Tag: #colors

A Lizard’s Camouflage

I was attracted to the silhouette of this lizard along the lake and moved in slowly, hoping he wouldn’t dash away before I got the shot. As I examined the photograph later, I discovered the lizard was mostly green, and brown in the tail. I’m guessing now that the lizard had turned green while sitting in the grass, and was in the process of changing to brown to match the rock where it was now sitting.

This large lizard, over a foot long, appears to be changing color from green to brown, starting with its tail. Did you know that this magical quality of lizards inspired the use of “camouflage” uniforms for the military?

Geothermal Iceland

An active geothermal field of steaming, bubbling, and erupting hot water can be found a few hours from Reykjavik, Iceland. The “Litli Geysir” (little gusher, pronounced “gay-zeer”), is the name and place that originated the English word “geyser.”

#geyser, #geysir, #iceland, #boiling, #geothermal, #caution, #hot
This geothermal field is a good place to obey the signs about keeping your distance. Even the streams can be boiling hot, and you wouldn’t want to slip and fall and get burned, or step into mud and sink.

The geothermal field reveals its wide color palette, from yellow to green to blue and purple.  Steam escapes from many vents in the Earth.

#landscape, #iceland, #geothermal, #steam, #colors, #nature
Volcanic mountains and evergreens create a peaceful backdrop to the geothermal field.

#iceland, #steam, #geothermal, #hot, #sulphur, #landscape, #photography, #nature
Speculating that sulfur deposits may account for the yellow stain on the rocks underlying the hot stream here. As the water dries on the rock, the sulfur oxidizes. Notice ruins of a building to the left near the steam vents.

 

Uncommon colors for May

Photographing flowers at the New York Botanical Garden with my daughter Erin, I was treated to eye dazzling displays of pink and green, especially in the peony garden. But the rock garden offered some different visual treats. One of them was this delicious juxtaposition of velvety crimson and a frosty green. I loved the way the frosty green ferns framed the spherical peony blossom.

#newyork, #botanical, #peony, #red, #redandgreen, #may, #uncommon, #colors, #shapes, #bronx, #nybotanical, #garden, #sony
A refreshing combination of frosty green ferns frame a deep red peony at the New York Botanical Garden.

 

Hawaiian lizard

lizard-7201-lr
The colorful Hawaiian Anole lizard licks a bird of paradise with a purple tongue

On September 7, this lizard made my day. I captured several good photos of him on this choice orange flower, showing the sticky toes, the blue eyebrow, the color streaked back and the purple tongue. I highly recommend a stop at the Hawaiian Botanical Garden if you are visiting the Big Island of Hawaii. It is located in the rainforest just north of Hilo, off Route 19 on the “scenic route.”

Variations on a Theme

I continue to practice ICM (intentional camera movement) while I have easy access to sunsets over the Gulf. I love to see the sunset through this unique lens: the horizontal lines blurred to the point of near abstraction and the colors enhanced in vibrance and contrast. I was attracted to this image because of the criss-crossing lines of the waves. Comparing fiction and fact, painting and photography, I like to say, “you can’t make this stuff up.” Compare this image to the sunset ICM image in my previous blog. How would you compare the mood of each?

#sunset, #lines, #colors, #blue, #orange, #ICM
This ICM sunset image features angled lines.

 

 

Abstract colors of sunset

I continue to experiment with ICM (Intentional Camera Movement). A good subject is one with strong contrast and strong vertical, horizontal or circular lines — any lines that can be accentuated with camera movement. Last time, I used a vertical subject, trees reflected in a pond, and this time I used the strong colors of sunset over the Gulf of Mexico.

I like the peace and serenity of the selective blur. I also find myself studying longer the colors and lines and the blend of hues. Here you can compare the the ICM image with the still photo. Do you find the ICM image more moody? Which image do you prefer to look at longer?

I did minimal processing to the ICM image: just some tweaking of the contrast, clarity, vibrance and highlights and some spot removal. The streaking effect was achieved by moving the camera during a .6 second exposure. To lengthen the exposure, I lowered the ISO to 100 and closed the aperture down to f/22.

Experimenting rewards my desire to create, because every image is different. Will I find a market for this genre?

#sunset, #decorating, #design, #abstract, orange, #blue,, #florida, #art
Sunset over the Gulf becomes abstract with Intentional Camera Movement

 

#sunset, #florida, #Gulf, #naples, #longexposure, #blue, #orange
Same image of Gulf sunset as long exposure, no movement. Very different effect.