I've just opened a gallery on my website called The Magic of Lensbaby. Given my great love of Lensbaby lenses - lenses that have become a bigger and bigger part of my flower photography - I wanted to have a place where I could showcase those images.

'Julia' Coneflower I started with Lensbaby about 3 1/2 years ago. At that time I was moving full speed ahead into developing a whole new way of looking at and photographing flowers. I started flower photography many years ago with the idea that everything in my portraits of flowers needed to be in sharp focus. There is nothing wrong with this approach and I still employ it today when I want to emphasize detail in flowers. Yet, during this time I felt stuck creatively. I felt a deep longing to grow, change and try new ways of shooting - to be more creative and free in my work. In the spring of 2013, I challenged myself with a project to shoot everything with selective focus. Most often, I chose to shoot at f 2.8, focusing on a curving line of a flower, a petal, a drop of dew to draw the eye to one particular part of the flower. It was the beginning of seeing flowers more abstractly. During that time I was experimenting with the Lensbaby Composer but still using my traditional macro lenses for most of my photography. It wasn't until the introduction of the Lensbaby Velvet 56mm in the spring of 2015 that I fell completely in love with Lensbaby. That lens had me smitten from the first image I took.

Dahlia Glow 'Pillow Talk' Tulip Lensbaby lenses are the perfect companion for this kind of creative, more abstract way of shooting. They have helped me to continue to grow as a flower photographer. Of the Lensbaby lenses I own, the Velvet 56mm remains my favorite because of the unmistakable ethereal glow it creates at the lower apertures.  Nonetheless, the Composer Pro with the variety of optics I own, has taken a commanding position in my more recent work. Since macro photography is my passion, the Velvet 56mm, which focuses as close as 5 inches, and the Composer Pro with the macro converters and various optics allow me to work up-close with my subjects and create the beautiful effects these lenses are famous for.

Dahlia Abstract Dahlia Although flowers are my favorite subjects, I often pull out my Lensbaby lenses when photographing other botanical subjects, like this unfurling fern.

Emergence     Or succulents, like this Desert Cabbage and the tiny flowers of the Red Velvet Echeveria. Desert Cabbage Red Velvet Echeveria The Twist 60mm is my most recent purchase from Lensbaby and what a fun lens it is! It's the perfect lens for capturing the beauty of fall.

Fall Unfolding Birches Aglow I will be focusing more on teaching about using Lensbabies in the 2017 Out of Chicago Conferences, so watch for more details soon. Meanwhile, if you are interested in trying Lensbaby lenses, my friend Gary Farber with Hunt's Photo and Video emailed me this morning that they are having a sale on all Lensbaby products. Check it out here at Hunt's or email Gary at [email protected]. Hmmmmm! What could I add to my collection? The holidays are coming, you know!

One week from today I'll be heading to New York City for what promises to be an amazing weekend of photography! It's not too late to register for this conference and you can get $100 off by using my special code: BELMONT100. I will be presenting my program "Flower Photography: The Art of Seeing and Capturing the Beauty of Flowers" on Saturday, 9:00-10:30 a.m., as well as doing a "Macro-Shoot Out" with fellow macro photographer, Mike Moats, Saturday 5:45-7:15 p.m. Mike and I will have a wide variety of subjects to photograph. I will have flowers with a variety of backgrounds and lighting to set up beautiful macro compositions.

The whole weekend is jam-packed with classes, photowalks and workshops covering many genres of photography. We will kick off the conference on Thursday night with a cruise around Manhattan at sunset, photographing the best views of the skyline and New York bridges before heading to the Statue of Liberty for sunset. Join us for that fun event and a weekend of great learning! Learn more about the details of the conference, where to stay, and register at ny.outofchicago.com.

Last week I was treated to an early tour of the brand new Regenstein Learning Campus at The Chicago Botanic Garden. The opening celebration for the campus is Saturday and Sunday, September 10 - 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Drop in, take a tour and learn about all the wonderful things the new campus has to offer.

