a flower trio

there are always so many flowers that I want to take pictures of.

these are dahlias growing from pots in the backyard.

I had the bees a little mad cause I was right in there with the camera lens and they couldn't do their bee-pollinatin' thing.

this is also part of a little personal project I have been doing where I try to take a picture a day {sometimes more} of the same flower or flowers from first bud to full bloom. she's still in early bloom here, some of the petals are growing bigger on one side, some are still a little skinny and lopsided - it just gets prettier. kind of like people, as we "bloom" we go through phases. we have an early growing {or maybe an ugly duckling, awkward} stage, then suddenly we begin to bloom full and lovely. yep, I'm totally tying this in with how i see life right now. go forth and bloom.

I want to do something where the pictures are side-by-side so you can see all the pretty phases a flower goes through. Its very challenging, on some days, to remember. there have been mornings where I go out to the deck, look down at the yard and then remember - "I have to get out there" -- only to go back in the house to get the camera and while there a million things distract me. next thing I know its like 3 in the afternoon. so I have had to start the whole process over a few times. the late afternoon light is nice, dusk also, as is early morning {my yard is mostly shady at that time} but it does help if you're actually good at "remembering" - - I'm not that good at that sometimes, and so easily distracted :) this was taken today when I actually remembered so I had to do it right then and there. It was bright, sunny, middle of the afternoon sunlight. I used the setting on the camera for "flowers in bright sunlight" in the macro mode.