Jenny's 52 - Part 2 - Week 52 - The End

[dlh]

Another beautiful set Jenny. Conker is a goodun, I'm with you on the squiggly thing Favourite is the the second boletus, those colours are wonderfully vivid

 

[philthejuggler]

Great stuff, Jenny. Struggling to pick a favourite they are all so good this week! The simplicity of the mushroom and conker shots are great - I also like the fact they contrast - the first with subtle colours, the second highly saturated.

The leaf shot is effective and I like the light dancing along the edge. The Montbretia works well against the black background - one second my eyes resolve it to 3-D, another they see it as a flat pattern.

Finally I love the rich flesh colourings in the fungi shot - don't fancing tasting it after your comment on the smell.

Good week, Jenny!

Phil

 

[jennyb]

Given how wet it's been I think you've done well to get anything at all.
I'm really hoping that the weather picks up. I've got some time off work from 16th August and would love the chance to get out in the garden with the camera . . . this rain's been making it impossible.

Love the Boletus shot. Absolutely perfect and some fantastic detail. In fact the parched grass actually makes a really pleasing backdrop against it.
I also really like the Plane leaf. Not sure why you thought this one would be a bit Marmite because as far as I can see there's nothing not to like about it.
Clean, crisp and great detail around the edge of the leaf - I think it's beautiful.
These two are definitely the pick of the set for me.

Although I really like black b/g shots the Montbretia doesn't quite work for me this week. I don't know if it's a result of the PP but there doesn't seem to be quite enough definition in the petals.
It's a shame because the shape and colour really lend themselves to a black b/g. Was this shot on the plant or did you cut it and bring it indoors?

Of the other two, the Conker is well shot, but doesn't really excite me very much. I do like the abstract though.
Not sure that it quite works at this image size, but I could see this blown up large on a modern canvas . . . in fact that would go very well in my kitchen!

Hi Sarah, many thanks for your detailed feedback. I agree about the Montbretia. I could not get it right. I normally like to take shots in situ but I had to pick it because the recent rain had flattened them. I tried some shots outdoors and some indoors. This was an indoor one. The biggest problem was the natural colour of the flowers is so intense that it hurts your eyes to look at it. The black background made it worse. The nature of the flowerheads makes it difficult to get the DOF correct.

I hope that you get some decent weather next week so that you can get out in your garden. I think you have had much more rain than we have.

More cracking shots Jenny, i particularly like the conker shot, beautifully exposed and sharp. The detail is tremendous and i like the contrasting greens in the whole picture.

tBoth Boletus are cracking shots too, again you have wonderful detail in the images.

Many thanks, Chris. I liked the conker shot because of the different textures - the spiky bits and the spots on the skin.

Another beautiful set Jenny. Conker is a goodun, I'm with you on the squiggly thing Favourite is the the second boletus, those colours are wonderfully vivid

Thanks, Darren. I was shocked how colourful a smelly, moth-eaten bolete could be without any processing! Nature produces some amazing creations.

Great stuff, Jenny. Struggling to pick a favourite they are all so good this week! The simplicity of the mushroom and conker shots are great - I also like the fact they contrast - the first with subtle colours, the second highly saturated.

The leaf shot is effective and I like the light dancing along the edge. The Montbretia works well against the black background - one second my eyes resolve it to 3-D, another they see it as a flat pattern.

Finally I love the rich flesh colourings in the fungi shot - don't fancing tasting it after your comment on the smell.

Good week, Jenny!

Phil

Thanks, Phil. I am pleased that most people seem to like this week's offerings. I liked them but was not sure if others would. I was pleased with the leaf. I wanted to take it back lit but not against the sky. I was lucky to be able to get high enough to still have the light coming from behind the leaf, giving the glow to the edge, but to get the dark trees behind to make it stand out.

Fungi also make very interesting (and colourful) subjects with an added advantage that they don't tend to blow in the wind!

Jenny

 

[jeangenie]

The weather might keep throwing challenges at you, Jenny - but you keep overcoming them. Another excellent week.

#1 Boletus fungi: I know I'll always learn something on your thread - this week: mushrooms with pores are called bolete! The detail is brilliant and I do like the fairy's eye view. My sympathies about your lawn - ours is just as bad and the lack of growth in the grass has given room for the buttercup infestation to spread unchecked.

#2 Conker: Excellent detail - and I like the natural background, too.

#3 London Plane:

That's an interesting comment on non-native species - I hadn't thought of them not sustaining wildlife. I guess there are some imports that have found favour with various insects or birds, though. :shrug: As an imge - it's definitely got the WOW factor. I'd want to use that for my desktop image.

