Tag: garden

Lens ball images in the garden

By cpadmin

Lens ball images in the garden. To me, sunflowers are an obvious target for the lens ball. The gallery below shows two images of sunflowers in the back garden. I found that I could capture the sunflower directly in the image as well as in the refraction. Trays and planters of petunias at the front of the house also made a target and one of them appears in the gallery below. To get the lens ball to the correct height I had to erect apparatus! This included the black and decker workmate, a plant pot and a towel. I also played with different focal lengths. All very worthwhile and enjoyable!

  • Small pastel colours
    Smaller lens ball image of pastel colours
  • Closer up sunflowers lensball
    Close up of sunflower through the lensball
  • Sunflowers through the lens ball
    Garden sunflowers through the lens ball
Lens ball images captured in the garden

The Compass Photography Website contains more lens ball images. Click here

Todays Floral display

By cpadmin

Todays floral display shows three of the six images on our website page “Six of the best”. All of these images were captured in the garden over the last 24 hours. Fortunately the lockdown has been accompanied by good weather. It has been possible to capture images of the flowers that are daily coming into bloom.

  • Three red roses
    Three red roses
  • Six of the best
    White rose petals and yellow stamen
  • Rock rose - cistus
    Purple petals of the rock rose
Three of the six images captured

Three red roses growing at head height on the trellis. They form a nice pattern and have been cut into a square image to make the most of the natural positioning of the roses.

The white rose has grown out from below the graft of the red trailing rose. It’s growing amongst the red rose on the trellis and makes a nice contrast. Additionally, I like the clarity of the yellow stamen in this image. and the random fly in this image.

The rock rose (cistus) was pruned earlier this year and the flowers seem to be a much deeper purple. The image shown has a red mason bee working on the flower.

Click here to go to the website page and see all of the images included in the “six of the best” of todays floral display

All creatures macro and small

By cpadmin
  • Knotty view
    5mm diameter knot on post
  • All creatures macro and small
    Ladybird showing a leg
  • All creatures macro and small
    Unfurled tulip with added greenfly

All creatures macro and small, three images attached. Being at home this week means that photography has been limited to the garden. I have entered a competition to photograph textures and have been playing in the garden with my macro lens. It is amazing how different textures look when you take a really close view of them.

I wanted to capture the texture of a tulip flower. I tried one that was out and then tried one that was unfurled. The text is nice and smooth, however the image also shows an aphid standing on the side of the flower looking at me. I presume it a green fly, but a bit early for them.

Another ladybird offered itself for a close up. I find them so attractive. A friend tells me it’s a seven spotted one, which is common! Still I like the image of the ladybird on the dwarf conifer. It was also well behaved and stayed put whilst I fiddled with the camera! Smooth texture on the ladybird and furry texture on the conifer.

The third shot is from a post in the garden. Put in the ground 30 years ago, it has weathered and suffered from a lack of preservative. I wanted to catch the image of the knot, which I did. The knot in real life is 5mm across! What I had not appreciated, again, until bringing the image on to the computer was that there was a distinct cross shape in the wood as well.

See more of our images by visiting our website “https://www.compassphotography.co.uk/”

Ladybirds in the sun

By cpadmin

Ladybirds in the sun. Spent most of the morning today in the garden as there was nowhere to go today! Just finished mowing the lawn and I noticed this ladybird on a fence post in the garden. So I nipped in and got the camera, fitted the macro lens and grabbed the tripod.

Getting the close up shot was not as easy as it could have been. The two ladybirds were sunning themselves on a post next to a bale of hay. I had to fight uneven ground to set the tripod on, the bush in the way and the angle of the sun to get an image or two.

I was just lining up a shot of the two together when one of them beetled off! Still, I’m pleased with these and might have another go tomorrow setting the camera on a pile of bricks instead! I hope you enjoy looking at Ladybirds in the sun.

The National Geographic for kids website says that “There are about 5,000 different species of ladybirds in the world. These much loved critters are also known as lady beetles or ladybugs, and in many cultures they’re considered good luck. They come in many different colours and patterns, but the most familiar in the UK is the seven-spot ladybird, which has a shiny, red-and-black body”. Got to the website by clicking here.

See more of our images by visiting our website www.compassphotography.co.uk

  • Climbing the post
    Climbing the post
  • Ladybird from above
    Following the grain
  • Ladybirds in the sun
    Looking straight at the Ladybird

Winter warmer!

By cpadmin

Winter warmer!

Winter warmer
Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’

The dull, grey and cold days of the New Year need a winter warmer! Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ is just that. This colourful-barked dogwood are typically grown for winter colour, when their colourful, leafless stems shine like beacons in the bare winter garden. Cornus sanguinea has red stems, and looks fantastic when planted with evergreen shrubs, and among spring flowers.

The image below was captured at RHS Hyde Hall recently and as you can see the colours are vibrant. A large space is required to get the best effect though. Most of us don’t have a garden big enough to allow this plant to show itself off to best advantage. We can still look forward to summer warmth!

See more of our images at WWW.Compassphotography.co.uk

Golden sunflowers

By cpadmin

Golden sunflowers, purple petunias and flaming red impatiens. Delightful summer gardens. “Little Dorrit” is the variety of the dwarf sunflowers, grown from seed and placed in pots. What is unique with one of the sunflowers is the additional flowers growing through the centre of the head!

Both the petunias and impatiens (busy lizzies) were bought as tiny “plug” plants from a local nursery and grown on in flower pouches. The impatiens have done better than the petunias this year.

See more of our images at www.compassphotography.co.uk

  • Purple petunias
    Flower pouches with impatiens and petunias
  • Golden Dunflowers
    Variety Little Dorrit
  • Golden sunflowers
    Little Dorrit