A Time to Dance

She danced and turned until summer set.

Using my 60 mm macro lens, f2.8 and 1/125, I shot this Lavatera bloom that was just about to open up. What drew me was the look of a ballroom dancer's skirt. The blur and softness goes to movement, maybe that of a waltz.

When what I see through my lens brings me to other places and times, allows me to hear the music and see beyond what is before me, I know I need to take the picture.

Sun, Moon and Stars

This shot reminds me of all three: sun, moon and stars. Sometimes the perspective we choose and the composition of the image can push our imagination further. When you take a picture consider what else might be there. Don't lock in to what it is; allow your mind to explore what it might be, even if only in your imagination.

You may have to pull the colour from your shot in order to move further away from the origin and make room for possibility.

I Stepped Into Another Country

It was as though I found myself in another country. The poppies were waving in the fields as I peddled past them on my way to a cobblestone cafe in the next village. The sun was warm and the roads, dusty. A cold drink with a friend would be just right.

In reality, this patch of poppies was waving as I walked past them but it was in my own city of Winnipeg. The poppies grew on a boulevard, surrounded by concrete. Their invitation to another place and another time was unmistakable and so very successful.

Naturally, I had my camera with me. I got in close enough so as not to allow any indication that this picture was taken anywhere other than where the imagination can travel. Using a relatively shallow depth of field, I focused on one poppy, allowing the rest to move and wave into the blur.

Where the Clouds Grow

I found the place where the clouds grow.

Shallow depth of field and beautifully soft morning light were my friends when I visited my gardens this morning. As I looked through my viewfinder with my aperture set at f2.8, the petals billowed into clouds around the base of the flower (which I tried to keep focused and sharp to give a frame of reference).

Letting my imagination go with the visuals presented to me through my lens is so much fun!

Fallen Umbrella

The wind catches it just right. Flying out of my hands it reaches up then splashes down into the puddle I'm standing in.

Textures and layers can join up with imagination to create engaging and magical photos, ones we lose ourselves in as our own experiences meet together with a little daydreaming.

At my hard drive's expense, I save most of the images I take. Though there are some I know need to be junked, sometimes there are a few that can not just be salvaged but turned into better images than the ones I originally thought to be the best. Not often but sometimes. At the very least, the archived "duds" allow me some playtime where I can let my imagination run free.