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Blooming

Posted by Viewfinder (Bradenton, FL, United States) on 7 September 2007 in Plant & Nature and Portfolio.

The vigil is on. Today may be the day my new D80 will be delivered. I am watching and waiting...

We had a really good rain this week and one benefit is that our yellow hibiscus that had been pouting in its big clay pot all summer suddenly decided to grace us with a bloom.

While I'm waiting for my new D80 to be delivered, I decided this blooming hibiscus has offered me a good way to put my new little Panasonic Lumix point & shoot through its paces.

So I used the macro setting and am generally happy with the first results. What do you think, y'all?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL AT AM3. I am out and probably away from the computer all this week. We are headed to north Georgia to spend Thanksgiving with our son and his wife and her family. I hope everyone who celebrates this holiday has a wonderful day, filled with turkey and gratitude for every blessing. And those who do not, I hope will remember to count their blessings and be thankful. Packing and getting the SUV all set for the drive today; we leave very early Tuesday morning and plan to return sometime Sunday.

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Comments (23)

Lost Valley View from Bella Bella, BC ( central coast), Canada

WONDERFUL!!!! I like the detail!!! One of my fave flowers and grow them here myself!!!

7 Sep 2007 5:47am

@Lost Valley View: Thank you for your comment today, LVV. Having taken this shot in the garden's relative shade, as compared to the blazing noon of the day, I guess the tradeoff for less intense light is the detail in each petal.

Myst from Bologna, Italy

Lovely! Great details!

7 Sep 2007 6:36am

@Myst: Thank you, Myst. Blessings.

Craiger from Vacaville, California, United States

Yes, I like all the detail too!

7 Sep 2007 7:59am

@Craiger: Glad you like; I appreciate the affirmation.

zoloper from Bucuresti, Romania

this is nice :) but it needs more light. anyway the macro capabilities of a point&shoot are not that great :P
hope you'll be happy with the d80. i'm still thinking what dslr would be good for me, not that i have the money, but just thinking :D

7 Sep 2007 9:09am

@zoloper: Yes, it is interesting that because I shot this in a shaded area, it might have been better if there was more light. It was actually the brightest point of the day, but in this part of the garden, some shade. Thank you for your observations. And in thinking about DSLR cameras, think only Nikon...or maybe Canon.

Veerendra from Pune, India

Nice photo ..
Same subjected image I blogged on my aminus blog .. Please have look ..

happy clicking !

7 Sep 2007 9:58am

@Veerendra: Thank you; I appreciate your positive nod for my floral offering today.

Eleftheria from Athens, Greece

What a beauty!

7 Sep 2007 10:19am

@Eleftheria: Thank you dear lady. Your photo of the surf and rocks is a beauty, too.

MaryB from Staffordshire, United Kingdom

I think it's fabulous VF! I've never seen a yellow hibiscus before.
Hope your D80 arrives today :) this little cam looks like it does a great job :)

7 Sep 2007 10:41am

@MaryB: Thank you MaryB. We originally got this hibiscus while living in GA. It languished in the heat and dry conditions there, but we nursed it along. Moving to FL, it has shown a new lease on life. Except lately we've been in drought conditions and it reverted to pouting and not blooming. So when we had this really good rain earlier in the week, it sprung into action and bloomed for us. What I really like about this yellow hibiscus is its sort of dark red center; we have another yellow that is 100% yellow when it blooms, with no red. Pretty in its way also, but I really like this one.

I am hopeful the D80 will arrive today, but waiting for that possibility may be something like watching a pot get ready to boil.

Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada

You should be very, very pleased, ah the clarity in this photo is amazing and sooo inviting. You did well!!!

7 Sep 2007 1:18pm

@Lorraine: Thank you Lorraine; you are kind. Yes, it is a start... I think I like it better already than the Pentax point and shoot that got stolen. But as in all cameras, there are quirks in how it works that I need to learn to get its best advantage.

Mandy from Johannesburg, South Africa

I really like it VF. That macro setting is great for a point and shoot!!!The colours and details are amazing.
Your hibiscus is GORGEOUS!!! I don't know if I've ever seen a yellow one...

Has your D80 arrived yet??? I really hope so....many happy hours of shooting and I can't wait to see your first post from your new toy!! :)

7 Sep 2007 1:34pm

@Mandy: This pic is actually here with you in mind; that is, your recent determination to work on macro flower shots was my inspiration to go do some flower macros. One more tomorrow, too. It will have some better lighting (IMO) and is a different kind of flower. Thank you for being so complimentary of today's shot.

And no, my D80 hasn't arrived yet (it is 10:32 am here). While waiting, I am growing more and more anxious to get my hands on it. Instant gratification has its place, I suppose. Patience is better.

