Here’s to Seeing Flowers Again

Looking Forward to Seeing Flowers

I am looking forward to seeing flowers like this rose again soon. I took this photo in the fall. When I notice the beautiful fall colors surrounding me, I overlooked this brilliant colored rose. I really loved the color of the orange and the red of the rose along with green leaves/stem. It took several shots until I got the background to blur just right. I am looking forward to Spring, one of my favorite times of the year (autumn being the other). In Maryland winter is always a bit odd. One day it could be 60 and the next 30 with snow.

Transforming Photography

Photography Beyond the Photograph

Photography by Jennifer Triplett, Copyright treebranchdesign.wordpress.com 2013

The beauty of photography is that it captures a moment in time and that you can use it to evoke feelings. With that said, there are allot of opinions as to at what point photography transforms itself into illustration. This image has been transformed completely. Is it alright to claim this as art? Can a computer be a tool for an artist to express themselves and create an image that personally appeals to them? I used several layers and effects to create what appeals to my eye. I selected this photograph specifically because I knew that the sharp contrast in colors would create more depth and motion. It may sound strange, but it really is true. When I mix paint on a palatte there is some type of plan or subject in mind, however I tend to enjoy doing things on the fly so to speak; painting my feelings as I go along. I like to take the same approach when I create illustrated effects from photographs that I have taken, oftentimes planned for post production illustration. I can recycle this image and use for web design, adding it as a header background or button texture. The fun thing is there really is no limit. Jennifer Triplett – Treebranchdesign

Rescued Wolves in the Snow

Wolves that Were Rescued

Wolf Sanctuary, PA

I recently visited the Wolf Sanctuary in Pennsylvania and was able to take loads of photos of them in the snow. Of course I would have preferred taking photos of them in the wild, but they were magnificent creatures. Unfortunately people believe that they make interesting pets and even cross-breed them with domesticated dogs. If you like wolf photography you can view beautiful photos by their staff photographer at http://wolfsanctuarypa.org/ Almost forgot to mention you can “adopt” a Wolf.  My son fell in love with one named Scout, who we saw about half-way through the tour, so we adopted him (you get a photo and a certificate). My oldest saw him immediately and loved him. My 2 boys were so thrilled by it, that I went ahead and adopted another Wolf as a gift for my father. The snow falling made the scene incredibly beautiful and the wolves loved it. They frolicked and played with eachother; even did some wonderful howling as you can see in the last photo. I only wish I could have taken photos of these amazing creatures without the fence….from far away…

Flowers and Focal Points

Photography by Jennifer Triplett

Enjoying my new camera, I experimented with the focal point feature. With multiple focal points I tried to get a middle focus or somewhere in-between. Notice one little bud off to the right is more in focus than the foreground and flowers behind. To me, the eye travels to the middle and then explores back and beyond. The stems appear to create a nested layering effect.

Weekly Late Challenge Geometry

Geometry Weekly Challenge (a little late)

I don’t know which is more of a challenge…taking the pictures or making the posts (with boys – who are currently expressing themselves musically). Anyway, I noticed last week’s photo challenge was Geometry. Kind of late, but without a doubt one of my favorite themes in any medium. What are my thoughts about geometry? In 8th grade it was a great opportunity to catch up on sleep. I never could figure out its purpose. However, later on when I truly studied art I was enlightened and geometry to me became a balance between shape and form.

Flowers: Celebrating a New Camera

Photograph is compressed at medium quality for this blog.

Flowers with a Touch of Imperfection

After much waiting and researching and waiting and then researching again, I final replaced my good old Rebel xTi. I haven’t looked back. My new camera is the Canon 7D.  Here is one of my first shots outside. I chose an easy subject so I can get to experience the difference from my old camera.  The camera has an amazing clarity, although this image has been compressed at medium quality for this blog. Yes! No more holding closeup lenses over my lens (well maybe..). I get goosebumps just thinking about all the fun stuff I can capture with this new camera. The one little petal falling off makes this image more authentic and fun. Beauty isn’t always perfect. Let nature be.

