When I was back on the Common at the weekend there was more than just the Orchids to photograph.
As a child we played outdoors and were forever getting covered in sticky willows but I was completely unaware that they flowered. The flowers are tiny but very pretty.
I was lucky enough to capture the ladybird and the stitchwort caught my attention behind the buttercup.
We went back to the common this weekend to exercise the dogs. They like to swim in the pond and its lovely to see familiar faces. Its the time of year the orchids bloom. They look great against the green background and amongst the yellow of the other summer flowers.
These shots were taken with my Lensbaby velvet 56. I could happily spend hours playing,
One of my Definitely Dreaming Project 52 prompts was “From my Doorstep“. I don’t have a great view but spotted a little weed growing in the crack between the wall and the path. It has a really pretty blue or purple flower and looks like a violet, so I used it to get my shot.
This inspired me to get my camera out and capture the other tiny flowers and weeds growing within a few feet of my doorstep. I was playing with my Lensbaby Velvet 56 and extension tubes. So often we miss what’s under our feet, failing to realise and appreciate the beauty.
Follow the circle for lots more great Lensbaby photographers, starting with Birgit Franik
I’ve seen great shots of Calla Lilies and was thrilled to see some when I was in town last week. I thought it would be fun to play with my Lensbabies. I chose a pink one and brought it home. I’ve played over the last week or so and here are the best shots.
They were taken with the Edge 35. Velvet56 or Sweet 35, all with extension tubes.
I had some cut flowers in a vase on a sunny windowsill and I couldn’t resist picking up my camera. It had the Lensbaby Velvet 56 on it with an extension tube, enabling me to get really close.
I then switched the Velvet 56 for the latest Lensbaby, the Edge35, still using extension tubes to let me get really close. I love the colours when I get this close.
While January seemed to last forever, February seems to have come to an end ever so quickly and it ‘s Lensbaby blog circle time again.
Snowdrops are the first sign that spring is on its way and they are so pretty dancing in the sunshine, sometimes covered in dew. During the last few weeks I’ve found little bunches tucked away behind hedges, under trees and some out in the open. I thought it was worth bringing together the best shots to share. I hope you enjoy them.
Follow the links to complete the circle, starting with Birgit Franik
After the celebrations at Christmas and New Year, January is always a long, dull month. I was in town paying the bills and looking to treat myself to some cut flowers when I spotted the orchid. It was the same price as a bunch of flowers and even with my record of looking after plants, if it lasted two weeks, I’d get my money’s worth. So I gave in and bought it. It really brightens up the room.
I had fun afternoon playing with my different Lensbaby lenses and optics taking photos at different distances and angles. The two full size shots above, were taken with the Edge 50 and the close ups below, were the Velvets or the Soft Focus optic. My favourites are the ones taken with the soft focus optic, the light is softer. I haven’t used this optic for a while so it was great to get some shots I really like. It reminded how I forget about the older optics, which still have a place in my kit. I hope you enjoy the results.
To complete the blog circle and see more great Lensbaby shots follow the links starting with Carol’s Waterfront Walk
We went walking on the Old Hills again at the weekend. It was still dull grey autumn weather but I did find some colour.
The Old Hills is an area of common land between Malvern and the River Severn. The weather and light weren’t great at the weekend as it was a typical dull November day. The visibility was poor but we could make out the outline of the Malvern Hills to the West and other key landmarks such as Worcester Cathedral.
There’s more areas of cover than on Malvern Common and the Springer spaniels had great fun exploring and following the different scents. The German shepherd was happy when he found a pond to paddle in. It was interesting to explore a new area, finding new landmarks and different things to photograph. The things which caught my attention included the shape of the fern bush, the old trees which looked really spooky in the light and the odd glimpses of colour.
The most vivid colour was the pink and orange of the spindle tree berries. I’d never seen them before so was intrigued when I looked them up. It is a deciduous tree native to the UK and Europe. It’s botanical name, Euonymus, derives from Greek and can be interpreted as good name or lucky, although in some areas early flowering was said to indicate an outbreak of plague.
To see more great Lensbaby shots follow the link to see what Janet Broughton from Definitely Dreaming has been doing this month.
September and October are my favourite months of the year. One of the reasons for this is the spectacular sunrises. Living on the eastern side of the Malvern Hills I get to watch the sunrise over the mist which clings to the Severn Plain. On some days I can watch it rise up, engulfing everything or receding back to the river. As I got up the other morning and looked out, I knew it was going to be beautiful sunrise. I set my camera up and planned to use the different Lensbaby lenses and optics to play and investigate the different effects. As I was trying to do this in between getting ready for work it didn’t work as planned.
Before dawn the horizon was a deep red colour. As I went back and forth between my camera and getting ready the colour lost its intensity and then deepened again as the sun rose. The mist was thick on the ground and it was amazing to watch it move and change. It was like watching the waves on the ocean in very slow motion. As the sun came up the reflection from the top of the mist was fantastic.
The early shots were taken with the Circular fisheye and Burnside 35, the other are either the velvet 56 or 85.
At the weekend I had more time and was lucky enough to witness another great sunrise. The mist wasn’t so dramatic but the colour was special. This time I was playing with the Sweet 80 and the Zone plate/pin hole optic. They create very different effects.
I hope you enjoy the photos and don’t forget to follow the circle. Follow the link to Stephanie DeFranco’s blog about Texas gold.
English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
