I have been adjusting my morning exercise routine almost daily in an effort to keep boredom at bay. This morning I was jogging through the neighborhood when I saw a friend taking an Iphone photo of a beautiful Magnolia bloom. Sadly, it had escaped my attention until that moment.
I returned with my camera and took this shot, which is quite pretty as it is, but of course I had to play around with it in Photoshop. The result is the version below.
Edited version…
I like both photographs, but this is my favorite. It lends itself to the drama of black and white without being black and white.
What made me smile this week is being reminded that there are opportunities for joyful moments out there, even when we are doing the most mundane things. We just need to be awake to the possibilities.
Shared with Trent’s Weekly Smile. Please visit and add your smile moment. The world is a better place when we take a moment to appreciate and share beauty.
Picture Retirement 
That is a stunning photo. I like both versions. Hard to choose.
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Thank you Dan. No choice required. Glad you like them both!
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Keep your eyes open – nature isn’t on a lockdown 😉 My run yesterday was by the beach and there was a lot to see there. Great photo – I like the original, but the black background is pretty stunning.
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Thank heaven for that Trent. So envious that you get to run at the beach. Soon, soon….Hubby loves the original and really dislikes the edit. Taking away the background makes the flower powerful, as opposed to the delicate quality in the first photo. At least, that’s what I see.
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Lovely photographs, both of them 🙂
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Thanks Sam, I’m glad you like them. Thanks for stopping by and take care of yourself.
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Suzanne,
Thanks for the reminder that we can always find joy out here. We don’t have Magnolia yet… but we do have wildflowers in the mountains. Florida should be opening up soon. Be safe and enjoy.
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We just received some easing instructions for the neighborhood – community pool and tennis courts open (with restrictions, of course) I am hoping that the beaches will open up next week (also with distancing restrictions). I do miss my walks and photography outings there. Take care.
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I am so glad you are able to get outdoors because fresh air and sunshine are integral to health.
You sound like me, trying to change up a little exercise routine to avoid boredom. The way I do that is to change my routes while my hubby walks the same route day in and day out and does not vary. My brain is different ha ha; it needs a challenge even if that challenge is as mundane as walking in a different direction!
So one morning my husband and I are out on a golf cart ride. This is something fun we’ve been doing (and allowed to do, thank God) during lockdown -exploring our community of 5000 homes. We have tried to go on every street!
One day while we’re driving along, I spot a gorgeous orangish-reddish flower. I beg my husband to turn around so I can get a closer look. Now as mentioned hubby does not like to vary his routes, but fortunately he did turn around for me and I jumped out, walked into somebody’s front yard (!) to examine the gorgeous bloom more closely. It was the biggest and most beautiful hibiscus I have ever seen in California. It was a lone bloom on a bush as well. It was magnificent so of course I snapped a few photos of it with my phone and sent it to all my family members so they could also enjoy this beautiful discovery that I had found on a mundane day while on a mundane cart ride.
Finding that gorgeous flower brightened my day. And as I writing this I realize why my husband turned around. He loves beautiful blooms too. And though his walking route is the same he keeps his eyes out for blooming cactus is etc. and will make sure that I see them! “Isn’t that just beautiful,” he will say! And I realize how much I love a husband who points out beautiful flowers to me, on a never varying mundane walk hee hee!
Life is good… thank you for sharing that beautiful white flower!
Susan Grace
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Five thousand homes, Wow! That’s a big neighborhood and a lot to pay attention to. We have only 232 homes inside the gates and I’m already getting bored with the route, but there are several small communities nearby which I run through for a change-up. There is always something interesting to see. I listen to music when I run and my mind is usually a million miles away, so paying attention to my surroundings is an added challenge and a fun game. Don’t you just love it when hubby points out something beautiful? That always makes me smile. Yes, sunshine and fresh air do the body and soul good!
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I love them both, magnolias are so beautiful…but especially love the second one with all it’s drama.
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Dawn, I have been seeing more and more blooms lately. My neighborhood is filled with Magnolia trees. I remember having a choice between an oak and a magnolia (both hardwood trees) when we created our landscape package. The choice was obvious! Glad you picked my favorite. I like how it seems to float…
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Hi, Suzanne – You are a very talented photographer and photo editor.
I love both versions. Very hard to choose.
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Thanks Donna, always happy to share a smile. Thanks for the compliment and take care.
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Gorgeous photos of the magnolia…both of them! They’re one of my favorite blossoms. We have a giant tree in our backyard, and I’ve been trying mightily to capture a photo that I’m happy with. Most of the time the blooms are too high, and I’m underneath them. And the squirrels picked off a couple that were at the right height just before they bloomed, the little devils, LOL.
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Laurel, I’m guessing your tree has a massive wing span, whereas mine is tall, narrow and almost Christmas tree shaped. I’m not sure if our variety is an adaptation because of our warm weather, or a hybrid of the Southern Magnolia, but I do love having one, especially during spring. I know you are anxious to move on, but isn’t Apalachicola beautiful this time of year?
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Magnolias are so simple and elegant – there’s a lot of them in flower in our neighbourhood gardens atm and I think about what they’d be like in their native profusion – they’d be beautiful – loved you pic.
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Thank you Leanne. The variety of tree that we grow in South Florida is not nearly as grand as ones seen in southern states like Mississippi and Alabama, but the flowers are just as beautiful.
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I adore magnolias. I think both photos the unedited and edited are stunning but I do prefer the first as it gives context to the environment.
Peta
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Malcolm feels the same Peta. He is not a fan of altering that which is already beautiful.
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Absolutely lovely Suzanne!
Beauty in the darkenss.
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Nancy, I like that description. Thanks!
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Both photos are beautiful. I’m waiting patiently for magnolias to bloom in my area. Thank you, Suzanne, for sharing what made you smile. It made me smile too.
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Happy to have provided a smile for you today Natalie. Take care.
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That is a beautiful white bloom.
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Thank you very much.
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Suzanne, you are a very accomplished photographer. I love Magnolias, I used to have a large Magnolia tree in my previous garden. Both photos are great, but my favourite will have to be the first one, I like the greenery around it.
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Beautiful photos! I love magnolia trees, but have lived most of my life in places too cold for them to grow. I always said if I even lived in a place that was warm enough, I’d plant a magnolia. When we retired here to Vancouver Island, I admired the magnolia trees in people’s gardens. But the place we’d purchased was already landscaped, in fact over-planted. It took me a year to dig things up and move them around to make space for my magnolia tree. And now I get great joy from watching my little tree bloom and thrive.
Jude
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