Studio39Designs

Pond Life at San Diego Botanic Garden

I guess I’ve saved my favorite for last – the pond blooms and wildlife.  I admit it – I’m a sucker for waterlilies, so they are taking a bit of front and center in this post.  But, there are other things to see as well!

Floating Beauties

There were several small ponds around the botanic garden, and each had some lovely waterlilies blooming.  These three are set off by the pads they are seemingly resting on.  I also love the detail of the moss covered rocks under the water.  Did you notice that?

Freestyle Swim

I did notice a couple of turtles swimming in what I think of as the main pond.  This little guy is enjoying an afternoon swim.  I really got a bit of a chuckle at the position of his back feet – so straight out, perhaps making the most of his glide!

Watercolor Waterlilies

I did love these waterlilies and I decided to sort of convert them to a bit of a watercolor effect.  However, I elected to not make them soft, or a bit blurry.  Instead, I went for a bit of sharper definition on the edges to make them pop.  And, they do!

Pretty in Peach

This waterlily was peach colored, a bit different from the mostly pink blossoms I had been seeing.  I worked to enhance the detail in this image, so you can almost feel the wetness of the stem of this bloom as it rises out of the water.  And the pads almost seem like they are 3D, don’t they?

Peaceful Waterfall

The main pond had a beautiful cascading waterfall.  I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to capture its beauty due to the high contrast conditions.  However, thru the magic of computer software, I was able to combine 3 different images together to create an image that looks like it did to me as I stood there.  Makes me truly appreciate how our brains work to sort of balance things out without our even being aware of it!

Taking a Breather

As we walked around the pond, I noticed another little turtle taking a bit of a breather, and just relaxing on a rock on the pond’s shore.  The sunlight was softer here, with the trees branches and leaves dappling the light.  The result is a nice, quiet restful image of nature.

Enjoy!