Little Bitty Pink

Just listed today-"Little Bitty Pink" it's alright to be "little bitty" if you're hot pink and surrounded by beautiful green  leaves accented by water droplets. It's all good! available in 5x7 or 8x10

Big Announcement

Now you can purchase your favorite Borrowed Camera Studio Fine Art Print from my brand spanking new Etsy shop. Stroll on over, pour yourself an ice cold glass of sweet tea and take a load off while you shop around for that perfect print.

Borrowed Camera Studio on Etsy features-" a variety of Fine Art Photography prints that celebrate the world around me. I am seeing the West Texas landscape in a whole new way- cactus with glorious hot pink blooms, sunflowers waving gently in the warm summer breeze, honeybees loaded down with pollen as they busily collect nectar from bountiful wildflowers, and majestic sunsets that fill the horizon with their fiery glow. I've lived here all my life, but it took getting behind the camera lens for me to really see the beauty of my home."

As of right now all images are sold in an 8 x 10 format, but other sizes will be available soon. In the meantime if you are interested in an additional size before I can get them up on Etsy-please convo me and we will work to meet your needs. Have feedback or suggestions please let me know. 

Sunflower Silhouette

Another day is coming to a close-a fiery West Texas sunset graces the horizon, sunflowers face the west in awe of it's beauty.

Facing The Sun

Okay, so admittedly each time I edit a new batch of photos I say "I think this is my favorite", but honestly I sort of have a love affair with Sunflowers as of late and "this one is my favorite" for now anyway. So, if you'll just humor me for now-I give you my favorite sunflower image of all- "Facing the Sun."- It's pretty much perfect-the lighting was sublime and the subject extraordinarily beautiful.

"Flowers don't worry about how they're going to bloom.  They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful."  ~Jim Carrey

V Is For Victory

Southern Magnolia Bloom-Magnolia Grandiflora

After trying on many occasions to find a nice Magnolia bloom-one that wasn't too bruised, too spent or MIA I finally scored a magnificent bloom. Yay!

Hibiscus Beauty

I love the light and shadows playing amongst the petals of this large Hibiscus. The pink is perfect and the center so interesting with those little suction cup type filaments. Crazy.

Grow Where You Are Planted

"Grow where you are planted." Mother Theresa~

While out on what is becoming a very regular photo excursion with the family, my very observant daughter spotted this Prickly Pear growing in a most unlikely place- the fork of an old Elm tree. I wouldn't say it was thriving, but it's tenacity is certainly evident and it's message very clear, "grow where you are planted."

Just For Fun

 "On Faerie Wings"

I call these "fantasy flowers" they each have a dreamy fantasy type quality that I love. The center one in particular, reminds me of faerie wings.

Ferocious Beauty

Cacti Love

 Look at the teeth on this Aloe

 Beautiful symmetry and order in form and needles

Notice the beautiful whirling form resembling the eye of a hurricane+ the symmetry of needle placement and color.

 Huge Barrel Cactus with it's needles placed perfectly along splendidly formed ribs.

 Even this seemingly unorganized cactus has a repeated form of lobes coming to a point.

 The lovely Burros Tail-kissed by the morning sun.(I couldn't resist) It's form is a work of art. The lobes repeat over and over-giving organization to it's form.

 This one appears to be lit from within and again the lobes repeat giving a certain symmetry.

 Ummm, this one is interesting,however it's needles are very symmetrical.

 Even cacti have bad hair days, but underneath that bad hair are symmetrical ribs and needles all in a row.

Hitchhiker- This baby is fully equipped to grab hold of passers by for a free ride to the next location. Notice the adult has far less needles and the gradation and symmetry of needles is breathtaking.

 Not all cacti are so inhospitable-the beautiful bloom of a Kalanchoe. Looking at each stem the buds are growing in a perfectly ordered row, blooms open to four perfect petals.

 This cacti has a little "soul patch" and is very orderly and handsome-don't  you think?

This cacti grows in a crazy convoluted form,but look closer there is symmetry in each individual pad and the needles too.

At first glance, a large group of cacti often appear as a chaotic menagerie, but I was struck upon looking closer at the true order and symmetry. In reality there is much order in the cacti world. Form is often very symmetrical and delineated by ribs-needles are given symmetry by placement, color and number. Lobed cacti often repeat their form over and over providing repetition and thus order.

Cacti are truly striking in a grouping with no two just alike, yet somehow at closer inspection all very, very much alike- another wonderful  example of extraordinary amongst the seemingly ordinary.

When Things Go To Seed

Hollyhock seed pod 

When things go to seed, it's not always a bad thing. Take for instance, the above Hollyhock seed pod- with it's ridiculously beautiful formation. Consider the very center with it's 5 sides a pentagon to be exact, surrounded by perfectly formed seeds lined up in a flawlessly precise manner waiting to fulfill their destiny. The papery outer hull encases the seed until conditions are optimal for release to ensure proliferation of the next generation- an extraordinarily precise design for a seemingly ordinary naturally occurring process.

