Marilyn Botta Photography

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Pine Cones

April 14, 2025 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment

Where I live, there are many pine trees. I always see the standard pine cones all over the grass and wooded areas, but I never knew what they look like before they mature. I was out walking when I noticed these interesting growths on the pine trees and I wasn’t sure what they were. They were skinny and some very long, so I did a search and found out that these interesting yellow and green cylindrical growths were indeed baby pine cones. I came back with my camera and macro lens and took many shots. The wind was whipping the tree around but I managed to get a few good images.

Since the hurricane in September in Augusta, GA, there are so many downed pine trees. These have mature pine cones–the kind I am familiar with. The second picture is a macro shot of one of these beauties.

 


Filed Under: Macros Tagged With: background, blurry background, bokeh, botanical, branch, budding, close up, closeup, cone, cones, flora, forest, green, growth, macro, nature, needle, needle leaves, needles, new, outdoors, pine, pine cone, pine forest, pine needles, pine tree, pinecone, plant, seed cone, seed cones, tree, woody cone, yellow

Party of Skulls

March 10, 2025 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment

 


I decided to create an image with skulls being the stars. I came across an unusual gold skull and decided to add it to the other two skulls I have. To enhance the eerie quality of this composition, I added a dark orange texture. For a more dramatic effect I added several different sized lit candles. I had an old child’s hat that fit perfectly on the gold skull’s head.

Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: abstract, arrangement, atmosphere, background, bone, burn, burning, candle, candlelight, candles, cranium, creepy, curse, dark, dark orange background, dead, death, demon, evil, exorcism, fantasy, flame, gold skull, green cloth, greencandle, hat, head, horror, human skull, macabre, monster, occult, occultism, october, ominous, paranormal, party, ritual, scary, skeleton, skull, skull vector, spooky, sugar skull, tan and brown candle, teeth, warm lighting, wicca, witch, witchcraft

Gerry and Dawn

February 28, 2025 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment






Gerry and Dawn recently got married but didn’t have any really nice portraits of the two of them. I offered to take some studio portraits of them in their wedding outfits. The couple are a bit unconventional in that Gerry wore a gray shirt and black motorcycle vest and Dawn wore a lavender gown. I took many photos of Gerry and Dawn in various poses, most of which show their love for each other. Here are the best images taken. They were very cooperative and it was a fun day.

Filed Under: Portraits Tagged With: affectionate, background, beautiful, black vest, blue background, bridal, bride, bridegroom, celebration, couple, couple in love, dreamy look, dress, event, eyes closes, female, gray pants, gray shirt, groom, happiness, happy, happy people, holding hands, hug, hugging, husband, lavender dress, love, lovers, loving couple, man, marriage, married, marry, motorcycle, newlyweds, Photo, photo session, portrait, romance, romantic, sweet, tatoos, texture, together, togetherness, two people, Wedding, wedding dress, wedding photos, wedding portrait, white, white beard, wife

Mini Carnations and Green Pears

January 13, 2025 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment

I decided to do a still life using mini carnations and green pears as the theme. I put the carnations into a pear-shaped brown glass vase. I also added the carnations to a small black-and-shite ceramic vase. I added a green lit candle to a metal holder and placed two green pears beneath it. I placed all the elements on top of a wooden board. I added an orange texture as a background to bring out the beauty of this composition which have complementary colors.


Filed Under: Still Life Photography, Uncategorized Tagged With: area, background, beauty, black and white ceramic jug, bloom, blossom, board, brown vase, candle, carnation, carnations, ceramic jug, closeup, composition, floral, flower, flower arrangement, flowering, flowers, food, fresh fruit, fruit, fruits, green, green candle, green pears, greenery, juicy, leaf, leaves, pear, pears, petal, pewter candle holder, seedlings, still life, substrate, table, texture, vase, warm, wood, wooden, wooden board

Boston Terrier Puppy

December 24, 2024 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment

 


My friend just got an adorable Boston Terrier puppy. She is so bouncy and full of energy the way puppies are. I decided to take some pictures of this adorable subject, which was not easy because she is continuously on the move. For just one moment, she stopped after I made a kissing sound and looked at me. Bam- that’s when I shot the photo. I added a beautiful blue texture as a background to bring out her colors. Her “parents” were thrilled that I managed to capture this special photo. One second later, she was running and jumping again.

