Nature: Pandas

The most popular photos in my Flickr album is those of the Panda bears. I received those postcards from Wuxi city, China. I included a link to the photographers site, a zoo photographer.

On December 7, a DVD with two PBS specials on Pandas will be released.
'Pandas of the Sleeping Dragon' and 'The Pandas Baby'.
A great gift idea.

Postcard from Belgium

One way for a photographer to be noticed is having their work printed on postcards.

Whenever I receive a postcard that includes the name of the photographer or a web site address, I check it out. For this card, the photographer is Kari Palsila

Nice web site, but no about page.

Sample Postcard page

Postcard Swaps

I received the postcards from my first direct swap with a Postcrossing member in China.

The cards are lovely enough to be framed. The photos on two of the cards were taken by Jesse Cohen, Zoo Photographer. The photos were taken at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park

You can view all four cards in my Wild Life set on Flickr

Postcard from Germany

I received a few postcards recently and posted most of them in my Flickr album

No postcards with a copyright notice are added. Most do not include the name of the photographer, which is sad because many of them are very good. I include my website address on my own. Anyone can have their photos printed on postcards. Just visit my postcard gallery for ideas.

Butzbach, Germany

This nice postcard with a garden and reed roof house was sent to me from Butzbach, Germany.

Many of my pelargoniums were bred in Germany. The most recent is Graziosa Cherry Picotee an interspecific hybrid from Dümmen

Postcard from Taiwan

Received this For the Love of Nature postcard from a member in Taiwan. It is a close up view of a locust. As a gardener, I prefer these on photos and not in my garden. The photo is very clear and the focus perfect.

Kemi Finland

Received this Sunset postcard from Kemi, Finland. It shows a view of Kukkolankoski, between Sweden and Finland. A place popular for white whitewater rafting.


Lonely Planet Scandinavian Europe 8th Ed.: 8th edition

Summer Garden, St Petersburg

Latest Postcard. The Summer Garden was founded in 1705 by order of Peter the Great. The sender also mentioned another called Tavrichesky Garden , both designed in the late 1700's.

Lappi, Lapland, Finland

Received this postcard from a postcrossing member in Finland.
Looks like a great place for hiking.

Herne, Germany

Received this card from a fellow gardener. It gives us 8 impressions of Herne in North Rhine-Westphalia. This part of Europe is in hardiness zone 6b. Meaning it rarely gets colder than - 5 F (-20 C)

Member of Postcrossing

Kamakura

I've sent a birthday card to a Postcrossing member in Japan. As a thank you she sent me this lovely card of the bamboo garden in the Hokoku-ji temple.

I'm learning about gardens around the world through postcards.

Sugar Hill, New Hampshire

Received this postcard today and I am delighted. In my Postcrossing profile, I've asked senders to mention a Botanical Garden in their area and Angela suggested I look up Tower Hill. Now I want to move there.

The view on the card is of Sugar Hill, New Hampshire. They have fields covered in Lupines. They even have a Lupine Festival. Now I have two reasons for wanting to visit this state.

Postcard from Taiwan

Received this lovely postcard showing a bay of Sun Moon Lake, Nantou, Taiwan. According to Wikipedia, this is the largest body of water in Taiwan. Plus the area has an interesting history. A place I would love to visit with a few cameras.

US-796830

US-796830, originally uploaded by McFingon.

Got this nice card from a Postcrossing member from Nashville, Tennessee.

Delphinium Belladonna Bellamosum

Reference photo of hybrid Delphinium with description and sources.

in reference to: Joanne McKinnon Garden Photography - Perennials - Bellamosum (view on Google Sidewiki)

Books We Need

Template of Bookstore has been changed. Links to other parts of the site is now included.

The template was created using Web Design Generator - Artisteer

The design of the store itself was done within Amazon.ca

The blog is back

After months of trying to get this blog back online, it's nice to be back. Lots of changes need to be made. A new template, new links and less clutter. You can get a preview of the new template by visiting other parts of the site.

