Category Archives: Our Garden

Images taken in our Pennsylvania garden

Not Too Inviting

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150128_Chairs in Snow by . Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 31mm, f/11, 1/180 sec, ISO 1600

These chairs, which are our Spring, Summer, and Fall hangout in the early mornings and late afternoons, did not look too inviting on this day.  Many hours during the year are spent here relaxing and enjoying our backyard pond and stream.  I am afraid it will be a while before we will be enjoying them again.

This photo looks like a B&W image, but is not.  The winter haze along with the snow and weathered wood of the chairs create the monotone.  If you look hard you can see a little color in the trees in the background.

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After First Snow

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150127_Mailbox_1st snow by . Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 35mm, f/5.0, 1/300 sec, ISO 1600

My leaning mailbox looks like the weight of the snow is pushing it over.  It adds interest without tilting my camera.  As I write this post, we are in the middle of a major winter storm.  Once over, I will get out and trundle through the snow to get new perspectives of our yard.

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Winterberry in Snow

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150126_Winterberry in Snow by . Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 39mm, f/11, 1/210 sec, ISO 1600

When I see bright color (especially red) contrasted in fresh snow I feel like I have received a gift.  These winterberries provide a treat all winter to both to my eyes and the local bird population.  Several years ago, we transplanted these out to our perennial garden to be our winter highlight.  The three flower supports wait all winter long for our mountain sage to emerge in the spring.

Lesson Remembered:  “When You See Red … Shoot!”

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Good Morning America!

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150124_Front Door Looking Out by . Fuji X-T1, XF10-24mm @ 10mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO 800

Good Morning America!  Looking out our front door, this is what we woke up to yesterday morning.  We had a beautiful snowfall overnight.  Fresh snow is such a delight, even if it makes getting around difficult.  I got up before the snow plows hit the roads and everything was fresh.  It was a nice way to start the day.  Looking out the back door, we had another nice view.

150125_Deck Door Looking Out by . Fuji X-T1, XF10-24mm @ 10mm, f/5.6, 1/120 sec, ISO 800

Rather than fighting the mess on the roads, we spent the day sitting inside by the fireplace reading books.  It was a nice way to spend a winter day!

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There is Always Something to See if I Open My Eyes

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150119_Fungus on Cherry Tree by . Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 135mm, f/8.0, 1/280 sec, ISO 800

Photography has taught me to open my eyes, look around, and enjoy what each moment brings.  Walking around our back yard with Karen, I saw this fungus growth on one of our cherry trees.  It caught my eye and made me think of the symbiotic nature of life.  I stopped long enough to compose this image and enjoy the moment.  I then continued a wonderful walk with Karen.  It was a good day!

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Just Playing in Our Garden and on My Computer

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141231_Garden Color-Experimentation by . Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 135mm, f/22, 14 sec, ISO 200

I keep going back to our Red Twig Dogwoods to get a little winter color.  This is a vertical swipe taken at 1/4 second.  Back at my computer, I started playing around with Topaz’s new Impression plug-in. This is the Impasto II preset.  There is a painter somewhere inside this engineer’s mind.

This post is a milestone.  I have entered a post every day for this month, first time ever.  Now to get ready for the New Year!

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End of the Year Color

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141230_Garden Color by . Fuji X-T1, EF18-135mm @ 135mm, f/5.6, 1/350 sec, ISO 800

I took a little walk in our backyard to capture a little remaining color and try out my new Fuji 18-135mm lens.  The Heucheras in our flower beds are still holding on to their last color.  So, I looked around to find something interesting to put in front of them.  I found this wilted Japanese Maple branch as a candidate.  There was quite a little breeze so I needed to use a high ISO to freeze the motion of the branch.  I find there is always something interesting if I am patient and let the image appear.

I think I am going to like the 18-135 as my primary “walk around – go light” lens.

 

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Happy Thanksgiving

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141127_Maple Leaves and Background Dew by . Fuji X-T1, XF18-55mm @ 55mm, f/8.0, 1/250 sec, ISO 400

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  We have so very much to be thankful for including this beautiful fall day a couple of weeks ago.  Each day is a gift to be lived and enjoyed to its fullest.

This was taken in our back yard in the early morning as the sun was breaking the horizon and shining on a little fresh frost on the ground.  I liked how the sparkle from the sunlit frost made small globes of light.  I then walked around to get something interesting to put in front.  This backlit maple was just what I was looking for.  It was a moment to be thankful for.

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Exercise in Color Composition

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140628_Color Composition by © 2013 Karl Graf. Fuji X-T1, XF55-200mm @ 105mm, f/11, 1/60 sec. ISO 200

This image is an attempt to just work with color and composition.  The deep pink and the adjacent dark green provided a strong color contrast as did the bright yellow and the adjacent dark green.  The round clump of pink flowers in the upper right corner was balanced somewhat by the white flowers in the lower left corner.  The diagonal strips of yellow and green provided the center focus.

 

 

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Spring: Ginko and Cherry Tree

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140509_Ginko & Cherry Tree by 2013 Karl Graf. Fuji XT-1, XF55-200mm @ 90.4mm, f/8.0, 1/800 sec, ISO 500

This image was taken looking out our dining room  window.  I noticed how the emerging leaves of the Ginko were contrasted against the deep pink of a flowering cherry.  I varied the depth of field to get a pleasing combination of sharpness of the Ginko and a blur of the background cherry.

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