Murphy Hektner, APSA
November 2025 - SAGEBRUSH VIOLET
About the Image(s)
Sagebrush Violet (viola family) is a very early spring booming flower of dry mountain slopes and blooms very soon after the winter snow has melted off. It blooms in small clumps of flowers and no taller than 4” high, and each little flower is about 3/4” wide.
This was a 35mm Velvia 50 color slide copied into a digital file. Original slide was photographed in 2000, some images we photograph are timeless. Original slide photographed with Pentax film body with Tamron 90mm macro lens on tripod in cloudy conditions. The slide was copied into a digital file with a Nikon D700 and Nikon 200mm macro lens on tripod. The slide was placed and photographed on a daylight corrected 5000K copy box
5 comments posted
Hi Murphy,
Very nice subjects - good focus on all. The deeper purple posterior petals are a bit more difficult to separate from the background - possibly decreasing the shadows on the background would be helpful.
Well done. Posted: 11/18/2025 16:33:27
Very nice subjects - good focus on all. The deeper purple posterior petals are a bit more difficult to separate from the background - possibly decreasing the shadows on the background would be helpful.
Well done. Posted: 11/18/2025 16:33:27
Murphy...This is a very nice photo of Sagebrush Violets. There is considerable detail to each flower with the yellow contrast to the lavender. You did a nice job of converting this photo and the violets stand out well with contrast to a darkened background. Wonder if they could survive the inferno heat in Texas!! Nice job!! Posted: 11/19/2025 00:03:24
Hi Barbara: Pleased you liked the Sagebrush Violet.
I looked up distribution of the Sagebrush Violet and it is not found in Texas. Texas does have similar small native Violets, mostly found in shady areas. Posted: 11/19/2025 04:28:25
I looked up distribution of the Sagebrush Violet and it is not found in Texas. Texas does have similar small native Violets, mostly found in shady areas. Posted: 11/19/2025 04:28:25
I agree with Pierre's comments in regard to the darker purple parts of these blooms. The lighter areas are so prominent, that the darker areas appear almost as an afterthought. It might not be possible to bring these areas out more, so you might consider lightening the background or slightly adjusting the color/ hue to obtain more separation. Posted: 11/20/2025 01:03:57
Hi Charlie and Pierre: YES, the top flower petal in this violet species is a very dark maroon and hard to show detail in. I did try to lighten it as much as I could without it looking strange.
The background soil is a rich dark brown as shown.
As always I appreciate your input. cheers. Posted: 11/21/2025 01:07:39
The background soil is a rich dark brown as shown.
As always I appreciate your input. cheers. Posted: 11/21/2025 01:07:39