The indoor classrooms are amazing and will house many of the 1,500 classes offered by the Garden. I was particularly captivated by the preschool classroom I visited, so much so that I totally forgot to take a photo of the space! Go see for yourself what a wonderful program the Nature Preschool offers - a beautiful classroom full of thoughtfully-chosen toys to stimulate a child's learning and senses as well as a beautiful outdoor space to extend learning outdoors. Having been an early childhood educator for many years, I am delighted to see a nature-based program in our area. I would have jumped at the chance to send my own children there if the program had existed when they were little. More than ever it is important to instill in children a life-long love of nature and respect for the natural world. I worry that children today don't get enough time in nature, time to wonder and explore. The Garden has provided a perfect place for this to happen and I applaud them for their wonderful and varied programs for children.

The outdoor spaces will delight both children and adults alike. The rolling hills invite children of all ages to run and roll, the "runnel" water feature begs you take off your shoes and splash through the water, and the large hollow trees provide climbing and hiding spaces for children to stretch their muscles or quietly ponder the beauty of nature. Beautiful gardens and plantings are scattered throughout the campus. 

  I was very excited to see where the Butterflies and Blooms exhibit will be relocated next year. It has a perfect space adjacent to the building. Of course, it is a dirt pad right now but by next May the mesh enclosure, full of butterflies and beautiful plantings, will be all ready to open for it's 6th year.

So, stop in next weekend and see the wonderful new addition to the 385 acres of the beloved Garden. Check out the wonderful learning opportunities for all ages and, as the Garden says, begin to "Grow Your Life Story." Bravo to CBG!

Tender Touch Today my article "Photographing Flowers with Stories to Tell" is featured on the Out of Chicago website. Be sure to check out the Out of New York Conference website where I'll be presenting my program "Flower Photography: The Art of Seeing and Capturing the Beauty of Flowers." I will also be doing a macro shoot-out with fellow macro photographer Mike Moats at the conference center. Come join us to photograph all sorts of things up-close, including flowers, of course! The Out of New York Conference, October 14-16, features 30 incredibly talented photographers presenting a variety of programs, workshops and photowalks in street photographey, architectural photography, portrait photography, landscape and travel photography - just about anything your heart desires. We'll be out on the streets of New York shooting, not just in the conference center, and that's why we are called the "shootingest" photography conference on earth. Come join us for what promises to be another incredible conference put on by the Out of Chicago team.   

Each summer I look forward to capturing the beauty of one of my favorite flowers - dahlias. Full of color, pattern and personality, dahlias are fun to photograph in a variety of ways. They have a long growing season, from early June until the first hard frost of the late fall. The dahlias at the Chicago Botanic Garden have been a bit more limited this year with the temporary closing of the Graham Bulb Garden for path renovation. The new brick path will be worth the wait but I certainly missed the many dahlias that are normally planted in this garden in the summer, not to mention access to the aquatic bulb garden where water lilies and lotuses are abundant. This is always my favorite area to photograph dahlias, as they grow near the path and are easy to get right up close to.  Despite the temporary closing of the Bulb Garden, there are beautiful dahlias in the Circle Garden, the Crescent Garden, the English Walled Garden and the Enabling Garden to keep one busy with subjects to photograph. In addition, I always look forward to the Central States Dahlia Society Show. This year the show is on September 17-18 and is located in Regenstein Center. It will showcase hundreds of perfect dahlia blooms, beautiful to photograph despite being indoors with less than ideal lighting (prepare to raise your ISO and shoot at lower apertures due to the lighting; no tripods allowed in the tight, crowded space - this show draws a crowd). If you are a Lensbaby lover like I am, the dahlia show is the perfect place to shoot wide open with a Lensbaby lens. 

Hands down, my favorite dahlia this summer was a variety called 'Sweet Dreams,' surrounding the fountain in the Circle Garden. The title itself so perfectly suited this soft pink dreamy beauty and begged for a softer focus portrait. The Lensbaby Velvet 56mm was the perfect lens to capture these beauties. 

'Sweet Dreams' Dahlia 'Sweet Dreams' Dahlia 'Sweet Dreams' Dahlia Another favorite dahlia in the Circle Garden was the spunky and colorful 'Half Pint.' 

'Half Pint' Dahlia Photographing dahlias early in the morning after they have been watered or after a rain is definitely a bonus.

