ARS Photography Challenge Class: The Board of Directors approved this Challenge Class at the Fall 2017 National Conference and Show in Gettysburg. In addition, this was the same meeting at which they approved the final Guidelines and Rules for Judging Rose Photography.
Nat’l Challenge Class
The Challenge calls for three separate images, all mounted and matted per ARS guidelines. In addition, they are to show Cycle of Bloom for either miniature or miniflora roses. Look for this Challenge Class at the 2018 Spring Miniature and Miniflora National Conference and Show, Jacksonville, FL, May 4-6. The Penn-Jersey District sponsors this award.
In conclusion, this is one more exciting development in Rose Photography at the ARS level. Have fun planning your entries, whether for 2018 or subsequent years.
ARS photo competitions, rose sprays: the American Rose Society Board gave temporary approval for Guidelines for Judging Rose Photography in 2015. The Board approved a revision in 2016. This PowerPoint is one of several I will be posting here over the next few months to give our members examples of images of the various Classes I have created following the Guidelines. I would like to encourage interested rosarians to photograph roses and enter them in ARS shows, including local, district, and national shows; the ARS Digital Photography competition; and the ARS Calendar competitions.
Views presented here are my own, but I believe the images conform to the current Guidelines. Photography in the ARS is a work in progress, so do not be surprised if over time the Guidelines change. The current Guidelines should be applicable at least through the 2018 ARS National Convention and Rose Show.
Mounted and Matted Spray of ‘Dreamweaver’
Logged in users at this site may download and share (including posting on websites) the PowerPoint for use for educational purposes, as long as a credit line is given. I have also posted this PowerPoint in the dedicated page for such presentations.
Finally, the American Rose Society has more information about many aspects of roses at their website.
The Price Garden in Corrales is as interesting and as beautiful as the Rio Grande bosque on which it is located. Those of you who read my other blog, Susan Brandt Graham Photography, know how much I love to photograph there. Gardening on their property presents benefits and challenges that are different from those in the NE Heights sections of Albuquerque. On the positive side, given its location along the Rio Grande, the water table is not so far from the surface. They have irrigation access, a part of the old New Mexico acequias system. Those of you who read Tim’s blog, Off Center and Not Even, know that he often is up in the middle of the night to open the gates and later to close them. Sometimes there is adequate water, sometimes there isn’t. More challenging, at least in my opinion, are the temperature extremes at night, especially in the winter. “Cold air sinks,”and that is readily observable at their home. I always keep a jacket handy, even in summer, if I plan to be there in the evening. Winter nighttime temps are often 20 degrees colder than at my home. In other places I have discussed the microclimates and environments of the area, and the abundance of Dr Huey roses in Corrales. With a lot of hard work, Tim and Laurie have a beautiful garden that fits well into the natural landscape. I was fortunate to be able to photograph it twice in May, 2017. These are just a few of the images.
Colorful Beauty
Garden Study in Orange
David Austin Rose
Betty Boop, Fourth of July, and Purple Salvia against Adobe Wall
Rose ‘Ballerina,’ a very hardy hybrid musk
Rose ‘Ballerina,’ a very hardy hybrid musk
Rose ‘Ballerina,’ a Very Hardy Hybrid Musk
Price Garden, Roses
Price Garden, Peonies
Price Garden, Dr Huey, Bamboo, iris, gorgeous light!
This just a glimpse at the Price Garden, and over time I will post more images of their wonderful, peaceful, inviting garden. This is the best of natural, sustainable gardening in a very challenging spot in the Desert Southwest, Corrales in the bosque. I hope you have enjoyed this brief tour.
Memorial Day 2017, with Miniature Rose ‘Ruby Baby’
For Memorial Day 2017, I wanted to create an image that reflected the meaning of the day, I thought about how to combine elements. First of all, I wanted red, white, and blue. I wanted a red rose to be a major element. Most of all, I wanted the connection to the meaning of the day to be clear.
The image is a composite with multiple layers, composited to reflect the meaning of this special day at many levels. The red rose is the miniature, ‘Ruby Baby.’ The tombstone is from the cemetery of an old New Mexico church. The sky is…well, the beautiful sky.
Wishing you peace on this special weekend, a time for quiet reflection.
Spring 2017 Roses is a small collection of images of roses mainly grown by me. ‘Austrian Copper,’ the species rose R. foetida bicolor, was grown by Tim and Laurie Price. If you wish to see any of the images at a larger size, click on the image.
You may also watch a slideshow containing these and other images.
Additional post will be made throughout the season.
I hope you enjoy the varied beauty of the roses.
