You might be confused as to why I'm posting spring flowers when the temperatures are in the teens and more snow is predicted this week. This display of spring flowers is in the Krehbiel Gallery at Regenstein Center at CBG and it certainly gives us hope that spring is indeed around the corner. A sight for sore eyes!  The display of anemones and tulips is breathtaking with its pinks, purples and blues. The anemones are particularly fun to photograph and they are a perfect macro subject with their vibrant colors, textured petals and pollen-filled anthers.

The Chicago Botanic Garden posted this photo on their Facebook page today! 

Isn't nature amazing?!  Look at the range of colors in this anemone.  How could a bee resist it?

I am so honored to share my images and be a guest writer today for my friend Chris Smith's awesome website "Out of Chicago."  Chris is one of the most talented and up-and-coming photographers I know and his work has served as an inspiration for me to try new kinds of photography.  Not only is he one the nicest guys you could know, but his generosity and eagerness to share his knowledge and ideas with others is part of what makes him so special.  Check out my post and take some time to explore Chris' website.

 http://outofchicago.com/putting-wendys-advice-to-work-by-anne-belmont/

In my quest to find new venues to photograph and expand my skills beyond nature photography, I spent a day last week exploring and photographing one of Chicago's hidden jewels, the Chicago Cultural Center.  Inspired by a recent post by Architectural Historian Wendy Bright on my friend Chris Smith's "Out of Chicago" website, I decided to check it out.  Read Wendy's post and explore Chris' fabulous website here:

http://outofchicago.com/the-chicago-cultural-center/ 

Opened to the public in 1897, The Chicago Cultural Center originally served as Chicago's first public library as well as a memorial to the Civil War vets organization known as the Grand Army of the Republic.  Many people do not realize the beauty that lies within this massive building that occupies a full city block along Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Washington.  Its sparkling mosaics, imported marble and gorgeous stained glass are sure to impress.

Preston Bradley Hall, with its stunning mosaics and the world's largest stained glass Tiffany dome, was originally the library's General Delivery Room. The Tiffany dome is 38 feet in diameter and contains some 30,000 pieces of glass. The dome, mosaics and lighting fixtures were all executed by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company of New York.

Preston Bradley Hall is now a popular venue for concerts and receptions.

  The grand staircase of Carrara marble and mosaics.

The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Rotunda and Memorial Hall was built to honor the Union Soldiers in the Civil War. The 40-ft. diameter leaded glass dome was executed by Healy and Millet, a Chicago glassmaking firm.

You can see more images of the Chicago Cultural Center in my website gallery.  I will add more in the future, as I plan a return visit to explore more areas of this magnificent building.

We finally got some beautiful snow but with temperatures in the teens and 20's it's hard to get out and enjoy the scenery.  As I always say, when it's bone-chilling and finger-numbing-cold outside, the warm greenhouses at the Garden are the place to be.  All three greenhouses - the Arid, the Tropical and the Semi-Tropical are bursting with blooms.  

In the Tropical Greenhouse many orchids are in bloom.  This spread of Phalaenopsis orchids was begging for a portrait.

This Jade Vine is one of only 3 known to have bloomed in the United States.  It is a fascinating plant and its color is simply stunning.  It is very difficult to photograph, however, and this shot is not as well-focused as I would like.  The fans in the greenhouse (a constant source of problems for us eager photographers) keep the hanging vines with the flowers in constant motion.  Indoors on a grey day, it's hard to get a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the motion.  Nonetheless, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to share this gorgeous plant. 

The Semi-tropical greenhouse is full of spreads of Nepata or catmint.  Catmint is a relative of catnip and apparently is even more of an aphrodisiac for cats.  It's a hardy, easy-to-grow plant for your garden, but if you have cats in neighborhood, don't be surprised to find them "hanging out" in your garden!

My favorite area right now is the Arid Greenhouse.  It is at its peak of flowering beauty.  Visit it now because in a week or two, the blooms will fade.  This time last year I enjoyed discovering the Natal Lily in bloom and included a couple of pictures of it in one of my first posts to this blog.  (Yes, my website had it's first birthday yesterday, and I celebrated by renewing with Zenfolio for another year!)  

Love the colors in the thorns of this beautiful succulent.

Notice the snow on the roof of the greenhouse and trees outside.  You'd never know it was freezing outside by the number of blooms and the toasty warmth indoors.

