Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Illumination, Late Summer Light - GGW Photo Contest

Late summer offers such a perfect introduction to fall because it slowly begins the seasonal transition with the changes in light, temperature, and even breezes. The light of the sun lower in the sky presents new shadows and a different kind of illumination than the direct light of summer high in the sky.

This will be my first time entering Gardening Gone Wild's Picture This Photography Contest. This month's theme is Late Summer Garden. I enjoy taking photos in my garden and experimenting with the camera, so, for me, it is a joy to enter. Finding the photo that would represent the theme was a challenge.  I like the colors of this photo as well as the idea of looking beyond an image in the foreground.


This photo fit the requirement for a late summer garden and the suggestion of shooting tight.


Spider webs seem to be all over the garden. I try not to disturb them, but there are times I must release one corner of the silk to pass through a path.



The late summer garden is filled with fresh blooms and fading blooms. The seedheads boldly reach up to the sky and the petals fold down and crisp at the edges.


Blooms are in transition and offer different views and lights.


This fennel in bloom photo has a gossamer-like view between the stems and leaves.


I decided on entering this photo of a clematis seedhead. I liked the lone seedhead against the fading seedheads and colors in the background.


I am joining Donna at Garden Walk Garden Talk for Word for Wednesday. The word for today is illumination, an apt word for this time of year.
©Michelle A. Potter

75 comments:

  1. Hello,
    I want you to know I am a new member of your blog. Your photographs are beautiful.
    Gr. Marijke, Holland

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  2. What is the name of the orange flower that looks like a coneflower? It's gorgeous!!

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  3. Nice work! I especially like the orangey coneflower(?), the way the petals are up and down both, kinda the way things are at this time of year in the garden!

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  4. Your photos are wonderful! I'm new to your blog also, and have added you to my mammoth list of places to visit on a regular basis. :) I also wanted to let you know I am so excited by your elderberry post and I'm looking forward to your pie recipe. :)

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  5. Really good photos. Can't decide which I like best.

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  6. Michelle, I love the photo you've chosen, as well as the orange coneflower. They really capture that feeling of transition and "last hurrah" of late summer. Enjoy being part of the contest!

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  7. I am with Linnie, that photo of the orange flower is gorgeous. I really like the angle of the shot, soft lighting and the way it is framed. Heck, the flower itself has great form. But your selection for the contest may fit the requirements of seeing the object differently much better. I ran into that dilemma myself. Finding an image to have people ponder over it is a difficult thing to do. The clarity of the subject against the background really makes you see it differently and want to find or imagine more within the image. You can see, yet not quite see what lies beyond and even within for that matter. The shadowing makes you look deeper. I love this image too. Thanks for joining my meme, and good luck in the contest. I even saw an image in the meme by another blogger I thought had a good chance on GGW. This meme is like a dry run for GGW in the respect that you get feedback from others and can see what they say about images - if it fits a GGW theme of the month that is. I wish I would have waited. Others would have guided me differently.

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  8. A very nice variety of blooms, lighting and composition! I like them all! I wish you the best of luck!

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  9. Hallo here I am again, I am sorry for the maybe bad english but it's more then 30 years since a learnt it at school. Can you tell the organge flower is it family of echinacea?
    Warm wishes marijke

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  10. the photo of the clematis seedhead is lovely; good luck on the contest! This is a great time of year, and I enjoy watching the changes in the garden. Lots of spiders here, too!

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  11. Best of luck in the GGW contest! The clematis image is beautiful and a bit mysterious ;)

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  12. Your photos are really lovely. You apparently are learning your camera really well.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  13. Your pictures are so pretty of the late summer garden. The spiderwebs are fantastic.

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  14. Your photos are all pretty. Love the orange flower photo, but the clematis photo seems a bit more wistful to me - the way I feel about the late summer garden. Good luck in the contest.

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  15. Beautiful photos. I found my way here from Word for Wednesday. I'll certainly be back for another visit.

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  16. I think you might place very well in the contest, beautiful photos.

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  17. Wow, photos of contrasts, amazingly glaring contrasts. I love how you play with the DOF and colors. It's amazing how Donna's meme elicited very creative ideas flowing and showing.

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  18. @marijke Thank you, Marijke. I tried to add your blog to my blog list but there was a problem...I'll try again later.

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  19. @Anne Thanks, Anne. That flower is an Echinacea 'Tiki Torch.'

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  20. I was having trouble picking a favorite because they're all incredible. And then I saw the Clematis shot and thought "Wow, that's a stand-out!" All great shots, though! Good luck with the contest!

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  21. @linniew I agree...it was a tough choice. I really liked that photo as well.

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  22. @Angie Thanks, Angie. I am so glad you enjoy my blog.

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  23. @Lola Thanks, Lola. It was a hard decision for me as well.

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  24. @Stacy Thanks, Stacy. I agree with you...it was a hard decision. We'll see how it goes.

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  25. @gardenwalkgardentalk.com Donna, it was a hard decision as well. I also was drawn to that particular shot, but I felt the clematis seedhead fit the theme more accurately. I think your images are amazing, and after viewing them, I would not know which one to submit as an entry. It is a hard decision. I really like your meme and have enjoyed participating.