#4 Montbretia: I sympathise with your problems with this one. The colours are almost too intense to be true, and I guess there's a point where the camera doesn't register the full depth of colour. Well done for trying. Just a thought - did you try using very low light and a longer exposure (plus a bit of tweaking in pp)? I've had some success with that with 'difficult' flowers. I don't understand the theory behind it (if indeed there is any!) but sometimes it works.

#5 Boletus Luridilormis: What a wonderful name. I like this - it works really well, the colours are amazing and the composition spot on.

It's been raining here this morning - but has now stopped. Perhaps Sarah could share some of hers with us. I can't remember when we last had a really good downpour.

Jean

 

[jennyb]

The weather might keep throwing challenges at you, Jenny - but you keep overcoming them. Another excellent week.

#1 Boletus fungi: I know I'll always learn something on your thread - this week: mushrooms with pores are called bolete! The detail is brilliant and I do like the fairy's eye view. My sympathies about your lawn - ours is just as bad and the lack of growth in the grass has given room for the buttercup infestation to spread unchecked.

#2 Conker: Excellent detail - and I like the natural background, too.

#3 London Plane:

That's an interesting comment on non-native species - I hadn't thought of them not sustaining wildlife. I guess there are some imports that have found favour with various insects or birds, though. :shrug: As an imge - it's definitely got the WOW factor. I'd want to use that for my desktop image.

#4 Montbretia: I sympathise with your problems with this one. The colours are almost too intense to be true, and I guess there's a point where the camera doesn't register the full depth of colour. Well done for trying. Just a thought - did you try using very low light and a longer exposure (plus a bit of tweaking in pp)? I've had some success with that with 'difficult' flowers. I don't understand the theory behind it (if indeed there is any!) but sometimes it works.

#5 Boletus Luridilormis: What a wonderful name. I like this - it works really well, the colours are amazing and the composition spot on.

It's been raining here this morning - but has now stopped. Perhaps Sarah could share some of hers with us. I can't remember when we last had a really good downpour.

Jean

Jean, as usual great to have your feedback. However just a bit of clarification required.

Boletes are fungi with pores. However, they are not the only fungi with pores, there are many others, too. For example, the aptly named "Polypore" family, which include the Chicken of the Woods that I posted last week, and probably the white bracket fungus which you mentioned in your previous post (probably a Birch Polypore).

My skills as a Mycologist leave a lot to be desired (actually it is a VERY difficult subject) but I became fascinated by fungi when I started cataloguing my garden. I have so far found more than 100 different fungi of all shapes and sizes. They are the most incredible organisms and most people don't even notice them.

With the Montbretia, I bounced a little bit of flash off a reflector, but I did not try a really long exposure. I have found they are always very soft when I do that. Maybe my tripod is not good enough. However, that may help solve my problem. If I get the opportunity, I will try that to see if it helps, but most of them are looking a bit moth-eaten by now.

London Plane - I agree that many non-native species of plant attract insects and other wildlife. I have lots of other non-native stuff in my garden. My concern was planting a tree which is likely to be there for a hundred or more years (it is already more than 50 feet tall) which does nothing for the native wildlife. I guess it does absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen like other trees, but I would have preferred something a bit more wildlife friendly.

I will now step off my soapbox!

Jenny

 

[Briony]

Jenny,

I often wonder why I dont do things like this they are beautiful and with all the woods around me, but you can guarantee if I did something like this they would not come out anything like this.

Stunning shots, worthy of a calendar (now there is an idea)

What lens are you using?

 

[jgs001]

That first is a superb shot Jenny, the POV you've chosen makes it look like some weird tree on an alien world. Excellent details. The Leaf is spot on too, and I can't decide between these two which I prefer...

As for that last one... that's very vivid and bright, amazing colours in nature.

 

[jennyb]

Jenny,

I often wonder why I dont do things like this they are beautiful and with all the woods around me, but you can guarantee if I did something like this they would not come out anything like this.

Stunning shots, worthy of a calendar (now there is an idea)

What lens are you using?

Hi Nicki, thanks for your comments. Yes, you live in beautiful surroundings with so much nature to photograph all around you - and in the air! Maybe you should try some close-ups/macros. I've got a 60mm macro lens, but recently I have been experimenting with an extension tube and my 70-300mm and also a Raynox. Adding a Raynox or extension tube is a relatively cheap option.

At the end of the year I am going to put these in a Blurb photobook, but I have also planned to take the best from each month and make a calendar. If I can get a decent shot early in December, maybe I will have the calendars ready to hand out to relatives and friends at Christmas.

That first is a superb shot Jenny, the POV you've chosen makes it look like some weird tree on an alien world. Excellent details. The Leaf is spot on too, and I can't decide between these two which I prefer...

As for that last one... that's very vivid and bright, amazing colours in nature.

Thanks, John. Last week turned out to be quite a good week!

