S.U.C.C.U.L.E.N.T…

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art, art buyer, botanical, building, business, cacti, cactus, canvas, colorful, construction, contractor, corporate, decorating, decorative, desert, echeveria, floral, framed, garden, gardener, gardening, gift, homes, horticulture, hotel, house, houses, interior design, interior designer, jade plant, landscaping, model home, motel, office, paintings, photo, photographs, photography, plant, plants, prints, retreat, sharon cummings, southwest, southwestern art, spa, succulent, succulent garden, succulent plants, succulents, wall art, wall decor

 

The word “succulent” sounds titillating.  You can almost “feel” what it means as it rolls off of your tongue.  Say it right now.  Slowly…

O.k. maybe I just wanted to use the words “succulent and “titillating” in the same sentence. 😉  But these beauties grow all over the place in Florida.  They seem to be just as happy in our tropical swamp as they are in the dry air of the desert.  But with thousands of varieties available, they do have varying care requirements.  So if you want to grow some of these beauties inside or out, read the labels on the plants before buying.  They do love bright sunlight, but they can get sunburned.  I have seen a few wither and die myself.

I love the smooth feel they have and the variety of colors they come in.  I’ve taken artistic liberty with this one obviously.  I was intrigued by the interesting shapes and shadows in this plant.  Nature is my inspiration!

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S.I.Z.E. Does Matter!!

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Artist, cacti, cactus, cactus flower, D7000, desert, garden, gardens, learning, learning photography, macro lens, macro photography, new mexico, Nikon, Nikon D7000, photographer, photography, photography basics, plants, prime lens, sedona, sharon cummings, southwest, southwestern, southwestern decor, succulents

 

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/cactus-flower-1-sharon-cummings.html

Macro photography seems to be all the rage these days on online fine art sites.  And let me tell you, there are some really stunning images that I could only dream of creating quality wise.  But everyone knows I am a dreamer…..so I am going to see what I can do with my creative eye and my new Nikon D7000 with a fixed macro lens.  Thanks to a photographer friend, I also have a mono-pod on order which should be here tomorrow.  She explained that it helps with stability and better image quality.

I am not a professional photography by any definition and I have always been a point and shoot kind of gal.  I am not a person of patience….and have always enjoyed the quick fleeting shots.  I like photographing things that move and sway.  Things that disappear. Macro photography takes a certain amount of patience and diligence that I know I will find extremely challenging, but I am up for it!

I am not new to photography in anyway including macro, but it has always been more of a hobby for me.  I will be the first to admit that I do not fully understand all of the jargon…ISO….white balance…shutter speed…..depth of field, etc.  These are things I am going to learn.  

The image above was taken about 5 years ago with my Nikon D50.  I loved that camera and the zoom lens with macro capabilities was perfect for my fast moving brain.  I have sold a lot of artwork and photos with that little gem including this cactus flower here.  It took really nice photographs.  

Getting used to a Prime Lens (fixed without zooming capabilities) is my first challenge.  When I first assembled it and started shooting there was much frustration and angst.  My photography buddy had to walk away….lol.  Change is hard.

So here I am a professional painter and hobbyist photographer diving into the complex, challening and detailed world of macro photography for real.   Wish me luck!

My first offering with the new equipment:

 

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/baby-cactus-macro-photography-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html