Using a personal picture...

Rozetta...So in Love
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Or even a shopping bag

Blushing Bride
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Aww Maria, is that you in the Rozetta picture? All your pictures are amazing. Thanks for sharing. =)

Jodik...I know what you mean. I broke 2 flowers of Blushing Bride in this photo session. But that's alright. The flowers will fade and die but the pictures will last forever. All you need to do is try my friend.

Zombie reminds me of you Jodik. Unique, humble and beautiful. Hopefully someday you get your Zombie.

Pink Diamond is Cindee. A treasure both in the garden of flowers and in our hearts.

Soultan is sooooo Alfresco. A very good performer.

I still need to think of the right flower for our other friends here. Time will tell.

Having 150 varieties and more coming, it is hard to appreciate each single variety specially when they are blooming at the same time. Starting spring time when the collection wakes up, I would get very busy with the repotting, watering/fertilizing, spraying and end up losing that special moment. I do not think I can still do this by then.

Pax...Now you can tell your Filipino friends that you were in the Philippines...right in the rice fields and harvesting mangoes. I'll be looking forward to your pics.

Art does not have to be expensive. It is everywhere, you just have to look.

One thing I like about the "little ones" is that they seem to have more "character" and variety. They are easy, photogenic and blend so well with almost anything in picture sessions like this. They ARE small but powerful.

Once again, thank you all for joining me...

Maria, I'd love to be like Alfresco: Showy, beautiful, clean, dependable, and mesmerizing... This is the opportunity to fish for compliments. :o)

You've created true hippie magic

WOW I'm a flower!!! Tra la la!!!

Maria, I love your backgrounds! Once I get some new blooms I will join your photos here. Very interesting. I really like the perspectives.

Here's what I have now...Just me and my shadow.....
Zombie Gone Vertical
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Maria... Thank you for the nice compliment! Some days I feel more like the name, Zombie, than the flower! Hehe! Zombie is at the top of next year's must haves... right up there with "must have" at least 2 Papilio bulbs of flowering age!

Cindee... wow, that's getting tall... and it's only in water! I sort of want to try a bulb in water, but I'm afraid that a bulb might not like our nasty well water! I don't have a bulb vase, anyway... I've been looking at the flea markets, but so far haven't found any with a neck that will support a bulb. I think next year I'll splurge and buy a bulb vase... then I'll get a Walmart special, a cheap bulb, to try it with... that way, if it doesn't work out, I won't feel so bad losing the bulb... (I will probably feel bad, though... I hate when plants don't make it!)

Hi everyone. Sorry for just responding now. You know, we have to be ready for Santa. I'll try to post more pics after all this shopping and wrapping.

Pax...No, that's not me. I wish it was me though...lol. That is my 19 year old daughter Arriane. Sighhhhh...to be in love at that age. Do you all still remember that feeling? It's been so looooong ago for me...lol!

Soultan...You do not have to fish for the compliments. You ARE Alfresco. :-)

Jetak...Thank you. I think the magic is created in every hippie flower. You just have to believe.

Cindee..(hugs) Nice to see you posting nad taking nice pics too. Zombie Gone Vertical is so true. The right moment...before it starts producing downward growth. Oh and I love that shadow effect. The lines...the lines...

Now how could I forget in the flower list...

Sir Hans of course is Papilio...Elegant and majestic.

Lora is Appleblossom...Simple, beautiful and very dependable.

Elizabeth is Jungle Star..the searcher for the truth and what lays be beyond it.

Dizzy is La Paz...Exotic, pretty and a performer.

More to come...

Why don't you guys join me here in this flower/member list too?

Jodi, do not order a Zombie, I have three! Got the last in a buy-one-get-one. I will save you a prized one to send you this spring. The last 2 I got are both sporting 2 scapes each full of bulbs. (one is in the photo) So check this one off your 'gotta have' list.

Wow! Thanks, Cindee! As soon as you posted those first pictures, I knew I had to get one! It's so very beautiful! Ok... I'll cross it off my list of must-haves, and put it in my "ordered" list, and we'll work out the details when the weather gets a little nicer up here! Thanks again! Sweet!

