YES, you can post photos here. Those are gorgeous. Love the effect that makes them look like paintings. Can I ask how you did that?

The plant in the first pic looks like a rudbeckia or echinacea not a weed. I don't know which or even if it is one of those two but I see both in your photos and I do know it isn't a weed.

Ditto the above.

hmmmm - I wonder if I planted rudbeckia on that corner to contrast the Astor??? Sounds like something I would do! I'll have to look as I have a lot of rudbeckia on the opposite corner.

BTW - the images. It's sort of what I do. Everybody has flower photos but I try to do something different and they look great on canvas.

Without giving away secrets (LOL) it's 2 or 3 software programs and a lot of sliders, tweaking and boosting from 8 bit to 32 bit for colors and so forth. You COULD say 'I photo shopped them' but there is a lot more too it.

The one thing I do not want to do is sound like I'm here being a salesmen - I'm here for the flowers!

Here is a link that might be useful: Melotte Photo Imagery

Oh my gosh! OK: I'm an art director. Have worked in Photoshop all day long, on a daily basis, for oh, 20+ years. Even I don't know how she did that. But I'll probably spend some time trying to figure it out...LOL! I'd love to have something like that hanging in my house.

I looked at your gallery and the flora shots are eye-popping gorgeous!!! I am so impressed (and jealous). ;)

HEY - "she" is a "he"! LOL And thank you, I do appreciate the compliments. I have been sort of forced to go into business. Sort of Off Topic but your reaction is what others have said and pushed me into doing an Art Fair or two this summer (1st time).

BTW - connietn - CS3 - not sure of you have seen what CS5 can do! RAW photos - High Dynamic Range photography and then plug-ins on top of plug-ins until I get what my brain saw when I took the photo. All flowers are from my garden.

email me RodMelotte@photo.net - would love to talk to an art director, you would be my first :-)

I emailed you. :) I don't know why I said "she." oops!

I have not seen CS5 yet. I did see a little demo about an improved self-healing tool, but that's it.

I wish I could think of an application for your photos in my work, but most of our clients are so corporate. There is one prospect out there that might be into nature photography. I'm going to pass your site around the art department tomorrow! I'm sure they'll love it. We have a lot of gardeners among us. :)

The 1st photo looks like a clump of Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' to me.

Love the photo that looks like a painting - so that is a photo that you modified to look like a painting?? Your garden in the last pic is a gorgeous shot!

terrene - upon further investigation I believe you are right! I planted that late last fall and forgot I did that! I have so many gardens going and am concentrating on a boulder wall (those are really hard) that I was not paying attention.

also - yup - all photo - I'm a frustrated impressionist - no real talent as far as painting.

connieton - have not gotten it - maybe it's just slow - tends to happen. I wonder how I can change my email address here ???

By all means post more. Can you please list what you planted? What is the pink flowering plant at the front?

I want to learn Photoshop and was told that 3 would be easier for me to start out with than 4, would you agree? This would be for personal photo uses, not commercial.

LOVE that portrait of the police officer with her horse and the sunflowers with the sun shining through. Wow!

The pink flowers in the very front (not the Gaillardia) look like Foxglove but I don't think they are. I know the RED spiky things are annuals. I picked them up on a whim two years ago because the little tag had a humming bird on it (I am easily swayed by shiny objects LOL). I have a closer up shot of pink flower and humming birds and bumblebees LOVE it.

Foxglove have dots on the inside of the flower and these have lines.

buyorsell888 - any photoshop you can get cheap would be fine. Look for Adobe Elements - same thing - about 90% of Photoshop CS and much cheaper because it does not have publishing stuff with it.

And before I get warned - I really do appreciate the compliments - I say this 100% honestly - if I can brighten someones day it really does make me happy. There are two kinds of artists (and I feel really weird calling myself that), the kind that create to make money (not a bad thing) and the kind that create for their own enjoyment and then are surprised others appreciate it. That is me. . . not that I turn down money.

BTW - did you know that the sound of a bumblebee is not from his wings but is inside his body.

{{gwi:205419}}

And I know someone is wondering - it's an old Nikon D70.

Your pink flowers with the bumblebee - possibly penstemon?

{{gwi:205421}}

yes, the bee is visiting a penstemon. Lovely photo. Again. I want more. :)

What is a boulder wall and what are you doing with it??

See the thread called "Planting a rock wall?" I responded with a REAL photo of one of the many projects I'm working on.