A couple nights ago I was wandering around my back yard and saw a number of different perennials in bloom. I set an alarm to come out the following morning to make some images in the morning sunlight. I noticed this backlit fern just sort of glowing and knew this image was within. It was worth getting up and out early.
In recent years I've become a big fan of ornamental grasses. The way the sunlight was reflecting off the blades of this plant was amazing. It almost looked like it was glowing.
I love the rich tones of this day lily. These flowers are among my favorites. Day after day, they just keep coming. The ones in our yard always seem to bloom around the time of my birthday so they're extra special for me.
These unidentified wild flowers with their tiny blooms on long stalks are really ephemeral to me. They're there, but you can see right through them.
The lines and contrasting leaves in this Japanese Sedge plant fascinated me as my daughter and I walked around Olbrich Botanical Garden photographing together.
The texture in this image is everything I was aiming for. These furry leaves beg to be touched. Can you feel them?
My daughter and I went to photograph at Olbrich Botanical Garden a few summers ago. We came across this patch of daisies and the patterns really drew me in. I love the repetition of form and texture in this image.
I don't remember where I was when I made this image, but I love the delicate little stalks on these Bergamot blooms. Sure, the purple color was wonderful, but it's the little details in this bloom that fascinate me.
My family and I were exploring one of the many waterfalls in Michigan's Upper Peninsula a few summers ago when I came upon this spider web that was covered with water droplets from the spray generated by the Great Conglomerate Falls.
Fall is my favorite time of year. I love those first really cold nights when there's still enough moisture in the air and frost forms on the ground. Even better when I can find an interesting leaf arrangement covered in that frost.
These 'weeds' are so beautiful when you take the time to see the details. I was waiting for my son's soccer practice to end one afternoon and was sitting near this dandelion so I thought I'd see if I could get a shot from underneath it. I love how enormous this dandelion looks from this perspective. You never know what you'll see when you get close to the ground. I'm usually amazed.
These 'weeds' are so beautiful when you take the time to see the details. Here, some of the seeds have already taken flight so you can see right into the heart of this amazing dandelion.
Early one October, I noticed this leaf on my driveway after a rainfall. I love how the water drops magnify the veins in the leaf and how they're all so varied in size.
Leaf litter, that is. This fallen Japanese Maple leaf really caught my eye as I was walking with my son one November afternoon. The bright red color really caught my eye but taking the color away really brought out the texture in this image and perfectly illustrates the changing of the seasons.
The amazing textures on this fallen Japanese Maple leaf really caught my eye as I was walking with my son one November afternoon. The color really caught my eye too (it was bright red), but taking the color away really brought out the leathery textures.
There was a pretty good ice storm where I live in February of 2019. I was out on a lunch break at the local Target store and I saw these ice coated plants at the edge of the parking lot. I loved the way the sunlight was shining through the fronds near the top of the plant in the foreground and how the clouds sort of mirrored the lines made by the two plants together.
This stand of wild daisies was growing in a neighbor's side yard right along the sidewalk. I saw the remaining dew drops on the petals of the flower as I walked by with my dog one morning. I thought I could create an interesting image with the rest of the field of daisies in the background.
I found this Tragopogon flower in a neighbor's side yard while out walking one morning. I learned that these flowers only open in morning sunshine so I was thankful that I happened by at the right time.
The peonies bloom in early-mid June where I live and I just love their intoxicating scent. The first time I saw a peony before it bloomed, I was concerned by all of the ants on the buds. Then I realized the nature of the symbiotic relationship between plant and insect that allows the delicate petals of this flower to open into a soft and satisfying scene like this. To me, this image looks almost like a painting. I just love the texture of those petals.
The peonies bloom in early-mid June where I live and I just love their intoxicating scent. The first time I saw a peony before it bloomed, I was concerned by all of the ants on the buds. Then I realized the nature of the symbiotic relationship between plant and insect that allows the delicate petals of this flower to open into a soft and satisfying scene like this.
I saw this scene while out walking our dog one morning. I never know if she's going to cooperate enough for me to make an image, but in this case she did. That big water drop was just waiting to get a bit bigger and run right off the leaf. The way the water drop sits next to the jagged edge of the leaf, almost spilling over it, was so exciting. And the sky reflected in the water was an added bonus.
I love to go out in my yard after a light rain and look at what surprises nature has left for me. The texture of this hosta leaf and the smooth reflective beads of water set each other off perfectly in a way that I could never artificially create.
I never knew that milkweed plants bloomed with such delicate little flowers. I came across these one summer and just fell in love with all of the detail that exists in these little treasures.
These little pine cones and the pine needles with their sheathes provide the kind of detail I'm always searching for in the small places and moments in life.
I passed these pine cones one day while on a break from work. I'd passed them on the same walk dozens of times before and never notice them. On this day, however, they jumped out at me and I knew there was art in them.
These foxgloves grow near the side of the road near my favorite place in the world. My family goes to a summer camp called Moon Beach in northern WI every summer. This photo brings back such wonderful memories of the time we've spent there.
These foxgloves grow near the side of the road near my favorite place in the world. My family goes to a summer camp called Moon Beach in northern WI every summer. This photo brings back such wonderful memories of the time we've spent there.
This beauty was in the landscaping outside a fast food restaurant where we stopped on our way home from a wonderful summer week at a family retreat center in Northern WI. So glad I had my camera with me.
Hydrangea blooms are always amazing. These particular flowers looked so delicate, yet sturdy. This image brings me peace when I look at it.
The variegation on this coleus plant was so striking that I had to try to capture it. The cat's eye shape of the inner leaves really cemented the drama in this image.
There's just something about the texture of flower petals that I find so satisfying. This Zinnia was bright red-orange, but the black and white print speaks to me so much more.
