Petite Fleur Bleue

We have a whole pot of those little blue pansies, and they are so delicate, yet I hadn't managed to get a good shot of them previously. But I am quite happy with this one - I like the composition, the sharpness all through the flower, as well as the blurred background with other little pansies providing some nice blue hue

I'm also still very happy with my new D750 body - so fast, and great focus, exposure, etc. Coupled with my trusted macro lens (the Tamron SP AF 90mm 1:1, 1st generation) images keep piling up in my LightRoom library!

"Petite Fleur Bleue" (c) Gilles Royer 2015

As always, this image is also posted on my +500px page: https://500px.com/photo/123923427/petite-fleur-bleue-by-gilles-royer

And one my FaceBook page, here: https://www.facebook.com/AustralianLightSeeker

Thanks for your visit

Droplet on Pink

I haven't posted for a while here, so here we go. This is my latest photo. Taken in the garden, a few droplets on a new pink daisy plant. 

I kept a very shallow depth of field, to keep the focus and clarity on the foreground droplet, that acts like a magnifying glass to reveal the texture of the flower's petal. I didn't crop the photo to leave the yellow heart of the daisy in the image, I think it creates a balance in colour, and is soft enough not to be too distractive

"Droplet on Pink" (c) Gilles Royer 2015

As always, this photo is also available through my +500px page, at the following link: https://500px.com/photo/123716041/droplet-on-pink-by-gilles-royer

And now you can also look at my new Facebook page (and share a like or comment) at: https://www.facebook.com/AustralianLightSeeker

Thanks for stopping by!

"Portrait of a Lupine Flower" photo

I'm on a roll, continuing to go through photos from my recent holidays in France and England. This one is from the little cottage we stayed in, in the town of Arundel (West Sussex), in the back yard. 

It's the detail of a Lupine flower, with selective focus showing only the inside of the petals, with some little 'hair'

"Portrait of a Lupine Flower" (c) Gilles Royer 2015

As usual, this is also posted in my +500px gallery, at the following link: https://500px.com/photo/113351803/portrait-of-a-lupine-flower-by-gilles-royer

Please let me know what you think of it, as well as any suggestions for improvement. 

"Bathing in the Spring Sunlight" now posted

Change of country, but still from the (large) stock of images taken during my holidays in France and the UK. We are now in the town of Arundel, West Sussex (England), where we rented a cottage for a few days. The back garden offered also ample opportunities for macro photography, and we were lucky to have a beautiful English spring weather. 

"Bathing in the Spring Sunlight" (c) Gilles Royer

Also, posted on my +500px gallery at the following link: https://500px.com/photo/112637575/bathing-in-the-spring-sunlight-by-gilles-royer

Thanks for your visit

"The White Nigella" photo posted

At the risk of becoming boring, I'm posting yet another photo of a beautiful Nigella flower, once again part of the series taken on my holidays - yes, that what happens when you're on holidays: you can take thousands of photos as you have all the time in the world!!

This one is a white one, and the beautiful spring sunlight catches the petals beautifully, on an angle. 

"The White Nigella" (c) Gilles Royer 2015

I've also posted it on my +500px page, at the following link: https://500px.com/photo/112540975/the-white-nigella-by-gilles-royer. So far, it's not doing bad, not as good as the "Floating Nigella" one I posted yesterday though. 

Let me know what you think...

"Floating Nigella" posted

I continue posting photos taken during my holidays in France and the UK, offering plenty of opportunities for macro photography of beautiful flowers bathed in the light of spring. 

This is another shot from the Nigella flower, which I fell in love with! The structure is so complex, yet very delicate and light. And there are multiple colours - blue, white, pink. Endless opportunities for photography! 

This one was has a selective focus, leaving most of the foreground and background slightly out of focus, and blurred. Overall, it's like it's floating in the air, in front of my camera. 

"Floating Nigella" - (c) Gilles Royer 2015

I've also posted it on my +500px gallery, at the following link:

I'm very pleased as it already has a score of 99.2, nearly the best of all times for me, and at the top of the macro category!

Thanks for reading

"Nigella Bella #2" photo posted

Another shot taken in my parents' garden, in France, of those beautiful Nigella (also known as love-in-a-mist) flowers. Their structure is so complex and intricate, they make for great macro subjects. This one is another blue one, but I've also got white and pink ones to come.

"Nigella Bella #2" (c) Gilles Royer 2015

I've also posted it on my +500px gallery, at the following link: https://500px.com/photo/111371919/nigella-bella-2-by-gilles-royer

Let me know which of the 2 versions (refer previous one here: http://australianlightseeker.blogspot.fr/2015/06/nigella-bella-posted.html) you prefer

"Nigella Bella" posted

Continuing with my holiday shots, this one is taken in my parents' garden in France, and is a Nigella. I love those beautiful flowers, so intricate yet delicate, they make perfect subject for macro photography in Spring. 

Not sure they are growing in Australia, but I'll have to check when I'm back, to put some in the garden!

