108: Tulip Tip

There were other, red, tulip flowerheads that had already emerged in the pot - but I considered this smaller, immature specimen to be more photogenic at the time.
In particular I like tapered shape and the pinkish tip, which makes it resemble a hand with three fingers pinched at the end.

Settings: f/4, 1/250, ISO 200, 50mm Cosinon M42, 57mm extension, tripod.

101: Wood Shrooms

What mushrooms are these? I thought they might be sulphur tufts, but I'm not sure.
I didn't expect to see any mushrooms now, what with it being spring. They're mostly around in autumn, by my experience.
I like to get the camera down nice and low for mushrooms; high-angle shots just don't do them justice, and often look amateurish. It's a good thing I had my beanbag with me so I could take a solid shot from the ground. I should invest in an angled viewfinder attachment so I don't have to bend down and see the image twisted round, but it's not really essential. This one came out right first time, so there's my slowly advancing photographic experience making itself known again.

Settings: f/8, 1/25, ISO 100, P-FA 50mm, beanbag.

092: Daffodils & Light Rings

Settings: f/8, 1/160, ISO 200, 500mm Tamron SP mirror lens, tripod.

084: Red Pegs

This image was another "Oh look it's nearly midnight" shots where I quickly wrack my brain for visual inspiration before the next day begins.
Taking a shot like this with a digital camera is nearly always problematic, so my advice is to shoot RAW, ask questions later. Sure, the colours here are quite heavily post-processed, but they don't exactly look unnatural. The camera JPEG of this was quite an eyeball-burner, and that was with neutral settings. Red mush is how I would describe the original image, and tweaking the RAW really can reveal the "truth" in an image, despite a few white lies.
The Pentax K10D doesn't impress much with its noise levels, but it's quite a performer for dynamic range. I am constantly impressed by how much luma and chroma detail I can push and pull around in a RAW image.

All in all, a hurried photo, but a worthwhile image. The metal spring adds a detail that really pops out, and lends a clue to an otherwise rather cryptic composition.

Settings: f/8, 1/180, ISO 100, 1/4 flash, glass plate, foil, white boards.

081: Baby Nasturtium

This tiny nasturtium was the first seed-sown plant to appear this year. It's the current leader of its class in the springtime growth race.
It's so neat and fragile, therefore rather like a baby, I thought. But at least it doesn't scream and mess itself, it doesn't require a great deal of care, and I only have to keep it for about ten months before it withers away.
Plus I can pull bits off and eat them. Yum!

Settings: f/5.6, 1/180, ISO 100, 50mm M42, 17mm extension, 1/4 flash, white reflector.

064: Frost on a Crocus

A similar crocus plant as before, a bit further down the garden. This morning saw some frost, so there was a relatively rare opportunity to get some shots of frosty spring blooms.
Here is one of the better shots, cropped to 5:4 to neaten the composition.
Settings: f/4, 1/50 sec. ISO 200, 50mm M42, 29mm extension.

060: Spring Is Here

Today I decided that Spring had arrived; the profusion of emerging crocuses with the mild, sunny weather convinced me. But while these beautiful flowers bloom early and quickly, they wither just as quickly.
Today's lesson: Enjoy such evanescent things while you can!

Settings: f/2.8, 1/1000 sec, ISO 100, SMC P-FA 50mm.

It would be great to make a time-lapse video of these flowers, as they open and close in response to the sunlight. Maybe next year.