This time around I am going to post some photos for another challenge I participated in.

The challenge was GREEN. Interpret, please. There are obviously so many ways you can photograph the color green. But what ‘says’ green? What has a an active feeling of green, over and above including the color itself?  I enjoy challenges, because they do cause you to look at things again. Look at them for the first time, or in a very different way. Green was suddenly everywhere!

My first thoughts were a rainy night on a street full of traffic lights, all turned green. Great visual, but not something easily orchestrated. What about piles of cash? Or recycling? American Express cards, my green M&M coffee mug, shamrocks, a blade of grass.

I decided on a lovely warm day to go puttering in my garden. I discovered the smallest, the first popping up of seedlings (WEEDS)… I dug one up, potted it, and took some interesting photos. Probably would have chosen this had we not decided to take a top down ride to Williamsburg a few days later.

With seedlings in mind, we ran across a garden in the Colonial section, complete with Colonial gardener resting from his labor. I immediately took some photos and loved what I got (I didn’t ask him to pose, I don’t know if he thought he was even in the image).

I really like this shot. The composition is dynamic, with the green crop growing in the front, and I chose a slightly deeper depth of field to keep the gardener in focus. I used a number of my favorite actions in Photoshop Elements and am happy with the aged, soft quality. (A few other versions of this image can be seen HERE )

But as we were meandering, I spotted a girl sitting on a grassy expanse, studying. And as we got closer to her, I saw she was situated perfectly in front of one of the main buildings of Colonial Williamsburg. I added a surreal glow, to emphasize the softness of the day. This is the photo that others on the site seemed to like best to say GREEN.

The composition is basically symmetrical, but the student off-center and forward lends something to what could have simply been a snapshot of the Governor’s Palace.

It didn’t get into the finals. C’est la vie!