Janet Brien's photos

Everyone knows that roses come in lots of beautiful colors. In fact, roses can be found in stunning bi-colors...but have you ever seen a MOTTLED one? Steve and I live near the Harry and David company here in Medford--it's a large specialty food shop--and they have a sprawling garden that's open to the public. The highlight of their flora are their seemingly countless varieties of roses. They literally go on for acres! It is a mind-numbing experience when going on a photo shoot because there are unending perfect subjects to photograph. So when I found myself staring in disbelief at a mottled rose, I could hardly believe my eyes! Turns out there are at least a couple-dozen mottled rose plants there to appreciate, and I DID! :)

A few years ago, Steve and I joined our local photography club. One of the first monthly assignments was doing night photography, and I was really excited to try this out on my husband's 5D Mark I. My husband helped me set things up and I had lots of fun playing around with long-exposure images of the night sky. Here is an image of the Big Dipper withe the partial moon looking on.

I think leaves are wonderful photography subjects and have always thought it was a shame that most people don't pay any attention to them. To these people, a leaf is a leaf, who cares, so what? But photographers--and especially those of us who have stopped to take a close look--have discovered that leaves can be endlessly fascinating. Instead of being blind to leaves, I am always on the lookout for another star to capture. They are everywhere, and with a keen eye, it's not hard to spot the special ones that deserve some attention. This wonderful leaf curled its edges as it dried, and it hangs on its meandering stem. The gaps in the forest behind provided some nice bokeh to enhance the background, and finally, it's always fun to find a composition that fits neatly into a square format! Explored on April 9, 2016.

This was a fragrant rose that was growing in a friend's garden. Steve and I were invited to visit a couple of years ago and I was nearly overwhelmed by all the beautiful plants and flowers growing there. I was struggling with this image so I tried adding texture, and thought the result turned out nicely. :)

Our property has many different environments for mushrooms, so I've found lots of unique species in many sizes, shapes and colors. One day in November a couple of years ago, I glimpsed something orange near a pine tree and what fun it was to discover this beautiful family of mushrooms just waiting to have their picture taken! I called out, "One, two, three...CHEESE!!" And they all pulled in close for the perfect shot!

One day about a year ago, I was in my downstairs bathroom when I noticed something tiny moving on the floor. Cooing in anticipation, I dropped down and peered closely at my newest little buddy to confirm my guess. "Arent you adorable!!" I said with a wide grin on my face. Yes, the fashionably dressed 1/8" insect was a Varied Carpet Beetle, and it managed to find its way into our house. Hopelessly lost, it would have been doomed, had Auntie Janet not found the little guy! :) I grabbed my camera and came back for some show 'n' tell shots, and when I was satisfied, I coaxed him onto a piece of paper and put him on some grass outside.

I love Morning Glory flowers, so when I decided to grow a garden a couple of years ago, I made sure to pick out some Morning Glory seeds. I was in for a big surprise though, because I was looking forward to the amazing flowers...and I had no idea how stunning the buds look as they prepare to open! In fact, if you are standing a normal distance from the buds, they do not reveal their spectacular details. For that, you must get really, REALLY close! Then you can see how wonderful the buds are!! Why, they look like candy canes! What a magnificent flower...the leaves, the buds, the vines, the flowers. Such a grand show! :)

I just love the ornate back ends of classic cars. Such interesting swooshes and details. I have always appreciated old cars, and enjoy staring at them whenever I get the chance. Here in Medford, Oregon, there is a week-long expo in June to showcase these beauties. Different shows every day culminating in a slow cruise parade that lasts for hours on the last day. I got this shot a few years back when Steve and I visited one of the daily "Show 'n' Shine" exhibitions. What a day!! All this time I've been sitting on these pictures, and finally I can share some! During this year, I will be rolling out another dozen if I can, I got so many cool images!

This is another image I captured outside a wonderful place called Pacific Garden near our home. The most amazing display of Echinacea I've ever seen!

