Tulips splash color into garden

Photographing flowers and plants. Most photographers have been there and done that, right? And most of us indulge the experience because one gets pretty pictures, because the subject never complains or runs away (although holding still in a gusty wind is another matter), and because in many cases, it's convenient and stress-free.

I cite all of the above as reasons for my annual (short) trek to the gardens at my home, where my violet and marble-orange tulips in the circular garden and the stalwart red tulips in the rear fence-line garden greet me when I gaze out the kitchen window during their short spring run.

Asparagus along the north fence line garden already is inching skyward. This is year three for the asparagus, and I think I could have harvested some of that last year, but I resisted. In the genus garden, I miss my purple and amber crocus, which I inadvertently removed a few summers ago while planting vegetables nearby. I also lost a couple of blue- and lilac-colored hyacinth in the process.

The lone white-petaled crocus that survived my inadvertent plant removal seems very lonely each year when it makes its short splash, which usually comes in very early March but was delayed a few weeks this year thanks to the extended frigid weather. White color, by itself, doesn't light up the otherwise spartan garden at that time of year as the color combo had done in previous years. I haven't bothered to restock my crocus since; I haven't decided yet that's what I want there permanently.

In June, I'll have the spectacular yellow and pink Asiatic lily show, also along the north fence line. This year, they'll be joined by a couple new lilies that I planted last fall (I've honestly forgotten the color). Not long after that, there'll be lots of potential photo subjects to pursue from the other fruit and vegetable plantings -- strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes and cucumbers. My big curiosity is whether the blueberry bushes will finally give me something to talk about (OK, and consume) this year, their third in the rear garden. I'm beginning to wonder if I maybe gave the blueberries a bad growing spot ... or if, perhaps, the bird kingdom simply is beating me to all of it. I do know the blueberry bush is giving me a nice spring floral show, and there are a couple pictures of that here.

For this post, I present the tulips, blooms from a white-and-gold trumpet daffodil and the buds from the blueberry bush. I used my Canon 6D and Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lens in aperture-priority setting during the April 29 shoot. I stuck within the f8-11 range, with a shutter speed defaulting to 1/80 to 1/160. Occasionally, the shutter would get slower, in which case I would adjust the ISO, which ranged from 100 to 160.

It's always a challenge to find new or "different" things after photographing flowers so much. This time, I went for such things as elegenace (notice the tall-stemmed purple tulips); the curved forms from the strong wind; dappled light through branches of the red bud tree that shares the circular garden with the orange/purple tulips; different backgrounds (the light wooden fence you see is new -- my new neighbor installed it last fall); and various groupings. There was even a "pose" where it looked like one tulip bent by a strong gust was supporting -- "cupping," almost -- a neighboring bloom. I enjoyed that. I include a perspective shot of the circular garden so you can appreciate the clustering ... and see the bottom of the red bud tree.

The red tulips in the rear fence-line garden were nearing the end of their annual run when I did this shoot. They lasted only a couple days more afterward. The orange/purple tulips, however, are still looking strong.

As always, to see a larger and sharper version of the image, click on the image. The sharpness factor especially applies to those accessing the blog via mobile device. 

Appreciating art at The Alexander Hotel

I had the occasion recently to step inside The Alexander, a relatively new hotel in the CityWay development on the south fringe of downtown Indianapolis, specifically at Delaware and South streets.

I was there with a group to dine for brunch, but while there, one person in our party who had been there before directed us to the upper level -- actually the main floor, as it turns out -- where we enjoyed some of the artwork in the reception area lobby.

I had my iPhone with me and used it to snap these photos of what we saw. The lead photo is one of three closeups I offer here from a wall facing people as they exit elevators to the floor. It is a 2012 artwork by Mark Fox, and it has a lengthy title -- 39 point 76181 degrees North 86 point 154688 degrees West, which if you know your geography, are longitude and latitude grid points, and in this case, they happen to be the points for the hotel.

