Parents Success Corner

Join in now- Don't worry about the days- Spend the next 4 days taking pix of beautiful flowers and upload them to this page!

It's very important to get outside and get some fresh air and exercise. Besides, it’s SPRING!, the most beautiful time of year to be outside. The bugs haven’t come out yet, the temperature is moderate and the miracle of life is blossoming as many plants are starting to emerge. If you look closely, there is quite a spectacle going on out there! This 5 day Photo challenge will take you and your fellow quartentiners outside to find out what is emerging right now. Each day will have a target blooming plant to find, photo document, and enter into the Best Of Bloom Contest.
• Upload your pictures to Instagram with the hashtag #BDSCspringCamp or submit your entries to spring@bluedolphincamp.com.

Warnings: Most of these blossoms should be available in your yard, neighborhood on local public parks. Always remain with your family group and stay at least 6 feet from anyone outside your home. If you venture onto a neighbor’s property please let them know what you are doing by holding up your camera/phone and yelling “Nature Photography!” and they will hopefully understand and allow you.

Please listen to your parents and don’t do anything to jeopardize your health or the health of others. If you cannot go outside or don’t have a camera, you can do a similar scavenger hunt online by copying photos you find. Please indicate if you are reusing “found” photos so they won’t be included in the Best of Bloom Photography Contest (but you can get “honorary mention”)

Tip: Get them while they are hot! In other words, if you're out on a Monday and see a beautiful Quince Blooming but that is not the goal until Friday, shoot a picture anyway and save it till Friday. If you wait to take its picture until Friday, the blossom may be gone.

Remember, winning images aren’t just “mugshots” of flowers.
Good images take into consideration the lighting (not too much sun, not too little light), the composition (how dramatic are the lines in your shot?), the color (is your subject highlighted or lost by the background colors?) and most importantly the subject (is that a great example of a blooming such and such?)

Sometimes, cloudy days make for better images because direct sun causes too much contrast. If it is sunny, shoot in the shade. Frank often covers his subjects with my own shadow to tone down the contrast.

Finally, edit your work if you can. Eliminate all bad shots and crop decent shots down to the best composition. Try adjusting the highlights, contrast and color (to name a few options) to see if you can improve the image.

Only submit ONE image per day.

Cherry Blossom
Looking for great shots of buds cracking open and pink blossoms spilling out. Native Cherries are in peak bloom but the Japanese ones are only starting to wake up.

Pro tip: Consider the background even though it may be blurry. If the flowers are bright Pink, perhaps contrast against a darker background.

Daffodils
Looking for tight, up close portraits of these early risers.

Pro Tip: Daffodils look great in the sun but may be easier to read details in the shade. Try to find a balance between highlights and softer light.

Magnolia Tree Blooms
They might be the showiest right now and come in many shapes and sizes. The Southern Magnolia (evergreen dark waxy leaves) doesn’t bloom for a while but the native (Star Magnolia pictured) versions are blooming now.

Pro Tip: Try to insulate your shot to a single bloom or tight cluster of blooms. You can appreciate the beauty of a single flower sometimes more than a whole tree covered. But sometimes a whole tree makes for a great shot too!

Tulips
Tulips come in so many shapes, colors and sizes. They also emerge
at all different times and often in large groups. Try to capture the intense color of the flower.

Pro Tip: It’s all about the color. Try to find a background that compliments the color of the tulip you are photographing. Above I found the natural contrasting background color of green gives the red flower some punch. Complimentary colors are: Green/Red, Blue/Red and Purple/Yellow.

Azealia
One of our region's most significant perennial Bloomers. They come in all kinds of colors, shapes and sizes.Try to get either a close shot of a cluster of buds in varying points of blooming OR get an overall shot of a group of bushes blooming together.

Pro Tip:
When shooting something very close up, try to use the detail setting on your camera/phone (often symbolized with an icon of a flower). This way the camera knows that you are focusing on something special (usually in the center) and that item will be clearly focused and the area around it will be out of focus or soft focused.

Remember-
Only submit ONE image per day. Thank you. See you soon.