Home | Bulbs | Pelargoniums | Roses

Angelique Tulip

Angelique is a double late fragrant tulip. It is the first to be added in the new Tulip Gallery A low resolution copy can be downloaded for personal use.

winchester Cathedral English rose

White English Rose
 
  The photo was changed in the Rose Collection to one that includes leaves.
You can also see traces of the parent "Mary Rose".
A photo of the stem showing the prickles will be added also.

Winchester Cathedral was my first English rose.

Julia Child floribunda

Julia Child is now in the new Rose Gallery There is now 7 roses in this gallery.

If you would like to read more on this beautiful floribunda, visit the Rose Collection

Photo Albums in Journal

The photo albums in the Journal have been replaced by Gallery slideshows.

The main page shows the Pelargonium Gallery. From the submenu you get the Rose Collection and Wildlife.

More photos are being prepared and will be added to the galleries soon.

Hare in between colours

The latest addition to the Wildlife Gallery. This photo is not published anywhere else. This Gallery will eventually replaced the Nature album in the Journal

Pelargonium update

Now 3 out of the 6 pages now validates. The Twitter widget was removed to improve speed. The embed image replaced with image and link.

Also corrected a few page links. Testing is important. Error pages turns away visitors. The increase in traffic is well worth the time.

4 new roses will be added this year and I'm still waiting for the new geraniums.

Rose collection update

The twitter widget has been removed and replaced by a simple button. Now the Rose collection downloads a great deal faster.

The same will be done later today with the Pelargonium collection

Three more roses were added in the new Rose Gallery

Adelaide Hoodless update

Parkland Rose

The photo for the Adelaide Hoodless has been changed.
It is also the first photo in the new Rose Gallery.
In the Gallery, I will be able to add more than one photo per rose.
Some will include leaves, stems and whole plant.

Elegance Purple Majesty

Regal
 
Elegance Purple Majesty pelargonium domesticum is now in the Encyclopedia.

The name was corrected.

Light Stalking Photography Blog

One blog on photography that is worth reading. Light Stalking is full of excellent articles and tips.

Updated pelargonums collection

The new Pelargoniums pages are the first to combine my existing site with Photoshelter I no longer need folders for thumbnails and full size images.

There is only 4 pelargonums for now. The complete collection will be transferred to this section with time and new ones will be added. The homepage will remain the same. Once the transfer is complete, the Geranium and Pelargonum menu link will be redirected to the new pages.

I will continue to offer prints with Imagekind and Zazzle. The new Gallery includes licensed downloads.

According to Google Analytics these new pages are more bot friendly.

Hare in field

Hare in field by Joanne
Many more cards available on zazzle

New wild life notecard. For personal and commercial downloads visit the Wild Life gallery

Search Archive

A new search archive box has been added to the Photo Gallery section of the journal. One of the many features you get with Photoshelter

We can also add meta tags and Google analytic codes.

For now I'm using a ready made theme, but that may change. There is only 5 images for the moment. More will be uploaded daily. You can take a look at what I've done so far by visiting the Home page

Photoshelter

Yesterday, I started a 14 days trial with Photoshelter and I already got 2 public views for just one image (They don't count mine when I'm signed in).

I found lots of features that I like, for example the Self Fulfillment option, which allows me to choose my own print lab, like PhotoPopArt They also include TinEye, a reverse image search engine, plus a lot more.

I will start with the basic, try out all of the features and compare with my other galleries. It's a lot more flexible than other services that I tried. Plus I can include a license. Something I couldn't do with any of the other galleries.

Nik Software

I downloaded two of Nik software demos as possible additions to my toolbox. Color Efex Pro and Viveza 2. I tested on different types of photos and both have features that I find very useful. At this time, I can only pick one. Viveza is amazing. The UPOINT technology is easy to use and makes it flexible enough to meet the needs of hobbyist to pros.

