"Blue Cornflower and Rain" photo posted

A beautiful blue cornflower, shot in the garden. After some rain, it was glad to find a bit of sun to warm up...

"Blue Cornflower and Rain" (c) Gilles Royer 2015

I've also posted it on my +500px portfolio, at the following link: https://500px.com/photo/114664767

Thanks for visiting

"Pink Cornflower #2" posted on 500px

Following yesterday's post, this continues the series of cornflower photos, taken in my garden. This one is a darker pink, against a grey background.

"Pink Cornflower #2" (c) Gilles Royer 2015

And the link to the +500px gallery is here: https://500px.com/photo/104671651/pink-cornflower-%232-by-gilles-royer

Thanks!

"Pink Cornflower" posted on 500px.com

This is taken today, under a beautiful early autumn afternoon light, in the garden. My wife planted a few of these, with multiple colours, so I can enjoy taking photos of them (plus, they really look nice in the garden!). This one is pink. Keep looking for other colours as I'll post them over the coming days / weeks

"Pink Cornflower" (c) Gilles Royer 2015

Hope you have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

The Story Behind... Coeur de Bleuet

The Story Behind...

I've just posted a new photo on my 500px portfolio (http://500px.com/photo/61893995), titled "Coeur de Bleuet"

Coeur de Bleuet - Nikon D200 / Nikkor AF-S VR 70-200mm f/2.8 / (c) Gilles Royer 2014

I actually took this shot last year, during a trip back to France in May. It was spring, and I went around my parents' beautiful garden to take macro photos of all plants and bugs. Although everybody was looking at me funny, standing 50cm from every single flower I could find, I'm really happy with the results.

This particular shot was taken with my Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 (that's the AF-S VR model, not the latest version), with a close-up filter screwed in front of it (I didn't have my macro lens back then). This was taken at the max aperture (i.e. f/2.8) which gives a beautiful separation of the subject from its background. Plus, the lens has a beautiful bokeh, which gives a very soft and beautiful texture in the background.

The flower itself is a "Bleuet" in French, or summer cornflower in English. It has very long and delicate petals, blue/purple in colour, with a very deep purple centre. This shot was taken from above, to enhance the structure and starry aspect of the cornflower. Check my other posting of the same flower for a different angle: http://500px.com/photo/34282762.

Please let me know what you think, and/or how you would improve this photo.