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Chesapeake Bay Bridge Sunrise: No 2

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge, during the sunrise, taken from the Carnival Pride Cruise. I was amazed at the lines and patterns of this bridge. It was an amazing site! Sad to be returning into the Port of Baltimore from the Bahamas. I had to repeat myself but I wanted to share this sunrise photo of the Chesapeake also-since the angle and view are not common.

The Dancing Rose

The Dancing Rose

In this photograph I was looking to transform a rather dull colored photo of rose into something that conveys movement while setting a melancholy mood. This is a photograph of a red rose. Something so beautiful that requires so much hard work to maintain, is so easily susceptible to quickly disease and die. We strive to hold onto it’s beauty, only to watch it fade away gracefully dropping their velvety softness. It’s the movement of life. This is my first post, in what feels like forever. Life moved too quickly for me this summer. The first post is always the hardest after not doing it in so long.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Sunrise

Sunrise View from Cruise Line

A rare opportunity to view the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from the balcony of our room from our Carnival Cruise returning from the Bahamas. It was one of the most beautiful sites I have seen (except for the blue waters and white sands of the Caribbean-another post). I used a Canon Powershot to snap this photo. My EOS Rebel is ill.

Photography: Weekly Challenge Unfocused

We all need to be unfocused at times.

Soft and Intricate

Originally not a very exciting photograph, I decided to see if there was any creative hope to make this viewer-worthy. Who can’t resist blowing the dandelion seeds? My son does it all the time. But I never really paid much attention to the dandelion. It’s a weed. But after working with this photo, I realized how intricate and soft the dandelion is. The shades of gray and lines, along with the complexity of the patterns attract me to this originally very drab photo of a dandelion. To make this more exciting I cropped the image and re-sized it. Then I converted it to the gray-scale, adjusting the curves and brightness-contrast until the tones were as vivid as I could get without degrading the image.

Photography: Classic Cars and Design

This week seemed to be a Vintage week for me. Thursday night I went to a 4 Aces concert and Saturday a Car Show (swap meet?), located in Millersville MD. This week I will be posting my photography of these beautiful cars. My goal was to highlight and capture their design; paying attention to light and reflection, angles, trim, and color.  Included in these posts are custom and restored cars. There are even a couple of rare cars such as a Limited Edition 1963 convertible Corvette. My oldest brother would be drooling right now. There is no coincidence that most of the photos are of cherry red cars. I did find my dream car cherry red mustang….but it was not a convertible. These are the first three cars…I will post more photography tomorrow of classic cars and design.

The Docks of California: Seal Style

This brings back memories. Taken many moons ago, when I was working on an automated concept vehicle project. I managed to captured this moment on the docks of California. Although I didn’t get too much time to enjoy my visit (it was a business trip), I did get a chance to see “wildlife” and escape from seeing cars.  The weather was amazing everyday. The seagull seems to be a bit nosy if you ask me. Of course I guess I am even more so…taking pictures of these two love seals. These creatures were amazing to watch. They filled the docks and didn’t really seem to care about anyone being around them. Really, I should of called this Two Seal it with a Kiss. Ok, since this post I have changed the title from Love on the Docks to just The Docks. Why? I spotted a rather not so appropriate video advertisment on my blog. Yuck! Has this ever happened to anyone. Very annoying. I can deal with Purina or Cars. So I will no longer place love in my blog or kiss. So uncool.

Take the Time

Enjoy your day and the precious moments it will provide.

 There is always something special about the combination of water and rocks. Both are extremly powerful in their own way. I could watch endlessly, thinking of the comparisions and contrasts between the two and how they compliment each other. Photograph taken in Canada on a remote location that I likely couldn’t find again, but at least I have the moment captured. If you ever get the chance to visit Canada, I encourage you to plug-in your GPS or get a map and explore. There are so many beautiful and hidden sites. I hesitate to post this photo because it’s not one of my best, however it fits perfect for me on this Easter Sunday. Have a wonderful day, however you may celebrate it.