Rob from Velveetaville, United States

Nice capture for a point and shoot... yeah, the scensors are so small in them that you really need lots of light. If you tried any adjusting in photoshop you may get it brighter but you may see more noise. Even with your shiny new D80 you shoudl invest in a reflector for macro work. You can get a stop or so more light sometimes with just the reflector. I like that better than flash because it is more natural looking.

BTW - you are the first one to catch, or at least mention "Velveetaville". I live in the burbs where strip malls and chain restaurants abound. Every house looks the same (accept mine, it's barn red because I wanted to stick out) and nobody knows your name... hate it but the Mrs. loves it so here we are. Couldn't think of a better representation of our village than "velveeta" the fake cheese!

Cheers,

Rob

7 Sep 2007 2:03pm

@Rob: I like your suggestion about a reflector, Rob. Never thought of that for macro work, but it makes sense and I believe you are correct in that it should also look far more natural. Thanks for that great idea.

Point and shoots like my new Lumix are fun little toys that can do some things quick while the big grown up DSLR is busy or packed away or inconvenient to grab. Or stolen.

Velveetaville is a great new word to describe what we used to call a "plastic' world.

e. from Washington DC, United States

Beautiful flower shot. I love how the backlighting brings out the veins in the petals.

7 Sep 2007 3:58pm

@e.: Thank you, e. I am happy you viewed this today.

Natalia from Louisville, United States

That is such a beautiful shot. Just gorgeous! So natural and so fresh!

7 Sep 2007 4:34pm

Rabbit from Richmond, United States

The detail is pretty good for a little p&s. I do think (like everyone else apparently) there needs to be a bit more light, but thats only because i think this flower is just Terrific and i'd really like to see it POP!

7 Sep 2007 4:39pm

Rebecca from Leicester, United Kingdom

I must agree with those who've observed it above, the detail you've captured here is glorious, VF. This bloom does look very happy in the shade, so I personally am fine with it being less lighted. All in all, a very beautiful shoot from your Panasonic Lumix!
I hope very much your D80 will be received in good time and will be a wonderful instrument of joy for you and yours (and all of us here in Am3 :) ) too. :-)

7 Sep 2007 5:06pm

Brian from United States

The Lumix is a super little camera--and this shot shows just how well that Leica lens works. Super shot, indeed!

7 Sep 2007 5:28pm

@Brian: Thank you Brian. I'm pretty happy with it, all in all. Will enjoy getting to know its various "ins and outs" as I use it. But hark! I hear the doorbell -- yes, it's UPS and even as I respond to you, the long awaited D80 is here!

I must go and unpack and get all excited. Bye...

Viewfinder from Bradenton, United States

Hi Am3 friends! My D80 is here and the battery is charging. I am really looking forward to putting this camera (and myself) through the paces; the learning curve will be interesting for me, it's a little more techie than my late, great D50. I'm going to be doing some reading of the manual. Wish me luck! Results will be being posted here sometime soon.

7 Sep 2007 7:25pm

Walt from Scarborough, Canada

Look forward to seeing the new camera....great macro!

7 Sep 2007 7:29pm

@Walt: Thanks Walt; can't wait for that battery to charge.

beach from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

The pout is over. Even in the shade, shot works. Now on to the D80!

7 Sep 2007 7:30pm

@beach: Yes. Smiling now. And thank you for being nice with this one; my Lumix is glad too. D80 in about 90 minutes if the charger goes according to the manual.

Dawn Sutherland from Phoenix, United States

Beautiful close up!

7 Sep 2007 8:57pm

amy from Rocky Mountain House, AB, Canada

Oh how tremendously wonderful.. your D80, you lucky dog!! Can't wait to see your experiments with the new camera... And this one is down right lovely. Those point and shoots can do amazing things. Well done!

7 Sep 2007 9:05pm

Rebecca from Leicester, United Kingdom

Hi again VF, Many congratulations on the safe receipt of your D80! :) And many warm wishes for a fruitful and joyful time "digesting" the manual and everything that goes with it (most of which would go above my head, actually!! *-) ), and in everything that comes after that in producing the wonderful images we all enjoy at your site. :-)

May I also say a big THANK YOU for your very kind affirming and encouraging words at my site today. I very much appreciate everything you said and am much heartened by it. As always, you have been a real blessing, VF. As always too, God bless you and your household, and once again, much joy to you and yours with the D80! :-) cheers!! :-)

7 Sep 2007 10:33pm

Viewfinder from Bradenton, United States

Thanks everybody! Sorry I haven't had time to reply to each and every one; I'll try to catch up tomorrow. Busy with my new D80, plus some other regularly scheduled events I had commitments for this afternoon and tonight.

Y'all are blessings.

8 Sep 2007 4:14am