Natural composition & forms

 Washed up on the beach - Sculptural forms

 Washed up on the beach - a natural composition with variations in line and texture

A natural composition with interwoven lines and an interesting colour palette of browns, coral pink and white

Inspiration at Aldinga

A recent visit to beautiful Aldinga Beach in South Australia yielded some inspiration and plenty of sea themed images.

A Still life - but why do these flowers look so good?..

Why do these purple daisies and white chrysanthemums look so good together? Apart from the fact that they are freshly picked, it's probably something to do with the overall complementary colour scheme.
The "white" chrysanthemums actually have a yellowish hue which is complementary to the purple hue of the daisies.

Nature creates a classic combo - gold and purple look good together!

An Easter treat...

On Easter Sunday, what could be better than unwrapping and eating some smooth and creamy Cadbury milk chocolate Easter eggs?
Well, as an artist, my answer would have to be putting them in glass bowls and photographing them! There are a lot of aesthetic considerations for me here - I just love the combination of the three primary colours and the shine of the foil wrappers and the reflection of the blue glass. I kept them for several weeks after Easter before eating them.

They say things happen in threes...

The unseasonably warm weather in Sydney has produced some wonderful Autumn roses in my garden. These photos were taken on my Windows phone, using the Hipstamatic Oggl app - I'm still exploring the possibilities. 

First Rose: Loftus and DC effects. It's an interesting result, but I think the area of soft focus is a bit out of proportion and overpowers the image.

Second Rose - Loftus and Ina's 1982 effects.  Ina's 1982 is described as a "warm white matt effect". 

To my eye, this shot works a little better than the first. The soft surrounds frame and draw the eye into the centre of the flower.

Third Rose: Loftus and Dixie effects.  I like this one - the soft feathered edges and coloured "light leak" effect of "Dixie" give a painterly, almost dreamlike effect. 

Anyway, it's fun to experiment with something different, even if the results aren't perfect.

Life in the 'burbs II

 "Suburbia" 

Garden Seat

More snaps with my Windows phone using Hipstamatic Oggl app. These photos with Florence & DC effects. The diagonal lines in these compositions draw the eye in and add interest. Shadows from plants can be interesting, too.

Life in the 'burbs - RSL style glasses

Coke glass - Loftus & DC.  The DC effect adds the black border and the vignette effect. This snap seems to have my oft repeated triangular compositional theme happening here too. 

Wineglass - Loftus & DC

Wineglasses & Jug - Florence & DC

Jug and wineglasses - Foxy & Dixie

For an artist, inspiration can sometimes be found in what some would consider unlikely places. I guess this is the idea behind apps like Hipstamatic Oggl - a portable tool for creativity. The "Loftus" effect was named after photographer David Loftus. "Foxy" is said to create a "soft warming glow".

Still life and coffee...

One cup of coffee - two different photos using Hipstamatic Oggl app for Windows phone. Top photo: Loftus & DC effects; Lower photo: Florence & DC effects. Curves seem to feature in these compositions - the curve of the stylish cup, saucer, table and chair all work together to create visual appeal. Photos taken at the very cool Design building at UTS in Sydney.

Vintage looks photos with Hipstamatic..

An old cottage - (with Florence and Blanko Freedom13 effects)

 Florence and DC

Florence and BlacKeys SuperGrain

More square photos taken on my Windows phone with Hipstamatic Oggl app. The "Florence" effect promises desaturated tones with sunny highlights - I like the vintage effect for this subject.  I have been enjoying trying out various different styles of photos using this app.  It's nice to be able to use a phone for something useful!

Chairs in Squares...

 Broken Chair (Jane and BlacKeys SuperGrain)

Solitary chair (Jane and BlacKeys SuperGrain)

Abandoned chairs (Helga Viking and BlacKeys SuperGrain)

Artists like to try out different tools and methods of creative expression.  Over the past week I have been trying out the Hipstamatic Oggl app - a creative photo app for Windows phones. The app takes cute square photos, and the effects provide lots of creative opportunities.  Here I have used "Jane" and "Helga Viking" lens effects and Blackeys Supergrain film effect for atmosphere - sort of vintage black and white meets film noir!  More Hipstamatic snaps tomorrow.