I took a photo of the story behind the artwork (it appears several photos below), so if you'd like to know more about it, take a look at it. Basically, Fox decided to use the text you see -- after laying out the grid coordinates -- to "delve into a more poetic, occasionally humorous presentation of historical and scientific information about the viewer's position in time and space ... " The "humorous" aspect would explain the wording I zeroed in on in the lead photo. If you look closely at the two closeups below, you can see my hands with the iPhone reflected in the work. A woman in our party is seen off to the left in one of those photos.

I couldn't get too close to it with the iPhone camera and maintain sharpness, so the photo of the description is a little blurry.

As always, click on any of the images to see larger, sharper versions of them.

Above and below: Two full perspectives of the Mark Fox artwork. The one above is without any reflections -- no people in the vicinity. But because of the mirrored elements, you'll often see reflections, such as the pointing woman in blue below, whose reflection is reflected onto the work by another mirror. 

Above: I wish I'd gotten a closeup of the large wall portrait of Madame C.J. Walker, an Indianapolis entrepreneur and philanthropist. The portrait was made from black pocket combs. 

Above and below: As the closeup below hopefully conveys, the bird shapes in this wall art was made from vinyl 33 rpm music discs. Hence, the record player/turntable and stacks of old 33 rpm album covers you see on the floor, where the birds seem to be rising from.  

Above: The stairs we climbed from the dining floor to reach the "main" lobby where we found the artwork. 

Above: The wall art behind the reception desk, which is just to the right of this frame.

The capitol's stately architecture ... and more from the government complex

Today's post is another of those I've had quite a bit of the past year or so -- a "catch-up" shoot.

I recently had occasion to spend a lot of time at the downtown Indiana state government complex, which consists of the statehouse (capitol), two government centers (north and south) and an intricate tunnel system that connects them all -- and leads to the nearby Circle Centre mall.

During this period, I'd hoped to use an off day or extended down time to bring my main cameras to the statehouse -- which has some beautiful architecture and interior decor -- and grab some quality shots. It never happened. I did manage, however, to grab some photos with my iPhone. Probably my favorite is the one leading off the post, taken on the top floor of the capitol. I enjoyed the patterns and leading lines, and the cool atrium squares.

I also took shots of the downtown canal from the window of the Indiana Government-North cafeteria windows (which overlook the canal); of some of the exterior architecture from the few windows that appear in the tunnel system; and of an intriguing building -- relatively new -- erected at the convergence of Delaware and New York streets and Massachusetts Avenue.

Again, all of these were taken with the iPhone. In several cases, I felt the vistas were worth photographing in both horizontal and vertical orientations. For example, the vertical counterpart to the photo leading off the post is the first image you see below. I did that elsewhere in the pictures below. And in one case, the vista looking out onto the canal from the cafeteria window, I offer shots taken on different days -- but with different sky conditions (explained more in the caption). Hope you enjoy it.

Above: On the day I did the shoot in the statehouse, there were rallies outside the Senate chamber by people on both sides of the controversial HJR-3 legislation. 

Above and below: Taken through a rare window in the tunnel system that connects the state government building complex.

Above and below: Shots from the Indiana Government Center-North cafeteria window overlooking the Downtown Canal. These were taken on separate days ... and not too far apart, time-wise. The difference you see in lighting? The image above was taken on a day with heavy clouds; the one below, bright sunshine. The view looks west, and the very tall IGC-North building's shadow blocked sun from an expansive portion of the canal at that hour. Both of these images were taken before we turned our clocks ahead for Daylight Saving Time. And yes, the ducks gather in the same place like this like clockwork every day. 

Above and below: Traffic bottled up often along New York Street on my rush-hour trips home. While stopped there on separate nights, and with separate weather, I photographed these views through the front windshield. There is the backed up traffic on a sunny day (above), when road construction crews two blocks down was responsible for the backup, and (below) vehicles slowed by one of the several snowfalls we've experienced this winter. The building that dominates both frames, a relatively new addition to the skyline at New York's juncture with Delaware Street and Mass Ave, is what one acquaintance refers to as "the cruise ship."