Filed Under: Animals Tagged With: adorable, animal, animal themes, animals, background, beautiful, black, black and white, boston, boston terrier, boston terrier puppy, boston terrier vector, breed, canine, close up, closeup, cuddle, cuddly, cute, dog, dog owners, dog sitting and looking up, doggy, Dogs, domestic animal, ears, eyes, face, female, fur, furry, innocence, little, lovable, love, lying, paws, pedigree, pedigreed, pet, playful, portrait, pup, puppies, puppy, puppy dog, purebred, running, sofa, terrier, white, young, young animal

Orange Lilies and Apples

December 7, 2024 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment

 


I found an orange wax candle, and a peach and cream colored ceramic vase while looking for items to use in my still life. The vase was matched with some gorgeous orange lilies which offset the orange in the candle. Two red apples were placed at the base of the candle holder, and added a gray stone vase with little baby yellow carnations was added. The entire composition was offset by a beautiful texture I added as a background. There is a lovely contrast between the rustic vases and the vibrant colors of the flowers.

Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: apple, background, beautiful, bloom, blossom, blue texture, candle holder, ceramic vase, colorful, flame, floral, flower, fruit, gray stone vase, green leaves, illustration, lilies, lily, natural, orange candle, orange ceramic vase, orange flowers, peach vase, pewter candle holder, red, red apples, rustic, still life, stone vase, texture, wax candle, wick, yellow carnations, yellow flowers

All About Orange

November 25, 2024 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment

This still life features mostly shades of orange with some green and yellow on the side. I found a lovely peach and cream vase. I added some gorgeous orange lilies and some mini yellow carnations to a green vase for some contrast.I added some mini orange pumpkins and a wide orange lit candle in keeping with the orange theme. I feel this arrangement speaks Autumn. A delicate blue texture was added which give this composition a soft easy and relaxing feel.


Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: arrangement, Autumn, background, beautiful, beauty, bloom, blooms, blossom, blue background, botanical, burning, candle, candlelight, candles, ceramic vase, closeup, colorful, cream, flame, flora, floral, flower, flowering, flowers, fresh, green, green ceramic vase, leaf, lilies, lily, lit candle, mini carnations, orange, orange ceramic vase, orange flowers, orange lilies, orange vase, petal, petals, pewter candle holder, pistil, plant, pumpkin, stem, still life, vase, yellow, yellow carnations

Halloween Fantasy

November 3, 2024 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment


I chose a scorpion, and a teradacyl to accompany a small skull. I placed the skull atop a green glass vase and I chose three mini pumpkins, resting under a ceramic green vase. I added green hydrangeas to the vase and place them alongside a red vase with pink lilies. I photographed this against a white backdrop but added a blue-green texture as a background to accentuate the whimsical scene. The setup creates a quirky contrast between the natural and the macabre in a harmonious composition.

Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: abstract, artistic, background, banner, bone, bones, ceramic vase, colored background, colorful, cranium, extinct, Fall, floral, floral decoration, flower, green, green glass vase, green vase, Halloween, halloween pumpkin, happy halloween, head, horror, human, human skull, hydrangea, mini pumpkins, october, orange, pink, pink lilies, poster, pumpkins, red glass, red glass vase, scorpion, scull, skeleton, skulls, spooky, still life, teeth, teradactyl, texture, white

Guardian Lion and Zebra

August 19, 2024 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment


I came upon a Chinese guardian lion statue which I originally thought was a gargoyle. I had never seen this before but it looked intriguing so I picked it up. On the same day, I found a zebra bust that someone had discarded. But, another man (or woman’s} garbage can be another woman’s treasure so I bought it too. I also found an animal print vase that spoke to me. I wanted to incorporate these three elements into a a fantasy still life using flowers and a candle. I arranged these items on a beige cloth and photographed the scene against a white backdrop. I then turned the white background into a texture befitting the image. I think I achieved my vision of creating a beautiful fantasy still life.

Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: animal, animal print vase, art, background, balanced, beautiful, blossom, botany, brown vase, candle, chinese lion, color, decoration, decorative, design, exotic, fabric, fantasy still life, flame, floral, flower, guardian lion, leaves, lily, lily flower, lit candle, nature, serene, spotted vase, still life, summer, texture, vase, wax candle, wildlife, yellow lily, zebra, zebra bust

Roses and Pears

August 8, 2024 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment

 


Roses come in many different colors, but to me, the red rose is the most beautiful. I love the way the delicate fragrant soft petals are enfolded so perfectly. I decided to use these beauties in a still life along with some pretty brown pears. I placed the roses into a green ceramic vase to offset the red in the roses. I placed a red lit candle on top of a wrought-iron holder and added a single red rose at the bottom. I arranged the pears at the foot of the vase. The entire composition was situated on a beige table cloth. I then selected purple and blue textures for the background to enhance the vivid colors of the elements of this creation.

Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: artistic, background, beautiful, beauty, bloom, blue background, botanical, bouquet of roses, candle holder, ceramic vase, color, colorful, elegance, flora, floral, flower, flowers, fruit, fruits, glass vase, green vase, iron candle holder, leaf, lit candle, orange flame, pear, petal, photography, purple, red candle, red rose, red rose petals, romance, romantic, rose, rose - flower, rose thorns, roses, still life, studio shot, table, valentine, vase, warm, wax candle, yellow pears

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