Flowers 2010

[Greg Beetham]

It's great to see you've finally got some flowers happening there Birma, that should bring a little more spring in the old step.
Greg

ps. Lovely violet colour in those Birma.

pps. Nice bright healthy looking Lily Bruce, Yildiz might know what one it is, she's very good with flowers....

[Birma]

Thanks Greg - it is all starting to happen now, the weather is back on track and the flora and fauna are catching up .

That is lovely lily shot Bruce, I really like the shallow dof and the dew drops on the petals.

[Greg Beetham]

The umbrella tree in the backyard is in bloom again, very popular with the birds, and a cloud of midges, (if you can see them at this size).
Greg

A700 KM100-300APO

[Arun Gaur]

Bruce
Very nice drops, colors and background. Which lens was used?
Arun
http://tripolia-indianlandscapeimages.com

[Birma]

The umbrella tree in the backyard is in bloom again, very popular with the birds, and a cloud of midges, (if you can see them at this size).

That is an unusual looking tree . I feel itchy just at the sight of those midges as well!

[aster]

pps. Nice bright healthy looking Lily Bruce, Yildiz might know what one it is, she's very good with flowers....

Hi Greg,

You're very kind. Your umbrella tree is very intriguing and beautiful.

I *think* that it is a type of GLADIOLUS.

A link to a variety:

http://www.gladworld.org/

Yildiz

[BruceKingston]

The umbrella tree in the backyard is in bloom again, very popular with the birds, and a cloud of midges, (if you can see them at this size).

Greg, interesting that there is so much difference between the east and west coasts. Ours flowered nearly three months ago and is now bare leaves again.

Bruce
Very nice drops, colors and background. Which lens was used?

Thanks Arun, There's a fairly good chance that people who have seen my other posts this year will both be sick of this answer and be able to give it to you themselves It was a CZ135mm f1.8. Exposure was 1/1000 at f3.5, ISO 200 on the A900. I could have put an ND filter on and done it at f1.8 to get half of one of the water droplets in focus had I wanted to! It's just such an awesome lens, I still can't see a reason to take it off the camera (except to clean it) which has caused my bag to get somewhat heavier because I have taken to carrying my A200 around with me for those rare times when I can't zoom with my feet and use the 135. I use the A200 for every other lens in the bag!

[Birma]

Some more spring flowers from a walk in the grounds of Belsay Hall today. It was very foggy, after rain, which gave a diffused light which seemed to suit these subjects.

Snowdrops


Rhododendron


Another Rhododendron


All with the Minolta 24-105 as I just had this on the A700 for walking around.

[Juanito200]

Wow Birma those crocuses are very subtle and beautiful. I enjoyed the snowdrops and rhododendrons as well, your doing quite well with that new lens! (on the crocuses.)
Bruce: wonderful lily, whatever type it is. I love it with the raindrops.
Greg- Those birds must have quite a feast with those midges!

[David Kilpatrick]

snowbells.jpg (314.97 KiB) Viewed 5432 times

Here are the same snowdrops - but they are not snowdrops, they are something else and there were so many plant labels in the beds I have no idea what they are. Seen last weekend in sunshine, with the 30mm macro 1:1 lens and the A550 used with the folding screen, to get the camera right down below the flowers.

David

[aster]

Great shots of springing Spring!

David, the articulate LCD is in good use there. Very nice coverage and I like how the tree branches show as a background.


Yildiz

[Greg Beetham]

Lovely healthy looking flowers there Birma, that would be a nice place to visit. I've noticed that about the overcast conditions as well, with it's much more even lighting, sometimes it can get close to perfect if the clouds thin out too just the right amount.
Greg

ps. Those white flowers have a sort of lily look too them with the long stems and slender reedy leaves sprouting up from the base, but that's just a stab in the dark of course.

[Ewannawe]

Here are the same snowdrops - but they are not snowdrops, they are something else and there were so many plant labels in the beds I have no idea what they are.

David

I agree they are not what we traditionally call snowdrops in the UK but they are surely a variety? The Galanthus genus apparently, which belong in the same family as daffodil.
Here is the more traditional snowdrop, er, I think!

[David Kilpatrick]

They had labels indicating a Lilium variety but no labels for Galanthus variety - however, loads of other labels in the same beds did not help anyone be certain. I have also managed to get the 30mm macro to shoot underneath a regular snowdrop, though they are smaller.

30mm-belowsnowdrop.jpg (213.23 KiB) Viewed 5419 times

I think the petal configuration is very different.

What I like about this lens is that it's giving me a view I used to be able to get with the KM A2 at 28mm/macro, and have not been able to get previously with a DSLR.

David

[Greg Beetham]

That one of David's looks sortof orchidy in style, the flower itself I mean. That 35 Macro certainly has some snap alright.
Greg