FLOWERS

*NEW* Flowers – Oil On Canvas

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Whilst surfing through Youtube online a while back, I fell upon a tutorial that showed one of the new tools in Photoshop that I had not come across before. It turned images into pieces of artwork like oil paintings or watercolours. Its Photoshops answer to AI. Now I have very mixed feelings about the subject of AI. I can see its obvious potential, as well as see the damage it can possibly do to peoples jobs and livelihoods in the long term. That aside, the genie is out of the bottle, and I did like the results. So here are the starter pictures for a new gallery simply called 'Oil on Canvas.' I hope you enjoy it?

*NEW* Flowers – White Box

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This is the second of our new galleries starting this month called 'White Box' and its just that. A white cardboard box with a flower in it. The box was from and packaging of a Toshiba portable hard drive and I thought it looked good for the new gallery. Its still work in progress, but I am enjoying it. Although it is sad to cut up a perfectly good flower, the art justifies itself in the end I hope.

October Flower Updates and the Black and White Section hiatus

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Some changes in store for the flower images, but I shall get to that in a bit. I would like to say a big thank you to Chris and all the staff at Bramblesflowers and Flowers to yours for once again getting a great selection of flowers for Amy and I to photograph. It was also great to Chris at the shop again, mending after his accident. He showed me some images on his phone of the many pins he has in his leg. I am a bit squeamish about such things and its not easy to see them. Still it was good to see him again. Take care mate.

So changes. I have decided to put the Black and White section on a hiatus as I think that section is now better served by the Square B/W gallery. I may make a collective 'best of' page and am toying with the idea to start a High Key gallery. What do you think?

So that is it for this month. Thanks for dropping by and be sure to come back next month.

Bye

X

Mercybongo at the Art Gallery

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This months model shoot was with our old friend and regular Mercybongo, but this time on location at the Art Gallery. Mercy wore a fetching orange wig to this shoot and a few woollen costumes that stood out against the bleakness of the grey concrete walls. Sadly someone graffiti the wall outside the building and it was inturn painted over. Yet it stands out as the colours do not match and it looks ugly.

As it was a location shoot and time was against us we did not have Shadrine to do the makeup in this case. So Mercy did her own and it still looks nice. So thank you then to model Mercybongo and to Amy for her help on the day. Thank you to the Art Gallery for the great location.

I hope you all enjoy it.

September Flower Updates

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Thank you as always to the staff at The Bramblesflowers and Flowers to yours for once again getting a great selection of flowers for us to take in our little home studio. This month we had a thistle with several heads on it. While maybe not the prettiest of plants, it does have form and texture that looks good in photos. Get well Chris … being out of action is frustrating I know well. So here wishing you and your leg a speedy repair.

That is it again for this month. Thanks as always to Amy for her help and be sure to drop by at the end of the month for Octobers updates.

Bye

x

Emily Bajic Fashion Shoot

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This was a shoot that nearly never happened. I had originally booked asian model Supple Suki for this Augusts event, but I screwed up. I failed to confirm it with Suki and so she took another booking elsewhere. I had to scramble around for another model who was size six dress and was lucky to find the lovely Emily Bajic. She was perfect for the job and a delight to work with. We did quiet a bit of the blurred look I like doing, many of which you can see here on this blog. The shoot took place at The Boardroom, and Makeup was provided with grace by Shadrine at Kavour

Thanks then to Phil and Shadrine as well as model Emily and Amy for her help.

The Garden 4

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Collected here are the edited highlights from a quick walk around my fathers pride and joy, his garden. There is often new things to find each time we go there and at different times of the year. Enjoy.

July Flower Updates

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I have cut the work load down starting from this month with only three flowers from the shop this month rather than the normal four. There is a good feel to the 'Power 3' concept. Best regards and speedy recovery to Chris and thanks the ladies at The Bramblesflowers and Flowers to yours A thanks also to Amy of course for her ever needed help and organisational skills.

That's it for this July. Please come back in August to visit us again.

Thanks

x

June Flower Updates

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Back again with the flowers this month after last months self imposed break and we have some interesting flowers.

We start off with a peony which is always one of my favourites to snap. Delicate and full bloom when in heated rooms, the look of this flower is always a delight only got three flowers this month from the shop, but Amy brought home a small thistle that she found close to her work place and that made up the fourth flower. At this point of writing the blog the flowers are now going over. So we will be trying something new with them tomorrow involving white spirit (turps) and a fag lighter. If it works I shall post the results up to view in next months blog, so be sure to tune back then.

That's it for this month, but a big thanks then to Chris and the ladies at The Bramblesrist and Flowers to yours And thanks also to Amy of course.

That's it for this June. Please come back in July to see us again.

Thanks

x

April Flower Updates

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I managed to get some new stuff this month from the florist including some spotted eaves instead of flowers. They are the bright green ones. As the seasons change, so does the selection of flowers to work with and the Bramblesrist Florist never let me down. So thanks then to Chris and the ladies at the Bramblesrist and Flowers to yours as well as a thank you as always to Amy.

