Sheree

Zielke

My husband and I love road trips, and coming across graveyards here in our province of Alberta. We love the textures, the history and the stillness. I also love the “portrait” feature on my iPhone 12Pro Max. This bright dandelion was the perfect foreground subject against the grey of the gravestones. The phone’s camera does a great job with selective DOF.

An unexpected heavy wet springtime snowfall here in Alberta, followed by warm afternoon sun led to this photo. I used a small hand mirror to catch water droplets from the melting snow, and to reflect light back up into the snow laden branches. . I loved the deep blue sky backdrop in the reflection.

A cold and snowy day in Edmonton, Alberta. We were driving through a local park near our city’s river. We pulled over so I could take a better look around. A short walk in and I found this magical winter pathway, well-trodden, but completely deserted that day.

I was on my way back from getting groceries when I caught a glimpse of this gorgeous Alberta autumnal light. My husband knows to slam on the brakes when I say, “I NEED that photo.” As I was framing my shots, a man drifted into the image (I learned later he was a visitor from Holland) and I took the picture. I called out to him and thanked him for giving my shot perspective. I showed him the image and told him that it was my next award winner. No editing was necessary. None. God makes great sky paintings.

My sunflowers grew amazingly well this summer. One sturdy stock held over thirty blossoms including this one. The light was so pretty, that I angled my phones to catch the effect. Then a little playtime in the iPhone editing and voila! Something I would have done before with my DSLR is now so easy with my iPhone.

Our summer was unusually hot and sunny. And while it made for some unbearable hot nights, all my flowers loved it, provided they got a good drink of water. I love the DOF provided by the Portrait option on the iPhone. So easy to accomplish this soft dreamy background.

Our odd local Alberta weather this summer was harsh on my peonies. The plant struggled, but managed to yield five blooms; this was one of them. I loved the rainy jewels adorning this valiant flower, almost in honour of its fragile strength.

Oh, my “broken beauty!” This Tiger Swallowtail butterfly, even though seemingly disabled, was going about its business gathering lilac nectar with nary a hint of a problem.

A friend gave me this Easter Lily. I had it on a dining table where it was caught up in the morning sunshine. I had to have the shot. I used black foam board to block out background clutter. And I misted with a plant spray bottle. I am glad others found this beautiful, too.

Road trips are so grand. Especially on a highway known as the Sea to Sky highway in British Columbia. It was a breathtaking vista and a little hard to capture.

I wanted to test my iPhone’s ability to capture moving flames. I threw some color enhancing crystals on the logs and waited. It was magical.

As avid travelers, we feel like this pandemic has clipped our wings. However, we are blessed with gorgeous Rocky mountains only four hours away in Jasper National Park. Snowcaps, wispy cotton candy clouds, and cerulean blue skies make for a perfect photo op.

One of the prettiest harbors at sunset is in downtown Victoria, British Columbia. I love the gentle wavy reflections from the boat riggings.

A dusky evening sky above our Salish Sea. Ocean skies seem never to disappoint especially those off Vancouver Island in Canada.

I found this barn near one of our national parks. It was so handsome nestled into quiet water and lush greenery. The low light made the greens even more vibrant.

Raindrops on roses, er, on peonies. An abundance of rain in our Canadian city is making my garden very healthy. My peonies are the size of dishes.

The ornamental Crabtree in our front yard has such short-lived blossoms. But the color and the fragrance are so memorable. And photogenic.

A wonderful bit of freedom during the Covid lockdown led me to a local park still filled with snow. I liked the lacy overlay of the evergreen needles against the snowy background. The grey tones are somewhat symbolic of the collective mood in our societies.

Sometimes the sun combined with snow haze can turn an everyday common spot into something magical. Add some moody lines and shadows and voila. This is a neighborhood baseball park in Alberta Canada.

I am not a huge fan of snow and cold weather, but when I can brave our Canadian -C temperatures, I am always rewarded. This is a lonely path far up the riverbank in central Edmonton. No one was out walking in the cold. But the light was so beautiful and the textures were charming. I considered leaving the shot in full color, but the dark and light contrasts heightened the feeling of being alone.