Rust on Blue Dumpster = Abstract Art

 I love taking pictures of rust and then trying to make a better abstract image with different apps.  My "go to" photo editing program is Photoshop Elements.  It has filters you can use to alter the images you have taken them which is referred to as post-process.  This is now your digital darkroom so to speak..  In this case I found rust on a light blue dumpster in downtown Greensboro.  I took about 10 different images.  After I did cropping, adjusting texture with sharpening I started playing with various filters.  The image on the right was using the "Saturated Film" effect which makes this pop.  You could even go futher but then it adds colors that were not what you saw in the original.  The original image was taken with my iPhone 6s.  So, I can still try to use more apps to change the effects like Prisma and Art Effects..  In PSE, you can invert an image to get different colors, or you can change colors by increasing or decreasing amounts of red, blue, and green for highlights, shadows, midtones, etc.   You don't have to spend hours painting to get this effect.  

Old Confederate Rose Bud and Blossom (Hibiscus mutabilis)

My Old Confederate Rose (Hibiscus mutabilis) bloomed 9/6/2017.  It is not really a rose but a cultivar of a hibiscus. When it first blooms it is darker pink color, but will fade to pale pink.  The bloom only lasts for about 24 hrs & does not do well with water in a vase.  The bud on the left was taken the night before.  The image on the right was taken about 9 a.m. the next morning.  Both images were taken with the iPhone 6s with minimal editing - cropping and adjusting color

For more info about the plant: ttp://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/southerngarden/hibiscus.html

Plants in Planters at Sarah Duke Gardens

 Yesterday, I went to Sarah Duke Garden in Durham, NC.  It is my favorite garden to visit anytime of year.  There is always something to photograph.   Both of these images were taken with my Sony 50 mm macro lens.  It was about noon-1pm when I visted. Here are 2 plants I do not know the name.  I liked the backlighting I was able to get on the R image.  I do admit to some cloning of the background which had splotches from the tree sky lighting behind and I wanted to make the yellow leaves of this the focal point.  Both of these plants were in planters. The left image had minimal editing.