Peeling Layers

A little grouping of chives has found its way up from beneath a sidewalk block adjacent to our home. I was considering the chive, an onion plant, as I looked at the shots I took of them yesterday afternoon.

Here, we can see the layers at the base of the bloom peel back to reveal the flower.

Layers, like memories, time and experiences, sometimes painful ones, are peeled back and released to make way for new ways of living and experiencing the world. With any onion, there are often tears that flow as the layers are peeled. So it is with us.

This beautiful blooming chive, growing and thriving in an unlikely and unusual place, reminded me of this great hope we have...for healing and beauty, both.

I used my macro lens to focus on the bloom itself, showing the detail and colour and especially the layer the bloom emerges from. I also used a colour cast in processing and followed that up with applying a texture layer to complete the image. I have to say I really like the layers I've purchased from Life-n-Reflection.

Belles of the Ball

Giggles erupted from the cluster of belles as they flirted and fancied the boys at the ball. Dreamy in their finest gowns, the girls were sure to be noticed. The boys, shy yet determined, gradually and with great and obvious effort to be nonchalant, made their way closer to the the cluster.

Daisy

Powerful and engaging on its own, the daisy evokes a response from the beholder. Strong, playful, delicate and lovely, her essence reaches the hearts of many.

 

Macro photography allows us to see detail we don't normally get the chance to see. These images were shot with my 60 mm macro lens. Because of the slow shutter speed I needed to obtain adequate exposure, I mounted my camera on my tripod. With excessively slow shutter speeds, I'll often reach for my remote switch as well. It doesn't take much at those speeds to show the smallest camera shake...even from pressing and releasing the shutter on camera.

My settings were the same for both images. My shutter speed was 1/8, aperture f/2.8 and focal length was 60 mm. ISO was fixed at 100.

Tentative

Should she risk it? Maybe if she just reaches out a little, not too much, not too loudly, maybe she'll be okay. Holding her heart close, her leaves reach out. Will she open her heart too?

Eyes Wide Open

I am reminded to keep my eyes open as I go through the moments of my days, the crazy days of June. The urge is there to close my eyes and barge through this month, celebrating at the end, not the moments but rather the survival of the moments. I've done this before and I don't want to do this anymore, especially because some of the moments involved are graduations and celebrations that are really important. But what about the other moments that don't hold quite the same fanfare and accomplishment as my daughter's grad? They too are important. They hold something for me and for those around me. They hold opportunities to discover, learn and enjoy.

As I look at this image, I see busyness in the background but it doesn't take away from the beauty of this flower.  In fact, the more I focus on the bloom, the quieter the busyness becomes. This bloom won't last the summer; its lifetime is short. What if I allowed the busyness to dictate my inclined response? I would have missed the delicate petals, the velvety textures and brilliant colours present in this tiny bloom. My eyes would have been shut and I would have stomped through and possibly over top of this gem. Thankfully, I did not and hopefully, I will not.

Be well. Be present.

Tiny Treasures

Faith

She looks ahead towards the future; it is unknown to her, behind the shadows and just out of view. She is hopeful as she reaches forward in faith.

Life is for living. Today, in faith, I will reach forward.

Spotlight - Butterfly or Bloom