Here Comes The Sun

Glorious wild sunflowers-what's not to love? The sun was higher in the sky than typically I like to take photos in, but I had to take the opportunity while I had the chance-I'd say Sunflowers in the bright West Texas sun work somehow. I love everything about these big beautiful flowers. The huge flower, the bud is a thing of beauty and the seed head is magnificent...sunflowers, a complete package.

The Missing Piece

Sometimes things just fall into place. If you've been following my blog,you're probably already familiar with my scouting woes related to this basket flower. It all began, when I happened upon this very curious bud I had never seen before and grew quite curious about. Originally, I thought it was something from my beloved Thistle family and somehow still am inclined to think it more Thistle than Aster. Anyway, to sum it all up I followed the original plant for days waiting for it to make it's debut-each day drew closer until at long last it began to unfurl-excitedly I arrived on the day I thought it might make it's long awaited appearance to find they were cleaning up the beds and much to my dismay it had been culled to make room for something more refined. Ugh! I couldn't believe it-we were sooo close to seeing the end result.

Upon reading up and finding out it wasn't a Thistle at all, but actually a "Basket Flower" a member of the Aster family with cream and purple filament type petals and resolving to the fact that I may not happen across one-I moved on from thinking I would complete my "Basket Flower" series, but then yesterday-quite randomly while happily taking photos of sunny sunflowers-there they were- the missing piece of the puzzle. Not just one or two, but a whole small field of them. Yahoo! I recognized them right away and was elated to find them in all stages of bloom. So it's very happily that I give you the long awaited "Basket Flower" series.

Beauty In The Garden

 Black Pearl Peppers

 Dazzling Artichoke

 Flowering Dill

Purple Flash Peppers

There's beauty all around-even in the vegetable/herb garden.

Purple Passion Flower

Purple Passion Flower

Taken two days later-a newly opened Purple Passion Flower

So this find might be one of my favorites as of late- the Purple Passion Flower-interesting in it's looks for sure, but even more it's symbolism.

In the late 15th and 16th century the Spanish Christians adopted the unique physical structures of this plant as symbols of the last living days of Jesus Christ.

• The pointed tips are symbolic of the Holy Lance that pierced the ribs of Jesus while on the crucifix.
• The tendrils indicate the whips that used in the flagellation of Christ
• The 10 petals represent the 12 faithful apostles (minus Peter and Judas)
• The flower's redial filaments represent the "Crown of Thorns."
• The chalice shaped ovary with it's receptacle represents a hammer of the Holy Grail
• The 3 stigmas represent the 3 nails that pierced the flesh of Jesus wrists and feet and the 5 anthers below the 5 wounds
• The color purple represents "Royalty" the color of Kings.

A New One To Me

Sand Lily

Stickleaf, Starflower, Sand Lily-what do you call them?

Sand Lily, Poor man's Patches,Starflower or Stickleaf common names for the Menzelia nuda (nuda because it's bractless you know.)

The Sand Lily inhabits South Texas to the Panhandle thriving in sandy soils. It is an interesting plant of wonderful contrast a tall,stiff,spindly,jaggedy perennial plant with beautiful somewhat delicate large white flowers that open in the late afternoon in the Summer and Fall. As with all stickleafs, the leafs are like velcro and will stick tenaciously to passers by making this a very unpopular wildflower in the eyes of sheep ranchers despite it's glorious bloom.

The iridescent green "bonus bee" is commonly known as a "sweat bee"-thus named due to it's attraction to the sodium in human sweat.Also, if you look carefully there is a wee little spider.

The above images were not as sharp as I would've liked, I was fighting quite a breeze in order to get them. Now that I know they are there, I will make another trip on a less windy day.

Shifting

As I  move through my photographic journey, I'm beginning to feel a shift towards appreciating the rugged beauty of the landscape I once detested-mostly due to a longing to be somewhere else, anywhere other than here.

I'm slowly learning to appreciate the stinging bee, the thorny cactus with it's magnificent blooms, the blazing sunset, yawning canyons that whisper their history, cedar fence posts with stretches of barbed wire, the clean lines of freshly tilled farm land,tiny cotton plants, tenacious wildflowers, and expansive horizons that open wide like a deep breath.

I'm learning to appreciate cycles; sunset and sunrise, seedling to seed head, tilled field to harvest, the barren chill of winter in contrast to the fertile promise of spring, the dove on her nest nurturing a new generation, the ebb and flow of seasons-life and death.

The cyclical flow of years, seasons, and days are opportunities for us to make better choices,  to say "I love you" one more time to those we love, to put the past behind one day at a time, and as William Purkey so eloquently stated to, "Dance like no one's watching, love like you'll never be hurt,sing like no one is listening,live like it's heaven on earth."

