jeangenie's Growing Project for 2010: Wk 25 Foxglove Fever

Crikey... I thought I'd got them all this week, and still a few I missed. Running 2 52's doesn't help me keep up with what I have and haven't done!

Anyway...

What a lovely series of shots Jean. Scrolling through all of them on this page was a treat, although you saved the best for last. The DoF on "Glimmer of sunlight" is marvellous. Really good technique. Was that what you were after in-camera, or did it just end up like that?

Have a good holiday!

Ian.
 
Harlequin565 said:
Crikey... I thought I'd got them all this week, and still a few I missed. Running 2 52's doesn't help me keep up with what I have and haven't done!

Anyway...

What a lovely series of shots Jean. Scrolling through all of them on this page was a treat, although you saved the best for last. The DoF on "Glimmer of sunlight" is marvellous. Really good technique. Was that what you were after in-camera, or did it just end up like that?

Have a good holiday!

Ian.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ian. :) This 52 seems to be 'walking' rather than 'running' at the moment, since I'm now a couple of weeks behind. Still the holiday was great and I've got some shots to post for last week. :D

I'm chuffed you like the last batch - 'Glimmer of Sunlight' was just luck - being in the right place at the right time - so it's pretty much out of camera. I just focused on the patch of sunlight with a wide aperture. Thanks again. ;)

Jean


jennyb said:
Hi Jean, the trees really look gorgeous at this time of year when the leaves are just unfurling and are so fresh and green against the dark trunks. I love both of these shots, but the DOF of the second makes it rather different.

Jenny
Click to expand...

Thank you very much, Jenny. It's amazing how much the tress have changed in just one week - it was a different landscape when we got back from holiday. :)

Jean
 
This set was shot in Week 19 (honest!) but I didn't have time to post them before our hols.

This little family has featured briefly in Week 15 and in my Themed 52 thread as "Ingredients"! Crowbar??? Moi?? ;)

Dad became very tame while he was feeding Mum and babies in the nest - even to the point of sitting on the backdoor step waiting for his favourite - chopped grapes. Fearless of the dogs, he'd demand attention every time the door was opened, and if we ignored him, he'd give impatient little cheeps to say 'hey - I'm here and I've got a family to feed!'

1 So, here is Dad:



2 Mum was more camera shy, but still couldn't resist an easy snack!




Then, the babies appeared - just 2 of them - and both parents were hoping round the garden like mad things feeding their demanding, ill-mannered off-spring! :LOL:

3 "Hey - where's mine?"



4 "Feed Me NOW!"



5 "Don't be greedy! There's one bit each."



Thanks for looking - any kind of comments welcome - please don't feel you have to be polite! :)


I'll get Week 20 (taken in Menorca) up as soon as I can and then I've only got this week to catch up on! :LOL:

Jean
 
Jean, what a fantastic set of photos :clap::clap::clap:

The first 2 are great of Mum and Dad and the catch light in the eyes are perfect.

I love number 3. A fantastic action shot with really good focus. Doesn't it take you back to how much hard work it is bringing up kids? Luckily I did not have twins like Mr & Mrs B!

It always amazes me when the kids grow as big as their parents yet still demand to be fed.

Really well done for this week (and I am not just being polite!)

Jenny

PS: Hope you had a good holiday.
 
Thanks for the lovely comments, Jenny. :)

I certainly felt the parents were under pressure that week - feeding from morning to night, ushering the babies under the bushes when they perceived danger, but by the end of the week both youngsters were partly feeding themselves, although not actually finding food on their own. They were also very careful to make sure both kids got fed! What amazes me is that birds often put themselves through this twice a year!

It certainly reminds me how hard it is to bring up a family - and I didn't have twins to cope with either! :LOL: And if I need further reminders - we're looking after our two gorgeous little grandsons next week :love:, so time on TP will be severely restricted. :eek: :LOL:

Jean
 
One of the good things about going abroad is you usually find out something you didn't know previously! I had no idea that Menorca is a 'biodiversity hotspot' and we found ourselves staying in a World Biosphere Reserve with a wonderful array of wild flowers. We walked a very short length of the 179km coastal path - which took ages because I kept stopping to take photos!

