February Orchids

If you are a flower lover and are ever in New Gloucester, Maine, you really need to check out Woodsprite Orchids (www.woodspriteorchids.com). I spent yesterday morning shooting and mentoring a group of photographers there. Shooting orchids in a greenhouse in Maine in February was absolutely heavenly! The owners were kind enough to open the greenhouse just for us, and the 3 hours we were there absolutely flew by! For me, it was like a morning at Disney World! Richard and his partner grow an amazing variety of orchids, my favorites were the Lady Slipper orchids.

Orchids are a complicated flower, and not an easy subject to photograph. I shot most of my images with my Lensbaby Muse, using the Soft Focus optic, and was quite pleased with my results. Here are a few favorites from the shoot.

Also, Lensbaby turns 6 today! To celebrate, they are giving away some fantastic gifts! Read all about it here: http://www.lensbaby.com/birthday/

Happy Birthday, Lensbaby, and thank you so much for the joy you have brought to my life!

Happy Shooting!

Kathleen

Johnson Hall Museum

After finishing up a photo shoot in Ogunquit last Saturday, my friends Zoe and Mark and I stopped to do some shooting outside the Johnson Hall Museum in Wells, on Route 1. The place is a goldmine of funky items, rust, peeling paint, dilapidated buildings, a railroad car, and so many things you'd never imagine to find! This is just what is on the porch of the main building:

We had a great time wandering around the property and exploring. I shot lots of images with my 70-200mm lens, and my Lensbaby Composer with the Fisheye optic. Still having lots of fun with that optic.

The owner, Bill Johnson, stopped by and offered us a tour inside the Museum. It's packed full of antiques and many other curiosities. The light wasn't good for shooting inside, but we enjoyed learning about the history of the items Bill has collected over the last 30 years. If he doesn't know the story behind an item, he makes one up. He even serenaded us with "She's Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage", accompanied by a large antique music box.

We had a ball shooting the place, and will head back there again when the snow is gone in the springtime. If you are in the area, stop by, Bill loves company. :)

Happy Shooting,

Kathleen

Frost Patterns

Early one morning this week, I happened to glance outside and saw some truly amazing frost patterns on the hood of my red truck. I couldn't get outside fast enough! I quickly grabbed my camera and headed out the door, because I knew that as soon as the sun reached my driveway, they would be gone. I was amazed by the intricate patterns, lines and swirls I found!

I shot quite a few images and then moved to my husband's black SUV where I found more incredible patterns. I played with white balance when processing some of these for a cooler appearance which suits the subject well, and converted a few to black and white using NIK Silver Efex Pro.

All in all, it was a very good morning. :)

Happy shooting,

Kathleen