast

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Today I’m participating in Where’s My Backpack’s Travel Theme photo challenge. This week’s theme is contrast. Enjoy my photos and remember you can click on each photo for a larger view.

Sorry if you’ve seen this photo earlier this week, but I think it illustrates how you can compose a great photo by contrasting different colors.

Travel theme: Contrast - Orange protea pincushion and purple lavender
Travel theme: Contrast – Orange protea pincushion and purple lavender

Red and green contrast well to make this red hibiscus flower stand out.

Travel theme: Contrast - Red hibiscus flower
Travel theme: Contrast – Red hibiscus flower

The darkness of the water offers a nice contrast with the lit sea jellies.

Travel theme: Contrast - Sea jellies
Travel theme: Contrast – Sea jellies

Of course, there no bigger contrast than white on black. Here’s an almost white full moon on a dark blue sky. You can view a large full moon in a pitch black sky here.

Travel theme: Contrast - Moon rising beyond the trees
Travel theme: Contrast – Moon rising beyond the trees

The colors of spring: orange protea pincushion and purple lavender

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

In today’s post, I’m featuring one of my favorite flowers: the protea pincushion flower. Originally from South Africa, they seem to like San Diego’s weather and they’re easy to spot in people’s yards and public places. What do I like most about them? They have some of the most cool looking shapes of petals I’ve ever seen.

I wanted to capture this peculiar curved shape of the petals by taking a close-up of this orange protea pincushion. You can click on this photo for a larger view.

Orange protea pincushion flower
Orange protea pincushion flower

After taking this photo, I noticed the large lavender flowers and decided to use them as the background for my photo, along with the blue sky.

Orange protea pincushion and purple lavender
Orange protea pincushion and purple lavender

For this last picture, I decided to change the depth of field so I could focus on the lavender blooms instead. I also changed my angle to avoid them hiding behind the protea pincushion.

Purple lavender flowers
Purple lavender flowers

So here you go, same flowers, three different angles and perspectives. Some people go bungee jumping, I play with my camera settings.