The flowers were gorgeous and I have no idea what they are called, so any ids would be welcome! :)

#1 Very tiny - about 2mm across

​


#2 Just leaves - but very attractive

​

#3 Passed its best!

​

#4 Looks too glamorous to survive on a dusty path

​

#5 Fragile magic in the bright sunlight

​

All these - and many more - were growing in dust or in fissures in the volcanic rock and are a tribute to the tenacity of nature to survive against the odds. :)

Comments, as always, very welcome - and I'd really love to be able to put some names to the plants! :)

Jean
 
Oh dear - not a very inspred shot this week, but I've been playing catch up all week on the allotment (and on TP!) and both my 52s were left 'till this afternoon.

The story behind the shot: Our small garden is surrounded by 5 other gardens (also small!) and everybody planted little trees, for privacy, I suppose - about 30 years ago. Needless to say those little trees now tower over - and under! - our garden in all directions. The branches push into our garden, making our plants and shrubs search for the light, and leaving most of our garden in shade all afternoon. Today I got fed up with them and chopped back a load of overhanging branches and suddenly there it was - a shaft of afternoon sunlight streaming into our garden! Ok, it's only a small shaft of light - but it put a smile on my face. :D


​

I don't think Mr JG was so pleased though, when he saw how much greenery would need taking down to the tip. :eek: :)

Jean
 
Well done on getting up to date with both your 52s, even with a holiday in the middle :clap: :clap: :clap:

Great story behind your ray of sunshine and I love the way that it's highlighting the wheelbarrow and the evidence of all your hard work.
Having spent most of Saturday and Sunday cutting back shrubbery in the garden and getting rid of the bits that the frost killed off over the Winter, I know how hard it is.

Your Menorca shots are just beautiful.
Number 3 is the outright winner for me. I don't know what it is, but the way that you've shot it makes it stand out brilliantly. A bit of a strange effect with the DoF, but in a good quirky way.
Just a bit of a shame about the white oof flower at the bottom, but not much you could do about that I suppose.

The leafy thing in no.2 is a really interesting subject too. I really like the way that the orangey bits on the leaves pick up the colours from the stones behind.

I agree with Jenny on your blackbird shots.
The first 2 are beautifully sharp and fantastic detail in the eyes (y)
I'm going to be picky about the other 3 though. While they're great action shots and really tell the story, that bit of motion blur stops them being perfect for me.
They're still a million times better than I could even hope to come up with though, so still 10/10 from me on these.
 
Hi Jean, somehow I missed your post this week so a bit late in commenting.

I'm afraid I cannot help you ID the flowers from Menorca. But I love taking photos of flowers when we go on holiday. It always amazes me the kind of things that grow in conditions so different from ours, and in this case quite harsh conditions.

It is a pity that the whites are blown in the first one. I don't take photos of light coloured flowers in harsh sunlight. If necessary, I cast my own shadow over it if I cannot find one in the shade.

I love the colours in number 2 and it shows very well that they are growing out of nothing but dust!

I agree with Sarah about number 3. Lovely. But I also like 4 and 5. I think 5 is my favourite because the colours are so vibrant.

I really like your ray of sunshine shot. Very appropriate for your growing theme and a moment well caught. Everything seems to grow like crazy at this time of year and it is always necessary to be ruthless to keep things under control in the garden.

We actually lost a few things with the harsh winter. Did you? We had 2 bottle brush plants which were thriving. However, being Australian plants, they were not happy with temperatures down to -11C. So, we have had a scene similar to your this week with lots of stuff cut down. I don't think to photograph these things. Food for thought for something different from me.

Jenny
 
SarahLee said:
Well done on getting up to date with both your 52s, even with a holiday in the middle :clap: :clap: :clap: Thanks - but like you, I feel if I get too far behind I'll never catch up!

Great story behind your ray of sunshine and I love the way that it's highlighting the wheelbarrow and the evidence of all your hard work.
Having spent most of Saturday and Sunday cutting back shrubbery in the garden and getting rid of the bits that the frost killed off over the Winter, I know how hard it is. I try to tell myself it's good exercise - especially when every muscle aches tomorrow! :LOL:

Your Menorca shots are just beautiful.
Number 3 is the outright winner for me. I don't know what it is, but the way that you've shot it makes it stand out brilliantly. A bit of a strange effect with the DoF, but in a good quirky way.
Just a bit of a shame about the white oof flower at the bottom, but not much you could do about that I suppose. Thanks, Sarah - I struggled with dof on that, and the white flower is on the same plant.

