The other week I trudged up to Queen Elizabeth Park with the idea that I would do a seasonal shoot.
I have always loved other people’s images of a lone tree in every season. But mine were not going to be like that. Rather, they were going to capture seasons in the park, month by month. (Incidentally, the restaurant in QE is called ‘Seasons in the Park’, and I might just pop in and have a treat when I’m there.)
Then I just discovered Cardinal Guzman’s Challenge: the Changing Seasons. I just love it when I find a challenge that is thinking along the same lines as I am!
So here is QE Park in January 2016, wet and rainy but with definite signs of spring. I was out trying out my newish camera again, a point and shoot with a great zoom but with a really awkward manual focus that causes a lot of difficulty focusing. As in the past I decided to layer my out-of-focus images with my in-focus shots.
A white Hellebore and a slightly out-of-focus pink Hellebore.
The two Hellebore images layered in Photoshop. The colours really scream spring to me. If I had more time I’d probably edit out the leaves which I find distracting and heighten the tiny aphids who don’t seem to mind the cold and wet as much as me.
Snowdrop flowers layered. Another sure sign of spring.
Wet seed clusters layered. The darkness really says January to me.
Cardinal Guzman’s the Changing Seasons: January 2016
Batz Gallery 
I’m glad you found my challenge and what a cool coincidence with the restaurant!
This made me curious: “a point and shoot with a great zoom but with a really awkward manual focus that causes a lot of difficulty focusing”.
Which camera is that? Is it possible to change the lens? Perhaps the manual focus problem is a lens problem and not the camera?
I wrote about the manual focus in another post where I was playing around with the aperture priority: https://elizabatz.wordpress.com/2015/12/01/one-word-photo-challenge-aperture/
I bought this camera as it was the only point and shoot I could find with a great zoom and a bunch of options – and having an awkward manual focus is better than having no way to focus when your camera misbehaves…