After I stopped to pick up dinner one evening, I noticed this patch of Zinnias in the landscaping of a nearby shop. They just made me happy. I hope they stir the same feelings in you.
This image reminds me of winter, but it was taken in the middle of summer. I enjoy finding those types of contradictions in life.
There's a yard in my neighborhood where the owner has let nature take over and a large stand of Tiger lilies has taken hold over the last couple of years.
I love the structure of the dahlia. Not yet fully in bloom, this flower is still on its way to full glory, but you can see what awaits in the center.
The Hostas were about to bloom in my back yard and I just love the play of the natural beauty of the flowers against the rough old fence in the background.
There had been a light rain shower early in the morning and I walked past this day lily on my way to the car. The smooth tones combined with the water droplets are what makes this composition special to me.
The brilliant white color of these orchids caught my eye as I finished up my grocery shopping late one night. Yep, the grocery store. There's beauty everywhere if we just slow down to notice it.
I noticed the delicate shapes and patterns of these orchids as I finished up my grocery shopping late one night. Yep, the grocery store. There's beauty everywhere if we just slow down to notice it.
No longer purple, but the detail and textures of this dried cone flower are qualities to still be admired.
These dried plants make me think of the summer that's just passed and how there is still beauty to be found in the world, even as it prepares for the darkness of winter.
It was toward the end of summer when I walked by this wild carrot that appeared to be preparing for winter. It was all bunched up and I really liked the detail of the multiple layers of 'flowers' on the different stems.
While on a walk, I noticed the white fluff of these milkweed seeds from across the street. So I went to get a closer look and was fascinated by the details of the seeds and the silky threads that they clung to. I'd never seen this before and was struck by how beautiful it was.
While on a walk, I noticed the white fluff of these milkweed seeds from across the street. So I went to get a closer look and was fascinated by the details of the seeds and the silky threads that they clung to. I'd never seen this before and was struck by how beautiful it was.
While on a walk, I noticed the white fluff of these milkweed seeds from across the street. So I went to get a closer look and was fascinated by the details of the seeds and the silky threads that they clung to. I'd never seen this before and was struck by how beautiful it was.
I came across this past-its-prime wild carrot in a vacant lot and loved the way it and its dried up neighbors stood out in front of the snowy background.
While on a mid-December walk, I found this leaf that had sunken into the week-old fallen snow.
My family took a trip to Door County, WI a few days before Christmas and found this single leaf lightly covered with snow. I loved the way that parts of the leaf were far enough above the snow that you can see shadow underneath.
To brighten up my wife's birthday, I bought her a bouquet of her favorite flowers, tulips. I love the vase that she chose to arrange them in and thought that if I could get the arrangement close to our big picture window with some nice soft light, it might look really beautiful.
The heart of a tulip blossom is full of some amazing textures and details if you take the time to really look at one.
A couple nights ago I was wandering around my back yard and saw a number of different perennials in bloom. This Asian bleeding heart was one of them. I set an alarm to come out the following morning to make this image in the morning sunlight. It was worth getting up and out early.
A couple nights ago I was wandering around my back yard and saw a number of different perennials in bloom. This Asian bleeding heart was one of them. I set an alarm to come out the following morning to make this image in the morning sunlight. It was worth getting up and out early.
A couple nights ago I was wandering around my back yard and saw a number of different perennials in bloom. This rhododendron was one of them. I set an alarm to come out the following morning to make this image in the morning sunlight. It was worth getting up and out early. The delicacy of these blooms has always captivated me.
A couple nights ago I was wandering around my back yard and saw a number of different perennials in bloom. This columbine was one of them. I set an alarm to come out the following morning to make this image in the morning sunlight. It was worth getting up and out early.
My family and I went for a walk in the University of WIsconsin Arboretum woods this spring to provide some relief from the monotony of COVID-19 lockdown. These Wild Lupine were among the beautiful wild flowers we saw on our walk.
My family and I went for a walk in the University of WIsconsin Arboretum woods this spring to provide some relief from the monotony of COVID-19 lockdown. These Wild Lupine were among the beautiful wild flowers we saw on our walk.
My family and I went for a walk in the University of Wisconsin Arboretum woods this spring to provide some relief from the monotony of COVID-19 lockdown. These Dame's Rockets were among the beautiful wild flowers we saw on our walk.
My family and I went for a walk in the University of WIsconsin Arboretum woods this spring to provide some relief from the monotony of COVID-19 lockdown. These Dame's Rockets were among the beautiful wild flowers we saw on our walk.
My family and I went for a walk in the University of WIsconsin Arboretum woods this spring to provide some relief from the monotony of COVID-19 lockdown. This tree-hugging vine was one of the beautiful sights we saw on our walk.
I was in my back yard in late October 2020 after the first light snowfall of the season and I was really interested in the textures of the snowflakes resting on the leaves that had yet to fall.
Chrysanthemum
This is another of the series of images I took on that June afternoon walk after the light rain had stopped. This one is actually from my own back yard where we have a number of ornamental grasses growing. I'm really happy with the way the tones in this image came out.
Here's another image I made while out for a walk after a light rain. I don't know the name of this plant, but the overall plant wasn't looking very interesting so I got in super close to just one of the leaves and this is what resulted. I once heard, and continue to advise that the two most important rules in photography are:1. Get close to the subjectand2. Get closer
I made this image one morning outside my front door after going for a walk with my son. There had been a light rain just after dawn and when we walked by this Daylily on the way back inside, the water droplets caught my eye and I had to go in and get my camera. One of my favorite times to photograph is after a light rain. I love seeing the reflections in the water droplets and how each plant holds water differently. I just love, love, love getting up close to scenes like this.
