A rather awkward little animation but it was fun to make. The subject is a seed head from my garden photographed at slightly different angles to allow for movement and then layered and animated in Photoshop.
Unfortunately it cannot be turned off but below is a still image of the same subject for visual relief. GIFs can get annoying very quickly! It’s not something I would usually post (although I’ve made a few other unskilled animations over the years), but for some reason I keep picturing this little dragon breathing…
What’s growing in your garden?
© Karen McRae, 2014
draw and shoot 
This is a lovely dragon :-).
My garden is still colorless except for the bright green garlic shoots, stretching upwards to say hello from bulbs sown last October.
You’ve inspired me to photograph them.
Thank you. 🙂
Thank you, Sharon. Strange things pop up in the garden!
😉
Still a lot of snow here so we are not seeing anything green as of yet, no little shoots that I’ve noticed.
that is really beautiful !
Thank you, Gill!
Karen, Pretty sure I don’t have tiny winged dragons – at least not so far 🙂 Our daffodils and hyacinths are in bloom with the columbine and bleeding hearts leafing out, soon to send up flower buds. Still coolish here with occasional warm days – hope spring is peeking around the corner from you. K
I can send you some winged dragon seeds if you like, Kathleen.
: )
It sounds like spring has really found you, warming your earth and seeds enough for them to peek out. It’s a slow spring here but everyday it gets a little closer.
I love this : a sea horse, mixed with a dragon and flowers. I would name such a hybrid being a “seaflowerdragon”. But I may be wrong…
I like the name, I wasn’t sure what to call it. : )
Thanks for your comment.
I love the breathing, Karen, feel it in my chest.
Ah, then I guess I have paced it right. Thank you, Brenda, have a nice weekend.
Now nothing grow in our park (I have no garden). Smolensk spring is cool in this year.
You made a great shot!
I hope you get some warmer weather soon. It’s the same here, very cool and still lots of snow on the ground. These are old seed heads in the pictures, nothing growing yet!
Thank you!
It’s an excellent shot and I do like the GIF.
Thank you, Ken.
I find the GIF a bit jumpy, I might have to try and ‘stabilize’ it!
Big applause from Siri and Selma, our bookfayries – they’re most impressed with your lovely dragonwork! Wonderful job, Karen.
Love, Dina
Ha, thank you, Dina! : )
I’m glad they approve. Have a great weekend!
xx
A perfect little dragon indeed.. ( and Karen I have at last discovered that I can do double exposures with my camera ! all I needed is time to experiment now.. YAY ! )
Thanks, Helen. Oh, you’ll have fun with the double exposures, I’m looking forward to that! : )
How cool! Animated magic!
A bit clunky but sort of fun! Thanks, Elena.
(thinking of you xx)
That is truly beautiful. Wow! I am taken away with this. Thank you!
I’m glad you like it Amy, thank you very much. : )
I was captivated. Completely!! Thank YOU! Love, Amy
Fantastic ! ! ! 🙂 🙂
Ha, thanks, Yoshizen. I couldn’t resist!
: )
Beautiful image. Quite ethereal.
Thank you. You never know what you might find in the garden!
: )
I love it! It is difficult to make? How can I learn? Hugs Gro
Thank you! : )
It’s not really that difficult, Gro, you could definitely do it. I’ll see if I can find a good tutorial to link to.
Would be great! Thank you, Karen :-))
Hi Gro, it depends a little bit on what version of Photoshop you have but this explanation seems helpful: http://helpx.adobe.com/en/photoshop/using/creating-frame-animations.html
Oh, this is the most delicate and peacefui GIF ever, what a sweet little dragon! Did you see the dragon in there when you took the photo, or only afterwards?
Thank you, Gunilla! I’m glad you like it. : )
I didn’t notice the dragon until I went through the pictures later. It was a fun surprise!
Very fine indeed.
Thank you, KC. I think I could learn a lot more but it’s rather time consuming.
Pretty neat trick, Karen! I have about 2 inches of scilla siberica growing…and more snowflakes coming down. Or are they hail? Sleet? The temp is just above freezing.
How appropriate that your first bloomer is a Scilla! We had some of that at our previous house, I should plant some here…
We had a bit of snow yesterday too, winter won’t let go!
