Flowers

And the award for the largest gallery goes to... flowers! (Well it would be people, but due to privacy concerns their numbers here are reduced.)

Yes, I, like many other photographers like to photograph flowers. Check out any camera promotional brochure, or any set of test images and there will probably be at least one flower shot in there. Why? Because flowers are about the most colourful things in nature. They come in a wide variety of shapes, hues and textures. They don't move, (except in the wind). They are an ideal size for shooting. There are generally some plants in flower at any given time, (at least in Australia). You can find them almost everywhere. Finally, most people like to look at them.

Flowers are about the easiest subject in the photographer's world. Provided they are not being wildly blown around, your biggest decisions are:

How much DoF do I need? I find that vaguely spherical flowers like roses need f/5.6 or f/8 to get the whole flower in focus. Flatter flowers like daisies need only f/4. Long flowers you might use f/11 or more. Of course each snapper has their own idea of what they want and they will adjust the aperture accordingly.
How should I frame it? Well if you can't frame a shot you shouldn't own a camera! Find the most attractive angle, get the right amount of zoom and try to keep ugly or distracting elements out of the frame.
And finally, Sun or Shade? This is the trickiest question. Shade gives a more even light that reveals fine detail better. Sun gives a richer colour and greater contrast. I think what is best depends on the flower involved and how you want it to look. With flower photography you can block out the sun simply by putting you body between it and the flower, and thus get a shade shot! Try both and see which you prefer.

Just because flowers are easy it doesn't mean they aren't fun or rewarding. Obviously they are or I wouldn't keep doing it.
Enjoy the gallery!