'Half Pint' Dahlia Dahlia with Water Droplets Also in the Circle Garden is this tiny treasure called 'Cherish' Dahlia, photographed with the Lensbaby Velvet 56mm. This dahlia is only about 2-3 inches in diameter. I fell in love with the patterns, colors and subtle lines of this dahlia.  'Cherish' Dahlia Dahlias are perfect flowers to photograph from many different angles - work that subject! The repeating patterns formed by the petals being beautiful subjects in themselves.

'Cherish' Dahlia Lastly, another dahlia that captivated me was in the Enabling Garden - the 'Alauna Clair-Obscur.' With its wild and ruffled petals it appeared to be dancing and twirling.

'Alauna Clair-Obscur' Dahlia I'll be photographing the dahlias throughout the fall up until that first hard freeze - a good two months more of beautiful flowers to capture. It's always a sad day for us flower photographers when the last flowers fade after that frost and I'm always particularly sad to see the dahlias do their last dance. They delight us and dance for us all summer long - such captivating and beautiful flowers!

For the past five summers I have made weekly visits to the Butterflies and Blooms exhibit at the Chicago Botanic Garden to help document the butterfly collection in the exhibit. It is a morning each week I look forward to and greatly enjoy. I photograph as Patrick, the exhibit manager, tends to the butterflies and gets the exhibit ready to open and the horticulturists, Kay and Linda, work to keep the beautiful flower and plant collection in tip-top shape. With a collection of over 300 images of butterflies from previous years, it is challenging to keep working toward getting better and different shots of the butterflies. Some of the shots I capture are purely documentary in style, but I strive to find the more artistic and creative shots, as well. Those are always the icing on the cake for me. Butterflies are not easy to photograph, particularly when the they are more active and the light is challenging. I always hope for cooler overcast conditions so the light is even and subdued and the butterflies quiet and resting while warming their wings. I do all my butterfly photography hand-held and most with my 100mm macro lens. A tripod is too cumbersome for the exhibit space while the horticulturists are working (and is not allowed during visitor hours) and I have to be fast on my feet and quick to respond. Using a 100mm macro means that I am working close to the butterfly, so being quiet and gentle in my approach is important if I don't want to scare a butterfly off. Composing and determining an aperture that will get the butterfly and the flower it is perched on in focus but provide a pleasing background requires quick thinking about camera settings. All the while, I have to keep my eye on my shutter speed and ISO because I am hand-holding. Two years ago I came up with a list of 10 tips for photographing butterflies. Read about it in this post.

This year the butterflies in the exhibit have been varied and plentiful. The weather has been perfect for a successful and lush exhibit. If you enjoy butterfly photography and beautiful flower displays, a visit to the exhibit is a must.

                                                           Gulf Fritillary Butterfly 

Gulf Fritillary

          Julia Longwing Butterfly ​ Julia Longwing           Paper Kite Butterfly Paper Kite Butterfly

          Backlit Paper Kite Butterfly Close-up

Paper Kite Butterfly           Great Mormon Butterfly Great Yellow Mormon           Blue Clipper Close-Up Blue Clipper Close-Up In the following shots, I was experimenting with my Yongnuo Macro Ring Light. It is helpful in providing nice even light and darkening backgrounds. The ring light ensures sharp shots hand-held while keeping my ISO low.  

                                                             Great Orange Tip Butterfly

Great Orange Tip          Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly

Orchard Swallowtail                                                             Owl Butterfly Owl Butterfly

Dancing Reflection Please join me with Photofocus host Levi Sim on Monday, July 18th for a Google+ live Lightroom Hangout "Fine Art Flowers with Anne Belmont." We kick off at 12:00 p.m. Eastern, 11:00 a.m. Central, 9 a.m. Pacific to talk about flower photography and how I process my images. To learn more about the hangout and register, go to the Photofocus page. If you can't join us live, the hangout will be available on the Photofocus website to view at your leisure. Hope to see you online!  

For many the summer might seem to be half over, but for me it feels like it has just begun. The first part of the summer was jam-packed with excitement and I am only now able to relax and have a little "vacation" time at home, which basically means catching up on the boat-load of images I've shot, shooting lots more, and posting a few blog posts about what's blooming at the Chicago Botanic Garden - lots!