Moon Glow: Falling of the Face of the Earth

Moon Glow

Falling off the face of the Earth. Staring out towards the ocean late one night from our hotel balcony, I couldn’t help but feel compelled at the sense of endlessness that this Moon Glow created. The black sky being illuminated by the full bright white moon made such a remarkable appearance, that it seemed like I was part of an unreal world. The clouds had an eerie glow about them that had a slight blue tint, the only hint that this is not a black and white photograph.

Photography Using Close-Up Filter

Experimenting with photography outside, I took 3 closeup lenses from my old Vivitar and placed them over my Canon EOS. You would think I went into Photoshop and did some crazy blur filter or something. Sorry…what you see is what you get. This is an image of dried grass. The sunlight is what makes the glowing. It is then magnified by the lenses. The blur effect is from having multiple lenses which also creates a distortion.

Photo Weekly Challenge: Distortion of Love

Distortion

Well…I’m a little late, however I could not resist “Distortion” as last week’s ‘Weekly Photo Challenge’. This image above was distorted in Photoshop and from a photograph I took of car rear lights. The heart (love) appeared out of nowhere.

Photo Art: A Mondrian Kind of Day

My Mondrian influence

One of my favorite artist’s is Piet Mondrian. Every since my childhood I have been attracted to his balance of color and geometric design. You see it everywhere today. Fashion especially. But, never would of guessed that I saw it one visit to Canada. Of course it was my own eye catching this. One of my favorite bridges is in Canada. It crosses over the Thousand Islands from the United States to Canada (or Canada to U.S.). Anyway, we took a cruise (which is a must) that tours the Thousand Islands region and I was able to get a new view. The lines from the cables and even the patterns from the bridge reminded me of Mondrian. So today, in my “I have to get started working so let’s procrastinate” mood, I decided to do a little artwork on it. Click here to see the original.

A Reflection on Rain with a Latte

Rain reflection

When it rains I feel time stops a little and slows down, taking time to see things in a new light. This photograph was taken while I was sitting in carpool at school. I was completely bored out of my mind. Then while staring off into la la land I saw how the raindrops seem to change things in an interesting way. This is especially true through glass and on mirrors. Looking into the side-view mirror the drops and the trees were creating a natural black and white image. Almost eerie in some ways. However, I also notice how it broke down objects into a more geometric shaping. For example the trees are simplified. The reflection of the car itself. I wonder if it is the attention we pay to the rain drops that creates the optical effect our eyes focus on one thing and simplify the rest) or could it just be the Grande cinnamon dolche latte I just drank from Starbucks. Whatever it was, I wish I had my Cannon; it would of taken a better image. Do you have any ‘reflection’ on rain. I might not reply simply because I don’t want to take away from your comments. I will reply later on.

Abstract to Abstract, Round 2

Is there really a Wordless Wednesday? I have no words left. I created this tonight while I was programming in HTML (Java). I needed something creative to do. So, I used my laptop for artwork and my desktop for work-work. Laptop battery is dying must post this….

Flying Patterns

Picture this image with the sounds of loons calling and fish splashing. No noises from humans. They are sleeping. This is the time of the day I love most in Canada.

I took this photo last year and came across it today while searching for something else. I am drawn to this image because I love silhouettes. Enya would be good background music for this image. Thanks goes to Scottseyephotos.wordpress.com for inspiring me to post this today.

Study of Lights: Abstract to Abstract

This Photographic Art piece was a creation from a photography light study I did last month. I took the image further in post production to create a feeling of movement created by vibration. I just thought I would share it. The nice thing about lights, is that when you photograph them they bring in a special color/effect that is oftentimes is difficult to create.

The Rising Sun Among Shadows

An instant inspiration tonight as I was completely lacking creative thought from a long day of web development and bookkeeping. The hallway ceiling light was making wonderful patterns that I just had to take a photo of to share. Then when I brought it into my photo editor my creative wheels started turning. What if the shadows looked like the were on a floor. Since they already resembled the sun’s rays, I decided it would be fun to make it look like a rising sun. actually looking at it again, I also see an eye.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Simple

Simple. It’s funny how a simple compositional idea can inspire you to do something creative.