Miniature Rose, ‘Incognito,’ after a gentle overnight rain
Species Rose, R. foetida bicolor, grown by Tim and Laurie Price
Spray of shrub rose, ‘Route 66’
Spray of miniature rose, ‘Bees Knees’
Shrub rose, ‘Pike’s Peak’
Shrub rose, ‘Othello’
Miniature rose, ‘Spring Fling’
Floribunda rose, ‘Betty Boop.’ Rose shows now frequently have a class for “Rose Art,” and very often what you will see are images that use photoshop filters or other editing that leads to the destruction or loss of beauty of the rose itself. I want to show that images can be greatly edited, and/or enhanced, without destroying the integrity or the beauty of the rose.
A garden to walk in…The roses in my yard are about three weeks ahead of time this year, compared to when I first came to Albuquerque. I’m definitely enjoying them now. This rose is a shrub rose, ‘Distant Drums.’ It has a wonderful fragrance, along with unique color.
Route 66 in Albuquerque may make you think of many things. In addition to “those”things, “Route 66″is a shrub rose that can be spectacular in early spring. The color, when fresh, is dark mauve, and the bloom has bright golden stamens. Another plus for this rose is a fabulous scent. It blooms intermittently throughout the summer. It is at its most glorious at its first bloom. An added bonus here is a little Lady Bug.
Rose Photography in the American Rose Society: Results of the 2016 ARS Digital Photography Contest
Rose photography in the American Rose Society has a growing interest, no pun intended. 🙂 The American Rose Magazine has had a photography contest for some time. In recent years, the contest has become a digital competition. Online entry is easy, and mailed CD’s, DVD’s, and thumb drives are also accepted. Yesterday, March 12, the ARS used online methods to announce the winners of the 2016 competition. Not only was it fun, but all of the winners could be shown. While the top winners will appear in the American Rose Magazine, print space does not allow for the showing of all winners.
I was very happy to win the Judges Class with ‘Hot Cocoa,’a floribunda rose grown by my mother and photographed by me. ‘Hot Cocoa’ is a russet rose, and russet is always a challenge to photograph!
Floribunda Rose ‘Hot Cocoa.’ Winner of the Judges Class, 2016 American Rose Society Digital Photography Contest
A very big winner in the regular classes is the fourth, and newly appointed, PSWD Photography Chair, Juanita Ortega. I remember when Juanita was just beginning rose photography. She won awards with gorgeous images taken with a point-and-shoot camera and no editing software. (I also remember when she was just beginning in Arrangements.) She brings knowledge, dignity, and commitment to PSWD photography, and the PSWD is lucky to have her. Yesterday I lost track of all of her awards, but you can see all of them in this YouTube video, along with all of the other winners. A brief introduction is followed by all of the winners in all of the classes. Enjoy!
Rose show season is rapidly approaching, and the emphasis will move to rose photography in print form. Some people say entering a print is too expensive, referring to having it mounted and matted somewhere. Last year I prepared a short “how-to”in Kindle form. I show not only how to do it easily, but also how to do it inexpensively. More than that, this method eliminates all the “waves” frequently seen in some of the images in our rose shows.
The American Rose Society now offers a variety of options and settings for sharing your rose images.
Spring and roses are coming, as this current warm spell reminds us. Although it is tempting to prune roses now, it is far too early. However, this is a great time to do some clean-up in the garden. The last cooler spell, along with the wind, removed most of the remaining leaves on my rose bushes. I can see crossing canes better now, and ones that need to be removed. I did a lot of that yesterday, but not pruning.
While waiting for this year’s roses, as well as other flowers and plants, I’m going to share some from prior years. I’m ready for spring:
Ambridge Rose, a David Austin Shrub Rose
Miniature rose, ‘Climbing Earthquake’
Old Garden Rose, Hybrid bracteata 1918 Mermaid
Miniature Rose ‘Marriotta.’
Rose ‘Gold Medal’ with Hair Streak Butterfly. Winner of the Judges Class, 2015 ARS American Rose Photography Competition.
Spray of ‘Dream Weaver,’ Queen of Show in Photography at the 2014 ARS Fall National
“Gemini” – Creative Interpretation King of Show in Photography, ARS 2014 Fall National Convention Best of Show in Photography, Albuquerque Spring 2014 Rose Show
For those of you planning to enter photographs in ARS sanctioned rose shows with the requirement for images matted and mounted to 11×14 specifications, I have prepared a short “how to do it inexpensively and quickly” in Kindle format, which can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. It costs $0.99, the lowest price Amazon would allow me to offer it.
Going back through old photos can be a bit of a challenge and also an interesting reminder of what once was. These images were made with the first digital camera I owned, a Nikon Coolpix 4300. Everything was on Automatic, including the flash. 🙂 That camera died after years of good use, and shortly after these images were made. I had purchased it for the sole purpose of photographing roses I judged at rose shows.
This slide show is made of images taken in June, 2008 at an ARS Rose Judging Seminar in Palm Springs, California. A lot of the same people are around today, but the overall atmosphere, goals, principles, and values of the District where this was held are palpably different.
If you prefer looking at individual images rather than a slide show, the Gallery is here.
This post will ultimately scroll off the front page, so I have also posted the video on the “People” page of this website.