"Nigella Bella" (c) Gilles Royer 2015

You can also view it on my +500px portfolio here: https://500px.com/photo/111256995/nigella-bella-by-gilles-royer

2 new photos posted

Just posted these ones on my +500px gallery, taken in the garden today. It was a beautiful Melbourne autumn day, and when the sun decided to pay a visit, I grabbed the camera for a few shots. 

First one is a baby chrysanthemum:

"Lumière d'automne" (c) Gilles Royer 2015

The shortcut to 500px as follows: https://500px.com/photo/107243673/lumière-d'automne-by-gilles-royer

The second one is the last stage of a lettuce flower (refer to previous posts for the photo of the actual flower), with the addition of a few water droplets:

"Fleur de Laitue - Final Stage" (c) Gilles Royer 2015

The shortcut to 500px as follows: https://500px.com/photo/107244785/fleur-de-laitue-final-stage-by-gilles-royer

Have a great weekend!

"Fleur de Laitue" posted on 500px gallery

This one is not a special flower - this is shot from an overgrown lettuce in a pot plant, around the garden. Seeds started to grow (the purple buds) and then little yellow flowers appear. They are actually very nice and elegant flower, and I like how they contrast with their purple background.

I wanted to give it an overall softness, so I did a bit (never too much) of editing in Aperture, just to bring out the colours a bit more and reduce the overall contrast.

"Fleur de Laitue" (c) Gilles Royer 2015

The link to the same on my +500px gallery is below:
https://500px.com/photo/106335617/fleur-de-laitue-by-gilles-royer

Have a great weekend!

"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!

"Bye Bye Summer" photo posted

Here in Melbourne, we have to say bye to summer, whilst spring is in full bloom in the Northern Hemisphere. I'm just taking opportunity of the five early autumn sun and the few flowers left in the garden to add to my gallery of macro photography.

This one taken just a few hours ago, late afternoon

"Bye Bye Summer" (c) Gilles Royer 2015

It is also posted on my +500px gallery: https://500px.com/photo/103123121/bye-bye-summer-by-gilles-royer

Hope you enjoy!

"Splash of Red" posted on my 500px gallery

This is a close-up of a gladiola, under artificial lighting, in my improvised garage photo studio.

"Splash of Red" (c) Gilles Royer 2015

It is also available on +500px at the following link:
https://500px.com/photo/103108843/splash-of-red-by-gilles-royer?from=user_library

Thanks!

"Morning Tea in Canterbury Gardens"

This is taken in Canterbury Gardens, not far from home. For more information on those beautiful gardens, please refer to my previous posts here and here.

"Morning Tea in Canterbury Gardens" by Gilles Royer, (C) 2015

Thanks for your visit!

"Another Day at Work" posted on @500px

Here's another shot of the patch of daisies, that is situated near my house. I've taken quite a few photos of those, and posted them on my 500px gallery - they make for very nice spring images. 

This particular one was taken whilst a bee was busy pollenating, already with a nice crop - look closely at her 'ankles' and you'll see she has a nice collection of pollen ready to take back to the hive.

"Another Day at Work" (c) Gilles Royer 2014

Here's the link to my 500px gallery: https://500px.com/photo/89779663

"White Azalea" photo posted

This shot of a white azalea, taken in my front garden yesterday, under natural light, has been posted on my 500px gallery (http://500px.com/photo/84103847/white-azalea-by-gilles-royer) as well on the Kujaja.com site (http://www.kujaja.com/en/photo/39575)

Hope you enjoy. If you do, please leave me your comments / impressions

"White Azalea" (c) Gilles Royer 2014

"Lost in Bokeh" uploaded on 500px gallery

This is shot over the weekend in the garden - Saturday was a beautiful sunny winter day (winter has been too long and cold this year in Melbourne, bring us spring!), so I ventured in the garden.

This was effectively a weed flower in one of the pot plants, but is still very beautiful, and the contrast of the yellow on the green background worked quite well.

"Lost in Bokeh" (c) Gilles Royer 2014

The more I use my Tamron macro lens (the 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro), the more I like it. It's an excellent package for a reasonable price, and produces very nice bokeh in backgrounds. 

And here is the link to the 500px gallery:
http://500px.com/photo/80905223/lost-in-bokeh-by-gilles-royer

Thanks for stopping by!

"La Spirale" posted on @500px gallery

A photo taken during last year's trip to France, a little flower (I don't know the species) taken in the garden of my parents' neighbours, under natural light.

"La Spirale"

Also posted in my 500px.com gallery under the following link:
http://500px.com/photo/79866689/la-spirale-by-gilles-royer

"Portrait of a Daisy" posted on @500px

Here's a simple photo of a daisy, taken outside, in natural light (although the weather was very grey / cloudy). Posted also on my @500px gallery here: 
http://500px.com/photo/77719385/portrait-of-a-daisy-by-gilles-royer

Thanks for your visit!