"Give me a 'Y'!"

Or Gumby with warts... :-)... sorry, couldn't help myself. What is really interesting is the multitude of different shapes in this, at first glance, simple image. Is the sky polarized, or perhaps it's just that clear out there? A unique shot, well presented... (Glad to see you back in the saddle.)... Mike

 

 

Thanks for your comment welcoming me 'back'. I could spend all my time doing this stuff.....thankfully, I don't! :-) To tell you the truth, I don't remember about the polarizer. I often have a polarizer on, but sometimes I take it off if I use my grad filters. I need to get better about knowing how I capture a shot.....but I'll get there....eventually! The skies really were blue though. Actually, lately I've had pretty good luck with skies.....either incredibly blue or very brooding with clouds. We just found out today that we'll be going back out West again in August.....Portland area. Do you know that area or the coast at all? Thanks again, Mike!

Christal, very good perspective, exposure, light and color contrast.

Christal... No, the Pacific Northwest is on "the list" but it seems when we go west, we can't seem to get past the Rockies. It's a beautiful area and will be a great trip for you... Mike

 

 

This is a very detailed picture of a cactus with very effective lighting to reveal its pattern. Deep blue sky is very enhancing. I like the over all imact. Regards ifti.

Please give me your opinions. Thanks so much!

Thanks for your support of this photo. I also think there is beauty in this, despite its grotesque-ness. Thanks to your comments I took another look at this and realized that I had not submitted it for critique, as I thought I had. I appreciate your visit!

Christal,

Nice textures, lines and colors, almost abstract.

How did you ever manage to find one of these rare Saguaro cacti to photograph? This one is a real beauty, but the lighting could be better.

This was at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. It is quite a lovely specimen. This was taken in a late afternoon harsh light, but I couldn't resist. I also think the shadow across the bottom lends interest and tones down the brightness a bit. Thanks for noticing my new stuff! Hey, I think we're going back to Portland.....just can't seem to make it up to Seattle, a place I've long wanted to visit. One day. :-)

All 3 of them. but this one has a real unusual texture and form. I like the blue backdrop.Nice to see you posting again.

This crenulated saguaro is priceless - the light makes it sing and your nearly-square crop is perfect. Excellent work! I love the night-blooming cereus against the orange wall too, Both of these are very fetching photos. Your work continues to really improve. I just spent several minutes looking at a lot of your new stuff; I'm very impressed, Christal. Say "Hi" to Norm for me. Cheers! Chris

That's high praise from you, Chris. Thanks for digging around in the rubble to find some of these old ones. And thanks for identifying the 'night-blooming cereus' for me. I didn't know what it was.....I just thought it was so striking against the orange wall. In fact, I'm going to enter it in a photo competition next month.....theme is 'ORANGE'.

Really a stunning image, I love the sharpness of the cactus against the deep blue of the sky. And it's so easy to see a face in the cactus, eyes, a mouth, and even a tongue, which gives this a sense of fun beyond the simple natural beauty of the cactus against the sky.

Wonderful light and shade with an appearance of a giant flower.