The leafy thing in no.2 is a really interesting subject too. I really like the way that the orangey bits on the leaves pick up the colours from the stones behind. Mother nature's very clever! :)

I agree with Jenny on your blackbird shots.
The first 2 are beautifully sharp and fantastic detail in the eyes (y)
I'm going to be picky about the other 3 though. While they're great action shots and really tell the story, that bit of motion blur stops them being perfect for me. Fair comment, and I keep trying to get moving birds in focus, but, as you can see, it's on my 'could do better list'.
They're still a million times better than I could even hope to come up with though, so still 10/10 from me on these.
Click to expand...

ladysue said:
I love the shaft of sunlight shot Jean. It is beautifully composed.I have to do that to my garden every now and then as I also have a small space and tall bushes.
Click to expand...

Thank you, Sue. It always amazes me that the weeds don't seem to mind the shade, but the plants do! :bang:

jennyb said:
Hi Jean, somehow I missed your post this week so a bit late in commenting. No worries, Jenny - I'm about 3-4 weeks behind with comments!

I'm afraid I cannot help you ID the flowers from Menorca. But I love taking photos of flowers when we go on holiday. It always amazes me the kind of things that grow in conditions so different from ours, and in this case quite harsh conditions.

It is a pity that the whites are blown in the first one. I don't take photos of light coloured flowers in harsh sunlight. If necessary, I cast my own shadow over it if I cannot find one in the shade. I never thought about creating my oen shade. :bang: Thanks for the tip, Jenny.

I love the colours in number 2 and it shows very well that they are growing out of nothing but dust!

I agree with Sarah about number 3. Lovely. But I also like 4 and 5. I think 5 is my favourite because the colours are so vibrant. That's my favourite too, and I wondered if it came from the freesia or gladioli family because of the leaves and the way the flower heads are arranged on the stem.

I really like your ray of sunshine shot. Very appropriate for your growing theme and a moment well caught. Everything seems to grow like crazy at this time of year and it is always necessary to be ruthless to keep things under control in the garden. I find it hard to be ruthless, but it is necessary at times. :D

We actually lost a few things with the harsh winter. Did you? We had 2 bottle brush plants which were thriving. However, being Australian plants, they were not happy with temperatures down to -11C. So, we have had a scene similar to your this week with lots of stuff cut down. I don't think to photograph these things. Food for thought for something different from me. What a shame about your bottle brush plants - have you replaced them? Our son who lives in your area (Sandhurst) kept his banana plants alive by protecting them with straw and fleece. We only lost a variegated buddlia and a few potted plants. Our banana plant survived, although it's very battered and sad looking.

Jenny
Click to expand...

Thank you all for your comments. :)

Jean
 
I'm no expert, but it seems the more I learn about gardening, the more I realise I'm just a beginner! Apart from treating our buttercup-infested lawn with a weedkiller/feed every couple of years, I try to garden organically, so the compost bins are a vital resource. I've got 2 bins in the garden and 3 at the allotment, and find the whole composting process fascinating: bung in loads of rubbish, wait a while and lovely compost comes out. :D I dig it into our heavy clay soil in the garden and use it as a mulch and weed suppressant.

I always thought that seeds would be killed off in the compost by the heat generated, but something usually manages to survive and poke its way out of the bins.



The plant is a forget-me-not which seeds freely all over our garden. Some people consider them to be weeds, but I like them and let them have their season, and then pull them out - today's job in the front garden.

So the fact that one is growing out of the compost bin raises questions:

Are forget-me-nots good (flowers) or bad (weeds)?

Is the compost good (fertile) or bad (not hot enough to kill off seeds)?

Should I compost the dying forget-me-not plants or take them down to the tip?


I have posted before the Sunday deadline (good), but I should have straighted it (bad).

This was a rubbish idea, but your comments (good and bad!) are very welcome.