THUMBNAIL (click to view 1200px image)	PARAMETERS	COMMENTS
	Kodak DX3600 11mm (62mm) f/4.5 1/125 sec ISO Auto Auto Mode	"Paper Daisy" (Cape Grant, 2006) One of the very few shots from my old Kodak DX3600 that made it into these galleries. This was a hot camera in 2001 when digital cameras were just beginning to get some market penetration, but it's very dated now. 2.2 MP was cutting edge then, and you could still use it today at a pinch, but realistically that's not enough resolution. The image quality was just ok, the zoom was only 2x and the lack of user control was a big minus. Still, I did get a lot of useful shots with it. This is the Australian Paper daisy which I found on a walk through Cape Grant. I liked the shot so much it was my wallpaper for a year!
	Canon A610 7mm (35mm) f/2.8 1/60 sec ISO Auto A Mode Macro	"Winged Spyridium" (Cape Nelson, 2006) My first real success with DOF. Looking at it now, a smaller aperture might have been better, but there is enough in focus to make it work. The bokeh is very effective I think, not as smooth as a larger format camera but still effective.
	Canon A610 7mm (35mm) f/3.2 1/160 sec ISO Auto A Mode Macro	"Red Callistemon" (Portland, 2006) The callistemon flower is a brilliant red and an obvious subject but because of the length of the bloom you don't want too narrow a DOF. On the other hand, because it is in shade you can't stop it down too much or it will blur. As anyone who has done macro flower shots will know, the slightest wind will blur the image unless the shutter is fast. I just backed off from maximum aperture a little and took this shot.
	Canon A610 13mm (60mm) f/4 1/60 sec ISO Auto P Mode Macro	"Croydon Lilac" (Portland, 2006) The Portland Botanical Gardens have a large area devoted to Dahlia beds and every year these beds put on an amazingly colourful and long-lasting show. Truly a riot of colour. I don't know of any other flower that can put on such a show. I avoided using maximum aperture because I wanted all the flower to be in focus.
	Canon A610 7mm (83mm) f/4 1/1250 sec ISO Auto A Mode Macro	"Meadow Lea" (Portland, 2006) Another gorgeous Dahlia from Portland's Botanical Gardens. Not much to say about this one. Sometimes they just work!
	Canon A610 7mm (35mm) f/3.2 1/80 sec ISO Auto A Mode Macro	"Moonah Flower" (Cape Nelson, 2006) The Moonah flower is rather small, only about 1 cm long, and I wanted to capture it quite large in the frame so that its full detail could be clearly seen. However there was overcast afternoon light, a very slight wind, no tripod and as a result this shot was particularly difficult to capture. The very slight wind was enough to blur my first attempts, (the LCD review is a boon of the highest order for photographers), so I went down the road further and found a more protected subject. Because the subject was so close to the lens the slightest hand movement also blurred the image, but after a number of attempts I did capture this image. There is a nice (for a compact digicam), bokeh background and the white flower stands out brilliantly against the sombre green. The use of flash would certainly have been simpler but then perhaps it wouldn't look so natural.
	Canon A610 7mm (35mm) f/4 1/200 sec ISO Auto P Mode Macro	"Pink Heath in Flower" (Grampians, 2006) Victoria's official floral emblem. This lovely native heath is a little uncommon, though not actually rare, so it is always a nice thing to see. I found this specimen at the top of Mt William in the Grampians National Park. Bellissimo!
	Canon 400D Canon 50 f1.8 50mm (80mm) f/8 1/1500 sec ISO 400 A Mode	"L'Anresse" (Portland, 2008) One of my first shots with the "nifty fifty" and one of the best. There is no doubt that every photographer needs 1 or 2 fast, sharp primes. This was the shot that first crystallized for me the difference between an SLR and a quality compact. There is a dreamy quality that comes from the narrower DoF. It can be annoying sometimes but it gives a special character that you can't see with the naked eye.
	Canon 400D Canon 18-55 IS 41mm (66mm) f/5.6 1/180 sec ISO 200 A Mode	"Plumbago in Flower" (Portland, 2008) Another sharp shot with the 400D, too bad they weren't all so accurately focused!
	Canon 400D Canon 18-55 IS 55mm (88mm) f/8 1/750 sec ISO 400 A Mode	"Striped Gazania" (Portland, 2008) A spectacular inflorescence and if you zoom right in you'll see how sharp I got it. I had trouble with the camera back-focusing slightly on my first attempts. But after analysing the result on the screen I focused halfway up the petals to compensate and got what I was looking for. A lot of the secret of taking good photos is attention to detail and the persistence and inventiveness to correct any shortcomings.
	Canon 400D Canon 18-55 IS 32mm (51mm) f/5.6 1/1000 sec ISO 400 A Mode	"Banksia Marginata Flower" (Portland, 2008) I found this fine specimen of a Banksia marginata flower whilst strolling along "Bill's Walk" on the edge of Portland. The tip of the flower is properly sharp, grading down to nicely OoF at the bottom. A pleasing result.
	Nikon D60 Nikon 18-55 VR 55mm (83mm) f/8 1/20 sec ISO 400 A Mode	"Purple Penstemon" (Portland, 2008) Finally, a camera that I could trust! Getting great flower shots with this body and lens is generally a cinch. As you can see from the parameters, there wasn't much light and there may have been just a touch of plant movement. Only the centre bloom is fully in focus. I like the dark purple and muted emerald combination here. Opposite colours look garish and repulsive when they are both bright, but if you use dark hues they work together fine.
	Nikon D60 Nikon 18-55 VR 55mm (83mm) f/8 1/200 sec ISO 400 A Mode	"Pretty in Pink" (Portland, 2008) I don't know what these small flowers are, perhaps someone could tell me? Anyway I liked them in the flesh and they are even better on the screen!
	Nikon D60 Nikon 18-55 VR 55mm (83mm) f/8 1/1600 sec ISO 200 A Mode	"Yellow Daisy with Wasp" (Portland, 2008) This shot really jumps out at me. I guess it is neat yellow petals with the dark sharp image of the wasp right in the middle!