Mirrored Image

The morning was cool with a very light mist, the kind you could more see than feel. Looking out across the horizon the light mist danced like faint excited atoms-yet we remained dry. The air was still, the water's surface like glass-not even an insect or fish dared to cause a ripple. Trees gracefully arched over the water's edge projecting lines and pattern onto the watery palette. Lily pads float effortlessly adding a nuance of Monet to the scene above.

On Optimism

"The optimist sees the rose and not it's thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose." 
~ Kahlil Gibran

I don't see any thorns-how about you? :-)

Ahhh - Artichokes

What can I say, the largest of Thistles they are spectacular. I was out enjoying a long walk/photo session last Friday and was thrilled to come across these. I saw them from a football field away(okay so it wasn't quite a football field,but it was a half block or so) and knew immediately they would warrant several photo ops. In my book they are an incredible work of art. Up until a couple of years ago, I had no idea they could be grown here, but in fact they grow quite readily in full sun. The leaves are an unusual deeply lobed silvery green, so unusual you would notice them being different even before the flower or fruit appear. The flowers develop from a large head from an edible bud (the artichoke) the individual floret is a spectacular purple thistle flower-gorgeous!

Things I've Learned

 A Zen like image to go along with my Zen like observations

Interesting things I have learned along my photography journey...

Not to stand in or near red ant beds-ants do not need provocation to bite.

How huge a Crinum Lily seed is

What a "sweat bee" is and how they are iridescent green

Texas Thisles open wide during the heat of the day and close at night-if you want a photo of the open flower you have to get out during the bright time of the day(not the most flattering photo taking time of the day)

Cacti  bloom this way as well-they are not early morning individuals, but are at their best in late afternoon

Lubber Grasshopper nymphs are green and beautiful

Grapes grow wild near bodies of water

How abundantly flowers make pollen and how interesting the symbiotic relationship is between bee and flower

Always watch where you step when out taking photos-there are snakes, tarantulas, bees etc. around doing there thing too.(Oh,and coyote poo.)

Cool slightly misty mornings are great days for taking photos-you miss the heat the clouds work as a natural filter

Bumblebees are my favorite bee-they have the most docile nature of all the bees

Lubbock has a population of about 40% Africanized bees-if you get stung don't swat they will call the rest on you.Yikes!

Poppy babies look alien like

 I've seen my very first "assassin bug." I have never even heard of one-they are wild looking.

The life cycle from bud to pod/seedhead is fascinating.

Bees, ladybugs, butterflies are abundant in nature-they are all around us everyday doing what they are programmed to do-we just don't stop long enough to see this in our everyday lives.

Cacti have some of the most glorious blooms out there-in the best of colors.

My love affair with the largest Thistle of all  the "Artichoke" continues-they are beautiful.

What a miraculous and unobtrusive marker of time the Sunrise and Sunset is-what a glorious design.

Calla Lillies have spotted arrow shaped leaves

Hollyhocks are amazing-esp. the almost black ones.

Brown Eyed Susan's are perhaps the most photogenic of all the wildflowers-they love the camera.

Sand Lily's are white and beautiful-I've never seen or heard of one before

Some wild turkey's will allow you within photo taking range-others head for the hills.

Optimally, you need a different lens than I have to take photos of wild turkey, raccoon, dragonflies, and sun rise and sunset. 

Birds and animals are more challenging to photograph than flowers, but so rewarding when you get it right.

Often you will notice much more detail on your images once you see them from the card than you noticed during the taking of the photo. Details like small spiders or ants etc. appear once you are able to see the full sized image on your screen.

Photography is fascinating each and every time and when you get that one great shot it's like Christmas!

End Of A Day

We are having particularly lovely sunsets on the days we have breeze/wind from the West due to the wild-land fires in New Mexico. This one was a bit more red in real life and just beautiful. Again, another reminder that tomorrow is a new day; this one is being put to bed-it's another chance to move forward and start a fresh new day.

 "After all... tomorrow is another day"~ Scarlett O'Hara

A Bright Spot

Yesterday, was a slightly cool and misty morning here-just perfect for a walk with my camera and these lovelies add a touch of warmth to any day. My daughter considers these mere weeds and doesn't "get" my appreciation for them,but just look at how fabulous this little cluster brightens up this part of the world. ;-)

Mornin' Glory

"Mornin' glory"did your grandmother ever say that to you as you were bleary eyed just out of bed in the morning? I never hear that phrase that I don't think of her.

This morning glory was wide awake, tucked away in the late afternoon shade-isn't it glorious? I would suppose that's where they get their name; from being so beautiful first thing in the morning(wish I could say I looked as fabulous first thing in the morning.) lol! Look how this one is almost a denim blue-so pretty in contrast with the closed red violet one's next to it. Many people think of Morning Glories as a mere weed, but I think they look beautiful in their array of dazzling colors trailing up a would be ordinary fence, or mail box or utility pole-what do you think?