Category: Soft Focus

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I don’t remember flowers blooming in October when I was a kid.  I don’t even remember buying Fall mums to decorate our porch.  Once Labor Day arrived, summer was officially over!  But these days summer weather continues and our gardens are still colorful well into Fall.  I will hang on to every last ounce of that for as long as I can.  Here’s a beautiful Dahlia photographed with the Lensbaby Velvet 56.

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It was refreshing to spend time at Longwood Gardens and be among serious flower photographers!  Visitors had some pretty impressive equipment in the Conservatory and along the Garden Walk where the tulip display was in full bloom.  More and more often, photographers who shoot with more than a cell phone or point and shoot camera are discriminated against for having quality equipment. Many public events (such as concerts, etc.) don’t permit cameras with interchangeable lenses and some don’t allow photography at all.  This has even seeped into the dog show world where I have been asked on several occasions not to photograph, but others with smaller cameras were allowed to take photos as much as they wanted.  It is very disheartening.

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We’ve had a LOT of rain this summer in my neck of the woods.  Just yesterday we received over an inch.  It was torrential at times!  In some ways the garden has been thriving (the weeds are growing like crazy!) and then there are the plants and flowers that don’t like too much water.  Here’s one that tolerates wet soil nicely …. with a rain droplet on the petal.

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Oh, this is definitely an outtake!  Brewster and I were trying to take a selfie and success was very elusive.  At this point I believe he had enough of “looking pretty for the camera”!  All he really wanted was the treat reward that he knew was coming at the end of the photo session!


Three of my favorite things….sailboats, reflections, and water lilies!  Nockamixon State Park in Bucks County, Pa. is a beautiful spot for relaxing on a lazy summer day!  There is even a swimming pool!  Many of the sailboats in the marina have wind chimes which are so delightful when there is a soft breeze!  I love visiting this lake!