- 29 Nov 2011 · “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, desirous of everything at the same time..” Jack Kerouac
- 22 Nov 2011 · Loving all the group numbers tonight! Made David and Kim’s dance from Grease so much better to have more dancers doing the Hand Jive! #DWTS
- 22 Nov 2011 · Loved Chaz and Lacey and her Dad! That was so fun! #DWTS
- 22 Nov 2011 · Carson Kresley Voguing was pretty damn good as well! Always love Anna! Plus one of my favorite songs and they were having do much fun! #DWTS
- 22 Nov 2011 · Chynna Phillips and @KristinCav were both SO good tonight! Final five should have been Rob, JR, Ricki, Kristen, and Chynna… #DWTS
- 21 Nov 2011 · Watch What Happens Live on @Bravotv will be on five night a week starting in January? Yay!
- 21 Nov 2011 · JR should win, and I love Ricki, but my heart is with Rob Kardasian! His freestyle? Amazing! Cheryl’s choreography was perfect! #DWTS
- 17 Nov 2011 · I do think they all needed more time though. None of the bonus accessories were impressive. Quality over quickness please! #ProjectAccessory
- 17 Nov 2011 · Nina’s brass and brown leather bag is gorgeous! Asymterical and just perfect! #ProjectAccessory
- 17 Nov 2011 · The elevator pitch segment was great! Entertaining and educational. RT @theheadhuntress Elevator pitch: Go! #headhuntress
- 17 Nov 2011 · Not liking Shea much tonight on #ProjectAccessory – whiny and bitchy is not attractive…
- 15 Nov 2011 · Loved @BravoTV‘s “The Headuntress” tonight! Would love to see it as a regular series! @BravoAndy @theheadhuntress
- 5 Nov 2011 · Dec 2008 – Feb 2009 broke 50 year old records… Bizarre for Idyllwild! RT @StrawberryCreek How come I don’t remember that?
- 5 Nov 2011 · Andy Rooney did it right! Love your work so much you do it until you HAVE to retire. Best way to live!
- 4 Nov 2011 · Watching a couple on HGTV pick out an old house in Italy. Such a pretty little fantasy…
- 4 Nov 2011 · So was 2008! So much snow… And we had a week with no power. RT @StrawberryCreek I like snow ok, but last winter was brutal & relentless.
- 4 Nov 2011 · You’re tough! Too cold and rainy for me… RT @specker Night plant and rock @ Mt. Rubidoux instagr.am/p/Sx6Ca/
- 4 Nov 2011 · Snow! In Idyllwild! Yay! RT @StrawberryCreek We got a nice dusting 2day, 1st of the season!
- 2 Nov 2011 · Oh wow! Do I have memories of that place! RT @fredtracey I’m at Pepper Tree Frostry (270 S Santa Fe Ave, btw Park & Broadway, Vista)
- 2 Nov 2011 · I’m already way too attatched to the artists on @Bravotv‘s #WorkOfArt and it’s only the fourth episode! Hate seeing anybody go…
Mad to live, mad to talk
“the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes ‘Awww!'” – Jack Kerouac, On the Road
[bctt tweet=”“the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time…” – Jack Kerouac” username=”cherylspelts”]
On Twitter | October 2011
- 31 Oct 2011 · THAT is the way to do an obituary! Absolutely perfect! RT @abesauer Minnesota woman has great obituary. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/twincities/obituary.aspx?n=ruth-calton&pid=154313175 …
- 30 Oct 2011 · In downtown Redlands tonight! #IfIWasAKid it’s where I would #TrickorTreat Amazing Victorian mansions totally decked out for the holiday!
- 30 Oct 2011 · Love bossy! Especially about music! RT @norskanne @cherylspelts @ElisaSherman Go listen to @JDFORTUNEMAYHEM‘s new demo at jdfortune448.com
- 28 Oct 2011 · Thank you! RT @NBCTheVoice Each coach made it clear that they would NOT sign on if the show was going to bring out weak singers to humiliate
- 27 Oct 2011 · Designing 3 accessories in the very first challenge? #projectaccessory is tough! But some of the results were beautiful!
- 27 Oct 2011 · VERY satisfying end to #projectrunway! Anya’s first dress was amazing! And her whole collection was beautiful. Definitely deserved the win!
