Wednesday, June 25, 2008

More Macro Fabulosity!


Mrs. Davis, in the 600 Block of Sheridan Street NW, graciously consented to let me come into her yard
and take these pictures of her beautiful hydrangeas.



Cactus?! On the East Coast?! Sort of defies comprehension, as these are generally
a desert plant, but occasionally, you find one in a yard around here.


Honestly, I shouldn't even bother with saying, "I'm going to cut down on my posts" because it's ridiculous and untrue. Yesterday evening, I went for a walk in the neighborhood with camera in hand and here are my results. I am loving my new wide angle and macro lenses! They're just too much fun.

Gladiolas in the front yard of a house in my neighborhood that's been on the market for more than six months.
(Click on images to enlarge.)


On the left, basic, miniature petunias growing in the yard of a home around the corner from my house.
On the right, I confess: I stole a page out of... someone's photo playbook... I saw a similar picture on a photo blog somewhere yesterday, but now I can't remember where. If you posted a photo similar to the one on the right,
tell me so I can give you proper credit. Your eye inspired mine and taught me a new way of looking at things.


Still with me? Well then, you're a trooper! So much to photograph, so little time, so little space.


The best part of a macro lens? Being able to take pictures like these! Now, if I could just get birds and bees
and other flying, flitting things to sit still for me, I'd really be on a roll!




Honestly, I have no clue what either of these are, but I thought they were stunning!
Who needs fireworks when you have nature right outside your front door?!
(Or, in this case, in the yard of a home on 5th and Sheridan Streets NW.)


When you live in an urban setting, you work with what you've got. One of my cardinal rules of neighborhood photography is to never trespass on people's property. Most of what I photograph is usually on the boundary of the property. If a homeowner is home and in their yard, I'll ask if I can come in and take some pictures. So far, no one's objected, which I appreciate!

Last, but not least, flower through the fence. This was the only way I could
take this picture without violating my cardinal rule of neighborhood
photography: Thou shalt not trespass!


Hope you enjoyed these! Thanks for indulging me. And my thanks to my neighbors who create little corners of beauty in the center of urban life and living!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 6/08

16 comments:

Rob said...

BEAUTIFUL!! Second to last row of flowers, red, the pfirst one I believe is bee balm. The red trumety looking flowers in the chain link fence could be cardinal flower, but I'm not certain. Either way, who cares, these are pretty flowers to view.

Janet Kincaid said...

Rob: Thanks! I don't know what those flowers in the second to last row are either, but I'm with you: who cares? They were too pretty and unusual not to photograph!

RoeH said...

I luvva the hydranges. They were all over in California. The flowers I like even better are......... awww...crum...now I can't remember what they are but they're sorta like hydranges but very large and beautiful and they grow very well in Seattle. And other wet climates.

Ah! Rodadendrums....probably spelled very wrong. Too lazy to punch in dictionary.com.

Lara said...

fabulous indeed! and the shot through the fence is really nicely framed!

marley said...

Great selection of photos! So colourful.

Come over to Cheltenham to see some colourful Greek photos :)

Anonymous said...

I think Grandma would say the flowers are bee-u-tee-ful!!! I like this post. Can I borrow some of the pictures for my ever changing desktop background?

Janet Kincaid said...

Lucy: Hydrangeas and rhododendrons are both great flowers--so colorful and hardy!

Lara: Thanks! That last picture is my favorite, too!

Marley! You're back from Greece. Yeah. I'll be right over. Can't wait to see your pics from your holiday.

JDK: You may use whatever pictures you'd like. Glad you liked this. And yes, I think you're right: Grandma would have thought all these little flowers were bee-u-tee-ful!

Maya said...

Ahhh, you are killing me with these!! All I can say is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

Maya said...

OH, and I like the flower through the fence. It lends a certain feeling to the shot you wouldn't have gotten without it.

Janet Kincaid said...

Maya: Thanks! And I agree with you on that last one. It's much more interesting and captivating through/with the fence than without it.

The Artful Eye said...

These flower shots are spectacular and all the color in this post makes my heart sing. I love Hydrangea's they are amazing, used to grow them when I lived in Santa Barbara area but can't here, it's too hot.

Janet Kincaid said...

Andrea: Tra la la la lalala la la la... Picture me skipping. Wanna come along?

By the way--I went back to the scene of the flattened fork yesterday to see if it was still there. Alas and sadly, it was not. :-( The next time I see something like it, though, I'll make sure to retrieve it and send it to you.

Debi said...

You are a girl after my own heart -- you know how I like to poke my nose into flowers. Congrats to you on your new toys. The joy is just bursting from these images.

My favorite? The red and blue flower picture. WHAT A KNOCKOUT.

Janet Kincaid said...

Debi: Was it you who shot a picture of a flower from underneath? I could swear it was you I culled that idea from. Anyway--I loves me some nature photography and especially flowers! Doesn't it just make you smile to photograph stuff like this? I'm like a kid at Christmas every day when I snap and download my pictures!

Cele said...

Beautimous, Beautimous flower pictures, I do especially like your purple cone flower pictures. Now I feel challenged. Have you tried playing with Diopters? I have a set for my Pentax and I love them...And I can use them with my macro lens.

I agree the one flower is Bee Balm (also known as wild Bergamot) the other I believe is a honeysuckle.

Janet Kincaid said...

Cele! Hi! No, I haven't used diopters. (In fact, I'd never heard of them. Had to look them up before I could reply to your comment.) I shoot all of my stuff with a Canon A630--just a digital point-and-shoot--with an accessory set that includes a wide angle and macro lens. I'll have to see if I can get diopters for this camera, because getting that close could be fun!

Thanks for the names on the flowers. I'm clueless when it comes to this stuff! Glad you enjoyed these. I really enjoy photographing them.