There is a string of upscale resorts on the Kohala Coast, north of Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. In October 2007, a new shopping center called The Queen’s Marketplace opened to serve the resorts. It’s a bit less upscale than the older King’s Shops nearby, which has gone way upscale. They closed the food court there to make room for a shop devoted to really expensive cosmetics.

The Queen’s Marketplace received the food court, with good basic Hawaiian eats, which Hawaiians call ono grinds. The Queens Marketplace also obtained an exceptionally good landscaper, who provided a collection of hibiscus among the plantings. Among the hibiscus is this variegated hybrid:

This a straight hand held photo made with a pocket camera. One tip for close ups is that they can be taken as well in a shopping center as a botanical garden, because the close up excludes the surroundings. Another tip for close ups is to try an extreme closeup. Here is such an experiment:

I cropped the image by about 20 percent to eliminate all but the flower from the image. The result has a sensual quality, perhaps with a touch of Georgia O’Keeffe spirit.