Orchid Orbitals

On a recent visit to Washington, DC, my family and I stopped in at the United States Botanic Garden. It’s a remarkable place, with plenty of great photo opportunities. But what happens when you get back home and find that some of your shots are not terribly exciting, like this one?

I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad shot; it’s just not very inspiring. But it does look like a good starting point for a little Photoshop distortion filter magic. Here are two examples using the same distortion techniques, just a different crop of the original:

You can see some of the elements of the original in both, but it always amazes me how differently these images come out. Which do you like better?

Our Backyard Aviary

24 Species in 24 Hours

My family and I had quite an afternoon of birdwatching yesterday. We spotted 22 different species, and never even left our backyard.

We saw at least three different Baltimore Orioles,

two different Rose-breasted Grosbeaks,

and at least one of each of the following:

• Orchard Oriole
• Tufted Titmouse
• Black-capped Chickadee
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Brown Thrasher
• House Finch
• Northern Cardinal
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Northern Flicker
• Turkey Vulture
• American Goldfinch
• American Robin
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Common Grackle
• Common Starling
• Blue Jay
• Mourning Dove
• Downy Woodpecker
• Gray Catbird
• American Crow

As if those weren’t enough, we added two more to the list this morning:

• Eastern Bluebird
• Tree Swallow

All in all, not a bad day!

 

Featured Artist Fulvio Ruggiero

I recently teamed up with the incredibly talented Italian fashion designer and artist Fulvio Ruggiero to distribute his remarkable series of Disney-inspired original art. Fulvio’s work will be featured in my shop, and will be available on various media, including prints, canvases and phone cases.

Here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming. This example, inspired by the Disney film Frozen, shows Fulvio’s interpretation of sisters Anna and Elsa:

Prints and canvases aren’t available as of this writing (check back soon), but the phone cases are. Here’s what the “Frozen” iPhone case looks like:

You can find more phone cases featuring Fulvio’s original art here.

Also check him out on deviantART, linkedin and Facebook.

 

First Day of Spring in Pennsylvania

It’s been a long, cold winter here in the Susquehanna Valley in Pennsylvania. We didn’t have any blizzards, record-breaking snowfalls or floods caused by ice dams or sudden snow melts. Having already been through those, I’m certainly thankful. But we are stuck in a pattern of below-average temperatures which just doesn’t want to quit. Nice days are few and far between, and the long range forecasts indicate no end in sight. So much for getting an early start on the outdoor chores!

Despite my whining, today is the first day of spring, so I thought I’d share one of my favorite flower photos. A chive probably isn’t the first thing that pops into your head when you think about spring flowers, but I think the colors are suitable. Enjoy the photo, the day and the warmer weather to come.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 105mm f/2.8, ISO 400, 1/1500 sec @ f/4.0

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Here’s to a long life and a merry one.
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one.
A cold pint– and another one!

Nikon D300, Nikkor 105mm f/2.8, ISO 400, 1.0 sec @ f/9.5