Dark Red Blizzard

fisblizdark by Joanne
More Pelargonium Notecards

Now on notecards. I am updating the Pelargonium Collection pages. The new index will have thumbnails like the Rose Collection

I repotted the fisblizdark yesterday and started new plants from cuttings. They will spend the summer outside in a hanging pot.

Blue Blizzard on canvas

Blue Blizzard by Joanne McKinnon

Fisrain, sold as Blue Blizzard, was introduced in 1988. It is now included in the Pelargonium Gallery

The Pelargonium Collection is being updated. I'll keep you posted.

Curious Turkeys

Curious Turkeys by Joanne
Make note cards on Zazzle

These two bachelors visited every morning during the winter months.

Also on Postcard

Mme Hardy Print

Rose Prints
Mme Hardy is a beautiful white damask introduced in the Luxembourg Garden, Paris, by Alexander Hardy, in 1832.
This classic rose is a true work of art.

MacKenzie King Estate

MacKenzie King Estate, originally uploaded by McFingon.

I visited this garden in 2008. The flower beds in this section were nice, but not the kind of place I would go back to see the gardens. Though I wouldn't mind being the head gardener.

Day in spring

DE-563177, originally uploaded by McFingon.

Received this lovely card from Cologne, Germany yesterday. According to the sender, this is a great place to visit. After reading about Cologne, in Wikipedia, I have to agree.

Magnolias in 2008

Magnolias, originally uploaded by McFingon.

In 2008 the Magnolias at the Ottawa Arboretum, next to the Experimental farm, bloomed in late April. You can find them near the side that borders Dow's lake.

Wisteria arbour

Wisteria arbour, originally uploaded by McFingon.

Soon I will start visiting the Ottawa Experimental farm. I never had the pleasure of seeing this Wisteria in bloom.

Blue Lupine on canvas

Blue Lupine by Joanne McKinnon

Newly added canvas print. It is also the perfect size for a greeting card, which is available from the same link.
Lupine's are perfect to start directly in the garden.

Digital Painting in Photoshop

Postcard to Germany

I posted one of own photos on a postcard to Germany yesterday. The Postcrossing member wanted something typical of my environment. This beautiful white pine grows behind my house. Soon I will have it on Canvas

National Audubon Society Guide to Landscape Photography

Rose index menu

With the help of Google Analytics, I knew that some of the changes made were not all working out. After making some changes in the menu of the Rose Collection's static pages, I could see an immediate increase in traffic. Google Adsense works well as a traffic meter.

Kenrokuen garden

Kenrokuen garden, originally uploaded by McFingon.

Received this lovely postcard from Evita in Japan. I grow lots of Iris' in my own garden, it would be a dream to visit this historical garden.

New video

A new page has been added in the Journal The new Video page will show short clips. The first is of the visiting turkeys.

Change in menu

The link to the Rose Collection now goes to the new pages. This is to test the new index page.

Does having a thumbnail view of the roses help? Does the custom search box help? Did you find what you were looking for?

Home in the top menu takes you back to the rose index. To return to the Joomla site select Garden Photo in the side menu.

Let me know what you think.

Two more postcards

Received two more cards yesterday. One from Groningen, The Netherlands and the other from Berlin, Germany. You can see them in the Postcard Album

I will be posting more cards tomorrow.

New Static Rose Collection pages

The new static Rose Collection pages are already getting more pageviews. If the increase continues, the link in the Garden Photo site's menu will be redirected to the new pages.

Another advantage is the site search box will cover the whole site instead of only the pages in the Joomla managed part.

The custom Google search boxes are free.

Rose Collection index page

ArtistGarden.net

The Rose index is now divided by class.
I've lost a few of these roses but most are still growing in my garden.

Static Vs Dynamic websites - what is the difference?

New pages for the Rose collection. With the help of Google Analytics, I am testing the popularity of pages inside a static versus a dynamic website. My main focus is search engine traffic.

