Waiting Patiently

Waiting Patiently, a photo by MNE Photography on Flickr.

I'm just getting started on this blogging thing and have a lot to learn.  For instance, I need to figure out where to locate blogs that I'm interested in following, and how to write blogs that others might find interesting.  But it will all happen sooner or later.  In the mean time, have a happy Wednesday!

Suspended (for a split second)

Suspended (for a split second), a photo by MNE Photography on Flickr.

Comment:  Getting a solid capture of one of these guys is virtually impossible, because they don't exactly hold still for any length of time. Very inconsiderate of them in my opinion.

Photo Location:  This bumblebee was captured in the Herbaceous Perennials & Ornamental Grasses Section, of the W. D. Holley Plant Environmental Research Center, on the CSU campus in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Photo Data:  Zuiko 50mm macro, f/6.3, 1/800 sec., 400 ISO, handheld.

Macro Photography Tip:  When shooting bees and butterflies I generally use a faster ISO because they tend to be moving constantly.  The faster ISO (400 is what I usually use for bees) helps freeze some of their motion, making for sharper images.

CSU Annual Flower Trial Garden

CSU Annual Flower Trial Garden, a set on Flickr.

The Colorado State University Annual Flower Trial Garden is one of Fort Collins most popular tourist destinations. The attached set of photos was captured over the past two summers and contains 246 photos and growing. Hope you enjoy color and detail because there is a lot of both contained herein.

Part II - Photos from the 2011 Junior League of Fort Collins Terrace & Garden Tour

I attended the 2011 Junior League of Fort Collins Terrace & Garden Tour this past Saturday. 2011 was the 12th time in the past 13 years for me to attend their tour. Below is a second batch of photos that I am posting from the garden tour. I will be adding captions and content over the next several days. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos.

Click on any image to enlarge.

Check out the squirrel on the tree.  Taken at 116 Pearl Street.

An allium taken at 1112 Oak Street.

Sculpture by local artist Jerry Boyle.

A potentilla taken at 1408 Mountain Avenue.

Phygelius.

A snow daisy taken at 711 Mountain Avenue.

Looking up into a huge blue spruce at 116 Pearl Street.

Window boxes on the carriage house at 1408 Mountain.

A candle inside the lamp on the carriage house at 1408 Mountain.

An impressionist style photo of a lady wearing a blue hat. 

Here's a photo showing where the lady above came from.

Part I - Photos from the 2011 Junior League of Fort Collins Terrace & Garden Tour

I attended the 2011 Junior League of Fort Collins Terrace & Garden Tour today. This year's gardens were in Old Town.  Each garden was either on, or in close proximity to, Mountain Avenue. Below are a few of the photos I captured. I will be adding captions and content over the next several days, but wanted to get these photos posted today.

Click on any image to enlarge.

A rose captured at 1408 Mountain Avenue.

An allium captured at 1112 Oak Street.

A sculptured mask photographed at 1319 Mountain Avenue.

Salvia photographed at 1408 Mountain Avenue.

1319 Mountain Avenue.  

The scene above was captured when peeking through the back deck balusters.

Sun Daisies I captured at 711 Mountain Avenue.

This was photographed at 1408 Mountain Avenue.

The prettiest window box I ever laid eyes on.  The combination of complementary vibrant colors was perfect.  The window box design was created by Weeds Garden Care, LLC of Fort Collins, Colorado.

Another sculptured mask photographed at 1319 Mountain Avenue.

She Stood There Quietly

She Stood There Quietly, a photo by MNE Photography on Flickr.

Rain and drizzle can present some great photo opportunities. So next time it's raining, think of it as a good thing and grab the camera and head outside. You'll be glad you did.

This photograph was shot in my neighbor's garden in Fort Collins, Colorado. Click on the photo to see the camera data for this shot.

Gardens Are Fairly Resilient!

Gardens Are Fairly Resilient!, a photo by MNE Photography on Flickr.

This is my front yard in Fort Collins, Colorado. Things have bounced back fairly well after our hail storm of a week ago. The salvia in the foreground is about 70% of what it was before the storm and the 'Snow in Summer' on the left is about 50% of prestorm density. And I would guess that the Purple Mountain Sun Daisies in the middle are somewhere in between 50-70%. Oh well...

Irises Are Nature's Eye Candy

Irises are one of the most popular perennial plants found in gardens throughout the United States.  Some of the reasons why they are so popular is that they are usually very easy to grow, and they come in a variety of colors and sizes.  They produce wonderful showy flowers that are enjoyable to view, and make for some spectacular macro photographs. Here is a sampling of irises that I've captured here in Fort Collins, Colorado.

If you'd like to see more of my iris photos check out my Flickr photostream at:

MNE Photography Photostream

Thanks for stopping by.

Mike