My working definition of “surreal” is an image that is evocative of real things but is not a picture of the thing it looks like. The dictionary definition focuses more on dreamlike, fantastic, or hallucinatory.  In addition to works like those of Renee Magritte and Salvador Dali, it can be argued that cartoons are surreal. In this context, I include the art of Dr. Seuss. All of these images use focus stacking.

The titles include the size of the subject (from edge to edge of the image.) The number of stacked photos are in the description.

• Cheshire Lips (Senior’s Dream Dahlia) (1/2 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/cheshire-lips-qual-10.jpg

  When I moved to Oregon, I was delighted to find how well dahlias do here. My friend Victoria grew this Senior’s Dream Dahlia. The top and bottom portions of the picture are the tops of the petals. Two petals have curled against each other to expose a little of the darker underside. The title is inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. (However, Lewis Carroll did not originate the Cheshire Cat image.) This is the same flower as Candle ala Dahlia. The width of the subject is less than ½ inch. 149 stacked photos.

  

• Truffula Trees: Ode to the Lorax (Oso Berry Tree) (1/4 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Truffula-Trees-Oso-Berry-Tree-16x20-FINAL-80X-2.jpg

  I brought this back from a hike along the Ridgecrest Trails in Eugene. It’s an Oso Tree (Oemleria cerasiformis). After I took the shot, I couldn’t help but notice their resemblance to the truffula trees in the Lorax by Dr. Suess. The stamens are about a 1/16 inch.

  

• Poking Out (Wilted Painted Tongue) (0.55 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/poking-out-painted-tongue-20x16-FINAL-65X.jpg

  I was at a music campout at Turning Earth Farms outside of Salem, OR. The results of their composting toilet helped create an abundance of flowers. They told me to take as many as I wanted. The main green object is the stamen. I manipulated the wilted petal with tweezers to set it up for this shot. This is the same flower as Space Turtle. The width of the subject is about 0.3 inches. 68 stacked photos. Common names: Painted Tongue, Scalloped Tube Tongue, Velvet Trumpet Flower

  

• Candle Ala Dahlia (0.2 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/candle-ala-dahlia-20x16-FINAL-105X.jpg

  When I moved to Oregon, I was delighted to find how well dahlias do here. My friend Victoria grew this Senior’s Dream Dahlia. This is deep inside the petals. It’s not in the center of the flower where you expect to see stamens and pistils so I don’t know what it is. If someone does, please tell me. The glow is from back lighting. For some reason, people keep telling me it looks like something other than a candle. This is the same flower as Cheshire Lips. The width of the subject is about 0.2 inches. 674 stacked photos.

  

• Pbbbbbbbbbt! (Starship Lobelia) (3/4 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Pbbbbbbbbbt-Starship-Lobelia-FINAL-16x20-27X-2.jpg

  Such a funny little guy poking out of the petals. I bought this at the grocery store. It is purposely not in its normal orientation to give it the popping-up effect. The subject is about ¾ in. 65 stacked photos.

  

• Jester's Hat (Columbine) (1 1/2 Inches)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jesters-hat-columbine-16x20-FINAL-v7-12x.jpg

  As a geometer, the pentagonal shape of columbines has always fascinated me. There was also a time when I provided presentations to elementary school children as Jester Phudd, Juggling Mathematician where I used juggling to illustrate mathematics. So the image as a jester’s hat is apropos to me. I grew this from a mail order bulb. The height of the dried flower is about 1 1/3 inches. 39 stacked photos. Common names: Columbine, Granny’s Bonnet

  

• Space Turtle (Painted Tongue) (0.38 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/space-turtle-painted-tongue-16x20-FINAL-50X.jpg

  I was at a music campout at Turning Earth Farms outside of Salem, OR. The results of their composting toilet helped create an abundance of flowers. They told me to take as many as I wanted. The name draws from my interest in science fiction and fantasy and from my having a tortoise years ago. This is the same flower as Poking Out. The width of the subject is about 0.38 inches. 92 stacked photos. Common names: Painted Tongue, Scalloped Tube Tongue, Velvet Trumpet Flower

  

• Begonia Hills (Begonia Rex Leaf) (1/2 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/begonia-hills-begonia-rex-16x20-FINAL-30X.jpg

  I bought this Begonia Rex in a grocery store. The leaves are bumpy with each bump having a small hair on it. Begonia Hills captures the bumps and hairs. The leaf is yellow rather than green because of strong backlighting and 1 day of drying. This composition is influenced by Dr. Seuss. The height of the subject is about 1/2 inch. 309 stacked photos.

  

• Red Spires (Begonia Rex Leaf) (0.21 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/red-spires-begonia-rex-16x20-FINAL-95X.jpg

  I bought this Begonia Rex in a grocery store. The leaves are bumpy with each bump having a small hair on it. Red Spires captures two bumps and hairs. The leaves emanate red veins that turn to green. The yellow is due to strong backlighting and 1 day of drying. This composition is influenced by Dr. Seuss. The height of the subject is about 0.21 inches. 139 stacked photos.

  

• Audrey On Blue (Larkspur Hybrid) (1/3 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Audrey-on-blue-larkspur-hybrid-20-x-16-FINAL-55X.jpg

  My friend Victoria has a beautiful and extensive flower garden. She lets me pick them and I put them in vases on my kitchen table. I watch them change, looking for a great shot. This is one of the earlier examples of my realizing that partially dry flowers sometimes make great shots. Unfortunately, this was also prior to my being careful to take a picture of the entire flower for latter identification. I think it’s a hybrid larkspur, but I’m not sure. The name references Little Shop of Horrors. The width of the subject is about 1/3 inch. 185 stacked photos.

  

• Parched (Half-Dried Begonia Rex Leaf) (0.17 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Parched-begonia-rex-20x16-FINAL-120X.jpg

  I bought this Begonia Rex in a grocery store. The leaves are bumpy with each bump having a small hair on it. Parched is a picture of a leaf that is half dried. The tentacles reaching for the sun are dried hairs. The sun is looking straight down on a hair with its tip broken. A lot of the effect is from strong backlighting. The width of the subject is about 0.17 inches. 133 stacked photos.

  

• Spiral Begonia (1/2 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Spiral-Begonia-FINAL-20x16-40X.jpg

  One of the few things that could be better about where I live is more sun for growing plants. I bought a begonia as an experiment to see how it would do in the shade. The flowers are only so-so until you look closely in the middle. Begonias are monoecious, meaning they have separate male and female flowers on the same plant. This is the pistil of the female flower. The width of the subject is about 1/2 inch. 148 stacked photos.