Penning Photography Daily

Coming out of a grocery store this afternoon, these red leaves pulled at me like gemstones in a burbling stream, amid the blue sky.

I pulled out my Panasonic LX3, carried by me for just such occasions. I took two frames, this one from the top of the tree and one from the side in a vertical format. I like this one as it shows the stark contrast of the brightly lit red leaves against the deep blue sky.

Simple yet complex.

Contrasting but together as a unit.

Sun, powering the leaves to grow, and warming the sky.

Lovely.

Beauty in the small places of nature.

Karen has a patch of sage, which she harvests to use in cooking.

I just now learned that these beautiful flowers are from those sage plants.

Looking around the other night for likely photos around our home, I spotted these beauties. Lavender, purple and the like are of the favorite spectrum of colors that I love. I get that from my Mom. She delighted in all things lavender.

These are less than a half an inch across.

I used the macro mode on my Panasonic LX3 that I had carried in my pocket that day, just waiting for a moment such as this.

Up close.

You can see some of the wispy string things which I, at first, thought were spider webs but realized they are seed carrying remnants, at rest now that their mission is accomplished.

Lovely to see you, sage.

(Did you get the Jimi Hendrix reference?)

Sitting in my comfy chair in our sunroom at home, I glanced up from the computer and saw the start of a beautiful sunset.

Earlier this week, I had done the same thing, but stayed home, and later regretted it, as the sunset and cloud painting turned out to be gorgeous.

This time, I got up and went out exploring.

I headed west, looking for good landscape scenery. I found that the clouds were fleeing eastward, so I pulled into a parking lot with some trees and a good view of these clouds.

I took several frames, some horizontal, some vertical, all with the Sigma 10-20mm ultra-wide lens on my Pentax K20D, an awesome combination of optical goodness.

This one stood out.

The white clouds, kissed by the sunset colors into blushing.

I’m very glad I followed my muse and went to find this.

The way the sun was hitting this green leaf (of unknown origin) called to me.

I took the Panasonic LX3 and got right on top of this veined beauty. I took several frames from different viewpoints, but the contrast of light and shadows on this one stands out.

There’s something about living, natural things which is fascinating to see up close. How intricate is the pattern of veins on this single leaf.

The power to turn sunlight into energy, to stand upright and withstand the wind and rain, to thrive. Simply and complex, and most certainly amazing.

A delight for the eyes.

It’s amazing what beauty is simply provided by nature.

This bit of clover is by the side of our driveway. A volunteer to set some part of the world into order.

I had my camera, the Panasonic LX3 in my pocket, as usual. Something in this direction caught my eye.

The bits of flora were painting variations on a green theme and I was moved to explore just a little of it.

This one clover bloom is one of many. It’s no bigger than my thumbnail. I was up close with the macro setting on.

I had to wait until the breeze subsided to get a clear image.

What I did not see until I was processing the images, was the bits of web-like fibers which adorn this and all the other leaves around my back yard. Some bits of seed carrying stuff, that had floated on the breeze, I suspect. At first I thought they were spider webs, until I noticed the disorganization, and took an even closer look.

Lovely, with the late afternoon sun making it all the more striking.

There was this beautiful tree outside of choir practice tonight.

I was noticing the full set of leaves it had all around it, almost bush-like. It’s just a few years old, not very tall.

At first I didn’t think there was anything photo-worthy. Then I stopped and looked again.

I started wondering what it looked like under the canopy of green leaves.

That brought me to this photo.

The whole inside of the tree, even though the outside was fully covered in leaves, was a maze of branches, twisting this and that way.

That is what caught my attention. What lies underneath.

So much of life is not evident by the exterior that is immediately perceived.

Karen Sue took this one during the weekend engagement session we had with Rachel & Tyler in Lincoln Memorial Gardens by Lake Springfield.

She was using the Panasonic LX3 to bring her perspective to the session. I always enjoy having Karen along to help me with seeing things differently. She really helps me think outside of my own box.

I like the feel of the forest in this, along with the sense of our purpose that day.

A loving couple, strolling through the great gardens being followed by photographers.

We’re not paparazzi, we’re more like invited voyeurs.

Chris & I work well together for being father and son. We each recognize the gifts that the other has, and work to bring out the best in the other. This really adds to any session we do together. Having Karen along brings that special ingredient that makes us a unique set.

It’s so much fun to work at what is your passion.