Next stop, dark matter? Then Spad into space clutching a monster telescope??

How do you cool it to -20 C? Dry ice? Sooper-dooper refridgerator?

I hope you've kept a Pentax body or two for non-astro photography!

Steve

Some photos of individual flowers from the National Plant Collection of water lilies held by Bennetts Water Gardens, Weymouth, Dorset, and taken a few weeks ago. Mrs L and I used to live a couple of miles away when it was Bennetts Water Lily Farm, growing water liles for sale around the world, public welcome to look around for a small admission charge. The farm passed down the family and the younger generation turned it into a 'destination' complete with cafe, National Collection and a Monet bridge. To their credit, there also seem to be more lakes planted, more water lilies, more paths and much wildlife.

The first two are tropical varieties growing in the Tropical House (they presumably can't stand our British winters). The others are in pools which used to be the clay pits for a local brick works. It was surprisingly difficult to get good pictures of individual flowers because (a) insects seemed to think that they had the right to crawl all over a flower in spite of a camera being pointed at it; and (b) the best camera angles would have needed being waist deep (or more) in water, which was forbidden both by terms of admission and by Mrs L.

K3iii, first two with DA 16-85mm, others with DA 55-300mm (original version).

Thoughts, comments etc. welcome as usual.

1.



2.



3.



4.



5.



6.




Steve

We look at old industrial landscapes now and see them in a positive light. Yet not so long ago, when they were working, enlightened observers would no doubt have seen them as foul, polluting, nature-destroying monstrosities. It makes me wonder what people in a few hundred years time will make of some of the things we are doing today.

Nice set, by the way.

Steve

I did, I'm glad I did because I enjoyed them all, and I agree with you that the third set is the best (the one with the close-ups). Thanks for posting them all.

I must admit that when visiting gardens like these I do tend to gravitate towards close-ups rather than wider views because the end results seem to be more satisfactory. It's hard to pinpoint the reason, but it may have something to do with wider shots never quite conveying the scale and depth that I experienced when in the garden. You've done a good job of conveying depth in the garden shots via leading lines etc. but it still doesn't grab me quite like your nice close-ups with tastefully OOF backgrounds .

Steve

Spots like that on an image make me want to clean the sensor...

But seriously, that's a stunning photo.

Steve

Once you've got the essential equipment (and avoid film!), photography need only be as expensive as you want it to be. So keep taking photos with the excellent equipment that you have, John, 'cos that's what it's really all about. And speaking from personal experience, it can be a good counterbalance to the rubbish that life can sometimes throw at you.

Steve

Beautiful . As long as you're not going to be caught in the wildfire...

Steve

Thanks. I must admit to being pleasantly surprised by what the M 200mm can do with the right subject. PIty that the minimum focus distance is so long compared with more modern lenses, for that reason alone it won't be replacing my usual 'flower lenses'. But it's nice to have it on the shelf as an option .

Focus on the stamens is the manual focus default for me for a very good reason - it's the part of the flower that my deteriorating viewfinder eye usually finds easiest to recognise when it's in focus! Of course there's always the possibility of using live view and magnified image, but cataracts and a screen in far from optimal lighting don't seem to go well together.

Steve

Most of the year this is just a big, boring, green shrub. Then it flowers. And when low, evening sun catches the flowers they acquire a glorious glow which invites me to get the camera out. This year, I've experimented with a couple of lenses that are not my usual choices for garden flowers. The first shot is with the SMC 10-17mm fisheye at minimum focus distance, the second is with the M 200mm f4. Both with the K3iii.

Thoughts, comments etc. welcome as usual.

1. SMC 10-17mm fisheye



2. M 200mm



Steve

Nice. And No 6 is my favourite, too. Mind you, my first thought was that your horizon wasn't level. Then it dawned on me that, of course, in your part of the country the horizon really isn't level .

Steve