Golden Sky Ferns

Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - November 11, 2005.

It's always a risk with a camera, and a digital one at that, to shoot directly up into the sky. Luckily, it was an overcast day and I was able to shoot this without sun flares. I love the fern-like patterns these leaves create.

D.

Hearts and Pods 1

University of Pennsylvania campus, 36th and Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - November 11, 2005.

Some of my earliest photos in this blog are taken at the same location - in front of a fine arts gallery building with beautifully reflective windows. I am very bad at horticulture, but I love this tree with its heart-shaped leaves and long pods.

D.

And the Walls Come Crumbling Down...

Covenant Community Church campus, Mt. Airy Neighborhood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - October 29, 2005.

I live on a street with cobblestones and trolley tracks, and in the rain and snow, drivers frequently go out of control. Well, yet another one did, and smashed into the stone retaining wall which circles the campus of the Covenant Community Church (formerly the home of Spring Garden College, and the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf many years ago). This is not an urban greenscape, nor a flower, but I was drawn to the image of the broken and crumbling wall. (Cue up the John Mellencamp song...)

Here is a reference photo:



ETA: This wall has now been repaired as of mid-November. I'm glad I took the shots when I did...

D.

Vines of Germantown Avenue

My House, Mt. Airy Neighborhood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - October 29, 2005.

Yes, I admit it. These are weed vines snaking their way up my downspout. I have been too lazy to do my (much needed) gardening. But the artist in me had to take time to photograph them, LOLOL.

D.

Vines of Allens Lane 1

Allens Lane, Mt. Airy Neighborhood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - October 26, 2005.

As part of my exploration of urban greenscapes and flowers and plants on the edges, I happened upon some vines overgrowing a fence. Coming closer, I was intrigued by the patterns and textures of leaves and berries against the grey corrugated metal of the train trestle. The changing of the fall colors adds to the depths of color in ways that make these shots much more interesting than they might be in spring.

D.

Oak Leaf Curtain

Allens Lane Train Station, Mt. Airy Neighborhood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - October 26, 2005.

Yesterday, with at least a half-day's worth of much-needed sun, I took advantage of a few free moments to snap some fall leaf shots. I really enjoy working with the changing colors of the leaves - it is a privilege for me to have grown up and lived my life on the eastern coast of the USA for this reason. Fall is my favorite season of the year.

D.

Spring Ahead, Fall Behind...

Allens Lane, Mt. Airy Neighborhood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - October 26, 2005.

As the old saying goes, "Spring Ahead, Fall Behind..", to remind us how to change our clocks for Daylight Savings and Standard time here in the U.S. Unfortunately, with the changing of the season from summer to fall, I feel that I have definitely, painfully, fallen behind. Philadelphia has been suffering from days and days of rain and darkness. There is a chill in the air, and with it comes a foreboding of a winter much colder and darker than anyone realizes. Due to the high winds, many trees have lost their leaves. Slowly, the ones remaining are changing color. I LOVE the fall, but today I feel merely chilly and numb, inside and out.

Yesterday, with at least a half-days worth of sun, I took advantage of a few free moments to snap some fall leaf and urban greenscape shots. I hope that you enjoy them.

D.

Chained Roses 2

Public Garden, Broad and South Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - August 5, 2005.

On the way to my job, I frequently stop to peek around this garden. It gave me an idea to shoot through the fence at the flowers, and to explore the effects of focus and fences. In this shot, the fence is deliberately foregrounded and accentuated. This is a continuation of my experimentation on urban greenscapes - people and plants on the edges.

For more information about public gardens in Philadelphia, check out the Philadelphia Green website sponsored by the Philadelphia Horticultural Society:

Philadelphia Green

D.

Chained Roses 1

Public Garden, Broad and South Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - August 5, 2005.

Philadelphia Green has a program to support public gardens in areas of the city where there are abandoned lots. At this garden, smack in the center of downtown Philadelphia, there is a lovely garden with mosaic sculptures around the neatly tended vegetables and flowers. Unfortunately, due to security, they have to keep the garden fenced in and locked. I could not even find the sign which names the park, but I will post more info. if I can find it.

Looking at this garden on the way to my job, it gave me an idea to shoot through the fence at the flowers, and to explore the effects of focus and fences. This is a continuation of my experimentation on urban greenscapes - people and plants on the edges.

D.

Here Comes the Sun(flower)!

Mt. Airy Neighborhood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - August 1, 2005.

Some neighbors up the block have giant sunflowers planted in their front yard. I *LOVE* sunflowers! As typical for the giant ones, the head is so heavy that is falls over. I shot this from below, and this time used flash to fill-light the flower in the evening sky. The flash gave it a very eerie, hard, and flat affect, but I like the effect of "freeze-frame" of the flower and the bee.

