After the Rain, A Closeup

One of the assignments I've gotten to do for the Creative Sparks class with Gabrielle Swain , was to take a macro walk around outside with my digital camera. Looking for the details. The veins in the leaves. The essential shapes. Taking out the big picture look and lasering down to the basics. This is all to help us learn how to distill our designs down to what really needs to be there.

I found that the raindrops were an added bonus, added that unexpected circular shape to the more angular leaf and branch shapes. Also the contrast in texture between water and leaf is intriguing too. This first picture is a Pride of Madera leaf. It has a slightly fuzzy texture, so it can survive in the unprotected front yard. The deer don't like to munch on fuzzy leaves.
Click on this one to see the raindrop just barely hanging onto the redwood tips. This was a hard shot to get as the wind came up and the redwoods were dancing around. Which does not help when you are shooting on the macro level!
How about this rosemary branch? I love this peely texture with the smooth pointy leaves.
Good ol' rosemary. We have way too much of it now. And those flowers are almost always there, keeping the bees around year round. I think if I ever start bee-keeping I'll have rosemary flavored honey to collect.
A detail of the berries on the tea-tree (leptospermum).

The branch texture of the Pride of Madera.
Raindrops on the calendula petals.
A squatty warty lumpy kaffir lime. Why do I identify so much with this fruit? Anyays, oh man does this ever smell heavenly.
Another view of the kaffir lime. Such an intense brilliant color. Not like a normal lime, there is less green pigmentation, a translucence to the skin. I kept it by my computer to freshen up the air and remind me of the
And finally some raindrops hanging on to the palm fronds.