The judgement

"Yes, but that is Photoshopped..."  with a consternated tone of voice.


refitted projection lens Will-Wetzlar Maginon 85mm f2.8   1/125sec

So, if those images were created in camera, would it have more value?
If one works magic with in-camera settings, plays with lenses that are unusual, uses unconventional angles and cleverly crops an image, is then held in higher esteem?

I have that discussion often when on topic of editing: some are up in arms that images are manipulated but perfectly accept black and white ones :-)
To me however sounds like ignorance and laziness; somebody's defense for unskilled results.

*PS for the record, above image was created in camera....

Bubbles in the forest

The sun was shining through a gap in the rainforest canopy lighting up the soft flowers.
An old Russian manual-focus lens helped create the bubbles.


Helios 44M-7  58mm f2  1/3200sec

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Weathered snow gum

The winter storms on the Australian high country Snowy Mountains create a harsh environment for trees to survive.
Only the hardy evergreen Snow Gums have the ability to adapt; the wind bending their trunks and branches, they often root themselves to a cluster of granite boulders.
A bed of daisies keeps them company.


G-Lumix 14mm f2.5   @f4  1/30sec

The hardy flowers

Most of the ground flowers have finished blooming and I could see pods of seeds where before there was color.
The delicate soft petaled flowers were gone as the heat of summer is now present most days.
New flowers, much more hardy, are now appearing.


SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4  @f4 1/6000 sec

This one remind of the typical high-mountain Edelweiss with its velvety petals


SMC Takumar 50mm  f1.4  1/8000 sec


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Bee in pigface

Flowering pigface (plant) on the beach attracting bees.


F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 PEN-F  @f11  1/500sec 

Beach flower

Is this plant representing the Australian spirit that bewares the sun? It faces its flowers away from the harsh rays, exactly the opposite of a sunflower.
Maybe there is different reason, something to do with pollination? but I was struck by the flowers all facing away from the sun.


Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm f2.9   @f4  1/350sec


Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm f2.9   @f4  1/350sec

Flowering jacaranda trees.

The parks and streets are dotted with purple color: one could compare the jacaranda trees to the cherry blossom in Japan.


Lumix G 14mm  f4  1/125sec


Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm f2.9  @f4  1/750sec


Lumix G 14mm  f6.7  1/90sec


E.Ludwig Meritar 50mm f2.9  @4  1/90sec  (motion blur from the wind)

Flower bugs

It's only now that I pay closer attention to flowers that I notice a world of bugs living in them.
Some of them are tiny, hardy visible to the naked eye.


Helios 44-5 58mm f2  @f5.6  1/1000sec


Helios 44-2 58mm f2  @f8  1/125sec


E.Ludwig Meritar 50mm f2.9  @f8  1/250sec


Helios 44-2 58mm f2  @f5.6  1/500sec

Water lilly

I often admired these beautiful flowers on some of my kayak outings; now I managed to photograph them.


E.Ludwig Meritar 50mm f2.9  1/1000sec



E.Ludwig Meritar 50mm f2.9  @f5.6  1/250sec



E.Ludwig Meritar 50mm f2.9   @f5.6  1/250sec

Tree flowers

The spring manifests itself best with the flowers in the trees.
The fields are usually bare where I live but the trees can really put on a wild display.


Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm f2.9   @ f4 1/1000sec


Helios 44-2 58mm f2   @ f8 1/350sec


Helios 44-2 58mm f2   @ f5.6 1/1000sec

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First light in the grass

The night has left just a veil of dew that quickly evaporates at the touch of the first sunlight.


Lumix G 14mm  f13 1/30sec

Dreamy

In the late afternoon the color of the light changes, calling me to photograph.
A vintage lens with peculiar perspective ads a dreamy look to the tiny wildflowers.


Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm  f2.9 1/1000sec


Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm  f4(?) 1/500sec

Spring wildflowers

Only a few flowers were still blooming, I missed their peak in late August.
Spring comes early in South East Queensland even if frosty nights are common.
Wildflowers are tiny but the smell can be pervasive.


Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm  f2.9  1/350sec


Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm  f2.9  1/1000sec


Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm  f4  1/350sec

I challenged myself to use a vintage lens that I adapted to fit onto my modern Olympus camera.

There is no autofocus and the lens is prone to flare; getting a sharp image was a combination of luck, careful selection of subject and lighting. As the lens was placed really closely to the flowers I moved my camera back and forward to obtain focus on my subjects. I am not a fan of tripods as the moment and light usually pass while setting one up. I prefer free-hand allowing me to quickly position the camera in unusual spots.


Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm  f5.6  1/750sec