- 27 Oct 2011 · I love Redlands…. Such a cool town! RT @JustDalisa Just posted a photo @ Redlands Market Night instagr.am/p/RtDVK/
- 21 Oct 2011 · I think @HuellHowser has the best job ever. Exploring all of California and finding all the hidden “gold”? Who wouldn’t love that?
- 21 Oct 2011 · Just heard fireworks, and ran outside to see the sky light up, across the valley. Lots of people cheering too! Fun on a slow Friday night!
- 17 Oct 2011 · Just figured out how to relight the pilot on my fancy new water heater. Harder than it sounds, so I’m very happy to have hot water!
- 13 Oct 2011 · Richard Simmons is on Entertainment Tonight wearing pantyhose… Maybe time to retire the shorts and put on some pants?
- 13 Oct 2011 · Wish @Bravotv‘s Watch What Happens Live was on every night! @BravoAndy is great and the show is frothy fun! More nights would be good!
- 12 Oct 2011 · The AK Smiley Library in Redlands is the most magical library EVER. I could be content to spend eternity here. It’s just so beautiful!
- 12 Oct 2011 · Just saw a Boycott Jane Fonda bumper sticker. Seriouly? Holding a grudge against a celebrity for 40 years is nuts!
- 5 Oct 2011 · The loss of Steve Jobs has left me so sad. Such an incredible talent! I don’t even want to think about a world without him in it…
- 3 Oct 2011 · Jerry Brown signed legislation repealing the law that made Amazon terminate their California Associates. So we’re back! http://lat.ms/oWbjfo
- 1 Oct 2011 · Three Garbage albums, set to random play… I’d forgotten how much I love this band! Especially “#1 Crush” from Romeo + Juliet!
A.K. Smiley Public Library
The A.K. Smiley Public Library in Redlands, California is one of my favorite places on this earth – and by far my favorite library! Built in 1898, back when Redlands was known as the City of Millionaires, the architectural style is Moorish, which was surprisingly popular in the Victorian period. We may think of the standard Queen Anne when we think Victorian architecture, but the Victorians themselves were fascinated by the exotic. The wealthy traveled to Europe and the Far East, and they brought back not just rugs, and vases, and other furnishings, but also ideas about architecture. The A.K. Smiley Public Library, in my opinion, is the perfect architectural example of Victorian Moorish architecture in America. It’s fantastic!
And it’s not just a beautiful building – it’s also a great library. If you’re looking for a place to read a book in a garden – you can do that here. If you want to do research on local history – you can do that here. And if you just want a good old-fashioned library with books and computers and helpful librarians – that’s here too!
On Twitter | September 2011
- 24 Sep 2011 · It’s just the most perfect summer night – slightly chilly breeze on sunburned skin. Could not get any better than this…
- 24 Sep 2011 · Some images of Mount Rubidoux from 2009! It’s a quick fun hike – right in downtown Riverside! http://cherylspelts.com/2009/07/mount-rubidoux/ …@MountRubidoux
- 24 Sep 2011 · RT @MountRubidoux Summer is here! Check out these great pics taken on Mt. Rubidoux by Cheryl Spelts. http://ow.ly/5sodV
- 22 Sep 2011 · Really looking forward to #ProjectAccessory! Devil Inside indeed!
- 22 Sep 2011 · So Olivier says he never thought of clothes for plus-sized people, while looking at an average man? Should half the world go naked?
- 16 Sep 2011 · 🙂 RT @MadisonKellyNYC RT: @cherylspelts Project Accessory? With INXS’ Devil Inside as the commercial theme song? Cool! <- Dope!
- 15 Sep 2011 · Project Accessory? With INXS’ Devil Inside as the commercial theme song? Cool!
- 15 Sep 2011 · Olivier on Roject Runway… “I don’t like women to have boobs.” and “Boobs are trouble!” He cracks me up because he’s soooo serious!
- 14 Sep 2011 · Love the little convertible Fiat that JLo is driving in the new commercials! Cute!
- 14 Sep 2011 · So weird… Ozzie looks like Coach, and Coach looks like Ozzie? WTF happened to them both?
