Flowers

Weekly Photo Theme – Flowers

After the unusually long and cold winter it has finally started to act like Spring. Well, actually it was more like Summer with unusually hot weather which has done wonders for all things green. The trees are accumulating leaves at an ever increasing pace and the local flowers have stood up to get noticed. As much as a celebration as it is a way to put the winter behind us the theme this week is flowers.

It was great to get out and crawl around in the grass trying to get the most flattering angle or go for a different perspective on the local flora. Although eventually I do manage to get some around the house mine all seem to be late bloomers. Luckily for me my neighbors have wonderfully green thumbs and very patient natures as they are always willing for me to come traipsing through their yards. I also have found that going for a walk over in the city of Rome will yield quite a few opportunities for floral photographs.

This first image is from one of my trips into the city. I had quite a few objectives that evening and chose to go with the telephoto lens. This allowed for some great compression , although I did get a few looks from the passing cars as I lay on the sidewalk trying to get as low as possible for this view. I also tried a little different processing to create a slightly painted picture look to the image. I’m quite happy with the results and my attempt at some creativity.

Pink and Purple
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/320s, 122mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

This next image is from a secret spot I go to for some early floral images as well as some wonderful wildflowers. The cemetery down the road from me always has the first blooms and when these wildflowers come out they cover a majority of the grass. I liked how the one blue blossom was standing above the field of purple cousins.

The Standout
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/200s, 70mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

My last image is from my neighbors flower bed across the road from me. As you can see he manages quite well in the green thumb department. I walked across the road one night after dinner but nobody was home. The light was perfect and I knew they would not mind if I stopped for a few pictures. As I was sitting on the edge of the road with the tripod setup and myself contorted in some unusual angle getting everything aligned, the garage door started to open. I was caught in the act! Luckily, being great neighbors for 20 years they were more than happy I was getting my pictures before the blossoms disappeared. Good neighbors are the best!