2016 PhotoChallenge Week 22: Backlit - Translucent Nature

At the end of last year I discovered Photochallenge.org.  This is a small group of photographers who set forth a weekly challenge to other professional and amateur photographers.  What I was drawn to with this weekly assignment is that is pushes you to try new techniques and get out and take pictures on a weekly basis.  I'm taking part again this year and will also do a quick blog post about each of them.  The rules of the challenge do require that these are new pictures, not from your back catalog.  With my busy work schedule, I may not be able to get out each week and do this, so I will likely add a few of my older photos on the blog--taking the opportunity to look at the plethora of pictures I've taken and actually do some processing and weeding.

2016 PhotoChallenge.org Week 22: Backlit - Translucent Nature

The idea this week was to take a photo of something natural-world showing off translucence.  Examples included birds, flowers, and even an ocean wave--all backlit so the sun shone through.  I had many examples of this from the past few weeks, but this week didn't get a chance to find something fresh.  

1) Tiptoe:  I took this at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum last month as all the Spring tulips were blooming.  I like how the sun shines through the translucent yellow of the flower and accentuates the burst of red.

2) Coming Up Roses:  I'm pretty happy with this shot.  I took this at the Portland Rose Garden on our recent trip out there.

3) Sheltered:  This Japanese maple tree at the Portland Japanese Gardens provided cover and shade, but the light filtering though the leaves was amazing.  I don't think I quite captured the majesty here, but you get the idea. 

4) Painting Leaves?  This spotted leaf jumped out at me as the sun lit it from behind.  The effect actually makes this look like it was painted.  

5) In Flight:  This one was taken this past weekend on our friend Shawn's boat.  I tried to get a shot with more light through the wings, but the gulls were not cooperating fully!