- 13 Sep 2011 · @pamannb At least last time there was a little time for him to process it. This time it was slam, bam, we’re done! Too cruel for my taste…
- 13 Sep 2011 · Wondering what’s up with RBL and INXS? Disappointed, sad, and annoyed seem to be the current trend… http://rockbandlounge.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=11452&start=985 …
- 13 Sep 2011 · I think everyone has a relative guilty of at least a few of these… http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-reasons-guy-whos-fixing-your-computer-hates-you/ …
- 12 Sep 2011 · When one door closes, another opens…. Right? I hope!
- 5 Sep 2011 · Very interesting! And a little scary… RT @adamostrow What happens after your final status update? – http://bit.ly/r2nifz @CNN#TED talk
On Twitter | August 2011
- 28 Aug 2011 · It was 107°F today and tomorrow they’re saying 103°F. Can’t believe I’m saying this, because usually I LOVE summer, but I’m ready for Fall!
- 26 Aug 2011 · 🙂 RT @Jeff_B_Evans it will do “@cherylspelts watching #NoLimits come in second was highlight! 2nd is the new first! #expeditionimpossible”
- 26 Aug 2011 · Two of the top four teams on #expeditionimpossible were from my hometown, San Diego! Gypsies and Football Players. Impressive!
- 26 Aug 2011 · Late night, watching DVR’d #expeditionimpossible finale… What a great ending to a hard race! And the two best teams came in 1st and 2nd!
- 25 Aug 2011 · Postcards from Florence: Jersey Shore Edition – On:Location by Francis Specker http://francisspecker.com/blog/2011/8/25/postcards-from-florence-jersey-shore-edition.html …
- 24 Aug 2011 · I’m sad! RT @brokemogul damn… were never gonna get cool shit again 🙁 RT @BreakingNews: Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple – @Reuters
- 24 Aug 2011 · Ziiiiiiiing is right! Looking forward to it! RT @agrodner22 #BB13 Zingbot returns to BB tonight! Ziiiiiiiing! @CBS 8p
- 20 Aug 2011 · I’m always in favor of vintage-looking convertibles… Hot! | Cadillac Unveils Convertible Hybrid Concept Car http://yhoo.it/pHp3Io
- 20 Aug 2011 · Seriously? That’s insane! RT @JDFORTUNEMAYHEM TO CLARIFY… AS OF NOW I HAVE NOT BEEN INVITED TO BE A PART OF INXS’ “NEW MUSIC”
- 20 Aug 2011 · Think behind every chance there’s another chance and another one and another one? That’s the worse kind of extravagance. ~ Hope Floats, 1998
- 19 Aug 2011 · “We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets.” ~ Marylin Monroe
- 15 Aug 2011 · I’ve made a lot of compromises in the last few years, and I’m about to make one more. Adulthood isn’t nearly as fun as idealistic youth!
- 15 Aug 2011 · @MoneyMichelle My heart aches for you and your family tonight. You have the strength to do great things – I know you’ll make a difference!
- 12 Aug 2011 · I’m in search of the seriously beautiful…
- 12 Aug 2011 · “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Elliot Love you all! Live life like you mean it!
- 12 Aug 2011 · who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the sky…
- 12 Aug 2011 · The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time
- 12 Aug 2011 · Thank you to everyone I’ve loved, and everyone I should have loved, but didn’t quite – because you’ve all made a difference in my life.
- 9 Aug 2011 · You sure are! Hope you’re taking full advantage of your beautiful city this summer! RT@norskanne Hmm, I guess I am in the right place, lol!!
- 9 Aug 2011 · Three Reasons New Yorkers Live Longer… 1. Less smoking 2. Healthier Food options 3. Walking ~ Dr. Weil http://bit.ly/neYv5c
- 9 Aug 2011 · Watching late night reruns of Roseanne. I may be twenty years late to the party, but what a brilliantly written show…
- 7 Aug 2011 · I think it may just get stronger… RT @ycakins Oh yeah, love like that doesn’t just die!!! @cherylspelts @lovehammers
- 7 Aug 2011 · “Oh My Baby” then “Honest I’ll Wait” and then “Neverfall.” I’m on a @lovehammers kick, and I’m loving them as much as I did in 2005…
- 6 Aug 2011 · Olivier Green on winning this week on #ProjectRunway… “I will only work harder.” Love that attitude!
- 6 Aug 2011 · Bert was so charming in the premiere of #ProjectRunway… Not so much in episode two. What happened?
