For this week’s photo challenge, Ann Christine asks us to consider the term “delicate” and shares her concept photos with us here. Looking through my gallery of images, I found that most of the photos I would label ‘delicate’ are photos of flowers. I present a couple of them here, but I wanted to include some of the other “delicate” images I’ve captured over the years. In the opening photo, a closeup of soap bubbles released from a few hundred feet above the ground during a hot air balloon ride creates a focal point for the image, a large tree at the corner of an intersection.

On a walk through a Minnesota state park, I happened upon a butterfly sitting on a thistle blossom. The lighting was just right to allow the sun to illuminate the translucent wings of this beautiful Monarch.

Is there a more delicate wing than on a butterfly? I think so. Here’s my proof, the almost transparent wings of a dragonfly.

An allium blossom is my next image as I now get to some of the most delicate flower images I could find.

This desert flower with the delicate petals is a globe mallow. Though the most common color I’ve seen in the Phoenix area is orange, occasionally I run across a variety that is pink in color. Less common are lavender shades, one of which is a variety that is usually present only on land that has recently been burned in a fire.

Of course, I had to include that soft, truly delicate appearance of rose petals.  This image, captured with a cell phone, is one of my favorite floral shots. It was a rose sitting in a vase on a counter at my local workout center. The soft light came from a single tube flourescent light directly above the counter.

My final submission for the challenge is an iconic version of “delicate”. In Arches National Park, thousands each year are drawn to a 3-mile (4.8 km) hike to view Delicate Arch, one of the largest attractions in the park. For those less able to make the full hike, there’s a .7-mile (1.1 km) trail to a viewpoint where, if you have a telephoto lens you can get a photo of the arch. That was our choice on this day trip to the park. The disadvantage of this viewpoint is that from here, you can’t get a clear shot of the most delicate part of the arch as a rock structure in the background somewhat masks the edges of the arch on that side.

Thanks to Ann Christine for making me take the time to review my images looking for those shots that fit the theme. They are now cataloged and I know that will be a useful keyword for other times I am looking for specific images.

John Steiner