Thank you, Scilla, I had fun playing around with this.
Love it.
You must be one of the masters at shooting the small details in Nature and make them look absolutely fascinating.
This ‘dragon’ has to be one of your best.
Vicki, thanks for your generous comment. Macro photography is interesting for that reason; you never know what you might find in the small details.
Our garden is growing trees with orange leaves. The leaves are fed up and dropping to the ground. Oh well … it’s autumn. Or fall, which I think is a term the leaves invented. 🙂 Pretty dragon Karen 🙂
Ah, yes, I guess the leaves must feel all used up after that hot summer you had. It’s strange to think you are heading into winter already. Would you like some snow, I have extra?
Thanks, Gigi! : )
That’s superb Karen.. I love your imagination and yes, there is definitely a dragon there.
Thanks, Adrian. : )
It made me think of how the little seeds in there are still alive, just waiting for spring, so I thought I help them along.
I would really like to know more about the settings you use for this kind of pictures 🙂
I’ll see if I can find a good tutorial and post it here.
Hi Karin, here is a link/guide to making animations in Photoshop:http://helpx.adobe.com/en/photoshop/using/creating-frame-animations.html
Fascinating. I like that you gave breath to your dragon. And as for our garden, it’s still covered in a couple of meters of snow. Looking forward to experiencing spring through your lens 🙂
Yes, still snow here too but it’s slowly melting. Thank you, Erica!
To answer your question: http://walachniewicz.wordpress.com/
: )
You are quite talented! I’m glad I found you.
Thanks very much, Laura, that’s very kind!
Yes, a baby dragon, for sure. It’s a lovely image, Karen. You find the most suggestive and fascinating images in your garden.
Hi Richard, thanks very much! Now if the snow would just finish its painfully slow vanishing act.
Simply wonderful! Congratulations on your talent!
Thank you, Isabel, I’m happy you like it!
I love this photograph/ animation. It’s delicately beautiful.
I was trying to make it subtle and gentle so I’m glad you think it is. Thanks very much, Kirsty.
How amazing, Karen! Your images always delight me in a very different way. Loved these shots.
Well, to delight someone makes me very happy! Thank you, Nandini. : )
Lots of colours in my garden these days…but nothing quite as magical as this!
Great photo, Karen. Thank you!
There’s not much in the way of colour here yet, it’s a slow melt.
I’m glad you enjoy it, Dominique, thank you!
Absolutely astonishing and wonderful!
Thanks very much, Christian, I had fun with it.
Looks like a winged dragon. I like it!
I thought so too, Kay. Thank you.
That’s amazing…viewed the animated verson…when I looked at the still photo, I was sure I could see it flying…:-D
Thank you! The still image seemed to want to come to life somehow, I’m glad you enjoyed it. : )
Hi Karen, thank you for following my blog and greetings from Northern Germany in early spring 🙂
Greetings from Canada! Yes, early spring for sure, almost imperceptible!
Thx again 🙂 All and every meadow is colored with yellow dandelion blossoms now …
Glorious Karen! Those little fluttering wings, so delicate, just ready to take off into the world.
Thanks so much, Anna! : )
I think it is just waiting for some warmer weather.
Oh it’s so beautiful Karen ! 🙂
Thank you, Jocelyne! : )
Wow, it moves! Such a surprise!
Yes, it’s just waking up from the long winter.
: )
Love how you’re always experimenting, Karen! And yes, looks like a little dragon or seahorse!
Thank you, Neely. There’s always something to learn!
: )
The video is fun – you need never apologize – I think it’s captivating, and I agree with a comment above – it’s admirable that you’re always experimenting. It’s my luck to be able to see the results.
Hi Lynn, thanks very much, I’m thrilled you find it captivating!
I think I could refine it a little more but I sort of like the little breaths and the thrust of the wings.
Wonderful pictures.
Thank you, Rabirius!
cool! 🙂
I’m glad you think so, thank you, Amanda.
: )
Great work! Really interesting take on a common photographic subject but with unconventional and beautiful results… So good to see someone consistently thinking outside the box 🙂
Simply magical!
This is incredible…the animation caught me a bit by surprise and loved it.