June began with a trip to Acadia National Park in Maine with the Out of Chicago team to scout locations for an upcoming conference scheduled for October, 2017. Be watching for details on that exciting event - it will be awesome, I promise! What a gorgeous part of the country! We shot sunrise to sunset and even stars late at night - oh my, the stars were incredible!  Needless to say, not much sleep happened during that week, but lots of pictures and memories were made and a few lobster rolls consumed. The landscapes were spectacular but, of course, as a flower person, I was mesmerized by the endless field of lupines. Can't help myself!

Lupines of Acadia

Then on to the Out of Chicago Summer Conference in Chicago at the end of June - an amazing success! 40+ presenters and 400 attendees, yet what makes this conference so amazing is the intimacy, the friendly and fun way the instructors and attendees interact and learn. It is truly the best conference around and you will hear many attendees and some pretty big-name presenters say the same thing. From Rick Sammon's inspirational opening talk to Scott Bourne's emotional and passionate closing talk and everything in between, it was an incredible experience. This is what Scott Bourne had this to say about his experience at Out of Chicago in a follow-up blog post on Photofocus. Pretty awesome, right?! We love our presenters!  I love being a part of the team and this year I was a presenter, as well. There is not much that tops sharing my passion for flower photography with others. I'll be presenting my "Macro Flower Photography: The Art of Seeing and Capturing the Beauty of Flowers" at the Out of New York Conference, October 14-16th. If you are interested in registering, the conference website is here.

  So, now I'm back to shooting at my beloved Chicago Botanic Garden after this busy start to the summer. I returned from a family trip to Boston a few days ago to find the Garden had exploded with blooms. The water lilies are gorgeous right now, which is what I'll post about right now, but all areas of the Garden are lush and full of spectacular subjects, including the butterflies in Butterflies and Blooms.

So a little about the water lilies. This year the water lilies are limited to the Heritage Garden. Normally there are many water lilies blooming in the Graham Bulb Garden aquatic area but this area is closed for the summer while they install new brick paths within that garden. Not to worry, the water lilies in the Heritage Garden have been abundant and beautiful and will provide plenty of subjects to photograph.

Remember a few tips while photographing water lilies:

• Many of the water lilies don't fully open until mid-morning and they close mid-afternoon when light can still be harsh and contrasty. I only photograph water lilies on bright overcast days. This gives beautiful even light, intense color and nice reflections in the water. If your only choice is to shoot on a bright sunny day, try using a polarizer. It's best to wait for overcast light but a polarizer will help reduce glare on the lily pads, water and flowers. You may also be able to use a diffuser to soften the light on flowers that are closer to the edge.   
• Take a zoom lens to be able to get in close. Many of the water lilies are set farther away in the aquatic pools so a macro lens will not be of much help unless you have a 180mm, and often even my 180mm doesn't have enough reach. I shoot water lilies almost exclusively with a 70-300mm lens, allowing me to get in close at the 300mm range. By moving in close, you simplify your composition, eliminating distracting details and creating an image with more impact and emotion. 
• When composing a water lily, try to include a lily pad to anchor the flower and add visual interest. The lily pads are full of patterns and color and add a nice element to your composition. Also, when pulling back to include the whole flower, try to include the reflection of the flower in the water.
• Experiment with different apertures, compositions and different angles, both high and low. Sometimes shooting from a slightly different angle will help darken the water and eliminate distractions in the water.
• Although the horticulturists keep the displays of aquatic plants clean and pristine, occasionally you will have to clone out small leaves or debris floating in the water during your post processing.
• The aquatic areas are full of dragonflies, damselflies and bees, so catching one in your composition is always a bonus.
• There are always plenty of water lilies to capture but capturing a lotus in bloom requires some careful watching and timing. The lotuses are few and far between in blooms and once they bloom, they are only fresh-looking for about a day. Keep an eye on those buds and learn to predict when they will open!

Here are a few of the waterlilies (and even a 'Red Russian' lotus) I've captured this week.

'Red Russian' Lotus Waterlily Waterlily Waterlily Waterlily with Reflection 'Russian Red' Lotus More posts about other blooms as well as the butterflies to come! it's a wonderful time to visit CBG!