By the way... how is physical therapy coming along? Are you feeling a lot better now? I sure hope so! What an ordeal to go through, and right before Christmas, too... well, you can always say that Santa brought you new hips for Christmas! :-)

"Sir Hans of course is Papilio...Elegant and majestic" and the Amaryllis Master!

Jodik... Cupido, so young at heart and vibrant, caring and loving and obviously in love!

Maria... Exotic Star, an exotic lady with tropical charm!

More, in a bit...

Jodi, I am doing great. 1/2 the time I take off and forget my cane! The hardest part is adjusting to my right leg now being almost an inch longer than the left after the surgery. Before, it was 1/2 inch shorter!

We took a drive along the beach this evening and had some seafood at one of our fav dives, either by boat or by car. It was pleasant to walk down to the docks and watch the fish and the boats come in. Needless to say by the time we got home I needed a nap. I washed my hair earlier and am ready for a nice long sleep before our road trip tomorrow. I am glad I have someone to share Zombie with. I know she will love her new home!

Elizabeth - thank you for the sweet compliments! After the excitement and rush of Christmas is past, I'd like to share my thoughts on who reminds me of which hippeastrum flower... I've been thinking about it for the past couple of days, and I think I have a few comparisons! :-)

Cindee - thank you again for the Zombie offer... we'll be working out the details for Zombie the minute warmer weather strikes! I still can't get over how lovely that flower is... both you and Maria captured it well in pictures! It has an ethereal quality to it... I don't quite know how to describe Zombie, except to say that one way or another, I must get one! :-) I'm so happy that you're healing well and that Dennis is there with you... I was worried there for a while that you'd be alone after surgery, and I was seriously getting ready to drop everything and hop a Greyhound bound for Florida, to come give you a hand. There's no way we'd allow you to go through all that without help! But everything worked out wonderfully... and soon, hopefully, you'll be posting pictures of the view from the 18th hole!

Of course there has to be a gift wrapper that you can use anytime of the year for any occassion...

Season's Greetings from Honeymoon
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That's a nice match, Maria! Perfect color for Honeymoon!

Maria-that last photo is a contest winner. What an awesome background! Keep them coming, I love them all!

Here we go. Elvas...Smoke-On-The-Water
(how cool is the bud in the background?)
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Beautiful, Cindee! Elvas is just so pretty, with the picoteed edges and the awesome color!

Oh my Cindee, that's a very nice shot. Elvas is so pretty. The curly petals just blends with the wavy waters. And the image of the bud in the background is as you say cool! What did you use for the background?

Maria, I just used some of my art and craft paper. I thought the wavy lines would be a nice contrast to the freckles.

Now if I can just figger how to pollinate this baby!

I've gotten a bit of pollen off some of my doubles, but have not been able to pollinate them! They are sorely lacking in the proper parts! I hope you have better luck than I did!

Ahhhhh...I have never been so busy lately. Here's a quick shot using a calendar again.

Purifying with Wedding Dance
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Refreshing, Maria! Ahhh! What a lovely picture! Keep 'em coming!

A 'rescued' Merry Christmas...by the bridge

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That one is gorgeous enough to frame and hang! Talk about recycling! One could recyle a calender by making a new calener from the pics with amaryllis added!

That one is lovely, Maria... and I agree... you could blow it up and frame it!

That's a good idea...an amaryllis calendar. In fact I have been looking around for a good 2008 calendar but could not find any. Affordable ones I mean. Can't we do that here in the forum? I am so computer illiterate. There has got to be a way to do this in printable form. Then we all can download it and print. An Amaryllis for every month...how cool is that? And it's FREE!!!

Maria Jodi and hubby are a couple of computer whiz-kids. C'mon Jodi, how about if we all forward you our best photos and you create a calendar for us. I am sure everyone contributing would gladly share the costs. I know I would!

DG is currently selling their 2008 calendar. The pics in it are pics done by DG members. It is very nice. The price is nice too... :-)

If Jodi and hubby can do this, I won't mind paying for it either. Why didn't we think of this earlier. This calendar could have been a very nice X'mas gift to give away.