Look for more experimentation with flowers, particularly sunflowers, in the coming days.

D.

Window to Heaven

Private Garden, Loveladies/Long Beach Island, New Jersey - June 16, 2005.

I was working at my boss's house and as I said, I took a few minutes away to play in the garden, seeing if any shots caught my fancy. The skies were overcast with passing storms, and I happened to look up to see this beautiful break in the clouds. I could only hope that my camera would capture what I saw with my eyes, and lo and behold...it did.

It's visions like these that prompt me to meditate on life. Working at LBI various times this summer, I have been faced with my own ghosts as well as those of the beach house. Over and over I have been having that feeling like our deceased loved ones are not far away at all - even as close as swimming in their favorite pool, or sitting in their favorite beach chair, sipping coffee and doing the crossword puzzle. Perhaps they have a window down to earth? And if they do, would they want to see us crying or feeling sad? No. They would want us to have that ice cream cone on a hot day, to feel the warm sun while we swam in the pool, to eat and drink and chat with beloved friends around the table, to savor the beauty of the garden, to look up to the clouds and to heaven...and smile.

D.

Ephemeral Allium

Private Garden, Loveladies/Long Beach Island, New Jersey - June 16, 2005.

I was working at my boss's house and took a few minutes away to play in the garden, seeing if any shots caught my fancy. I love the wispy, ephemeral feeling of these allium (allia?) who are a bit past their prime, but still standing tall against the garden fence. (At least, I think these are allium.) It's very possible that these flowers were torn up as part of garden recultivation work, so I am glad to have captured them.

D.

Mint! Mint! Mint!

My Deck, Mt. Airy Neighborhood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - June 5, 2005.

Another cultivated subject. I love the lushness of the mint's texture and fragrance. Not to mention that it makes great tea.


D.

Tulips on the Edge

My Garden, Mt. Airy Neighborhood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - April 15, 2005.

OK, this flower subject is cultivated, not wild. That being said I tried to contrast the flowers with the hard angles of the concrete porch and downspout. This was part of my springtime experimentations.

D.

Stone Roses

My Neighbor's Porch, Mt. Airy Neighborhood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - June 8, 2005.

OK, this flower subject is cultivated, not wild. However, I liked the combination of the red roses against the natural stone of the porch columns.

All of the photos posted so far are resized, but NOT CROPPED. I am trying my best with these experiments to set the shot up initially and not rely on any digital cropping. Likewise, I did not use any photo program to edit out the droplets of bird guano on the stone.

That's real life: sometimes you get roses, sometimes you get guano. LOL

D.

Hope Springs Eternal

My Neighbor's Garage, Mt. Airy Neighborhood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - June 5, 2005.

My neighbor has an impressive array of ferns growing out of the stone walls around his garage, including around his downspout. While I hope they don't destroy his walls or affect the drainage, I certainly enjoy them for their simple beauty....

D.

Flowers on the Margins 2

My Garage, Mt. Airy Neighborhood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - June 5, 2005.

This is the second of this series. I did not plan for the shot to be out-of-focus, but when I saw the digital draft, I really liked its ethereal quality. It's quite different from the hard, flat aspect of the first shot (which used auto-flash). I'm still working out some details of the digital camera, but I am having fun with the experimentation.

D.

Flowers on the Margins 1

My Garage, Mt. Airy Neighborhood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - June 5, 2005.

I love exploring the beauty of flowers and plants that spring from the most obscure cracks in concrete. More proof that the roots of nature are more powerful than anything humankind tries to create....

Enjoy!

D.

Feline Reflections

Mt. Airy Neighborhood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - April 15, 2005.


OK, so this photo has nothing to do with flowers. It DOES have something to do with nature. It's my neighbor's cat, caught spying on me quizzically from the window. Clearly she is wondering what that human is doing craning her neck doing all sorts of contortions while holding a little square box that makes flashing light and buzzing noises, LOL.

Urban Reflections 2

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - April 21, 2005.

Urban Reflections

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - April 21, 2005.

Purple Buds

Henry Public School, Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - April 20, 2005.

Urban Skyscape 2

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - April 18, 2005.

Urban Skyscape

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - April 18, 2005.

Urban Greenscapes

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - April 18, 2005.

Welcome to The Flower Garden

Lately, I have been experimenting with still photography again. I am very interested in what I would call "Urban Greenscapes" - the intersection between nature and city. Green against brick, petals reflected in glass, weeds defiantly springing from cracks in the concrete, etc.

To that end, I plan to post some of my experiments here.

Enjoy!

D.