Anyone who knows me knows I'm passionate about capturing the world up-close, particularly flowers. You probably figured that out if you spent even five minutes on my website. Occasionally, however, I am overcome with the beauty of the landscapes at the Chicago Botanic Garden and I can't help myself. I have to capture the magic and make sure to pack my wide angle lens in my camera bag. This time in spring is one such time. The week when the hundreds of crabapples circling the Great Basin come into bloom in shades of pink, red and white is one of the most magical of weeks at the Garden. Walking through the entire Garden, especially circling the Great Basin brings magnificent views upon every turn.

The most magical view for me is the Lakeside Garden path; the arching crabapples make me feel like I have entered a magical fairyland. I always try to imagine how I would have loved it as a child.

Lakeside Garden - Crabapples in Bloom This pot of glowing orange azeleas among the colorful crabapples is seen from the Enabling Garden terrace. This was one of my favorite views this past week. 

Azeleas Among the Crabapples What a beautiful place to sit and soak up the beauty of the Garden in spring! The smell is divine!

Sit and Soak in the Beauty The tulips have since faded but this was the view of the Crescent Garden in previous weeks. How quickly spring has progressed. I can't believe there are only a few late-blooming tulip varieties left.

Crescent Garden in Spring   A walk to the Japanese Gardens is a must. The azaleas are in bloom right now and they are always a beautiful sight.

Azaleas in the Japanese Garden Another beautiful view with one of my favorite crabapples is in the Bulb Garden. It reminds me of a tree I often climbed in as a child, daydreaming for hours at a time and even bringing my lunch there and imaging it was my home, my kingdom. When it was fully leafed out no one could see me in the tree so I imaged it my secret hiding place. Of course, I'm sure the fact that my bicycle was on the ground beneath the tree gave my secret away. My love of nature has deep roots in my childhood, growing up in a small town surrounded by beautiful natural places to explore. I treasure that I had a lot of unstructured time to explore the world around me. I worry that children today aren't given enough time to daydream, to explore, to create. We all need to slow down and nurture those moments. 

Crabapple in Graham Bulb Garden This is just a small sampling of the many beautiful views at the Garden in May. Soak it in because in a couple weeks the spring gardens will be pulled out to make way for the summer gardens. And don't forget that Butterflies and Blooms opens on May 28th. I'm excited to be back photographing the butterflies!

Holland, Michigan, that is! Believe me, it's on my bucket list to visit The Netherlands during tulip season, but for now, Holland, Michigan was a happy and not-too-distant get-away! My friend Lara Joy and I drove to Michigan on Saturday in pouring rain (thank you, Lara Joy for your expert driving) and met our friend, Bryan, who had organized a photowalk in Holland for May 1st with the West Michigan Photographers Alliance. The Holland Tulip Festival runs May 7-14 but we planned the photowalk the weekend before to avoid the usual crowds. Luckily, the tulips were fully in bloom.

Sunday morning dawned and it was still raining, but miraculously the rain stopped just in time for our walk. It was a cold, cloudy day but as a tulip enthusiast, I was more absorbed in what I was photographing than paying attention to the cold. We walked among various parks in Holland, filled with beautiful tulips in full bloom and covered with raindrops. Holland is a quaint town with a beautiful historic district. I'd like to go back and explore the town more. There were tulips everywhere - lining the streets, in the medians, in the parks, in people's yards. After a couple of hours of photographing in town we headed to Veldheer, a fabulous tulip farm a few miles away. Oh my! I was in my happy place, surrounded by tulips of every variety and color in every direction you look - fields and fields of them, and oddly enough, a field of bison, too! It was a bit overwhelming to know where to start. We spent about two hours roaming from tulip bed to tulip bed, kneeling down to shoot one perfect tulip after another. Two hours was not enough; I could easily spend a whole day, two days at this place. For the $10 admission into the gardens, it was well-worth the price. The gift shop was fun to visit, too - beautiful delftware pottery and wooden shoes made and sold there. Below are a number of my raindrop-covered images from the day. Many more to process!

May I Have This Dance? Tulip with Raindrop Catching the Raindrops Tulip Tulip after the Rain     Tulip Tulip Tulip