It's Larry that's the computer whiz! I've forgotten quite a bit about this stuff, and things move so fast... I haven't kept up! In fact, Larry had my machine all apart last night, and was putting in a new network card because the connection kept failing on the one it had... the opening where you plug the wire in was loose, and the card was old... both computers we use were built by Larry... he gets bare towers and puts in the parts he wants... we've never had a computer that was already built from the store!

I do believe that places like www.Snapfish.com and others have offers where you can turn your photos into cards and calenders and even locket pictures! I'll ask Larry, but I'm pretty sure that there are several photo storage and sending websites that offer all kinds of things you can get using your pictures!

The link is below... you can get coffee mugs, t-shirts... all kinds of things!

Here is a link that might be useful: HP's Snapfish for Photos

Hi Jodi...Thanks for that link. I'll check it out and read more when I have extra time which I don't have much recently.

Anyway, here's what's new. My most challenging photo shoot so far...using a mirror. I'll post more pics in another thread.

Elvas and Elvas
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Oh I love the mirror technique, I must try it on my Sumatra and Charisma.

Another wonderful photo, Maria! Of course, it helps to have such lovely subjects!

Elvas is gorgeous! The funny part is, it's a mislabeled Madrid! But that's alright...it's got pooooollleennss!!!

The shape of it is really nice, too! I love it when the doubles at least have pollen to use! It's a great Elvas!

Piccolo with 3"flower in 5"scape.

Tea time with Piccolo
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Hahaha! Wasn't it TyTy Nursery (horrible, cheating place - don't waste your money) that used to have those semi-suggestive amaryllis photos?

hopflower,

You don't need expensive backdrops or anything printed to use as a backdrop. Look around your house and see what you can use. I like to use pieces of wrapping paper or cardstock.

Love the yard I thought of TyTy too when I saw this thread.

Here's my contribution Maria. It is a photo from last year for my gardening blog.

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MrBrown..very nice! I love the photo. It is amazing how easy it is to express our love of Amaryllis with just a camera and a photo!

I tried to take photos tonight but they sucked! Leave it to the professionals, I say!

Cindeea,

I'm no pro and while I now have a more expensive camera the photo above was taken with an average 200 dollar camera last year.

Want to start a thread about Amaryllis photography so we can share some pics and give feedback and tips on photography see if it is any help?

I'll just watch you guys take the artistic shots... I'm afraid to move my flowers around for fear of breaking a scape! I'll just keep using my jungle as backdrop, and leave the professional stuff to you guys! It's very enjoyable to see all the cool backgrounds and how the flowers mesh with different scenery!

Great pictures, you guys!

Mrbrownthumb...That's a very nice pic. Very pro...
What's that background you used? And what variety is that?

After taking pics of my now 150 plus varieties' flowers for 2 years, I got bored of the usual front, side and close-up shots. They started to look like catalogue pics for me. One reason why I decided to try other backgrounds. It is more challenging, creative and expressive for me of how I see the particular flower giving it a meaning, a purpose, an identity...

Lovetheyard...Posting your Vera's pic in the other thread was good. I'm glad that you have joined us again.
How about this for a semi-suggestive photo?

Miracle...the flirt
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Thank you for providing food for thought.
ARIF

Wonderfully flirty, Maria!

I can't wait to see what you do with the photography when the weather gets nice outside, and other things start to bloom so you can use them as companion subjects! The picture possibilities are endless!

Maria

It is supposedly Apple Blossom. I bought it from a kit. And the background is Christmas wrapping paper I tacked to the wall.

Bravo Maria, all your pictures are beautiful as always! =)

MrBrownThumb, terrific looking Apple Blossom. I love how you captured the flower. =)

Cindeea, WOWEE Elvas! Mine should be in flowering a week, I will post pictures to compare. =)

Thank you all again.

MBT...I have been thinking about using crumpled wrapping paper to see how it comes out. Very nice Appleblossom you have there.

I will start another thread for Miracle. It IS a very nice red. The best single red variety I have personally seen so far.

Oh my Maria, that is absolutely Flirty!! How very pretty and seductive. Great Photo. I must find some dramatic backdrops for my Amis before they are gone.

Well thank you Cindee. It's Arriane's (my 19 yr old daughter) poster in her bedroom that I borrowed. It is so much like her too...lol! My mom warned me about her, saying she changes boyfriends like she is praying the rosary...lol!