Ok, I admit it. I'm hopelessly silly...one of the things I like to do is apply fun names to things that I find. For instance, let's take Maple seeds. Don't they look like a strange sort of bat to you? OF COURSE YOU AGREE WITH ME!! :D So naturally, the proper name is Maple Bat. This tree was brimming with them! Now, since these Maple Bats aren't quite mature enough to fly away, they are fledglings! I see you approaching with a straight jacket but don't worry, I'm not totally insane, I promise! I merely have a thriving and imaginative inner child who loves to help out with anything goofy! :) I captured these a couple of years ago on a lovely spring day.

(+1 in a note) The past few days I've been going on short walks part-way up the Upper Table Rock on the way into my work, and right now is when these stunning flowers are in full bloom. To the left and right of the trail there are countless blossoms to appreciate. I don't think most people really see the beauty of these flowers, which require viewing from a very low stance so that you may look up at its lovely face. I took this picture a couple of years ago and was very pleased with how it turned out...and finally, I can share it with the world! :) (By the way, earlier in this project, I shared another picture of one of these flowers...roll your mouse over the image to see it!) Explored on April 1, 2016. Highest placement, page 5.

Steve and I went out one soggy day a couple of years ago so we could drive to another location in the hopes of finding some mushrooms. We found a patch of conifer forest and I popped out of the car for a look. After about 10 minutes, I looked down to see this pair of affectionate mushrooms, leaning together and joined by a droplet of rain. If you look at the base of the mushroom on the right, you'll notice that it grew up througha amall hole in the leaf that surrounds it!

This bright little flower can be found in moist places, and on our property, there is a very wet area where water comes down off our hillside, through our meadow, and then washes over large slabs of exposed rock. Moss adheres to the rock and on the moss grow other plants, including monkeyflowers!

(+1 picture in a note) The other day I featured the picture of a lovely coccoon that I found on our property. I took the coccoon inside and placed it into a jar, which I then watched carefully each day. About two weeks later I was delighted to find this beautiful moth sitting on a branch inside the jar. Can you say stunning?! :D After admiring it and showing it to Steve, I brought the moth ouside and placed it on the side of an Oak tree. I decided to replace the bark with a Birch tree texture so it would be easier to see the moth.

I posted another version of this picture for my 365 project, but I had this crop too which I also liked, so I'm posting it now. You can see the original version by rolling your mouse over the top left part of this image. They are very different looking in mood--this crop is darker and makes me feel a little bit sad. The other version is bright and happier. I like the closer view of this one and the crisp droplets in the front with the shallow dof drifting off into bokeh. The other version has a shallow dof as well but also has the leading line of the stem. Both versions are interesting in my opinion though I think maybe I like the other version a bit more. Do you have an opinion? :)

Though wild grass is something we pull out as a weed, it's very pretty if you take the time to appreciate it. Waving gracefully in a gentle breeze causes the seeds to twinkle as they catch the light. It can be quite a challenge to get something like this in perfect focus with a soft background, so when I succeeded, I was very happy!

What a delight to find a sight like this! Looking around in one of our meadows, I happened to see a seed from a Redstem Stork's Bill that had sprung from its seed capsule and landed on some wild grass. Here it was, suspended for now, until a strong breeze jostles it free to tumble to the ground. There it will hopefully find purchase and sprout the following spring! Explored on March 29, 2016. Highest placement #44.

A couple of years ago I was looking at some of our trees and suddenly I noticed this chrysalis! I was excited because I've wanted to take a picture of one of these since I got my new camera! On top of that, it was really pretty and in a place that I would be able to photograph it perfectly. WHAT LUCK!! :D After I took pictures, I carefully removed it from the branch it was hanging from. Cradling it carefully in my hand, I took it inside and put it into a jar, which I then watched with great anticipation every day for the next couple of weeks! Stay tuned for what hatched! :)