Glaring sun, passing clouds, gloomy dark days and wind, most of all, are daily challenges faced by garden photographers. After spending years following professional photographers around gardens, and now taking photos myself for this blog, my respect for the skill, patience and intuitive feeling for nature needed to take really good photos has only grown. I can't tell you how often I've just given up and come back indoors, discouraged. Thank goodness for iPhoto to get rid of shadows, blurry edges and too much contrast...but even the program on my brand new computer can't work miracles....
The winners of Renee's Garden Seeds photography contest don't appear to have needed any such help - their photos are really impressive. Maggie Ferguson of Auburn Hills, MI was the first place winner with Torch Tithonia, a butterfly magnet of an heirloom annual. Her photo, showing the sunflower's orange petals from the underside, is as luminous as a stained glass window.
Sunzilla sunflower by Kimberly Diffenderfer of Sunbury, PA, showcased crisply against a background of sky and clouds....can you spot the tiny flying bug (is it a bee?) heading toward the flower?
Bright Lights Chard, shot by Meighan Makarchuk of New Westminster B.C., Canada, proves how beautiful edibles can be...
Sunflowers must be particularly inspiring...this 'Lemon Queen', shot by Lorrie Cook of Farmingdale, NY, looks more sci fi than garden-esque, showing how photos can draw us in to look closely and see familiar flowers in new ways...
Isn't that gorgeous? Thanks to Renee for sponsoring the contest, and to her Seattle sister and webmaster Sue Shecket for sharing the photos for this post...
Beautiful...a breath of fresh air on such a gray, cloudy day!
Posted by: Lauren Hall-Behrens | October 19, 2011 at 02:01 PM
Thanks Val for sharing these with your readers. We have a hard time choosing just a few winners from the many wonderful photos entered in our annual contest.
Sue the webmaster
www.reneesgarden.com
Posted by: Sue Shecket | October 19, 2011 at 05:56 PM