Black-and-white macro photograph of a shrimp plant flower cluster against a dark background, showing overlapping bracts with crinkled, paper-like texture, fine hairs along their edges, and a single curled filament extending from the tip.

A Heart with Two Valves — Shrimp Plant in Macro

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Whenever I photograph our Shrimp Plant (Justicia brandegeeana) in macro mode, I am surprised by what the lens reveals. Take the monochrome header image. Stripped of its color, the flower is all texture: the bracts turn paper-thin and crinkled, every … Read More

Lurking Around Us

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Lens-Artists Challenge #375: Where to Find the Mysterious “Darkness falls across the landThe midnight hour is close at handCreatures crawl in search of bloodTo terrorize y’all’s neighbourhood.” Vincent Price’s words at the end of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” After an unanticipated … Read More

Sunlit Serenity: A Brief Nature Retreat

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While running some errands this afternoon, I made a speedy stop at a local Austin gem: Mayfield Park & Nature Preserve. Nestled in Central Austin, the park is an oasis with short trails, ponds, flowers, and several peacocks roaming freely. … Read More

Everything’s Coming Up… Blooming

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Lens-Artists Challenge #324: In the Details Patti’s latest idea for the Lens-Artists Challenge was to “get closer and closer to the subject, focusing on a particular detail(s).” Thanks for this great opportunity and idea, Patti. It allowed the “excuse” to … Read More