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  26. @marijke Hi Marijke. That is the echinacea variety, Tiki Torch. It has a nice coloring, doesn't it?

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  27. @debsgarden Thanks, Deb. I enjoy watching the changes in the garden as well...so interesting and pretty.

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  28. @Cat Thanks, Cat. And thanks for your kind comments.

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  29. @Sunray Gardens Thanks, Cher. Yes, I am enjoying photographing the garden.

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  30. @Lona Thanks, Lona. There are so many spider webs in the garden these days, and sometimes when the light shines through them in a certain way...they are beautiful.

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  31. @HolleyGarden Thanks, Holley. Your best wishes are appreciated.

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  32. @Crafty Gardener Thanks, Crafty Gardener. I am glad you enjoyed your visit.

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  33. @Andrea Thanks, Andrea. I think Donna's meme is a very good one with so many possibilities.

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  34. Spider webs and fennel in bloom... outstanding!

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  35. Beautiful, beautiful. I'll jump on board with the opening orange flower pix.

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  36. The clematis seed head is my favorite, too. Good luck with the contest! The light on the echinacea in the background is so pretty.

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  37. My favorite is the spider web. To me, they are not easy to shoot but yours looks so complete. It even comes with dew drops. Just gorgeous!

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  38. @PlantPostings Thanks for your kind comments. It was very hard for me to make a choice.

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  39. @Cathy and Steve Thanks, Cathy and Steve. I really liked the fennel in bloom photo because the stems and leaves were so unique.

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  40. @Patrick's Garden Thanks, Patrick. That one seems to be a favorite. It is also one of my favorites.

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  41. @GirlSprout Thanks, GirlSprout. I thought it represented the late summer garden most aptly...but we'll see...

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  42. @One Thanks, One. You are right...spider webs are a challenge to shoot. I must have taken loads of photos before I got the right one.

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  43. I agree, illumination is such a great word when the light quality is so important right now. Really like the picture of the clematis seedhead and the bright colours of the echinacea. Everything just had a warm glow to it.

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  44. @Marguerite Thank you, Marguerite. I like the words Donna comes up with for this meme. They really offer such great photo opportunities.

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  45. The photos are beautiful and inspiring. I like the fennel in bloom which reminds me of crystals and gemstones on the branches.

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  46. Beautiful photos, I do like them.

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  47. Beautiful photo! I love how the flower is repeated in the bokeh and blur. Beautiful colors!

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  48. @Autumn Belle Thanks, Autumn Belle. I like your vision of the fennel...beautiful!

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  49. @dona Thanks, Dona. I am so glad you like them.

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  50. Beautiful photos and blog :)
    I really enjoy reading ur blog.
    tnx

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  51. Great photos!

    I love the orange coneflower also!

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  52. Beautiful photography that sums up the end of summer.
    Rosemary...

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  53. @Arash Thank you, Arash. I am so glad you enjoy The Sage Butterfly. I really appreciate you stopping by.

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  54. @The Summer Porch Thank you, Rosemary. The end of summer is so nice with its colors and textures.

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  55. Absolutely gorgeous!! So many people I know love early Autumn, but I've never been one of them. For me, it marks then end of the outdoor gardening season and it's almost always a little depressing (only cure: pumpkin pie). BUT -- your photos here show the beauty and joy of the changing season in a lovely way. You're making me rethink my anti-Autumn tendencies. ~peace

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  56. Good luck with the photo contest, Michelle; your chosen photo is a beauty. (I also loved the first one as an evocation of late summer.) -Jean

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  57. Those are preety flowers! I like the spider web photos!

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  58. Sorry I am so late stopping by. Your photos are very beautiful. Beautiful colors captured nicely. I wish you well in the contest.

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  59. Echinacea are wonderful subjects for photgraphy and at all stages of their flowering life. Catching the web in the light is always magical.

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  60. Wonderful photos, you are very clever at capturing the right moment and angle. Gives me something to aspire to - thanks

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  61. Great photos and perfect for the theme!

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  62. Beautiful. I really liked the contrast/complimentary colors of the purple echinacea and the orange flower in the front. Very nice!

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  63. @CatsandCatts Thanks! I get that way in July as the end of the blooms of summer arrives. Autumn has always been a favorite for me because of the fall colors and the upcoming holidays. Thanks for your visit!

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  64. @jeansgarden Thanks, Jean. It was a hard decision, but I am glad I picked this one. Thanks for your support!

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  65. @Malar Thanks, Malar. The spider web photos were a challenge to photograph.

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  66. @Janet Thanks, Janet! I agree...echinacea is so beautiful in photos. They seem to have all the perfect characteristics...color, texture, and interest.

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  67. @Wendy I am glad you agree, Wendy. It was a hard decision to come up with a selection.

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  68. @nittygrittydirtman Thanks, NGD. I really appreciate your kind words and support.

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'I see trees of green, red roses, too
I see 'em bloom for me and for you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world'
--What a Wonderful World

Thank you for visiting The Sage Butterfly blog. I enjoy reading your charming reflections very much. Have a great day!

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