Jenny

 

[jeangenie]

Boletes are fungi with pores. However, they are not the only fungi with pores, there are many others, too. For example, the aptly named "Polypore" family, which include the Chicken of the Woods that I posted last week, and probably the white bracket fungus which you mentioned in your previous post (probably a Birch Polypore).

My skills as a Mycologist leave a lot to be desired (actually it is a VERY difficult subject) but I became fascinated by fungi when I started cataloguing my garden. I have so far found more than 100 different fungi of all shapes and sizes. They are the most incredible organisms and most people don't even notice them. That really is fascinating, Jenny - thank you for the glimpse into a world about which I know nothing. You must have been very methodical in your study of your garden fungi to identify so many different types. I suppose the more you learn the more interesting the subject becomes in its complexity.

With the Montbretia, I bounced a little bit of flash off a reflector, but I did not try a really long exposure. I have found they are always very soft when I do that. Maybe my tripod is not good enough. However, that may help solve my problem. If I get the opportunity, I will try that to see if it helps, but most of them are looking a bit moth-eaten by now. Mine are, too. :bang:

London Plane - I agree that many non-native species of plant attract insects and other wildlife. I have lots of other non-native stuff in my garden. My concern was planting a tree which is likely to be there for a hundred or more years (it is already more than 50 feet tall) which does nothing for the native wildlife. I guess it does absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen like other trees, but I would have preferred something a bit more wildlife friendly. Your whole garden must be an amazing wild-life sanctuary and an endless source of interest.

Jean

 

[dade_f]

I loved your plain leaf shot, very strong contrast and shape
Boletus nice shot and effect

 

[jennyb]

I loved your plain leaf shot, very strong contrast and shape
Boletus nice shot and effect

Many thanks for your comments, Dade. Glad you like them.

Jenny

 

[jennyb]

That really is fascinating, Jenny - thank you for the glimpse into a world about which I know nothing. You must have been very methodical in your study of your garden fungi to identify so many different types. I suppose the more you learn the more interesting the subject becomes in its complexity.

Jean, I was able to identify some of the easy ones, but for others I had to rely on the very knowledgeable members of a wildlife forum. I was also invited along to a couple of fungi forays which helped a lot. The problem with fungi is that you cannot just identify them by matching them with a picture in a book. It depends on what they are growing on, which trees are around, smell, taste (sometimes!) as well as the visual clues. Many have to be ID'd under a microscope. I don't even bother trying to ID the little brown ones :bang::bang::bang:

Jenny

 

[jennyb]

I knew exactly what I wanted to do this week but did not manage any of it

I was planning to take a shot of the pond but the light has been terrible and I did not produce anything decent. I also wanted a shot of the bulrushes with the pond behind. Again I did not manage this I did, however, produce this one, which is not what I planned but is halfway decent. Just nothing special.

The next thing I had planned were the blackberries. They are ripening now and I wanted a shot which showed lots of berries in various stages of ripeness. Again, I could not manage anything decent and had to make do with a close up. Another shot that is nothing special.

There has been a lot of (much needed) rain this week and there are fungi springing up all over the garden. I managed to capture this one before anything started eating it. It is a Russula, also called Brittlegill, but they are very difficult to identify and I cannot hazard a guess as to which one. I am fairly sure that it is poisonous, though. The brilliant colour amazes me and Russulas come in all shades of red, pink, purple, grey, yellow and brown. Again nothing really special about the photo other than the colour.

Before the rain came, I was planning another photo to show just how dry it has been with the front lawn just like straw. I was planning a photo of a weed with a big expanse of brown grass behind. And, yes, I did not manage that shot either.

However, I was experimenting with the DOF of a daisy on the lawn and finally came up with a shot that I am happy with. A shallow DOF really suits this photo IMHO. The brown background is actually the lawn.

Finally, my "piece de resistance" I was telling Sarah that I have never managed a decent shot of any insect in flight. I could not believe my luck when I was experimenting with the daisy shot - a little hover fly came over and landed on it. I got pictures of it zooming in on the flower, landing with it's undercarriage down and finally on the flower itself.

I had no control over the DOF because I just had time to take the shots with the settings that were already on the camera. I also would have liked to brighten the shot a bit but don't want to blow the whites on the daisy.

So......my first ever insect in flight..... drum roll......

Sarah, I have decided that this is the way to do it. Set the camera up pointing to a particular flower and wait for the insect to come along! Could be a long wait, mind you.

Comments, constructive criticism and suggestions are very welcome.

Jenny

 

[Tracer]

I'm only now able to try catching up with everyone. Since I was here last you have posted so many fantastic shots that I am not even going to try to single any out. I think you are too hard on yourself sometimes - nearly all of them show an excellent eye for a shot combined with a great technique. You deserved to get lucky with the hoverfly - it just needs a caption!

