Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Textures

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This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge theme is texture. What a fun theme! Here’s a nice sample of different textures you can find in nature. Make sure you click on each image for a larger view.

I took this first photo yesterday while at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. These very fluffy yellow blooms belong to a very tall tree that was just covered with them.

Cee's fun foto challenge - texture of yellow puffy blooms
Cee’s fun foto challenge – texture of yellow puffy blooms

I took the next photo at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park yesterday also. There have been a lot of baby elephants born there in the past few years. Even at a young age, elephants have quite a wrinkled skin, don’t they?

Cee's fun foto challenge - texture of elephant skin
Cee’s fun foto challenge – texture of elephant skin

Have you ever touched a sea jelly? That’s quite an interesting texture. Very… jelly like!

Cee's fun foto challenge - texture of sea jellies
Cee’s fun foto challenge – texture of sea jellies

How about a sea star? If you’ve ever touched one, you know if it feels as rough as sandpaper. I also love the color patterns on this specific sea star.

Cee's fun foto challenge - texture of a sea star
Cee’s fun foto challenge – texture of a sea star

My last pick for this theme is frost. Have you ever walked on frosted grass and realized how crisp it felt?

Cee's fun foto challenge - texture of frost on grass
Cee’s fun foto challenge – texture of frost on grass

Macro Monday: ice plant blooms

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 taking part in Macro Monday at Lisa’s Chaos. This will be a short post as it is spring break and I have a full day of fun ahead of me.

Here is a macro of an ice plant bloom I captured a couple of weeks ago. I love the tiny dew drops that are still present on the petals as the ice plant flower slowly opens up in the morning sunlight. You can click on the photo for a larger view.

Macro Monday: Ice plant flower
Macro Monday: Ice plant flower

And for the people who think all point-and-shoot cameras are the same and cell phone cameras can just replace a point-and-shoot, here’s one reason why it’s not really true. I took the photo below the day before the photo above with my cell phone camera. Even though I edited it a lot in Photoshop to correct the lighting, contrast and color values, it still doesn’t compare to the first photo and what I saw in reality. I love that the ice plant flower featured more dew drops that day, but the clarity and bright colors of the first photo beat it hands down.

Macro Monday: Ice plant blooms
Macro Monday: Ice plant blooms

The beauty of the morning dew – Part 3

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.

I’d like to start this post by sharing a great offer. Save 29% on any product you buy today, March 29, 2013, in my photo store or any other store on Zazzle. Just use coupon code FRIDAYSALE4U at checkout.

Here are a few more photos I took of the morning dew a couple of weeks ago. You can view more photos of morning dew here and here.

Morning dew on pink geraniums
Morning dew on pink geraniums

I love how the dew drops catch the light and look like they sparkle all over the petals.

Morning dew on flower petals
Morning dew on flower petals
Morning dew on light pink geraniums
Morning dew on light pink geraniums

Our days and nights are getting warmer so this may be the end of the morning dew until late fall.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Circles and Curves

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.

This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge theme is circles and curves. Nature is full of circles and curves so here are a few of my selections for this theme. Remember you can click on each photo for a larger view.

Is there anything more round than a full moon?

Cee's Fun Foto Challenge: Circles and Curves - full moon
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Circles and Curves – full moon

OK, oranges are pretty round too.

Cee's Fun Foto Challenge: round orange
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: round orange

Lemons aren’t round but they show plenty of curves.

Cee's Fun Foto Challenge: the curves of a lemon
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: the curves of a lemon

This protea pin cushion flower has beautifully curved petals.

Curvy petals of the protea pin cushion flower
Curvy petals of the protea pin cushion flower

I love the round and curvy shapes of these raindrops on a spider web. You can see more of these raindrops here and here.

Raindrops on spider webs over river rocks
Raindrops on spider webs over river rocks

Sea jellies are round and curvy as they swim around.

The curves of sea jellies
The curves of sea jellies

I love these little round berries (more photos of these berries here). Two months later and the berries are still on the shrubs.

The round red berries of the Cotoneaster Lacteus
The round red berries of the Cotoneaster Lacteus

I’ll finish with the newest baby panda at the San Diego Zoo. I love those beautiful circles around the eyes!

Baby panda bear t the San Diego Zoo
Baby panda bear t the San Diego Zoo

Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge – Spring

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.

I’m participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine LetsBeWild.com’s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers. This week’s Challenge is: Spring.

Spring happens a little differently in San Diego. The early signs of spring come very early, usually by the end of February, and by the time the end of May is here, everything turns yellow and brown from the hot sun rays. As a sign of renewal and rebirth, spring is my favorite season. Here are a few photos of what spring in San Diego looks like to me. Remember you can click on each photo to see a larger image.

I was lucky to be picked as an honorable mention winner for my photo of California poppies for this challenge.

Blue skies and colorful flowers are common in the spring.

Photo of colorful California wildflowers
Photo of colorful California wildflowers

I love the many California poppies we see all over.

California wildflowers - poppies
California wildflowers – poppies

Ramona lilac is a local plant and it features beautiful, but unscented, clusters of small lilac blooms.

Lilac blooms in Ramona, California
Lilac blooms in Ramona, California

California wildflowers grow just about anywhere they can find some water.

California wildflower blooms
California wildflower blooms

This lupine bloom was standing on its own in a local park. I love the color purple that comes with spring.

California lupine at San Diego Mission Trails Regional Park
California lupine at San Diego Mission Trails Regional Park

These pear blossoms start early at San Diego’s Balboa Park, usually by early February. You can view more photos of these ornamental pear blossoms here.

Close-up of the pear blossoms in Balboa Park
Close-up of the pear blossoms in Balboa Park

I took this photo of dew just last week. Dew usually happens before spring starts here. After that, our mornings are too warm. You can view more photos of dew here.

Purple wildflowers with morning dew
Purple wildflowers with morning dew

I featured these flowers in yesterday’s Macro Monday post. Tiny flowers are a great indication of early spring in San Diego.

Close-up of pink flowers
Close-up of pink flowers