Asymmetry in Nature - The Australian Bush

This tree is unashamedly asymmetric! Asymmetric subjects create their own compositional challenges, and the placement of this tree in a composition was tricky. In this instance, I have placed the tree trunk just slightly left of centre, breaking the classic compositional rule of thirds. However, the leafy branches diverge to fill about 2/3 of the sky and the background trees occupy approximately the lower third of the frame.  So, despite the centrally placed subject this is actually a composition of thirds.

Succulents in black and white...

Succulents from my garden, gorgeous in black and white. To me succulents are interesting because of their pattern, symmetry and their sculptural forms.
 I've enhanced this photo with a lighting effect to increase the tonal variation and add visual interest. This has created 3 main zones - a lighter central area, and the darker triangles in the top LHS and lower RHS corners.  

Dahlia in a square...

Another photo using Hipstamatic. The colours are enhanced and saturated for a dream like effect.

Begonias in a square...

Colourful square photos, taken on my phone using Hipstamatic. Two very similar photos with two quite different effects.  The first, a small area in focus, (drawing the eye to a particular feature).  The second, enhanced with a bright coloured effect which creates quite a different mood.

Red Begonia Leaf in the morning sunlight...

The warm red colour and attractive shape of this begonia leaf in my garden caught my eye. I also liked the contrast in textures - the smooth leaf surfaces, the texture of the moss and the hairy edges of the leaf. There is an interesting bit of repetition here too - the larger green leaf behind the main subject. And hairy can be beautiful, too.

Red leaf and diagonal lines...

Some gorgeous Autumn colour and interesting textural detail on this leaf, as it ages.  Plenty of diagonal lines here, too.

White crocus - triangular compositional lines

Another composition including triangles.  The clump of white flowers forms a triangle, of sorts. There is a diagonal line running across the image (where the dead leaves and white flowers meet). The green stems at 45 degrees form lines parallel to this line. There are also some triangular shapes among the dead leaves and some of the spaces between the petals form triangles, too.

Of course, at the time of taking the photo I was not thinking of any of this! I just liked the contrast of the dry leaves and white flowers and the way the flowers were leaning over. Later, when I looked at the image again, I saw the triangles, which I note are becoming a bit of a theme.

Chive flowers and diagonals in composition...

 Flowers are most often photographed upright with their stems vertical. Here, the 45 degree angle of the main  stem, and the stems in the background create a series of triangles. The slats of the wooden deck, at various angles, create an series of opposing lines.

More interesting angles and triangles in this photo of a chive flower growing out over the edge of my deck.

Triangular composition and Bromeliads...

These potted bromeliads provided a splash of colour on an otherwise rainy and overcast day in Sydney. The pink, red and greens work well as complementaries.  I have also been interested in triangular compositions lately - here the angles formed by the edges of the pot, the 3 flowers forming a triangle, and the diagonal lines of the wooden steps and pavers all add visual interest to the composition.

Still life with a rainbow bromeliad …..

Happy Mardi Gras Sydney!

More lines in Nature….

Lots of interesting lines in this image of succulents. And a lovely pastel colour scheme happening here too!

Colour gradations in Nature….

 This succulent is a beautiful example of a colour gradation in nature. The photo was taken with my phone while I was out for my morning walk. This garden is on a busy road, and the dust speckled over the leaves create a pattern that adds visual interest.

This is how the same plant would look underwater!  Another nice colour gradation…

Gazania in orange - form and symmetry

This Gazania, spotted in a neighbourhood garden has a wonderful star shaped form, and, like many flowers radial symmetry.  Nice orange colour, too!

Still life with Blue Glass...

Blue and white coloured glassware on a tiled table top makes today's still life image. The glass is vintage, probably Japanese Kamei glassware.  The yellow tiles on the table top are complementary to the surrounding blues.

Floral symmetry...

A Magnolia flower - gorgeous combination of shapes, form and symmetry

Water lily - star shaped petal arrangement and radial symmetry.

Lily's lovely lines....

More interesting lines today in these photos of lilies in my garden. Firstly the striations on the lily petals add visual interest and draw the eye outwards. Also, the lines of the faded flower and stamens in the background duplicate the lines of the longest petal. 

Here, the main flower is placed centrally but there is a diagonal "line" or visual connection formed by the green stem from the top RHS to the lower LHS. The unopened lily, at almost 90 degrees to this diagonal creates another interesting line.

More Fading Hydrangeas...

 Still life with Hydrangeas III

Still life with Hydrangeas IV