 

[dlh]

It's another great set Jenny. I seem to be saying the same thing every time I pop in here Difficult to pick any one as a favourite this week, on a different day it could be any of them. But at this moment the fantastic colour and shape of the Russula are winning me over. The blackberry is quite amazingly large though and the bullrush seems perfectly defined. And that last shot of the daisy and hover fly isn't bad either

 

[dade_f]

You certainly have an eye for this, some great work there.
Love the colours in Russula and Blackberry

 

[philthejuggler]

Great hover fly shot, and I love he vibrance of the toadstool. My eye is drawn to the detail in the bulrush - I love the precision of the textures contrasting against the smoothly blurred background.

Super as always!

Phil

 

[jennyb]

I'm only now able to try catching up with everyone. Since I was here last you have posted so many fantastic shots that I am not even going to try to single any out. I think you are too hard on yourself sometimes - nearly all of them show an excellent eye for a shot combined with a great technique. You deserved to get lucky with the hoverfly - it just needs a caption!

Thanks for your comments, Tracer. Sometimes I get a bit exasperated when my shots don't turn out as I want them to. It is nice to get an impartial viewpoint.

Yes, I must think of a caption for the hoverfly.

It's another great set Jenny. I seem to be saying the same thing every time I pop in here Difficult to pick any one as a favourite this week, on a different day it could be any of them. But at this moment the fantastic colour and shape of the Russula are winning me over. The blackberry is quite amazingly large though and the bullrush seems perfectly defined. And that last shot of the daisy and hover fly isn't bad either

Thanks, Darren. I was lucky with the Russula. I went back the next day and it had been eaten! Just the stalk was left. Most fungi are very moth-eaten (or should I say slug-eaten) and finding ones in pristine condition is quite lucky.

You certainly have an eye for this, some great work there.
Love the colours in Russula and Blackberry

Thanks, Dade. The Russula colour amazes me. That was it's natural colour. I did not enhance it, but I did wipe off some bits of dirt.

Great hover fly shot, and I love he vibrance of the toadstool. My eye is drawn to the detail in the bulrush - I love the precision of the textures contrasting against the smoothly blurred background.

Super as always!

Phil

Thanks, Phil. I was fascinated with the texture of the bulrush. When you look really closely at these things, they are very intricate. I would have preferred to get the shot more in context, but they were in a very difficult position in the pond.

Jenny

 

[jeangenie]

Yet another superb week, Jenny. I don't know how you manage to outwit the weather week after week and produce such fabulous, well-observed shots.

Bear in mind, I'm differentiating between 'good' and 'brilliant' here, the 2 stars for me this week are the bullrush (beautiful detail) and the hoverfly and daisy. The hoverfly has just a little motion blur in its wings and the composition is excellent. You are right to feel pleased with this one - drum roll and a crash of cymbols are in order! The others are all up to our usual high standard and, as always, I love the information you supply with them. The Russula looks too good to be true - what an amazing colour.

Jean

 

[jennyb]

Yet another superb week, Jenny. I don't know how you manage to outwit the weather week after week and produce such fabulous, well-observed shots.

Bear in mind, I'm differentiating between 'good' and 'brilliant' here, the 2 stars for me this week are the bullrush (beautiful detail) and the hoverfly and daisy. The hoverfly has just a little motion blur in its wings and the composition is excellent. You are right to feel pleased with this one - drum roll and a crash of cymbols are in order! The others are all up to our usual high standard and, as always, I love the information you supply with them. The Russula looks too good to be true - what an amazing colour.

Jean

Thanks for your comments, Jean. I work from home, so if I happen to spot something interesting, I will take a bit of time off to photograph it. Naughty, I know. However, this means, because of the guilt factor, that every shot I take during the week is rushed Weekends tend to be more relaxed if the weather is kind.

I took the Russula shot last Saturday. I spotted it and set up the camera but a huge thunder storm came along and I had to abandon it. I knew that it was likely to disappear by the next day, so as soon as the rain had stopped I went back out again and got the shots with an added bonus - glistening after the rain!

On another matter I thought maybe I had spelled bulrush wrongly. There seems to be a difference of opinion in the comments in this thread. I checked my books which spell it with one "l". OED also spells it with one "l". However, various other sources say it can be spelled with one or two "l"s. So, we are all correct. Now I am wondering about the word spelled - should it be spelt? LOL, English is not one of my strong points!

Jenny

 

[jennyb]

I have tried for the last few weeks to get a decent shot of the pond but to no avail. It is surrounded by trees and if the weather is sunny the shadows are just too deep. This week, I managed a reasonable shot when it was bright but overcast.

I really like all the different shades of green in this shot.

The recent rain has been wonderful for the fungi. They are popping up all over the garden - all weird and wonderful shapes and sizes. The first photo shows a couple of earthballs - poisonous.