- 6 Aug 2011 · I am soooo rooting for Bert Keeter, the 57-year-old guy on #ProjectRunway! He’s got talent! Go Bert!
- 6 Aug 2011 · Catching up on #ProjectRunway! Gotta love OnDemand!
- 6 Aug 2011 · 🙂 RT @ScottyGranger Thanks so much! RT @cherylspelts: Okay, @ScottyGranger’ Beautiful You is really… beautiful! Love it! #PlatinumHit
- 5 Aug 2011 · Hey @Bravotv! Thank you so much for producing #PlatinumHit! And I meant it about a second season… Yes please!
- 5 Aug 2011 · Good ending! @SonyaeElise deserved to win for her whole season of work! But to me? @jeshudak‘s song tonight was THE HIT of #PlatinumHit!
- 5 Aug 2011 · I love that through the whole series I never had a favorite – they were all deserving – all season! Just a great cast! #PlatinumHit
- 5 Aug 2011 · This is definitely my favorite show right now! I so wish it wasn’t the finale! I want more #PlatinumHit please @Bravotv? Second season?
- 5 Aug 2011 · After one listen, my pick is @jeshudak for best song! And if the winner of #PlatinumHit is based on tonight only, she wins… No question!
- 5 Aug 2011 · Love @jeshudak‘s Come Alive on @Bravotv‘s #PlatinumHit! She nailed it! And definetly Katy Perry-esque!
- 5 Aug 2011 · The finale of @Bravotv‘s #PLATINUMHIT is on in an hour! Can’t wait! Good luck @jeshudak @ScottyGranger and @SonyaeElise!
- 4 Aug 2011 · I’ve found a show I love on @PBS called #DocMartin. It’s brilliantly written and so clever! Anyone else watching?
Baroque & Beautiful
I’ve mentioned before on this blog how much I love the Victorian ideal of a yard full of fruit and flowers – all together. They didn’t relegate their fruit trees to the backyard – they’d plant an orange tree right in the front yard, next to the roses. And grapevines would twist up and over the front porch, right next to a wisteria covered in blossoms. Fruits and flowers, in the yard, and in their art…
But the Victorians weren’t the first to love still life art consisting of fruit bowls and flowers. And in fact, during the Baroque period, a kind of art emerged that I personally find fascinating – called Vanitas, they were still lifes with rotting fruit and faded dying flowers, and sometimes the artists even included insects in their paintings.
Why would anyone want a painting of rotting fruit? Or dying flowers? Back in the 16th and 17th centuries, when the genre flourished, the religious message was that life is fleeting, and that death is inevitable, so you better get with it and live right! Rotting fruit and flowers symbolized how quickly life and time passes – and if life is brief, then you better get good with God now, rather than later, because it might be too late if you wait.
I remember seeing a huge painting of a dinner table in a museum in Paris in 2004. I had no idea what it meant when I saw it, but I was transfixed by the fact that the subject matter – imperfect fruit and flowers – was painted so perfectly, and so beautifully. It was this huge gorgeous painting, beautifully done, of wilting flowers and food that looked way past it’s prime. Gorgeous, but oddly disturbing. I stood in front of it far too long, and kind of fell in love with the strange genre of Vanitas art. But I never thought about creating any Vanitas art of my own.
But this summer, as I’ve watched the plants in my yard wilt and wither and suffer from the heat, and as I see some plants start to die back, as we head toward Fall, I’ve sort of enjoyed seeing overblown roses fade, and my lone Hollyhock come to the end of it’s blooming life. Everything in the yard is pulling back, and withering, and it’s not unattractive – it’s just different than the lushness of Spring. Everyone is drawn to the first perfect flower in Spring – but can just anyone also appreciate the last rose of the summer?
So that’s my first personal experiment with the Vanitas genre – not exactly the most pure of attempts, but definitely inspired by the ideals of the movement! Art, even the oldest genres doesn’t have to be stuffy – it can be fun!
And I want to make one quick point – art doesn’t have to be time consuming either, or require a lot of thought or preparation. All of these were shot very quickly just after sunset, on two consecutive evenings. I started at 6:38PM yesterday and finished up at 6:47PM – so just nine minutes the first night. And then I started at 6:22PM tonight, and shot my last frame at 6:35PM – so 13 minutes tonight. And the processing of the images took about 50 minutes total. Writing this post was probably the most time consuming part of the whole process!
