I'm calling 'fake' on the first two. OK, maybe not. But they sure do LOOK like it. The colors are so oddly amazing. Only Mother Nature can do that sort of thing.
Your forays out and about sure do find a lot of different plants. I think there is so much around us we don't usually notice, until we get behind a camera, which slows us all down a bit. I suppose one could do it without the camera, but it just seems to help focus more. I think I've viewed the world that way for a long long time.
I like what i'm hearing from you dd.
This is what the photo looked like without the levels adjusted. I did boost the vibrance and contrast some, but I usually try not to go overboard with it.
These flowers were pretty crazy. I believe the owners had 4 varieties of colors in the same little patch of land between the sidewalk and the road.
I share your sentiment about cameras. I feel like I've got a whole new world to explore when I have a camera in my hands. What I'm especially enjoying are the close-up shots that let me see more detail than is possible with my aging eyesight.
I never really considered myself a "plant guy", but I'm developing a fascination with them as I take more photos. With all the crazy plants available in Portland, sometimes I do feel like a treasure hunter or something. These flowers were a real treat!
I hope you didn't take that wrong, I wrote that and then today looked at it again. Kind of sounded like I was slamming your photos a bit. Just meant they are some really wild looking colors and some almost fake looking wild flowers. I do a bit of editing too, as part of the whole shebang. So that wasn't a reflection on your photo process. Then there is the TOTAL edit, which is fun too. I did a 7 day series of plants from other planets of the solar system. Was fun, and tried to make them look as odd as possible. The sky's the limit.
I agree with the detail thing, it is amazing what's going on in these flowers. I used to do more, should get back to it again. Then again, I should post more in general. But I do love seeing the world through a viewfinder. It can be hard to run about in nature with folks that don't, "what are you taking a picture of NOW"? A shoe, what else. Such fun. Keep up the good works.
No no no, I didn't think you were accusing me of something or anything like that. The subjects of the photos do look fake or extraterrestrial. I've been thinking of doing some before/after shots of some of my photos, but I don't think it would make for an interesting post. Your comment gave me a good excuse to post an unprocessed photo.
I do sometimes wonder if I'm overprocessing my photos though. I tend to go heavy on the contrast and darken things up. I wonder if I'll regret my post-processing procedures if I ever get a good monitor.
I'm with ya when it comes to people without cameras. I find that I enjoy photography a lot more when I'm alone. Even if my companions aren't actually bothered by me stopping for photos, I usually feel like I'm being an inconvenience.
I do process my photos too. Not to a huge degree, but if you are going to put them out, they should look at least pretty decent. I hope to use mine in other applications/publications, etc some day. So there's no reason to put out images that are mediocre, at least in my book. That's one reason I don't put out a bunch of posts a day, and the same with writing. I don't want to just put out 'stuff' and not put any effort into it. May not pay as well, but that's OK, I still strive for at least a modicum of quality in most efforts.
I went on a trip with a friend last year, and being Joe Photog of everything that comes along, I was concerned a lot that I was slowing everything/where down and being a pain. He said not, but it's always in your mind. So I agree, just going it alone is much better. You can do whatever you want for as long as you want. I never GET anywhere, but then, most times, where is the 'there' we really need to BE. Just enjoy the trip.