Yesterday the temperature reached into the mid 40's so I headed to the Garden late in the afternoon for a long walk before sunset. I remember lamenting in a post at the end of Fall that there isn't much to photograph at the Garden during the winter months unless, of course, we have snow.  I take that statement back.  You just have to be willing to endure the cold to find the interesting landscapes or details of winter, and to be creative in finding interesting indoor shots. The greenhouses, of course, are lush with flowering plants right now and offer a wonderful place to warm up and explore when you need a respite from the cold. One of my new year's resolutions is try new types of photography, look for new venues to shoot in.  I'm a newbie to HDR photography and I have a long way to go before mastering it, but it's definitely on the list of techniques to practice and work on.  Yesterday, I had fun doing some HDR at sunset and dusk.  I took a long, vigorous walk all over the Garden and ended up in the Japanese Garden right before the sun went down.  It's a lovely peaceful place to watch the sunset.

The arid greenhouse is in full bloom right now.  It's a feast for the eyes when you walk in!  It was getting pretty dark in there but with the glow of sunset in the westward-facing window and using HDR, I was able to get this shot. 

The main lobby in the Regenstein Center is a great place to try an indoor shot with dusk lingering outside.

The Heritage Garden and Regenstein at dusk.

Oh, and P.S....the snowdrops are up at the Garden!  They are blooming beside the lakeside pathway leading to the bridge to Evening Island, below the Sensory Garden.  I couldn't believe my eyes!  I didn't get a photograph worthy of posting but will try to do so next time I'm there.  Snowdrop shoots are also popping up along the steps in the Waterfall Garden area.  The first sign that Spring is not too far off...I hope!  

Happy New Year to all!  As I reflect back on all the photography opportunities and growth that 2012 brought, I also take this time to think about the coming year and what new doors I might open in 2013.  I am eager to continue learning, to explore new types of photography and to get out and shoot in new and different places.  I am grateful for my many photography friends who have inspired me, taught me, and are always eager for the next fun outing to capture the world around us.

The urge to create, the urge to photograph, comes in part from the deep desire to live with more integrity, to live more in peace with the world, and possibly to help others to do the same.

 ~Wynn Bullock

With the busy holidays and time with family, I had not been to the Garden for a couple of weeks.  I wanted to go for one last peek at the holiday decorations before they come down. The tropical greenhouse has a lovely display of amaryllis and a spectacular globe of white Phalaenopsis orchids.

The semi-tropical greenhouse is full of poinsettias of many colors, including the beautiful globes suspended from the ceiling.

I finally had some time to try out my Christmas present - a Tamron 180mm macro.  This is my first non-Canon lens and I have to say, I'm quite pleased with it.     

The arid greenhouse has beautiful globes of red Kalanchoe.

I've never really been all that fond of poinsettias, but after spending the day photographing them at the Lincoln Park Conservatory and seeing the great variety of colors, I am now a fan.  Like so many things in nature, once you learn a bit more about the plant and get up close to observe all its intricate beauty, you gain a new appreciation for it. I learned that there are about 100 varieties of poinsettias, although the red poinsettia is by far the most popular because of its association with Christmas. The poinsettia is part of the spurge family.  The showy colored parts of poinsettias that most people think of as the flowers are actually colored bracts or leaves. The yellow flowers (cyathia) are in the center of the colorful bracts. Contrary to popular belief, the poinsettia is not poisonous.

I was most captivated by the bracts of these pale pink poinsettias.

The leaves have all fallen and winter is around the corner.  There's not much to photograph at the Garden and outdoors right now, at least until the snow falls. Do I dare say that I'm excited for snow to arrive?  I do love the change of seasons that we experience in the Midwest, even if winter does get a bit tiresome come February.  For now, it's nice to have some extra time to work on images, reorganize files, install a new external hard drive and reflect on all I've learned and done with photography this year.

A few more Fall images I've been working on...

This one was taken on a rainy, cloudy day.  The sun came out briefly before sunset, illuminating the foliage and turning the cloudy sky a beautiful shade of blue.

Notice the blue heron watching for fish on the shoreline?

More views in the Japanese Garden.

The crabapples are as beautiful in Fall as they are in blossom in the Spring.

With traveling to Southern Illinois and on to Missouri, my photography class, photo club meetings and competitions, and teaching, my Fall has been very busy, but I have grabbed every opportunity I can to get to the Garden and enjoy the gorgeous Fall colors.  Everyone wondered if we wouldn't have a good show of color after the drought conditions of the summer, but I think it has been as beautiful as ever.  I love this time of year - the crispness in the air, the range and richness of colors, the light.  This past week I have been focusing on developing my skills in using HDR photography.  I was worried it was going to be difficult to learn, but I have found it very easy and loads of fun to experiment with.  I've mixed a few of my HDR images in with floral images from the Circle Garden.  The Circle Garden is breathtakingly beautiful with it's variety of plants and color.

Symphony Mum...

Atomic Orange Garden Mum...

Seaton's Ruby Anemone Mum Other Fall views around the Garden...