I took this photo today. We had our first accumulation of snow/ice. A mere 1/2″. The shapes of the ice and the bulb complemented each other even though they come from two different worlds they blend together as if it was only natural. Snow and ice always seems to inspire me to take photography. The world seems serene and untouched during snow. Lines are accented from tree branches. Houses transform themselves into a geometric gallery of art. Sounds are muffled and soft. A world I could just gaze at for an eternity or until my kids starts hitting each other or the dogs bark at a random squirrel.

Photography of a Geometric Sunrise, Ocean City Maryland

Photography from inside hotel balcony. The balcony looks over the indoor pool and also out over to the ocean. Some may see these bars as an eye sore, however they have a wonderful geometric design to them. Paired with a sunrise and horizon line it makes for an interesting composition. This photograph was taken at the Princess Royal in Ocean City Maryland during the winter. If you look close enough there is snow out on the beach. A rarity in these parts. An interesting note: the post A Boy’s Desire to Fly, is a snowbank in Ocean City from last year’s snowstorm. We actually drove to the shore to play in the snow. The western part of Maryland only got a dusting, while the Eastern Shore got at least a foot.

Photography: Water Imitating Art

On the other side is the Kennedy Space Center. The colors made spectacular patterns with the rippling of the water in this photograph.  It was so incredible they looked like a painting. These photographs were taken just across the shore of the Kennedy Space Center, off the Indian River shore, just south of the bridge. I will keep this image in my mind as the day continues to be even busier. Tranquility. Enjoy!

Photography with Meaning: Beyond a Pretty Sunset

Brilliant Red Sky, Seems to Only Occur Here in the Winter

This photograph means more to me than a mere snapshot of a sunset. My son is responsible for this image being captured yesterday. This is what makes it special. I will now try to explain. Today is my birthday and he does not realize he gave me the best gift ever. Last night,  my 9 year old son ran to me with an excited voice. “Mommy come see this amazing sunset! Look at the color!” This is the special part…..Many times I have blabbered on and on to my children about the sunsets in the winter and have drawn their restless eyes over to the window, where they looked and wandered off. You can’t imagine how thrilled I was that he brought this sunset to my attention. It’s a personal goal to make my children aware of natural beauty and encourage their desires to be creative. (Recently discovered video games have become a challenge with this goal. They talk about them even when they are turned off.) Capturing my attention, he commanded that we take a photo from his room so that it would be from high up with a better view. Acting quickly, in order to capture the changing brilliant reds, I went auto mode on my Canon. The screening presented a challenge. By covering the flash,  just enough light captured the color without creating reflection from the screen. So as simple as it seems, I have already received the best birthday gift ever. It reminds me of how important my influence is on his short time of childhood. Discovering nature and art is just one small part. Spending time together sharing thoughts and solutions is major. This photo has not been enhanced.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Winter at the Beach

There are many beautiful places to see in the winter. Some of which are only quiet in the winter. For example, the beaches in Eastern Shore Maryland. Typically a tourist attraction during the summer months, Ocean City becomes a a locals only kind of scene. Here you can take advantage of peaceful walks on the beach, quiet sunrises, and listening to the waves. From our balcony I noticed that the windy conditions were creating interesting effects on the waves. When I went out on the beach to try to capture it there were many challenges. 1. The bright sun. 2. The sand blowing. 3. The waves were breaking far out-I would need to go in the water because my zoom max is 300mm; which I was not doing at 40 degrees. Winter to me isn’t just about snow and cold, but also about visiting quiet places where nature comes out to play.

Winter breeze on the beach

Canadian Reflections

Canadian Lake

While kayaking (thank you spell check!) in Canada, I was able capture this shot with my PowerShot.  The water was so calm, that the slightest breeze made this delicate wave. The reflections look like beautiful strokes of paint. It was a remarkably calming experience. I hope to take this same shot next year with my new camera (graduating from my Rebel xTi).