	Nikon D60 Nikon 18-55 VR 35mm (53mm) f/8 1/250 sec ISO 100 A Mode	"Massed Daisies" (Portland, 2008) I took a number of shots of these massed daisies, some closer in, some further out. When I saw them on the computer screen, this was the one I chose. It's far enough back to get the effect of the massed planting, but not so far as to lose the individual detail.
	Nikon D60 Tamron 17-50 f2.8 50mm (75mm) f/5.6 1/250 sec ISO 200 A Mode	"White Rose" (Portland, 2008) One of the shots I took while evaluating the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 and one of reasons I chose to buy it. I find it hard to fault this shot. Perhaps the background is too dark but if I lift the exposure I'll blow out the detail in the rose itself. This is a common problem anytime you have a white subject. Bride's dresses are a good example.
	Nikon D60 Tamron 17-50 f2.8 36mm (54mm) f/5.6 1/2000 sec ISO 400 A Mode	"Peach Rose" (Portland, 2008) This yellow-orange rose certainly makes a strong display against the sombre green of the leaves. You can just see the noise creeping in here at ISO 400, especially in the shadows. It's not a problem, but I estimate the 400D was a stop more sensitive than the D60.
	Nikon D60 Tamron 17-50 f2.8 50mm (75mm) f/5.6 1/125 sec ISO 200 A Mode	"Amethyst Cineraria" (Portland, 2008) I tried to get this shot on several occasions but simply couldn't nail the focus. This time: Bingo! Persistence pays off. Technically this is a "Florist's Cineraria" of the genus Pericallis, no longer a member of the genus Cineraria.
	Nikon D60 Tamron 17-50 f2.8 50mm (75mm) f/5.6 1/40 sec ISO 400 A Mode	"Ornametal Mint" (Portland, 2008) Another one I don't know the name of...
	Nikon D60 Tamron 17-50 f2.8 50mm (75mm) f/4 1/200 sec ISO 400 A Mode	"Carpet of Blue" (Portland, 2008) Getting in close to these little ground cover flowers gives a view that one doesn't quite see with the naked eye. Small flowers are often very beutiful when you magnify them. f/4 is usually a little narrow for most flowers, but it was just enough DoF to get the effect I was looking for here.
	Nikon D60 Tamron 17-50 f2.8 50mm (75mm) f/5.6 1/100 sec ISO 100 A Mode	"Soap Mallee Flowers" (Cape Nelson, 2008) There is nothing that tugs an Australian's heart strings like a gum tree. The Soap Mallee, (Eucalyptus diversafolia), has a distribution largely limited to the coastal strip around Portland. I caught the flowers just emerging from the gum nut, with the operculum still partially attached. Timimg is everything!
	Nikon D60 Tamron 17-50 f2.8 48mm (72mm) f/8 1/250 sec ISO 100 A Mode	"Coastal Wattle in Flower" (Cape Nelson, 2008) The Coastal Wattle (Acacia longifolia sophorae) is a real pest in the heath land around Portland. Although it is indigenous to the area it is running amok. Presumably something must be missing from the ecosystem. Anyway, it still puts on a spectacular mating display.
	Nikon D60 Tamron 17-50 f2.8 50mm (75mm) f/4 1/200 sec ISO 100 A Mode	"Acacia Myrtifolia" (Cape Nelson, 2008) The little Mytle Wattle is less strident than the Coastal Wattle but nonetheless makes an attractive subject.
	Nikon D60 Nikon 18-55 VR 52mm (78mm) f/8 1/320 sec ISO 100 A Mode	"Plum Blossom" (Portland, 2008) No doubt there are millions of Plum Blossom shots in this world, (especially in Japan), but I reckon this would be up there with any of them. Check out the detail in the petals. And the framing and the background give the feel of spring.
	Nikon D60 Nikon 18-55 VR 36mm (54mm) f/8 1/200 sec ISO 100 A Mode	"Broad Beans in Flower" (Portland, 2008) Broad Beans have pretty flowers! Who'd a thought it? The shot is where you find it!
	Nikon D60 Tamron 17-50 f2.8 50mm (75mm) f/5.6 1/1000 sec ISO 200 A Mode	"Apple Blossom Time" (Portland, 2008) Well I guess everyone's got an Apple Blossom shot, but I'm pretty happy with this one. Supersharp: check the texture in the petals!
	Nikon D60 Tamron 17-50 f2.8 50mm (75mm) f/8 1/400 sec ISO 200 A Mode	"Milkmaids" (Portland, 2008) Pretty native flowers. I first saw and photographed them in the Grampians in 2006 with the A610. When I saw the opportunity to get a better shot with the D60 I grabbed it!
	Nikon D60 Tamron 17-50 f2.8 50mm (75mm) f/8 1/800 sec ISO 200 A Mode	"Tea Tree Flowers" (Portland, 2008) When the Woolly Tea Tree, (Leptospermum lanigerum), is in flower, the entire stem is covered. Check it out!
	Nikon D60 Tamron 17-50 f2.8 50mm (75mm) f/5.6 1/800 sec ISO 200 A Mode	"Granny's Bonnet" (Portland, 2008) I reckon these look better on the screen than they do in real life! Check it out: you can see the pollen grains.
	Nikon D60 Nikon 70-300 VR 185mm (278mm) f/5.6 1/500 sec ISO 200 A Mode	"White Pelargoniums" (Portland, 2008) I was out testing the 70-300 VR when I came across these flowers and took a shot. Not bad for a massed flowers scene. It's not the lens I would normally choose when shooting flowers, but it did ok.
	Nikon D60 Nikon 70-300 VR 122mm (183mm) f/8 1/125 sec ISO 200 A Mode	"Protea Flowers" (Portland, 2008) Still with the telephoto zoom here. It looks good n sharp to me!
	Nikon D60 Nikon 18-55 VR 50mm (75mm) f/8 1/1000 sec ISO 200 A Mode	"Centenary of Federation" (Portland, 2008) If I know I'm gonna be shooting outside at f/8 I will generally grab the 18-55 VR kit lens. It's super sharp at f/8 and has a very reliable and accurate focus. Hit rates with this combo are 90% or more. Nikon really knew what they were doing when they made it the kit lens for the D60.
	Nikon D60 Nikon 18-55 VR 52mm (78mm) f/8 1/640 sec ISO 200 A Mode	"Lantana" (Portland, 2008) Lantana has become a serious pest in various parts of Australia, but not in Portland. I've photographed different specimens, some come in mauve and yellow.
	Nikon D60 Nikon 18-55 VR 45mm (68mm) f/8 1/30 sec ISO 100 A Mode	"Red Flowering Gum" (Portland, 2008) And here is the blossom of the famous Red Flowering Gum, (Eucalyptus ficifolia), a native of Western Australia. Yes, it really is that red!