Excellent shots here.
Keep posting.

Still not many actual flowers around here at the moment, although the bulbs are emerging. Here is some Flora in the Frost from the weekend.


2012 Powick - Frozen Grass by Birm, on Flickr

Nex 5 with SEL 55-210

Those are artsy jcoffin, I'm not sure what the first one actually is, seeds off a tree I guess but interesting, and I like the highlighted grass stalk.
Very nicely lit that one Birma, I especially like the defocused stalks in the background reinforcing the effect of the in focus ones.
Greg

Thanks Greg . That is the effect that I was after.

No flower, just some grass growing.



Shot with my Nex 3, LA-EA1 and CZ-16-80

Ah Mark - that is beautiful - I love those sort of pictures and that is a fine example.

Thanks Birma, I see you've done a shot of a similar subject. I love the golden color in your image! That 55-210 looks like an interesting lens for a Nex!

Mark

Thanks Mark . The 55-210 is a very nice addition as it is quite compact and light. With that and the 16mm I feel I have a pretty capable Nex mini-kit bag. When I first used it (less than a month ago!) I was very impressed and I imagined that my beercan may be retired. After the past weekend I'm not so sure. On the 55-210 the image stabilisation is very good, and it has a nice focus action. I will have to do some field trials to check .

This one is when I was out for a walk on a mountain trail a few days ago:

That is a nice lush, green looking shot Henry. I would have thought Japan was in its Winter season now?

This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago here on Shikoku. It is winter, but this area doesn't get all that cold -- just seems cold compared to Hawaii. So far no freezing temps. Most afternoons lately have been about 10-12C, but mornings and nights are colder. Some days it is quite nice with blue skies and sun so I like to get out for a long walk. Still lots of green around here and even still some mikan growing on the mountain side orchards.

I had started to notice that the Snowdrops were out earlier in the week, but it wasn't until today that I got the chance to take some photos of them. Not as prolific as last year, and still a few days ntil they are at their best I guess. For me this is the real start of the natrual year; the herald of spring.

First of all some close-ups.


2012 Knapp - Snowdrop 1 by Birm, on Flickr


2012 Knapp - Snowdrop 2 by Birm, on Flickr

Both Nex 5 with Tamron 60mm f/2. Thanks to live view I only got muddy knees today, rather than having to crawl around in the undergrowth .

Some wider shots. First a group of the double-flowered Snowdrops.


2012 Knapp - Snowdrop 4 by Birm, on Flickr

This lot of single-flowered are not yet fully open.


2012 Knapp - Snowdrop 3 by Birm, on Flickr

Both with Nex 5 and SEL 16mm + VCL-ECF1 convertor.

I'm always amazed at those lovely flowers that grow in the wild there Birma. Nicely photographed too.
Greg

Thanks Greg . Other than the moss and old grass they are pretty much the only the only things growing in the wood.