Day 43 - A rose is a rose is a rose

"A rose is a rose is a rose" even without color.

Beauty - Day 142 #CY365

A rose in black and white, unexpected beauty. 1/400 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 800.

Heartfelt - Day 35 #CY365

Heartfelt - Yesterday a friend posted this poem written by her 15 year son in memory of a young friend who committed suicide recently. It touched my heart and I wanted to share it with you as part of today's photo.

Red
A cold hour
for a warm color soul.
hot liquid sorrow in the veins
craters of a steel heart
a frigid white breeze
freezing this warm day.
Leaving us dwellers,
siphoning a color from this world;
delivering it to the next.
never mind to it all; apathy is medication
but it can't cure the melancholy sobs for a lost friend
bitter-sweet are the days of the 'morrow
no shine from this sun today.
I wish you could have seen a world without such pain
but a world of red roses
red passion
every color of our next days
without the greys.
stay here
in our once red hearts, now a bluish fade
in this cage with no key
but loving words on our lips.

by Walter

Suicide is a national health problem that takes an enormous toll on family, friends, co-workers, and the entire community. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) provides opportunities for survivors of suicide loss to get involved through a wide variety of educational, outreach, awareness, advocacy and fundraising programs. Sponsor or attend the Hampton Roads annual "Out of the Darkness Community Walk" to help in the fight to prevent suicides.

It's a Knockout

- In the past few days the Knockout roses have exploded with new blooms. It's pretty hard to beat the beauty of a single red rose. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/500 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800, 105mm, light from a single LED Litepanel.

For My Valentine

- Nothing says "Be My Valentine" like a red rose. Red roses are the traditional symbol for love and romance. In Greek and Roman mythology the red rose was closely tied to the goddess of love. The red rose says you have my love and fidelity. Happy Valentine Day to my love.
Canon 7D, 1/200 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro, tungsten hand held video light for illumination.

Dark Rose

A Knockout rose bud just starting to open up. Photographed at night with a single LED Litepanel providing side illumination. Canon 40D, 1/25 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro.

Katydid

- Up close and personal with the katydid munching on my roses. Canon 40D, 1/100 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens.

Buds

- The Knockout Roses I planted in the Fall of '09 are really doing well this Spring. I was a little worried in January and February as the harsh cold seemed to be doing them in. But they bounced back great with more blooms than ever. Canon 40D, 1/320 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro late afternoon shade helped out a bit by the LED Litepanel.

Valentine Rose

- Roses are incredible flowers and I always photograph them when we have them in the house or in the garden. This white rose was close to a pink rose which cast its color into the picture. Certainly red roses are the Valentine's Day tradition, but the white and pink together were extra special for my Valentine. Canon 7D, 1/500 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro, LED light source.

Roses are Red?

- Of course they are but sometimes they can be black and white. Canon 7D, 1/100 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 1600, 100mm macro, converted to black and white. You may remember seeing this picture last week in color, but I think I like the B&W better. There's just something about that deep gray and the texture.

Snow Rose

- Seasonal temperatures finally arrived this week after an Indian Summer that lasted through Thanksgiving. Tonight we are getting a very light snow, so I rushed out with my camera, macro lens and litepanel. This is a red "Knockout" rose with a few ice crystals. It seems kind of silly rushing out to a light dust of snow when the Midwest is getting pounded with an winter storm. Canon 7D, 1/100 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 1600, 100mm macro lens, Litepanel Micro LED.

Texture

- Some might think it odd to have a black and white photo of a beautiful colored rose, but by removing the color, the texture in the rose pedals is revealed in a new way. When seen in color your eye and brain immediately registers that wonderful hue and it becomes the focal point of the image. In black and white, your eye is drawn to the structure and the rose shows another side of its beauty. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/400 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 800, 50mm macro lens.

Rose Garden

- Went to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens today with Cindy and our friend Margaret. It was cool and windy but we still enjoyed our walk through the thousands of roses at the Bicentennial Rose Garden, It's November and the roses still look spectacular, tonight's forecast with a low in the 30's might change that. Canon G11, 1/2000 @ f/3.2, ISO 200 in macro mode.

Light Rain

- We had nice light rain all day today and we needed it. The knockout roses seem to really enjoy it. Canon 7D, 1/13 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 1600, 100mm macro, micro Litepanel.

Yet Another Rose

From 2010 Blog

- I can't help myself so here's another rose photo. They are really beautiful and I liked the colors in this one. Hopefully my loyal blog followers are not tiring of the roses and other flowers. Canon 40D, 1/200 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 400, 50mm macro, micro LED Litepanel.

"A rose is a rose is a rose"

From 2010 Blog

"Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose." was written by Gertrude Stein as part of the 1913 poem Sacred Emily, which appeared in the 1922 book Geography and Plays. "A rose is a rose is a rose" is probably her most famous quote, often interpreted as meaning "things are what they are," a statement of the law of identity. Canon Digital Rebel XTi, 1/400 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 400, 50mm macro lens.