We go where the math takes us: Banff

Last week I accompanied David to a math conference at the Banff International Research Station (BIRS) in the Canadian Rockies. David first went there in 2007, and I’ve wanted to go back with him ever since. My first trip did not disappoint! Great food in the dining halls, fun conversations with mathematicians, Canadian beers, hiking, and best of all, amazing views from the cafe where I worked all week:

I hear the math was good as well! Watch David’s talk, Rational points on curves and tropical geometry.

Daffodils: Up Close and Personal

Nothing fills me with the promise of spring like the beauty of daffodils. One of my favorite photos from my spring blossoms project last year was of daffodils, and this year I wanted to capture their form in new ways. In particular, I used an Easy-Macro lens to get up close and personal with the flowers. The results range from detailed to abstract.

Overview:

Details:

Abstract:

Spring Blossoms 2014

I photographed a lot of flowers last spring in attempt to capture the beauty of the season in Atlanta. Hope to the same this year. Here’s the first of the season (although spring does not officially start until next month).

Baltimore

California

Autumn Sunset in Atlanta

Stepping off the edge

Today felt like the first day of the rest of my life.

Trip to the Rose Garden

I’ve noticed over the past week or so that roses are blooming in Atlanta and wanting to find a lot of these beauties in one place I Googled “Rose Garden Atlanta” this morning. One of the top hits was the Fernbank Rose Garden, which features around 1300 roses and is free and open to the public.

I went around 5:00 p.m., which is a little earlier than I would have liked to have gone because the sun was still high in sky making it more difficult to photograph the roses. Nonetheless, I left having taken around 180 photos. Below are a few of my favorites.

This photo utilizes the sunlight. I love the pink tips of the petals:

This one captures the sensual curves and folds of rose petals. Coupled with the soft pink hue this photo reminds me of a vintage silk negligee:

In this photo, I wanted to capture the contrast between the delicate petals and the sharp thorns:

Mushrooms

On one of my regular walks through the woods, I happened upon some beautifully grotesque mushrooms growing on a fallen tree.

Iris

Almost as soon as I had blogged about the photo of daffodils being my favorite of the season, I took this photo of an Iris, which has now seized the top spot. I love how the purple petals stand out against the beige background but still look two-dimensional, like they’ve just been drawn on the wall. I also love how the beauty of the flower in full bloom is complemented by the arc of the stem to the right and the pink and purple peeking out of the bud.