Lone Flower

- Saw this lone flower today. The bright pink in stark contrast to the colors of fall all around. It's good to know there a few holdouts from summer. iPhone 4, Camera+ App, 1/160 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 80.

Lavender Mum

This lavender mum came back from last year. It's a different color for fall. Canon 40D, 1/125 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro.

Grasses

- Tall grasses add elegance and beauty to the perennial garden at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Canon 7D, 1/640 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro

Tonal Range

- When making black and white photos I look to capture images with a wide tonal range, from pure black to pure white with shades of gray in between providing the shape, depth and texture to the image. This unusal white flower provides a nice image for black and white conversion. Canon 7D, 1/400 sec @ f/10, ISO 100mm macro lens.

Crepe Myrtle

- Crepe myrtle trees line countless streets in the City of Norfolk. They kindle found memories of my childhood visits back to Norfolk each August to see my grandparents. Even today as you fly into the Norfolk airport, the streets appear as double pink and red lines from the sky. The crepe mytles were one of Fred Heutte's many contributions to the beautification of Norfolk beginning during the depression and continuing for four decades as superintendent of Norfolk Parks. Canon 40D, 1/13 sec @ f/16, ISO 400, 100mm macro, mounted on a tripod, LED Litepanel.

Mum

- Had a wonderful dinner at our friends Susan and Duane's house tonight. Susan always has a variety of amazing cut flowers around. This mum was on the kitchen table. Thanks for a great dinner guys and letting me always take pictures around your cool house and yard. Canon 40D. 1/100 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro, LED Litepanel.

Lotus Bees

- A lotus flower always attracts my camera's attention. This one was being worked hard by two busy bees. Canon 7D, 1/30 sec @ f/32.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro lens.

Sunflower

- A mature sunflower is actually a "flower head" (also known as a "composite flower") of 1000-2000 florets, (small flowers) crowded together. Sunflowers are the subject of famous still life paintings by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. I really like this one called "Two Cut Sunflowers". Canon 40D, 1/1600 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 800, 50mm prime lens, overhead halogen spot supplemented by an LED Litepanel.

Take Time

- Miss Sasha reminds us to take time to smell the flowers. Both of our cats thoroughly enjoyed the new bouquet of fresh cut flowers Cindy got at the Why Not Wednesday farmer's market at Town Center in Virginia Beach. Canon G11, 1/60 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 800, on camera flash dialed down two stops.

Droplet

- Water dripping off the hosta buds. Canon 7D, 1/100 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 800, 100mm macro.

Pretty Invader

- The mimosa tree is often classified as an invasive plant. Outdoor cultivation has lead to prolific and unchecked expansion of the plant in many areas. This is one of several located along a ditch bank near my house in Virginia Beach Virginia. Invader or not, the delicate flowers are quite exotic, beautiful and photogenic. Canon 7d, 1/100 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro lens.

Trademark

- Jazz vocal legend Billie Holiday often wore a gardenia bloom in her hair. It was part of her trademark look to go with her trademark voice. Just look at this image and see if you can imagine the wonderful fragrance of the gardenia. This one is on a massive bush in my back yard that has hundreds of blooms on it. As soon as I step outside I'm greeted by this great scent of summer. Canon 40D, 1/640 sec @ f/10.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens.

Jubilee

- Meet my Alabama Jubilee daylily. This is the first bloom of the year for the jubilees. They should bloom just about everyday between now and July 1st. The six inch blooms are big and spectacular. I've divided mine several times and have divisions living as far away as Cedar Rapids Iowa. Canon G11, 1/60sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400 in macro mode backlit with a handheld LED Litepanel.

Imagine

- Just close your eyes and imagine the beautiful Lotus blossom that will soon emerge from this bud. The Lotus is often photographed in full bloom but even the unopened bud has beautiful color and texture that just hits at what is to come. Canon G11, 1/400 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100 in macro mode. I'm digging the cool bokeh from a point and shoot camera, admittedly, it's probably one of the best point and shoot cameras.

- A purple iris iris from the Japanese Garden at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Canon G11, 1/400 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100 in macro mode.

Orchids

- White orchids illuminated by indirect window light and a small lamp which adds the gold highlights. Canon G11, 1/10 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 400.

Simple Flower

- This pretty little flower was in a planter adjacent to the sidewalk in the Freemason neighborhood in Norfolk Virginia. Using the macro lens I was able to just bring the flower into focus and the shadows allowed the background to fade away. I was happy for the effect even with the mid-day sun. Canon 7D, 1/1000 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 200, 100mm macro lens.

Daisy Prism

- Caught a picture of these daisies with the point and shoot camera using a prism adapter I got last year on a visit to New York. It's a pretty simple devise with a multi prism plastic lens mounted on a piece of cardboard cut out and printed to look like a Leica M range-finder. It's a close as I'll every get to a Leica. Canon G11, 1/2000 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 400.

Garden Walk

- We did the Full Moon Garden Walk tonight at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens with our friend Margaret. The cloud cover obscured the moon but it was still a nice evening for a stroll through the amazing gardens. As always I learned a lot from Perry Mathewes our guide. I managed to capture a few photos in spite of the low light and steady breeze like this columbine. Canon G11, 1/100 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 800, in macro mode.

HRVA Photowalk

- Today I attended the second Hampton Roads Virginia Photowalk. We began at the Pagoda Garden in the Freemason neighborhood near downtown Norfolk where I photographed this yellow iris at the edge of the Koi pond. We had 33 photographers along for the mile and half walk through Freemason and along Granby Street ending up at Town Point Park on the Elizabeth River. Canon 7D, 1/30 sec @ f/16.0, ISO 100, 100mm macro lens.