As for the technical details, the first night I shot everything with a 85MM lens and the second night I used a 50MM lens exclusively – and everything both nights was shot at f/1.8 or 2.0, except for the horizontal image of the pink roses, and the very last shot of the fushia flowering tree branch, which were both shot at f/3.5.
On Twitter | July 2011
- 29 Jul 2011 · I love summer rain! RT @specker it’s raining in Riverside!
- 29 Jul 2011 · Yay! @Bravotv‘s #platinumhit was fun tonight! Especially loved the scenes at the high school. And I agreed with the judges this week!
- 26 Jul 2011 · I am so excited about the future!
- 4 Jul 2011 · You know the ads for Temptations by Jello? With crazy parents yelling at kids for eating “their” adult jello? Well it’s not very good…
- 23 Jul 2011 · I would love a good thunderstorm right about now… or tomorrow! Anytime it wants to rain this week, I’m up for it!
- 22 Jul 2011 · Mark Burnett live tweeting during #ExpeditionImpossible? Too cool… @MarkBurnettTV
- 22 Jul 2011 · The last two eliminations were shocking, but the final four on #PlatinumHit are all deserving and exceptional! The finale will be awesome!
- 22 Jul 2011 · @jasminestar come look in my refrigerator! I have raspberry ice cream and I share!
- 22 Jul 2011 · Funniest moment in the show? When @jeshudak decided to be exceptionally “not nice” to Nick. Finally! I think even he liked it! #PlatinumHit
- 22 Jul 2011 · Not that I wanted @jeshudak to go! She and @BrianJudah wrote the better song and neither should have been in danger… ;( #PlatinumHit
- 22 Jul 2011 · And sending @BrianJudah home? After he wrote that beautiful hook? Just wrong… I love #PlatinumHit but the last two have been heartbreakers
- 22 Jul 2011 · But the wrong song won?! #PlatinumHit
- 22 Jul 2011 · For the second week in a row #PlatinumHit is leaving me conflicted. Nick definetly deserved to win individually – the chorus was good!
- 21 Jul 2011 · What I love about @ParisHilton & #TheWorldAccordingToParis is that it breaks my heart, then makes me laugh, then cry. It’s a beautiful show!
- 21 Jul 2011 · #TheWorldAccordingToParis has definitely been the highlight on my TV recently! Wsh it wasn’t over… @ParisHilton is smart, funny & brave!
- 19 Jul 2011 · In the ironic and fun category… Google+’s most popular person? It’s actually Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg! http://gu.com/p/3vhyb/tw
- 17 Jul 2011 · Looks like I may have Google+ invites if anyone wants one! Send me your email address quick, before it goes away!
- 16 Jul 2011 · Just saw a huge rat run across the back fence, disappearing into my neighbors yard… Just HUGE – at least a foot long, including his tail.
- 15 Jul 2011 · Wow… @Bravotv‘s #PlatinumHit was heartbreaking tonight! Such an unexpected ending… I’m not sure what to think?
- 14 Jul 2011 · The moon is huge tonight! And so bright. I love an occasional cool summer night… like tonight!
- 14 Jul 2011 · Watching VH1’s #famousfood and Mike Malin is on it! Then add @heidimontag and a former bachelor and a real housewife? Unreal! But very fun!
- 8 Jul 2011 · If you missed #PlatinumHit on @Bravotv tonight, catch a rerun this week! It’s a GOOD episode with some GREAT songs!
- 6 Jul 2011 · Not a single drop of rain but the temp dropped from 97 to 83 degrees. Yay! Thank you Mother Narure!
- 4 Jul 2011 · Still America the Beautiful after 235 years! Happy 4th of July everyone! Time for a little celebrating, American-style!
- 3 Jul 2011 · I wish it would rain! Big huge drops… We’ve been under a ‘Severe Thunderstorm Watch’ most of the day and I wanna see some action!
- 1 Jul 2011 · There’s a #PlatinumHit marathon tomorrow on @Bravotv! Perfect time to start watching if you’ve missed out so far! You’ll love it!
