lily

 Here are four views of a water lily. They are all the same flowerbut the first monochrome shot is from a different angle, the other three images are different treatments of the same original shot. I have cropped them differently and adjusted the exposure and white balance.

Initially I had really liked the final image, then I thought I liked the second of the three variations however on reflection I think I much prefer the first of the three images with the whole flower in shot as it has better balance and I love the colours.

I think the monochrome image is really effective but for a subject like this I think colour definitely wins out.

Trailing Ice

 This I believe is Delosperma cooperi a Hardy Ice Plant or Trailing Ice Plant. It is a stunning magenta coloured flower that just caught the light perfectly  for this shot.

I am not sure why it has the name Ice Plant given that it blooms in the summer and loves full sun but I guess the name is not really important.

Here Comes Summer

 After a mammoth load of pictures yesterday I have settled on just one photo for today; a beautiful bee hard at work gathering pollen from a buttercup. There are so many different varieties of bee that I cannot say which variety this is however as you can see it is living up to the reputation of being busy. As summer approaches and more flowers come into bloom this is the perfect time of year to spot some of our spectacular and incredibly important pollinators.

Fade to Green

There is so much about this flower that I love, the soft delicate petals curled around waiting to unfurl and reveal the heart of the flower, the soft white outer edges that gradually fade into green that looks like it has been applied in fine brush strokes, the shape like a candle flame and the way it stands out against the lush background. It is almost perfect but if you look closely at the left hand side you will see half way down a slight crease which shows how fragile this lovely plant is.

Roses are...

Is rose a colour, is it a fragrance or is it a flower?

Of course it is all three but it isn't one single colour, one single scent or just one type of flower there are many different colours  and varieties of rose all of them beautiful and today's selection of photos showcases just a few from the gardens at Rufford Old Hall.

A Thousand Flowers...

... well not quite

this is White Yarrow Seed or Achillea millefolium a wildflower which produces these beautiful crisp white clusters of tiny flowers. I haven't posted anything for a few days so thought that this was a good way to mark my return. I like the natural heart shape of the flower head

Peaceful Purple

I'm not sure what to say about today's flower, I'm not sure what it is although I think it may be a species of Cornflower (if anybody knows please feel free to leave a comment and let me know). It was growing against a backdrop of dark green foliage so the soft purple shades in the strong sunlight made it really stand out. The way the petals spread out like fireworks make this quite a spectacular specimen.

Rainbow Buds

Yesterday I shared a macro shot of the stamen from a Freesia. Today I have picked another macro shot but this is of the unopened bud. 

I love the rainbow of colours from the green of the stem rising up towards the yellow, orange, cerise, pink and purple. I did have to ask my helpers to describe the different colours because I don't really know what I can see, all I do know is it is really beautiful.

Abstract Montana

So today I have decided to follow on from yesterday's choices and stick with some macro photos of flowers.  

Flowers are great subjects for photography with so many shapes, textures and of course colours. But close up they are also great for abstract pictures like these.

The second shot isn't as clear as I would like given the magnification but it is still an interesting image.

These pictures are cropped from photos of the Clematis Montana that was in flower a few weeks ago.  And so that you can appreciate the beauty of the flower and the extent to which these shots have been enlarged I have posted a third picture below... enjoy!