The dynamic website is easy to update but has fewer landing pages. A static site takes longer to update and renovate. Using an editor like Web Design Generator - Artisteer can cut the time coding so you can spend more time managing the content. Some knowledge of HTML, CSS and Javascript is useful for the extras. In a month, I will compare the pageviews.

Found this article interesting, It does a good job of explaining the differences.

Static Vs Dynamic websites - what's the difference?

Posted using ShareThis


Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics

Dr Huey

Dr Huey by Joanne
Design custom picture note cards online with zazzle.com

Dr Huey is now on Notecards. There is a description on the back but you can easily add text on the cover or inside. You can turn this into a birthday card or thank you notes.

I also have it on Postcards. The card I sent to Lithuania was registered yesterday and today I'm posting a card to Michigan.

Site Journal

 Garden Journal


Finally changed the title of the Journal.
McFingon.net made it look out of place.
Also added new links in the site top menu.
The Postcrossing Album is for showing the postcards I've received so far and from where.
You can also see them on the map.

I only joined Postcrossing a few weeks ago so I don't have that many yet.
I will be mailing another one tomorrow or Wednesday.

Due to copyrights, I can no longer publish postcards covers.

Earth Album

I was surfing the net trying to find some way of using Google maps with a postcard album and found this site. Earth Album is a Flicker mash-up. You either click on the map or use the 'Jump to' search box, which I did. Found some really nice photos of Scotland and Bora Bora. Two places I hope to visit some day and take tons of photos.

You will find lots of great HDR photos from all over the world. They also include some descriptions of where or/and how the photo was taken.

They even have an iPhone, YouTube and Cooliris editions. Well worth a visit.

Ensata Iris

With the reticulata irises in bloom, I'm already looking forward to the other varieties that will follow. The ensatas are the last to bloom but well worth the wait.

When I purchased this iris, years ago, it was labeled Light at Dawn. It appears that another shade is sold under that name now. Which is right? Hard to say. Trade names are not registered, so not protected. I hope this will change in the future.

Until I find an official list, mine will remain a Light at Dawn.

Postcard to Finland

Hare in winter coat by mcfingon
Browse Hare Postcards

Today I am posting this card to Finland. I took this photo in the spring of 2008. His fur had started to change. I do have more photos of him in his summer coat. They will be added soon.

Postcrossing

Prints section

The Prints page is now updated. Now you see a preview instead of a text link. Then you just need to change the wall colour and frame it to get an idea how it would look on your wall.

I had the pleasure of seeing a print of the Woodpecker in a frame that matched the collector's decor and I felt very proud.

by evita1020

Received one more postcard today, this time Evita in Japan. She has very lovely albums of the postcards she received. Since I'm in Canada myself, I chose a link to the album of postcards from Canada.

Postcrossing

Clouds over lake

Clouds over lake by Joanne
postcard printing using Zazzle

Preparing my next order of postcards from Zazzle. Most members on Postcrossing asks for cards with scenes typical to your part of the world. I shot this photo two years ago at a lake near my home.

This fall scene will also be on Notecards

Tools used: Photoshop and Topaz Details

Adobe Photoshop CS4 How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques

The Woodpecker

Woodpecker by Joanne
View all the other art at zazzle

Previously the Woodpecker was only available from Imagekind With Zazzle I have the added option of offering the same image on postcards and note cards.

If you are unfamiliar with the printing options offered by Zazzle I recommend a visit to their Poster and Prints descriptions page There you will find information on the paper and canvas offered that can fit your budget. Plus they have a wide selection of frames and matting found in the customize it section.

The beauty of Zazzle is that they make a version of art for every budget.

Changes to Garden Photo site

In the next week, I will be changing the Print section from links to a thumbnail gallery. Having a preview of the print will be more interesting than just a link.

Not all prints will be included only those that are not featured on the site as a garden plant. For them you'll find a link in the details page of each individual plant.