The next are Brown Birch Boletes, I think. Very difficult to tell but that is my best guess. I am taking a spore print so may know more in the morning. There are a whole troop of them under one of our Silver Birch trees. Apparently edible, but not worthwhile unless you happen to be a slug.

Next, I could not help but feel sorry for this little chappie(ess?). Definitely a bad day at the hairdresser! I will have to get a decent robin shot later in the year - a quintessential member of an English country garden.

Finally, I am a bit annoyed that I did not have enough DOF to get his tail feathers in focus But, I think it was still worth posting this shot because of his pose with the sunflower seed in his beak and his tongue showing.

My main idea for shot this week did not work out. Maybe next week?

C & C very welcome.

Jenny

 

[jeangenie]

Thanks for your comments, Jean. I work from home, so if I happen to spot something interesting, I will take a bit of time off to photograph it. Naughty, I know. However, this means, because of the guilt factor, that every shot I take during the week is rushed Weekends tend to be more relaxed if the weather is kind. Hehehe - that will be working with one eye on the garden, then! But I bet the guilt makes you put in the extra mile to make up for the togging time!


I took the Russula shot last Saturday. I spotted it and set up the camera but a huge thunder storm came along and I had to abandon it. I knew that it was likely to disappear by the next day, so as soon as the rain had stopped I went back out again and got the shots with an added bonus - glistening after the rain! Sometimes the weather isn't totally contrary.

On another matter I thought maybe I had spelled bulrush wrongly. There seems to be a difference of opinion in the comments in this thread. I checked my books which spell it with one "l". OED also spells it with one "l". However, various other sources say it can be spelled with one or two "l"s. So, we are all correct. Now I am wondering about the word spelled - should it be spelt? LOL, English is not one of my strong points! I didn't even notice I spelled/spelt 'bulrush' with double 'l' - one 'l' is correct according to my OED, but Bullfrog and Bullfinch both have double 'l'! btw, my Oxford Guide to the English Language gives both 'spelt' and 'spelled' for the past participle of spell - it says: "The -t form is usual in Received Pronunciation and should be written by those who pronounce it. The regular form is usual in American English." I does make you wonder why English is the international language, doesn't it!

Jenny

Moving on to Week 33:

The pond looks almost too beautiful to be real! The range of greens is staggering and looks more like late spring than late summer. I bet that is a favourite spot to relax and gaze into the water. The reflections in the water work well and my only (very tiny) niggle is the slight over-exposure on the tree top left where the light has just caught it. Did you make the pond or is it natural? It looks natural but with your gardening skills, I just wondered!

The Smooth Earthballs: this looks slightly soft on my screen, but it also looks as though the spongy bit inside is too dense to get a good focus on. :shrug: They don't look very appetising.

The Brown Birch Bolete on the other hand has lovely texture and look almost sculpted. I like the colours and would have loved to have just a little more of the cap on the right in shot. I realise it probably wasn't possible, but there's no harm in wanting, is there?


The Robin: excellent capture - that's definitely a bad hair day! Is he moulting as well? I shall look forward to more Robin shots.


The Nuthatch: A well-timed shot and the focus is on the action! You can even see little wispy feathers on his throat.

Jean

 

[blakester]

I like all of your week 33 images Jenny.
The pond does look like a lovely spot to sit a while. I think you've done a wonderful job on the pond image, I can imagine it was quite difficult to catch the lighting just right with differing tones and reflections. It looks like a scene which would lend itself perfectly for a dreamy water collour painting.
You definately caught the robin having a bad hair/feather day .
Both bird images are sharp where they should be, in the eyes so IMO the tail feathers being a little oof isn't important.
The fungi images I particularly like too, the colour tones and dof really work.
Iain

 

[clud17]

Cracking pictures Jean, the Robin is amazing, great capture and a funny picture at that, it is indeed a bad hair day, beautiful colours in the shallow dof. Im amazed at all the pictures really, could i come and camp in your garden for a week please

 

[dlh]

Your fungi pictures continue to amaze me. That earthball looks full of chocolatey goodness and ready to eat Little distracted by the light brown reflection bottom left of the pond picture which I keep getting drawn to. Robin is a cracker and you have to feel sorry for the poor little fella. I think there should be a TP meet in your garden. Looks like there's enough room for all of us!

 

[jennyb]

Moving on to Week 33:

The pond looks almost too beautiful to be real! The range of greens is staggering and looks more like late spring than late summer. I bet that is a favourite spot to relax and gaze into the water. The reflections in the water work well and my only (very tiny) niggle is the slight over-exposure on the tree top left where the light has just caught it. Did you make the pond or is it natural? It looks natural but with your gardening skills, I just wondered!

The Smooth Earthballs: this looks slightly soft on my screen, but it also looks as though the spongy bit inside is too dense to get a good focus on. :shrug: They don't look very appetising.

