CHOLLA CACTUS THEME

[gary ellwein]

Topaz Simplify and a tweezers.

[Judy Howle]

Nice image and processing! I love cactus. We went to Tucson once and I spent $75 on cacti and a couple of flat pots to put them in at a nursery that specialized in cactus plants. Of course they didn't last long in Mississippi. Some varieties grow well in the ground like prickly pear but mine didn't do well on a shaded porch and sometimes I over-watered them. I wouldn't mind living in the SW desert climate but someplace where it's not beastly hot like AZ! When I was young I got into a cactus in El Paso where my dad was from, and my mom had to remove a lot of small needles. I got a few at the nursery also!

[Cheryl Slechta]

Great depth of field, Gary. The background cholla looks almost like big bokeh! Hopefully the cholla didn't inflict too much damage:S3:

[Nancy Bell]

Too funny about the tweezers! I know this as "Jumping Cholla" since those spines just seem to jump into your skin! I like that the bkgd cholla repeats the shape of the in-focus foreground one. It seems my eye first sees the brighter bkgd left cholla and follows a diagonal to the lower right taking in the front cholla. Makes for a unique and interesting flow.

[Anita Bower]

This definitely meets the theme, with a clear distinction between the in focus and the out of focus areas. Well done. I like the composition, with the cactus coming up and creating a strong diagonal line.

[Randall Farhy]

Gary, this is pretty cool. It reminded me of a time as a child when I grabbed ahold of what I thought was a cute fuzzy little plant. Thousands of tiny bits made my hand feel like it was on fire. A strong DoF definition between the elements. I might crop it a bit tighter top and left to lessen the impact of the negative space.

[gary ellwein]

Thanks to all for the look and the multiple cactus tales.