Grey wild turkey

Wild Turkeys
 
For the past few years, my feeders are visited by wild turkeys for most of winter and early spring.
This year, for the first time, the flock includes a few gray females.

The photo was enhanced to bring out the most details.

Tools used: Photoshop CS4 and Topaz Labs

See more wild turkey photos

Adobe Photoshop CS4 Classroom in a Book

Great photo site

When in need of some inspiration, I visit other photographers sites. I do this mostly with Stumble upon. Now the photos on 1x.com are awesome.

Blue Jay Notecard

Blue Jay by Joanne
Browse more Blue Cards

I am now adding more of my digital work on notecards and postcards. Yesterday I received my latest shipment of postcards and they look great.

The new notecards have information printed on the back. Just use the zoom feature in the Zazzle gallery for a closer look. Use the customize option to add text and see how easy it is to create your own card.

Tussock moth postcard

Zazzle Store

After receiving a few cards and messages from other members, I now want all kinds of postcards to send.
I don't have to order 25 of the same card.
I can mix and match my selection. I'm sending one more today.

Update

The Zazzle store has been closed.
Postcards are no longer available.

Art

Found this article on Design and Print Blog. Well worth reading.

Art & Design on Postcards

Posted using ShareThis

Two more postcards

I received a card from Callum in Cambridgeshire, UK and another from Claudia in Ireland. Got an album to store them in. I really enjoy being a member of Postcrossing

Postcard pages

A few days ago, I found that the Zazzle Store builder code wasn't working properly inside the new template. The code itself is helpful but not that flexible. The code is written in PHP which I use for a few databases online. But if you rely on search engines for a part of your traffic, PHP is not that great.

So I decided to change the code to CSS. The pages look basically the same but now contain more keywords and that will make them easier to find.

The Postcards section is now divided in 3 pages.

Reference: CSS, DHTML, and Ajax, Fourth Edition: Visual QuickStart Guide

Nature Album

Two new photos were added to the Nature Album First is a red squirrel and the other a toad my son photographed through the glass panel of our front door.

Photographing Nature: A photo workshop from Brooks Institute's top nature photography instructor

Beautiful New Roses for 2010

Found this slide show of new roses. Take a look at slide 12 then look at my Mystery Rose It's the closest match I found so far and I'm a huge fan of David Austin roses.

Beautiful New Roses for 2010

First Postcard

Yesterday, I received my first postcard as a member of Postcrossing It was sent by Christoph of Dortmund, Germany.

The two first cards I sent don't appear to have been received. One was to Netherlands and the other in Russia. I did get a visitor to my Garden Photo site that translated the page to Russian.

Two were sent to Germany. The card to Munich arrived in 6 days. Today I am mailing my 5th card to Georgia, USA. I've already ordered more Postcards from Zazzle

Now in the description part of the Postcards, I will include what country the card was sent to.

Source updates

Sources for Adelaide Hoodless, Morden Sunrise, Looking Glass and Winnipeg Parks have been updated.

Links are being checked and some photos will be changed. I'll keep you posted.

Mothersday Poyantha rose

New addition in the Rose section. This polyantha was introduced in 1949 by F. J Grootendorst & Sons of Boskoop, Netherlands. You can see by the photo that the blooms are double and globular.

The colour came out very well, for a red. The shot was taken in late afternoon. The sun doesn't cover this part of the garden in early morning. I did use the new Topaz Details to bring out the blooms best features.

There are twenty pages now in the Rose Collection.

Botanica roses

Postcard page update

I tried to get the Zazzle store builder working in an Artisteer generated template before but I couldn't find a way to make them work together. I downloaded the latest version of Artisteer and redid the template with the new features. Now the two blend together very well.

The Zazzle Store builder is flexible. You can narrow the width to fit the content block and change the size of the cells. Other options include adding or removing title, description and price. The comments are a big help too.

The Postcards page now includes better navigation and updates. I'll be using the same template for the Notecards page