Photography
My friends, Jan and Cemal, have the nicest house with wonderful flower beds both in front yard and back yard. And no grass to cut. I’m envious. They invited Chris and me for a barbecue as well as to photograph the flowers that were at peak blossom. Except for the fact that it was getting dark and I had to quit, I had a great time. These images are the result. They were all taken using a Canon 40D camera with a Sigma 150mm macro lens.
The Newport Flower Show is an annual event of the Newport Horticultural Society held at Rosecliff, one of Newport’s mansions. Held this year on June 26-28, it included two butterfly “houses”, tents really, that featured native butterflies that were to be released at the end of teh show. Floral arrangements were submitted according to guidelines and the combinations of flowers and greenery is amazing. Local gardeners display their efforts as cuttings of single blossoms or leaves, as well as entire plants. The show included a photography competition open to both amateur adn professional photographers.
Photographing inside the exhibition was frustrating in that there were so many people there, even though I went the first day at the opening time. Macro photography is the best choice as tripods are not allowed, you can get close to the subjects, and using flash can light up areas within blossoms even while hand holding the camera.
Watch for next year’s flower show scheduled for 25-27 June 2010.
This winter has been colder than most, and one side effect is frost growing on the windows. The crustal structures grow on very cold glass where moist air leaks in between the two panes of glass. The rounded ice structures are made from thawing and freezing cycles. These are water drops frozen in place. These were taken with a Canon 100mm macro lens, handheld.
