024 : Pink bloom on trunk

Really love how this photo turned out. The pink of the bloom turned out pretty crisp, even though it was a bit gray out, and even managed to get a little blue in the sky. Really love how the moss on the trunk turned out also... some cool texture for sure.

023 : Daffodils close and far

One thing I've noticed through photographing around our house is that because the paint color is so light (beige) it often takes on a hue closer to the sky... like a deep yellow in the morning or orange in the evening. So when it's gray outside, it almost looks like there's no color in it at all... but in this case I think it helps the yellow stand out... really like how bright the daffodil in back appears.

022 : Downward daffodil

Had a break in the clouds and managed to snap a few shots of the daffodils out front, but I really like how the stalks turned out in the background... just a painted blend of green with a few highlights where the tips reflect the sun. Love the shape of the outline of the flower's cone against the dark green.

021 : Wet Japanese maple branch

Just love how the water droplets bead up on the branches of the Japanese maple. I had another shot like this during the Pacific Standard project, but love how the red of the branch stands out against the green. Love the circular gradient effect of the green also... almost gives it that old-time photo look to it...

020 : Dark red flower on gray

Gray. No sun. Wanted to get a shot of some of these blooms before the squirrels eat them all (yep, seem like they pluck the blooms and eat the centers... weird...) so decided to take a few of them against the pale sky. Really like how the leaf gives the flower a false back, and love all the different reds in the pedals thanks to their opacity. Glad there was some noise in the background to add some depth.

019 : Yellow leaf in grass

Pretty gray out again by the time I got home... fortunately some flowers in the trees are blooming, but didn't turn out so great with the gray backdrop, so decided to look low. Found this yellow leaf in the grass and took a few shots of it. Love the colors in the leaf... the yellow with rusty splotches of brown, and the waxy white reflection where the sky reflects off it. Love how stark some of the blades of grass look... especially in the upper right.

018 : Water pooled in plant

Went out front to shoot the plants that still had some light on them, and came across these... and since it had rained before (like every day during this project it seems) there was a bit of water pooled up between the leaves... and even a drop on the very tip of each plant... how does it stay suspended up there like that?

017 : Pink buds on trunk

Really thought this photo turned out pretty interesting. I was really trying to focus on the pink blooms in the upper left (which I was really pleased by how true the color of them turned out) and lucked out with what happened on the right side. Love the depth of that branch in back, and even the edge of the trunk. A neat shot I think... something a little different.

016 : Wet daffodil

Nothing fancy here... just a wet daffodil out front. Seems like that is all there is to shoot on a rainy day since I can do it from the dryness and safety of under the front walkway. Love all the beads on the flower, and how splotchy the backdrop turned out.

015 : Pink pedal, black branches, gray sky

Another gray day, but fortunately found a spot of color up in the trees... looks like just one pedal had bloomed from this bud... a speck of color against the black and gray of the rest of the sky. Hopefully the sun will shine soon so I can get back to the front yard and returning to shooting objects up close on the ground.

014 : Leaf against blue sky

Tried to out out and shoot during the afternoon when the sun was out, but all I got was a dead battery flashing light. Two hours later the sun had just set, but left a nice crisp blue sky behind. Liked the texture of the beaten leaf, and the backdrop of the faded tree branches criss-crossing. Just really love how the blue turned out.

013 : Buds against gray sky

Sorry this one is late... seems like Blogger was having some issues when I tried to post yesterday's photo... there goes the streak! Anyways, it was pretty gray when I got home, so wasn't able to shoot anything out front. Went out back to see if these flowers had bloomed yet, but I guess they need another week or so. Still, it made for a neat shot against the branches of the trees up above.

012 : Lone crocus on mossy rock

There's this one crocus out in front next to this mossy rock. I've had my eye on it since this project began, and today was finally the perfect day. It was sunny enough today that the flower actually bloomed, and the sun would light up the moss a bit. Love the speck of orange in the flower, and the warm green backdrop of the moss. Too bad the right side of the pedals are a little hot... wonder if there's a simple way to tone that down a bit... I'll have to look into that.

