Shining from Above: Red Rooftops & Stone Houses

City Walls Part II: The mid-afternoon sun comes into life, drenching the buildings and mountain by Old Town with the clearest, brightest light. 

Tiers of Clouds & Magic in Himeji

Himeji Castle Part III: The white heron castle lives on.

One of the most grandeur castles in Japan with satisfying views of the city-- traditional architecture, foliage, and mountains stretch far and beyond.

Featured in Flickr's Explore.

Aligned Architecture: Himeji's White-Walled Castle

Himeji Castle Part II: The clouds roll in, offering major contrast between the sharp blue skies and puffy white coverage.

With the castle as the main character, this created quite the epic photo.

Striking Red Tulip Flowers at Queen's Park

Vivacious flowers take up space at Queen's Park. Blooming, effervescent tulips can be found all over Toronto in all shades of colors. 

These red ones pop right away and deserve to be the main character. 

Basked in Blue Light: Glowing Lighthouse at Twilight

Hefner Lake and Park Part IV: The lighthouse glows every other second into all the colors of the rainbow. 

Blue artificial lights captivate the scene, as the vibrant blue and orange skies of twilight dazzle in the back. 

Featured in Flickr's Explore.

Let It Fly: Striking Butterfly at St Louis Zoo

St Louis Zoo Part I: Swarms of butterflies take over the butterfly house at St Louis Zoo.

A yellow and black patterned Swallowtail butterfly strikes a pose right in front of me and I quickly lean in for a capture. I love the intricate details, the clear-cut designs, and the bold color contrast. 

A Pink and Purple Blend: Textured Flower in Nature

The details and the textures of this flower are beyond surreal. It's a pretty small flower but I had to zoom in really closely to show all of the amazing intricacies of this!

Autumn's Marvelous Beauty: Vibrant Fall Leaves

Autumn continues to bring us vibrant fall foliage. Rich red, yellow, and green hues of all shades are meshed together to create this beauty. The textures, details, and saturation of this is absolute perfection. 

Inside the Garden: Bright Red Rose

So many bright flowers blossoming at the Stanley Park Rose Garden. This rose caught my attention and had this royal flair to it that I really liked. It shined so splendidly with the sun casting that extra glow to it. 

Futuristic Art Inspired by Nature: Orbital Sculpture Design

Modern art can be found at Pierpoint Lane Plaza. 

Orbital, a new contemporary art piece, is one of the highlights. It explores geometric shapes that can be found in nature and is also inspired by robots, futuristic space vehicles, and colorful origami.

Vibrant Tulip Flowers at the Gardens

Bright pink, yellow, and orange tulips steal the show outside of the Denver Botanic Gardens. The impeccable arrangement and neon hues make these so much fun to view and photograph! 

The Cliffs + Views from Red Rocks Park

Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre Part I: Mesmerizing red sandstone rocks surround this popular amphitheater on top of a mountain. The beautiful ridges and textures create spectacular layers that can be admired from afar. 

Broad Museum's State-of-the Art Design and Architecture

Described as a "block-size box", the design and architecture of the Broad Museum is beyond modern with sharp, intricate details outside and inside. 

I decided to capture a closeup view of this building to really capture the magnificent, contemporary composition. 

White-Pink Blush: Cherry Blossoms at First Glance

 

The whitest-pink flowers ever on display in San Francisco. 

I made a couple adjustments, brightening the colors and whitening the image to give it a more striking look and feel, while still bringing out the pastels. 

Blooming Flowers of Hope at Golden Gate Park

 

Stumbled upon these white and pink flowers while strolling through the Shakespeare Garden. The mid-afternoon sunlight streaming through created an unexpected dose of magic, adding the perfect lighting to the flowers and the nearby green scenery.  

Winter Meets Spring: Pink Cherry Blossoms in the City

Spring is almost here. An hour before the sprinkles and rain came, I walked outside and caught sight of these blooming sakura flowers. Still really small, but the beauty and color were widely visible. The eccentric, modern building in the background made for a cool backdrop against these cherry blossoms! 

Magic Wonders of the Garden: Salmon-Yellow Colored Rose

Time to stop and smell the roses.

So many bright flowers in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, making this hilly hike a refreshing walk in nature. This one in particular caught my eye; I love the mix of yellow, orange, and salmon colors on this and had to capture a closeup pic.

Eastern Span Architecture of Bay Bridge at Sunset

The brand new (only a few years old!) eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bridge is known for its spectacular design and architecture. The best way to capture this view? Close up and during sunset.

Summer's Dream: Aqua and Pink Palm Tree Delight

Walked around a spacious, mysterious park filled with all sorts of natural wonders. After a half hour, I stumbled upon a lot of palm tree goodness and had to get a closeup of this one. These are naturally green colored leaves, but I decided to change up the hues to give it a tropical vibe by adding aqua and pink colors.

San Francisco Bay Bridge at Sunset Hour

Every picture no matter how ordinary or bland can become lively when taken during the golden hours.

This day was no exception...while we crossed the Bay Bridge I had to capture this before I missed my chance...as the color in the sky changes rapidly during this time of day!