High Contrast at Cambridge Botanic Gardens

We set a few topics for our CCC trip to Cambridge Botanic Gardens - one was High Contrast Monochrome so I spent some time seeking out flowers and leaves in very contrasty lighting. However, I have decided I like them best in colour.

 

  

Cambridge Botanic Gardens Glasshouses

I took my Olympus 'tough' compact camera to the Botanic Gardens yesterday to familiarise myself with the custom settings etc that I have set to do macro shots on our forthcoming trip abroad. It has various modes and lighting systems to aid close-up work. These notes are really for my benefit so I can look them up if, as is very likely, I forget what I have set! 

Images 1 and 3-6 are in-camera focus stacks of three images (F2.3) using the 'microscope' mode with LED light on; number 2, 7-9 taken using the super macro F9 and autoflash (C1 custom setting) and number 10 on Aperture priority mode for general use. The focus-stacking mode give three images - the middle JPEG and Raw and the stacked JPEG. 

Edinburgh 5. Glasshouses Botanic Gardens

Unfortunately, the Palm House was not open so it was straight into the tropical zones and hence misted up cameras. I got impatient waiting for the lens to clear so the first few images are (in the words of my school reading - never forgotten) “through a glass darkly” i.e. to have an obscure or imperfect vision of reality. the last two are double exposures.

Edinburgh 4. Botanic Gardens: Trees and Architecture

A selection of trees and structures from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, starting with the Ladies loos!! Images insode the glasshouses follow.

 

Signs of Autumn at Cambridge Botanics

The Botanic Gardens in Cambridge is looking slightly autumnal and altogether stunning as always. Sadie was on the second of the required two days off school with the sickness bug but was well enough to enjoy a trip out. 

Fisheye and Pinhole Close-Up Views

Continuing my quest for creative techniques for flower photography ready for the workshop in August, here are images using 15mm Canon Fisheye (low light conditions) and a Holga Pinhole on the Fuji XT series. Certainly the fisheye give a different perspective - can only be used wide open giving relatively shallow depth of field. Pin-hole images have very low success rate bur I do like some of them. The flower ones are hand held with a breeze blowing the flowers (1/15th second).