Linaria update

I knew that I'd posted some linaria photos here last year, so I went to take a look. Sheesh. I could have just recycled last year's shots! They were taken with the same 50mm f/1.8 lens and an extension tube. Here's the link: http://carolleigh.blogspot.com/2010/07/good-morning.html  Have I progressed in the past year? Not at all! This is really depressing . . .  Okay, tomorrow I'm getting out the fisheye lens and let's see how THAT goes! At least it will be different . . .

Linaria

Linaria, or toadflax, is blooming in my back yard. The lighting was high overcast this afternoon, so I took a 50mm lens and a 12mm extension tube, set the aperture at f/1.8, and proceeded to shoot. I was purposely going for extremely shallow depth of field, and it worked, but it sure made focusing difficult as the flowers swayed gently in the breeze. The look is soft, and I find it very appealing. So there you go. Something "normal" from me. Click to enlarge. ©Carol Leigh

A good morning

A pair of cedar waxwings has been in the area the past few days and this morning I saw one eating berries on a bush outside my living room window. Beautiful, sleek, dramatic-looking birds. And then I went out back where I've got a lot of linaria (toadflax) growing in the yard. It's a weed, but it's a weed that I cultivate because it's just so graceful and pretty. And TALL! I used a 50mm f/1.8 lens along with an extension tube for extremely shallow depth of field. And Marianne, it was your green photos you posted in your blog that encouraged me to use a patch of lemon balm for a clean green background in the last photo. Thank you! ©Carol Leigh