The Brown Birch Bolete on the other hand has lovely texture and look almost sculpted. I like the colours and would have loved to have just a little more of the cap on the right in shot. I realise it probably wasn't possible, but there's no harm in wanting, is there?


The Robin: excellent capture - that's definitely a bad hair day! Is he moulting as well? I shall look forward to more Robin shots.


The Nuthatch: A well-timed shot and the focus is on the action! You can even see little wispy feathers on his throat.

Jean

Thanks, Jean. I agree about the weeping willow leaves being slightly blown. They are very pale coloured on one side of the leaf. I tried to brighten the shot and overdid it on the willow. The water lily is blown too.

Actually, this picture makes the pond look a lot nicer than it really is. It is a real mess and badly needs some tidying up but it is quite difficult to access because the sides are rather steeply sloping. It is sort of natural. It is fed from a spring and many years ago a farmer must have dammed it to form a pond. When we bought the place, the dam was broken down and leaking, so we reinstated it and dredged and reshaped the pond. It is a pity that we did not think about the steep sides. Over the years it has started to silt up again and now needs some serious work.

Jean, I don't really have any gardening skills. We are just too busy to do the garden ourselves, although I choose the plants, we get someone in to help. Maybe when we retire we will have more time.

You are right about the bolete - the righthand one should be slightly higher and angled slightly downwards. I had it balanced on an acorn, but that obviously was not high enough.

Not sure what happened to the robin. I thought maybe it was a young one.

I like all of your week 33 images Jenny.
The pond does look like a lovely spot to sit a while. I think you've done a wonderful job on the pond image, I can imagine it was quite difficult to catch the lighting just right with differing tones and reflections. It looks like a scene which would lend itself perfectly for a dreamy water collour painting.
You definately caught the robin having a bad hair/feather day .
Both bird images are sharp where they should be, in the eyes so IMO the tail feathers being a little oof isn't important.
The fungi images I particularly like too, the colour tones and dof really work.
Iain

Thanks, Iain. I was just disappointed that I caught the nuthatch in such a good pose then found his tail was OOF. Glad you like the fungi. I am never quite sure how much DOF to use. I guess it depends on the background.

Cracking pictures Jenny, the Robin is amazing, great capture and a funny picture at that, it is indeed a bad hair day, beautiful colours in the shallow dof. Im amazed at all the pictures really, could i come and camp in your garden for a week please

Thanks, Chris. Actually the garden is a bit boring at the moment. The deer eat any pretty flowers that we plant so at this time of year virtually nothing is flowering. And the deer have gone AWOL. Actually my stealthcam tells me that they are around at night but they are not showing themsleves during the day. Also I have seen no roe kids this year which is a real shame

Your fungi pictures continue to amaze me. That earthball looks full of chocolatey goodness and ready to eat Little distracted by the light brown reflection bottom left of the pond picture which I keep getting drawn to. Robin is a cracker and you have to feel sorry for the poor little fella. I think there should be a TP meet in your garden. Looks like there's enough room for all of us!

Thanks, Darren. The fungi are loving the rain. They are all over the place in all shapes, sizes and colours. I think that next week's photos might be all fungi! It is impossible to walk around the garden without trampling them. Fantastic year for them.

As I mentioned to Chris, apart from the fungi, the garden is pretty boring at the moment. I should set up a TP meet for the bluebell season. It is really worth visiting then!

I was wondering if anyone would mention the light brown reflection! It really irritates me and I was contemplating whether to clone it out but thought that I probably would not get it looking natural. It is actually the refection of a dead palm thingy which was killed during the harsh winter. You can see it behind the tree half way up on the left. We have left it there to see if it would recover, but I have now decided it has to come out. Maybe another photo is in order when it comes out.

Jenny

 

[Tracer]

The pond picture is absolutely gorgeous! It is so restful - I could look at it for hours. The fungi are really interesting. Do you eat any of them? I bought a book on identification but still wouldn't trust myself without someone else to check.

Poor little Robin! I hope it hasn't seen a mirror or it will develop a complex. The nuthatch is really well captured and the OOF tail doesn't bother me at all as the rest is so good. The detail of the beak and tongue is amazing.

 

[jennyb]

The pond picture is absolutely gorgeous! It is so restful - I could look at it for hours. The fungi are really interesting. Do you eat any of them? I bought a book on identification but still wouldn't trust myself without someone else to check.

Poor little Robin! I hope it hasn't seen a mirror or it will develop a complex. The nuthatch is really well captured and the OOF tail doesn't bother me at all as the rest is so good. The detail of the beak and tongue is amazing.

Thanks for the comments, Tracer. No, I never eat any fungi unless I am with an expert - or buy them from a supermarket! Some are so difficult to identify, it is just not worth the risk. I prefer to just photograph them.

Jenny

 

[SarahLee]

Sarah, I have decided that this is the way to do it. Set the camera up pointing to a particular flower and wait for the insect to come along! Could be a long wait, mind you.