Jean
 
Jean, firstly I think this idea is a good one and I like the photo, but I would probably have removed the leaves in the left of the foreground. This is all about growing things and compost is a very valid subject - and something I know very little about.

However, IMHO forget-me-nots are not weeds. I prefer to call them wildflowers (sounds better). They grow all over our garden and I am not concerned about them. If you pull them out, they will grow again next year, so no harm done. I don't see why you should not put them on the compost heap.

Some so-called weeds are really little works of art and I love photographing them. Most people don't actually look closely at them to see how wonderful they are. I plan to post some in my thread at some stage.

I mentioned on my web site about dandelions being weeds and someone emailed me to complain that I was being unfair to dandelions!

I would guess that compost heaps only get hot in the middle, so seeds near the edges are likely to survive. Maybe that is why it is important to keep turning it. We had an adders nest in the compost heap once - before I took up photography, so no photos :( So, be careful, especially at the allotment.

Jenny
 
Sorry Jean, another one I've been missing...

well done on getting those blackbirds, lovely..

Your wild about Menorca images... not sure about the first one, I can't tell, but it looks like the flower petals are blown out. Otherwise, I really like them, good use of DOF...

The ray of sunshine, works, and it's nice to see

Not sure on the compost bins, it fits the themes... I think, as Jenny, that the grass at the front needs to go.
 
jennyb said:
Jean, firstly I think this idea is a good one and I like the photo, but I would probably have removed the leaves in the left of the foreground. This is all about growing things and compost is a very valid subject - and something I know very little about.

However, IMHO forget-me-nots are not weeds. I prefer to call them wildflowers (sounds better). They grow all over our garden and I am not concerned about them. If you pull them out, they will grow again next year, so no harm done. I don't see why you should not put them on the compost heap.

Some so-called weeds are really little works of art and I love photographing them. Most people don't actually look closely at them to see how wonderful they are. I plan to post some in my thread at some stage.

I mentioned on my web site about dandelions being weeds and someone emailed me to complain that I was being unfair to dandelions!

I would guess that compost heaps only get hot in the middle, so seeds near the edges are likely to survive. Maybe that is why it is important to keep turning it. We had an adders nest in the compost heap once - before I took up photography, so no photos :( So, be careful, especially at the allotment.

Jenny
Click to expand...

Thanks for the thoughtful comments, Jenny. I've tried to hide the bins behind plants, so getting a clear shot would have been quite destructive. :eek:

I like the idea of weeds as wildflowers - I could have a whole wildflower garden, because I'm not spending much time of maintenance and 'wildflowering/weeding' at present. :D

I find turning the compost too difficult, but Mr JG usually turn the 'cooking' bin into the emptied one, but the point about seeds surviving round the edges makes perfect sense - I'd just never thought about it before. :bang:

We have snakes living in the compost bins - I've seen evidence of them this year, but haven't seen them. Last year we had adders, but the photos were rubbish. :LOL:

Jean

jgs001 said:
Sorry Jean, another one I've been missing...

well done on getting those blackbirds, lovely..

Your wild about Menorca images... not sure about the first one, I can't tell, but it looks like the flower petals are blown out. Otherwise, I really like them, good use of DOF...

The ray of sunshine, works, and it's nice to see

Not sure on the compost bins, it fits the themes... I think, as Jenny, that the grass at the front needs to go.
Click to expand...

I'm finding it pretty much impossible to keep up with comments on everybody's 52s at present, so I really appreciate you taking the time to give me feedback, John - many thanks. :)

It's hard to find something different each week for this project unless there's something specific happening - and I often leave it until the last minute because there's no inspiration. I'm determined to try and keep it going, though, and get through the year. :)
 
The title for this week is dual purpose - it describes my week (and the corresponding small amount of time I've had to devote to this project), and the subject, shot at 7 pm tonight. Talk about leaving it till the last minute! :LOL:

I went to close the greenhouse up and heard a loud buzzing. I managed to catch this pollen-laden bee still busily buzzing from one tomato plant to another.

