Some shots in the garden

I took these shots in a friends garden i usually don't go for the flowers but these were wonderful and begging to be photographed so i obliged

I think this is called a palagonian but i could be wrong




This is a Waratah my states emblem




And i am not sure what this is but the bug is a hoverfly




Taken on my trusty K10

Really love the colors of the #1 and #2

What lens did you use for these?

I used my newly acquired Pentax A 100mm f2.8 It has wonderful contrast I have too say.

I am a little concerned about the halo effect in the background of number 2 is this a character flaw with the lens or something i am doing wrong :
I had several which were much worse than the one i posted I believe its just me and the positioning of the sun :

Any bright spots in the background will be rendered as out-of-focus highlights. In the case of the A 100mm (non macro) it has 6 aperture blades. That's why they're hexagons If you shoot wide open then they'll be circles.
To me, it looks fine - it has the characteristic buttery bokeh of Pentax lenses and those bright "halos" can be used to your advantage too

And yes, each lens has slightly different rendering. It's all a personal thing

If you don't want them you have to reposition, or diffuse the light in the background.
Matt

Thanks Matt
Here is the worse one of the bunch. And it was a very bright day