011 : Face to face with a squirrel

The squirrels are coming to our back door again to be fed. This one is actually smart enough to know that I'll only feed him if he's on the railing, and seems to be comfortable with me getting pretty close to him. Love that his hands turned out so crisp even though they were almost continually moving. Like the orange on his arms also... glad it turned out fairly bright even though it was a bit overcast outside. His whiskers turned out pretty cool too I think.

010 : Wet daffodils and dead stalks

Rainy again (and hail!) but at least it was fairly light out. Took a bunch of wet daffodil shots, but thought this one stood out. Probably not the most 'sound' shot I took, but just like the dead stalks poking up, adding some color and depth. Love how the green turned out in the background.

009 : Raindrops on deck

Pretty nasty outside again today. This plank from our deck caught my eye as the gray sky and the railings form the side of the deck where reflected in it. Not sure why that plank alone seemed to pool the water, but thought it made for some interesting contrast. Like the detail of that plank where the shadows hit, and the ripples in the water where the raindrops landed turned out pretty neat.

008 : Wet daffodil from backside

Finally got some sun after it had rained on and off Sunday morning. Went out front to find some of the daffodils blooming. Really liked this one... kind of by itself and for some reason facing away from the sun. Liked the droplets of water on the petals, and glad the yellow didn't turn out too hot. Like the peek of the center bloom, and the nice dark background, with just a poke of the leaf on the right.

007 : Tan leaf on wet deck

Rainy out, so I didn't venture far. The one nice thing about the rain is that it usually brings out the color on the deck, but in this case, that color was blue. Just love how the darkest parts of the wood turn out blue instead of black thanks to the sky's reflection. Almost looks like a duotone image with brown and blue. Hope tomorrow the suns comes out for a little bit... hate to go all weekend without getting one sunny shot.

006 : Looking down on white crocus

Was actually surprised to see this shot turn out. It was looking straight down on the Crocus (sp?) in the shade, but it seems to have turned out pretty sharp, if a bit dim. Love the yellow and orange of the centers, with the purple streaks along the pedals. It's nice to see some flowers in bloom... finally! Almost felt like Spring today without the East Wind blowing. Hopefully it'll stay clear this weekend so I can get some sunny shots outside!

005 : Sunlit leaf with brown spot

Still no sunlight out front, so went out back to shoot where the sun was. Just loved the glow of these eaves when the sun hits them... even the rusty brown spots seem to glow a little. Like how the borders have a white gleam to them too.

004 : Single closed daffodil bud

The other tricky part (aside from the weather) of shooting in March is that even if the sun is up, the daffodils in the front walkway are often already in shadow by the time I get home. I managed to be home by a quarter after 5, and this was the only bud with any sunlight on it. It's a little hot on the right side, but this was still the best shot of the bunch. Really like how the backdrop turned out with the white and purple flowers though.

003 : Leaves in pond

A part of me wished Daylight Savings didn't start until later like it used to be when it was in early April, because sometimes shooting in early March is just miserable. Really cold out and no sunlight... just bad conditions to shoot in. Fortunately these green leaves caught my attention sitting in the pond on the spa cover and managed to get some shots of them with the blue sky reflection down below. I just like the colors in this one.. the dark and light green, the blue highlights of the reflected sky, and the orange needs sprinkled around the middle.

002 : Pale leaf silhouette

Got home late (6:30) so didn't have much sun left to shoot. Fortunately it was clear though (it had been raining and snowing on and off throughout the day) and managed to get a handful of shots. Managed to get this as the sun was setting... there's a tree out back that has these leaves with the rigged edges, and they turn out sharp on a silhouette shot like this. Too bad there wasn't more color in the sky (it was pretty pale) but thought the shapes of the leaves turned out pretty interesting. Hopefully tomorrow I can get home at a decent hour!

001 : Daffodil buds

So it begins again... fortunately there are a handful of flowers just beginning to bloom... like these daffodils. It will be nice to use the Nikon on the daffodils this year, as this time last year I only had our little point-and-shoot Canon. Should be fun to try and get some different shots of these this year.