- 1 Jul 2011 · 99 degrees at 4PM! Why is 4PM the hottest time of the day, this time of year in Riverside County? It was never like that in San Diego…
- 1 Jul 2011 · Happy happy news! RT @NorthCountyFire Forward spread of Harmony Fire in Fallbrook stopped. Aircraft released. Mop up now.
You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live…
If I found out I only had fifteen minutes to live? Right now?
I’d get up from the computer and run outside and lift my face up and soak up the sun. I’d listen to the birds singing, and arguing and gossiping. I’d smell the grass, and the dirt, and the honeysuckle blossoms that are hanging on, just a little past their prime. Then I’d open my eyes and LOVE the bright blue sky and everything around me – the shaky fence, the rambling roses, the rock chimney on the back of the house.
And then I would tell God thank you. Thank you for everything I’ve experienced in this life. The triumphs, and the near triumphs, and the trips and falls. I’d say thank you for my art, and for making me not just a girl with potential, but a full blown artist. An artist who may have wanted to achieve more, but who achieved enough to feel fully expressed. That’s rare and wonderful, and I’ve been lucky, and I know it.
I’d say thank you for everyone I’ve loved, and everyone I should have loved, but didn’t quite – because they all made a difference in my life. A big difference. A profound difference.
And I would say thank you for giving me these final fifteen minutes, so that I could soak up the sun one last time, and feel grateful one last time, and go out of this world exactly like I came in – happy!
I just found out about an interesting project, starting today.
#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Use this as an opportunity to reflect on your now, and to create direction for your future. 30 prompts from inspiring thought-leaders will guide you on your writing journey. http://RalphWaldoEmerson.me
And the first prompt was so interesting, I signed up…
We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other. Our age yields no great and perfect persons. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live.
1. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.
2. Write the story that has to be written.
I don’t know that I’ll go beyond this first day, but the first prompt made me want to write, so here I am, fifteen minutes later… What would you do if you only had fifteen minutes to live?
I think I need to go outside and enjoy the sun a little. I may have more than fifteen minutes left, but that’s no reason to waste anymore time inside!
Spring Flowers, April Showers
One of the best parts about moving into a new house is seeing what happens in the yard over the course of the first year. Sometimes the tree you sort of, kind of don’t really like all that much, breaks out in blossoms, and you’re in love. Sometimes a neglected corner starts to fill in with new growth, and then explodes in riotous blooms. I’ve heard it said that you should live in a house for a year, before tearing out any plants, because you never know what those existing plants may do – and if you tear them out too soon, you may miss some great potential.
I moved last summer, so this is my first spring in this house, and evidently the previous owners were big on flowers – because the yard is full of blooming plants. It’s very cool!
We’ve been told that some of the trees are black walnut, and when I Google them, the leaves do look right – but I didn’t find any images of the blooms that were as magnificent as the ones here. We have pink blooms on one tree, and white blooms on two other trees. They look just like wisteria blossoms – and the leaves look similar to wisteria as well, but the rest of the tree, and the nuts that form later are definitely not wisteria!
ETA: Ooops! I’ve been told that the trees are actually Black Locust, and Googling proves that to be true!
There are lot of different kinds of bulbs and some primroses…
There are probably too many iris in the yard – if that’s possible.
During the Victorian Era, they were big lovers of fruit and flowers together – and it’s one of my favorite looks. There’s only one fruit tree in the yard – a lemon tree – but hopefully someday there will also be oranges and tangerines and apricots – all things that grow well in Hemet!
And I’ll end with a black tulip. Have you ever seen a flower that elegant? It’s definitely a statement blossom!
On a technical note, all of these were shot between 4:09 and 4:30PM this afternoon – so a few hours before sunset – and the wind was blowing hard for most of those twenty minutes. I used a 70-200mm lens, at f/4.0, ISO 320, and as high of a shutter setting as was possible. Part of the challenge was in shooting flowers that were blowing and moving – and still trying to get a perfect image, that looks like the world was perfectly still when it was taken. The 70-200mm is my least favorite and least used lens, but sometimes it’s fun to shake things up and force yourself to do things in a slightly different way than you may be used to.
Shaking up your art – especially when you’re doing something as trite as shooting flowers? It’s a good thing! So grab an unfamiliar lens, shoot in a windstorm, whatever! Just shake it up and see what magic happens…
And as I sign off, raindrops are starting to hit the roof again… Hopefully the very last storm this season!