It’s sleeting as I write this, another cold gray day. The schools are closed and folks are working from home to avoid the roads, which promise to be a mess, at best. Still caught in the heart of winter, I needed another reminder that spring is on the horizon, and with it the reawakening of color and vibrancy and warmth.
This shot of a dahlia did the trick. I basically stuffed the end of my macro lens inside the blossom, limiting the focus to the sharp edge of the petal. The focus falls off very quickly, leaving abstract swaths of tone and color.
The whole effect is just warmth, a blaze of yellows and oranges that helps warm my soul, if only a little.