The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

74 Years Living Out and About in Germany, The USA, The Congo (DRC), London, Singapore, Denmark, Scotland, and Bangkok

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Entries in Flowers (84)

I was out in my garden this fine morning . . .

Saturday, June 4, 2011 at 9:09PM

It is the rainy season in Bangkok now. It has rained some every day for about three weeks now, making my garden path very beautiful.

In the morning, everything is covered with a thick dew. The humidity is above 90%, and the temperature is above 90(f).

We have a spirit house for the spirits that lived here before we built our home, like most Thai houses. We tend our spirit house, and people it with spirit house folk: dancers, maids, gardeners, and hangers-on.

There was a new lotus flower opening this morning. It set the tone for the day.

Dr. Jeff Harper |

Genisis of a Hua Hin Sunrise:

Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 3:22PM

Ever changing. Timeless.

Squid fishermen return from a night's netting.

April 13, 2011, Hua Hin, Thailand. First light over the Gulf of Siam.

The sun approaches the horizon.

The sun rising over the Gulf of Siam.

The first morning rays reflect off the sea.

A beautiful day ahead.

Good Morning Hua Hin!

The day has begun.

No two sunrises are the same. This was the following day.

Yet another morning's sunrise.

Update on Sunday, April 24, 2011 at 10:42AM by

Dr. Jeff Harper

Yes, of course, I found new flowers to photograph over the week-end.

We played golf at the Black Hills Golf & Resort. It was very nicely landscaped with a variety flowering plants.

All the flower beds were in full bloom.

I have lived 25 years in the Tropics and there has always been Frangipani. Sweet smelling and symetrical beauty.

It is not only the Frangipani flower that is interesting. The plant morphs out it leaves.

Break open a Frangipani leaf and a sticky white milk oozes out.

The Frangipani flower unfurls.

The unfurling reveals the flower.

The Hibiscus flower also unfurls, but not in symetrical way.

Of course Thailand is famous for its Orchids, which grow outside everywhere. This orchid beetle has adapted very well to his environment.

Excellent camouflage

Update on Thursday, May 12, 2011 at 6:27PM by

Dr. Jeff Harper

While my wife was playing golf at the Fabulous Black Hills PGA Golf Course, I explored the small back roads in the hills above Hua Hin.

It is the time of the annual Water Festival, Songkran, in Thailand and a wonderful pilgrimage temple had decorations in abundance.

The temple had giant dragons protecting the entry . . . .

. . . with a long Dragon-Snake tails.

These pilgrim temples are full of large Buddha statues in the landscape.

The Wat had a strong Chinese influence: all the zodiacal animal symbols were represented.

To honor the spirit of revered and venerable monks, pilgrims affix gold leaf to the statues.

Honor to the memory of a respected teacher of the Dhamma (variously, Dharma).

It was a living Wat with many monks in residence.

Dr. Jeff Harper |

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Buddha,

The Night Food Hawkers of Hua Hin, Thailand

Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 7:18PM

An ordinary evening on the streets of Hua Hin. The food hawkers are out with their carts.

Some food carts are mobile -- they move about the town all night.

Some carts seem to move about and never stop. Car batteries and lamps illuminate the product.

Some hawkers seem to own a corner. Here dried, pressed squid strips arrayed on Hua Hin Main Street.

Our favorite ginger soup and soy milk sweet dessert cart seems to have found a permanent home on a side street. We are very glad to have found it again!

Most carts seem to come out in early evening and set up "food courts" in the same location every night.

There is a stark beauty about the actuality of these night hawker markets.

The lighting seems to highlight the human endeavour to stay alive, as well as to eat.

The carts are wheeled in and tables and stools are brought out for the customers.

Late at night, this man seemed so lonely making his hot noodle soup.

Late night, Hua Hin back streets.

Some night hawkers walk the streets trying to sell their "hill tribe" mementos to the diminishing number of tourists . . .

Tailor shops and tourist tuk-tuks sit empty, their touts listless.

At some point every night, a decision is made to beak camp and head home through the night streets of Hua Hin.

The famous Thai tolerence allows the cheap and the tawdry in.

A hard way to make a living. A hard way to live.

Update on Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 6:41PM by

Dr. Jeff Harper

Week-ends in Hua Hin are always filled with new vistas and fascinating things to see.

I was surprised by migrating birds over the sea.

The sunset sea had a moody sparkle.

The sunrise sea was starkly mysterious. I am continually surprised by the changing face of the Gulf of Siam.

The next sunset revealed yet another seascape identity.

The Gulf of Siam is rarely this clear green and blue.

Sunset over the Thai-Burmese boarder.

Flowers anew. Bird of Paradise.

A new bud.

I loved these yellow stamens.

This painting of the King of Thailand humg in an Italian restaurent. It made me sad to think that he is in poor health. I fear for my beloved Thailand, my adopted home.

2 Comments |

Once Again: A Trip Around My Garden!

Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 4:20PM

I happened to be at my favorite camera store (!) and I happened to notice they had a (used) lens I happened to be looking for (!) and it happened to be at a good price (!), and it happened: I bought it!

So I took the aforementioned new (used) lense out for a test spin in the garden . . . to see wht it would do.

And as usual, there is always new beauty appearing out of the blue.

Like these African Violets I had never seen before . . . .

. . . . or these otherworldly waxy red things with a collection of white sticky protuberances jutting out of the top. I was afraid to get my head too close because they were pulsating like something out of the movie Alien!

Too sweet red buds.

The new (used) Sigma DG OS 18-200mm performed admirably in all kinds of lighting . . . and the optical stabilizer (OS) actually worked. Although this is not a perfect lense according to the reviews (although it is perfect for my purposes; these 850 pixle-width images for this web blog), this could be a sweet 'walking around' lens for me.

This is a very difficult lighting situation: bright color and deep shadow. It came out pretty good . . . and at 200mm, it was great.

A trip to my garden wouldn't be complete without a photo or two of my beloved Lotus Flowers.

Yes, all-n-all, I am very happy with the new (used) lens.

1 Comment |

Hua Hin in Flowers

Monday, December 6, 2010 at 6:31PM

Beautiful Flowers Abound in Hua Hin, Thailand:

Sweet.

Sweet Buds . . .

The tiniest of flowers.

Bees pollinate Lotus flowers.

I just can't seem to keep away from photographing these wonderful scenes.

This raggedy orange Hyacinth was simply fantastic.

The orange Hyacinth stamen.

This is the only orange Hyacynth I have ever seen in this 'raggedy' configuration. Fascinating.

Not flowers, but Koi. I loved the reflections on the surface of this pool beneath a Frangipani tree.

Update on Friday, December 10, 2010 at 7:35PM by

Dr. Jeff Harper

The ocean level in the Gulf of Siam at Hua Hin was the highest I had ever seen. There was ample evidence of new coastal erosion.

High tide in Hua Hin, Thailand.

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