I told you that you'd get there before me !!!!
And a beautiful shot it is too! Well Done

Unfortunately it's been far too wet for me to persevere with my insects in flight mission - they all seem to be hiding away at the moment and the Lavender is looking a bit the worse for wear after the rain.
But I'll definitely bear that tip in mind for next time we get some sun

The blackberry and single daisy really grab me from that week too. The DoF on both of these really makes them stand out.

Your pond shot from week 33 is getting a lot of attention - and rightly so. I think this one is simply stunning; both the location itself and your capture of it
I know that you've been trying your hand at landscapes and this one is a huge success. Yes the Willow leaves are slightly blown, but I can live with that. It really doesn't detract from the photograph at all.
We have a smaller, formal raised pond in the garden and that takes plenty of maintenance - I hate to think how much work needs to go into keeping yours in order

Superb timing with the Nuthatch, but it's the Robin shot that jumps out from the bird photos. The poor thing - but it made me smile

 

[dade_f]

again such a cracking bunch of shots - they would not be out of place in a ramblers handbook or a nature guide - just simple and stunning shots.
Robin gets my vote - great shot and an appropriate name for the image

 

[jennyb]

Thanks, Sarah and Dade for your comments. Such positive feedback really makes me feel that I am getting somewhere with my photography. I was looking back at my earlier 52 photos and I definitely think I have improved this year, which was the whole idea in the first place.

Jenny

 

[jennyb]

Thank goodness that I took my shots early this week. The weather for the last couple of days has been horrendous. The front lawn which was completely brown for those daisy shots is now green again!

Finally a week in which I am pretty happy with my shots. First, a marmite shot. I was trying to think of a way to make fungi shots more interesting so decided to try an abstract. I rather like it but realise that others may not.

This is a different view on a Russula similar to the one I posted a couple of weeks ago. This one has opened. I was not sure about the DOF but think it has enough.

Continuing with the fungi theme - there are hundreds of them all over the garden, all shapes, sizes and colours. I have never seen so many. It is not just good weather for ducks!

I think these larch boletes are particularly eye-catching. Growing under the larch trees, of course. They are apparently edible.

Next, I have been trying to photograph the water lilies on the pond for several weeks. I can't take the shots in full sun - just too difficult, but it has to be bright enough for them to open. On top of that, as I mentioned last week, the steep sides of the pond make getting close enough quite difficult. I managed this one with a long lens. I was rather pleased with the little fly.

Rosehips - I am not completely sure about this one. Maybe I should have been a bit closer to fill the frame more, but I thought this would be a bit different.

Acorns - another I am not completely sure about. I took another one without the leaves behind and I actually preferred that one - much more minimalist. OH prefers this one because it is more in context. Very difficult to get the DOF right.

Finally, my favourite and thanks to my neighbour for finding it. This tiny little frog was less than an inch long. It was so tiny that I had to use an extension tube and hence the lack of DOF. But, apart from the blades of grass on the left that I could not really do anything about, I am happy with the shot.

Actually, when I looked closely it seemed very warty like a toad. However, on looking it up, toads have horizontal pupils in their eyes, so I am pretty sure it is a frog. If anyone knows to the contrary, please let me know. This photo was taken between thunder showers, so I was lucky to get it, but great weather for frogs!

As usual, C & C very welcome.

Jenny

 

[dlh]

More fabulous fungi. Your processing really shows of the colours to their very best. The russula particularly with it's fantastic red and cream against the bokehed out green background.

Cracker of the week is the baby frog though. I'm surprised he stayed there long enough for you to get down and dirty with him. Focus is spot on and dof is perfect.

 

[blakester]

I would just like to re-iterate what Darren has said, these are fantastic, (as usual) Jenny. The wee frog is a great capture, the blades of grass on the left are not an issue, you're too hard on yourself. The frog's eyes draw the viewer in, I didn't notice the grass. The colours in the fungi images are really vivid too, they are very appealling on the eye. Another great week Jenny, your consistency in capturing these images is to be admired. Iain

 

[ladysue]

Some amazing photos since I last commented. The pond shot is beautiful. The lighting and different leaf colours are very restful. I like the jay, mostly because I have hardly ever seen one around here and his tail wouldnt have noticed if you hadnt said. The robin is cute with his ruffled feathers. Seeing all the lovely funghi you have has remeined me that now is the time to find them.Thanks for sharing your lovely garden with us

 

[SarahLee]

Wow! Two real crackers this week Jenny.

That first fungus shot with the interesting angle gets 10/10 from me. I love that you've put a slightly different twist on this, the colours are great and the detail is spot on.

The baby frog also jumps out at me - in fact he looks about ready to jump out of the photo!
As Darren said, DoF and focus are perfect and I love the bit of translucency around his feet.