That is it for this month. Apologies for the delay and shortness of the offerings, but see you all next month.

x

March Flower Updates

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There is a whole lot to look at this moth with a bumper display from our good friends at the Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours. I cannot remember the last time I snapped away at an orchid. Such a lovely flower and with it a bonus seasonal goody. A hyacinth as well. Its a pity you cant smell the sweet perfume from this delicate plant. So once again thank you to the staff at Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yoursand of course Amy for her assistance.

That's it for another month. Please come back at the close of April for more.

Bye for now x

February Flower Updates

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Finishing off for this short month we have another great offering of plant and flowers from our friends at the florist. Including two freesias that are always good to photograph. They especially look great on the square black and white. So thanks again to our friends at the Bramblesrist and Flowers to yours To Chris and the ladies in the shop, as well as a thank you as always to Amy.

That is it for this month. Apologies for the delay and see you all next month.

x

The Garden – The Garden In Winter

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Viewers will be aware that I have photographed my fathers garden a few times. And why not its a lovely place …. but never in Winter.

Rather than have beauty and vibrant colours to show, it is more about shape and texture/ Of light and shade dropping on the garden in decay. And there is beauty in decay. Thank you to my Dad for letting Amy and I shoot in his garden again and I hope you all enjoy it.

January Flower Updates

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Back on track again with the start of a new year of flower photography with thanks

to everyone at the Bramblesrist and Flowers to yours To Chris and the ladies in the shop.

We had a clematis in flower this month, which always looks good. Such and interesting shape and flowers. This month we have done some extra quirky images through the use of a prism to refract light. It was a heavy thing and awkward for Amy to hold in front of the lens, but it was worth the hassle. I am going to practice again with it sometime in February on another subject and see how it turns out … or .

That's it for this January. Please come back in February to see us again.

Thanks

x

December Flower Updates

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This time of the year seems like one big procession of thankless, but none so more needed for our friends at The Bramblesrist and Flowers to yours who consistently through the year provided top quality and interesting flowers for us to snap. And this month has been no exception. We did get a gerbera again … this time a yellow one … but captured a bit darkly this month on the black and whites. The white images is more a dirty grey for some reason. I did not clean it up in Photoshop as I probably normally would, and just left it as it was. I like it. Thanks then to Amy who has also assisted me with all the flower shoots and made my life a lot easier.

Thats it for this year, so have a great New Years celebration. We will be off to watch a couple of DVDs on Sharks and a glimpse at the lovely Jools Holland with my Mum this years end. So see you all in 2025

Lujon Rael will return …. x

November Flower Updates

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You can’t beat a gerbera …. they are such a photogenic flower. South Africas pride and joy, the gerbera never fails to impress … if a kittle over used sometimes.So thanks then to our friends at The Bramblesrist and Flowers to yours who have provided us with a wonderful selection of flowers to work with this month.They are getting the shop ready for the Christmas silly season, so thanks to Chris and the ladies at the Bramblesrist and Flowers to yours and Amy for her help.

This is a very short month again, but we will be back in December with all new stuff. Apologies once more for the shortness of it. Please don't let this put you off coming back next month.

Until then, take care and see you all again (all three of you!) soon x

September Flower Updates and the *NEW 'Quirky' gallery

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Well I asked for constructive criticizism and I got it.

Reliable sources asked if I could produce more quirky flower images. So I did …. or like to think I had a try at it. So with this in mind I have created a new section in the flowers folder called appropriately 'Quirky' I looked up the meaning of the word and if I have understood it correctly its something a bit unusual. So this month I have made several images featuring the odd looking gerbera that I obtained and mixed it with some of the other flowers like the wax plant as well as putting them with a collection of dried leaves I have in the studio. You can see the results below with the last five pictures, after the square black and whites. So mixing it up and trying to keep it fresh.

Thanks then this month to our friends, Chris and the laddies at Brambles Florist and Flowers to yours for all their help. Thank you also to Amy for her input and help on the day

Thats it for this month … I hope you will return next month for Octobers update.

X

Flowers – The Garden 3

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Both Amy and I took a whole lot of images from my parents garden this month. I never normally get to see it in August as its June that Amy and I normally visit. So its great to see the garden in its late Summer glory. And here they are for you …

August Flower Updates

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We got a bumper crop of good flowers to photograph this month, which took a longer time to do it but I was able to put some away for a future showcase (banking the images as I call it) if times get hard again like Covid. So thanks then to our friends at Brambles Florist and Flowers to yours for all their help in picking out interesting specimens. Thanks also to Amy for her assistance.

That's it for this month, I do hope you have enjoyed this Augusts offerings and come back for more at the end of September

Bye for now X

July Flower Updates

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Highlights of this month in flowers would be the very delicate and extraordinary lovely 'Love in the mist' I was told its proper name, but forgot it in all the excitement. Its almost impossible to take a bad picture of the flower. But it was not the only great flower we were given by our friends at Brambles Florist this month. Check them out !

So its another big thanks then to our friends Chris and the ladies at the Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours. For all their help this month As well as a mention also to Amy for her assistance.

That is it for now. Be sure to tune back at the end of August for another update.

Take care of yourselves.

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