Bracken Leaf

 

Welcome to my first ‘Rambling’….

Well, to make life easy, as well as show that there are good photography possibilities right on your doorstep (literally), I  ‘rambled’ no further than my small back garden for this article!

Spanish Bluebell

This was primarily an exercise in ‘stretching’ my Nikon lens’ macro ability combined with using a small depth of focus (eg f2.8 or f4 on the aperture setting) on most shots. The effect I think, can be to create a striking shot with relative ease. Of course, you need good lighting as well as a pretty good lens. My pricey Nikon 105mm telephoto lens is an absolute delight to use for close-up work or portraits. At f2.8 (you pay a lot more for that luxury!) it can give a very shallow depth of focus and be a bonus in lower lighting.

 

Wild Poppies: Making an unusual shot.

As any keener snapper will tell you, the right lighting is crucial and I like most of us, I am rarely totally happy with it. Quite often it’s a case of ‘the wrong kind of sunshine’! This is especially so with portraits, when it needs to be hazy for good results, if your subjects are facing it.

My eye was caught by a tiny and very decorative Mint Moth (I Googled it!), resting on my London Pride.

Mint Moth on London Pride

Bluebells and poppies are among my favorite flowers. Alas the Bluebell bulbs weren’t the traditional British variety, but the invasive Spanish ones. The yellow poppies seeded themselves last year and I welcomed their splash of colour.

 

And finally, no garden is complete (in my opinion) without a cat in it. One of my two ‘Susie’ obliged and being back-lit made for a challenge. A bit of fill-in flash saved the day.