The only one I'm not so keen on is the rosehips.
Technically it's a great shot, but it's lacking a bit of impact for me.

 

[philthejuggler]

Wow - lots more super shots since last time I looked. I especially like your fungi shots & have done throughout your '52. These latest ones are excellent two - I love the detail of the Russula and the colour of the Bolete.

Phil

 

[Tracer]

Lovely colours and shapes in the fungi - I love the composition of the Russula. I also particularly like the acorns. The water lily has come out well (and I'm glad you didn't fall in the pond!) but I think you should have been closer for the rosehips and perhaps had the stem at a different angle - it feels a bit stiff and upright to me. Also the bokeh is a bit busy and distracting for once.

The best though has to be the frog which is absolutely spot on. There is nothing wrong with having the blade of grass - it sets the scene and gives a sense of scale.

 

[jennyb]

More fabulous fungi. Your processing really shows of the colours to their very best. The russula particularly with it's fantastic red and cream against the bokehed out green background.

Cracker of the week is the baby frog though. I'm surprised he stayed there long enough for you to get down and dirty with him. Focus is spot on and dof is perfect.

Hi Darren, thanks for your comments. I would like to stress that I am not enhancing the colours. Nature really does provide a stunning display if you know where to look.

Actually the frog was a bit bewildered. Instead of jumping away he just kept turning around away from the camera! I was rather pleased with this shot.

I would just like to re-iterate what Darren has said, these are fantastic, (as usual) Jenny. The wee frog is a great capture, the blades of grass on the left are not an issue, you're too hard on yourself. The frog's eyes draw the viewer in, I didn't notice the grass. The colours in the fungi images are really vivid too, they are very appealling on the eye. Another great week Jenny, your consistency in capturing these images is to be admired. Iain

Many thanks, Iain. Yes, I agree that my eye is drawn to the frog's eye rather than the grass.

Some amazing photos since I last commented. The pond shot is beautiful. The lighting and different leaf colours are very restful. I like the jay, mostly because I have hardly ever seen one around here and his tail wouldnt have noticed if you hadnt said. The robin is cute with his ruffled feathers. Seeing all the lovely funghi you have has remeined me that now is the time to find them.Thanks for sharing your lovely garden with us

Thanks for your comments, Sue. Actually, the bird is a nuthatch. We do have jay's here but they are very shy. I will try to get a photo of one of them becuase they are hanging around in our apple trees.

This is a phemonenal year for fungi. August was such a wet month that they all seemed to appear at once.

Wow! Two real crackers this week Jenny.

That first fungus shot with the interesting angle gets 10/10 from me. I love that you've put a slightly different twist on this, the colours are great and the detail is spot on.

The baby frog also jumps out at me - in fact he looks about ready to jump out of the photo!
As Darren said, DoF and focus are perfect and I love the bit of translucency around his feet.

The only one I'm not so keen on is the rosehips.
Technically it's a great shot, but it's lacking a bit of impact for me.

Thanks, Sarah. I was not sure about the first fungi shot, but I think it has been well received! I try to find different angles on things.

I have done a reshoot of the rosehips and will post it later.

Wow - lots more super shots since last time I looked. I especially like your fungi shots & have done throughout your '52. These latest ones are excellent two - I love the detail of the Russula and the colour of the Bolete.

Phil

Thanks, Phil. Your comments are much appreciated. I am trying to portray in my fungi shots, what incredible works of art they are in themselves, and mostly overlooked. When I first started studying them (yes, sad, I know ) I was amazed at the variety and the intricacy. I still never cease to be amazed.

Lovely colours and shapes in the fungi - I love the composition of the Russula. I also particularly like the acorns. The water lily has come out well (and I'm glad you didn't fall in the pond!) but I think you should have been closer for the rosehips and perhaps had the stem at a different angle - it feels a bit stiff and upright to me. Also the bokeh is a bit busy and distracting for once.

The best though has to be the frog which is absolutely spot on. There is nothing wrong with having the blade of grass - it sets the scene and gives a sense of scale.

Thanks, Tracer. You are right about the blade of grass. It does give some scale to the frog. That was grass in my lawn, therefore not particularly long grass. It just shows how tiny that little frog was.

With the rosehips, I tried something different - being further away and I agree it did not work so well. I will post the reshoot very shortly.

Many thank to you all for your comments. They really spur me on.

Jenny

 

[jennyb]

Here is a reshoot of the rosehip shot. Most of my shots seem to be close-ups and that is why I tried one further away from the rosehips, to include some of the leaves. Actually, I found them rather difficult to shoot.

I am not sure that my reshoot is any better. I tried a few backlit which highlighted all the spiders webs, but preferred the one I took with my back to the sun. I am a bit annoyed that I chopped off the leaves at bottom left.

Is this any better?

Jenny