​
I find this sort of shot really difficult and this little bee was flitting from flower to flower very quickly. By the time I'd located her, she was moving on to the next flower. :bang:

Your comments and criticisms are more welcome. :)

Thanks for looking,

Jean
 
Jean, that's a lovely photo but it is just a pity that you missed the focus on the main part of the bee. You have the eye in focus and that is important. They never keep still and it is so difficult. I love the colours, the composition and the DOF.

If the bee had been completely in focus, I would have said that this is your best this year.

Jenny
 
Thanks, Jenny. I was really struggling with focus on the macro lens - it was just too slow for this busy little bee. tbh, I've sharpened the eye a bit because that was soft, too, but it was the least bad shot I got!

Isn't photography full of 'if onlys' - in this case, if only the bee had stopped for just a second to give me chance to focus properly. :bang:

Thanks for your comments and support - much appreciated as always. :)

Jean
 
Jean, that's a cracker... It works very well, and I don't think it matters that all the bee isn't sharp (although that would be better of course ;)). I've been trying some of these this week, and it's damnably hard to get a decent one. I've got loads of bad ones... the bees, despite their flight dynamics, move so fast for closeup work...
 
Thank you very much for the kind 'bee' comments, John - much appreciated. :)

I very rarely plan a week ahead for this project - it's more a cse of seeing what's happening in the natural world around me, but this week I did have a plan - and it failed. We've got a particularly beautiful peony in the garden, which only ever had two or three blooms but they are gorgeous enough to earn its place in the border. Sadly this year, the promising looking buds failed to open - I guess the ground was too dry. :bang:

So with very little time to pick up the camera I submit

Ponies (instead of Peonies!):



This pretty foal was stepping out confidently ahead of mum and at the age of 2-3 months is getting skittish and bold. They happily canter away from mum's protective sides and when their confidence suddenly ebbs away, they make a dash back to mum. Sadly, several foals a year meet a speeding car and never make it back to mum. :( :crying: These were safely out of harm's way, deep in the Forest. :)

Photographically, I know it's nothing special, and the light was very contrasty, but it's a typical scene at this time of year.

C & c is always welcome, though. :)

Jean
 
Catching up at last!

Last year the foxgloves in the forest were amazing - casting their purple glow over large areas. Guess who never got round to taking pics? :bang:

This year they're much less prolific, but I thought they were worth a quick shot, in case they don't appear at all next year. This is an area of Forest which has been cleared of conifer trees and is being allowed to regenerate with minimal intervention from mankind.



The dry weather isn't suiting them, and already (just about a week later) they are fading fast. But it marks a stage in the annual cycle of the New Forest, and adds a splash of colour at a time when the trees have lost that 'brand new' look. :)

Please feel free to comment. :)

Jean
 
Hi Jean,

Lovely shot of the ponies. They look so peaceful. It is just a pity that the light was shining through the trees creating the highlights and shadows. It would have been an easier shot with more even light.

I love foxgloves and I love the colours in your photo. The DOF is excellent just showing the hazy colours in the background, but one thing is bothering me - the OOF flower in the bottom right. I think I would have cloned it out because my eye is drawn to that instead of the flowers in focus in the middle.

The foxgloves in my garden just seem to grow in ones or twos. We never get lots together like in your photo.

The weather has been a bit difficult this year for many plants. We had masses of apple blossom, but a few very hard frosts late in the spring means that there are very few apples. Pity really.

Jenny
 
Lovely shot of the Ponies Jean... looks like a really tricky lighting situation... mixed shadow and bright sunlit areas... but you've done a good job on it...

Amazing colours in the foxgloves, and whilst it may not be as many as last year... there's still loads there... The DOF works really well too.. a couple of minor points, I agree with Jenny on oof one in the foreground, and I wonder what it would have looked like a little to the right, and perhaps up, just a touch, so as to not get that blown sky in the upper right.
 
Jenny and John - Thank you both for the comments and especially for the suggestions on the foxgloves - I was so busy avoiding an inconsiderate tree that I didn't even notice the oof one bottom irhgt. Grr ....

I'm moving on to PART 2 in a new thread - here:

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=2892147#post2892147

and as always would be delighted to receive any feedback (good or bad!).

A big thank you to all those who've been kind enough to comment or just browse so far.

Jean
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top