"Agapanthus Dream" posted on 500px gallery

Whilst the sun is out, I continue my collection of flower macro shots, this time finding a bunch of agapanthus around the corner from where I live. Those purple flowers are beautiful, and form balls of flowers, contrasting with the green of the plant itself.

This one is a bit closer, and is taken this afternoon in natural light - quite a harsh sunlight, but creating a beautiful soft, dreamy effect.

"Agapanthus Dream" - (c) Gilles Royer 2014

The link to my +500px gallery is as follows, if you have time please come and visit: https://500px.com/photo/92579873/agapanthus-dream-by-gilles-royer

Thanks again for stopping by!

"A Flower's Genitals" posted on 500px gallery

Yesterday, I took a few shots of petunias in the garden. With summer here in Melbourne, the flowers my wife planted are in full bloom, and petunias of all colours are ready for me to take their portrait.

This one is a macro of the centre of the flower, showing the genitals of the petunia. That's what you call a nude portrait in flower photography, I guess! 

It was shot in full sunlight, about 4pm, and I also added the fill-in flash, so this gives to the surrounding petals a high key effect that I didn't mind at all, giving emphasis to the centre, yet showing the purple lines in the petals.

Let me know what you think...

"A Flower's Genitals" - (c) Gilles Royer 2014

And here is the link to the photo on +500px gallery: https://500px.com/photo/92502149/a-flower's-genitals-by-gilles-royer

Have a beautiful weekend!

"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

"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!

New photo "The Flying Fuchsia" on @500px

This is another try at focus stacking (refer my tutorial here: http://australianlightseeker.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/focus-stacking-worked-example.html), but this time using the new Photoshop CC (2014)

It is also posted on my 500px gallery here: http://500px.com/photo/74351213/

Cheers!

The Story Behind... Coeur de Rose

I've just posted a new photo in my 500px portfolio, titled "Coeur de Rose" (Heart of a Rose). You can see it below, or on http://500px.com/photo/63352323.

Coeur de Rose (c) Gilles Royer 2014 - Nikon D200 / Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro / ISO 125 / 90mm f/5.6

Another image in my macro portfolio, as usual taken handheld under natural light. This one was taken in the afternoon light, still a very nice warm weather down under (32 degrees). 

The flower is obviously a rose, one of those old-styled one, burgundy in colour. Quite unusual, and just beautiful. I tried a few different shots, with different angles and focus areas, but this one worked best. You really want the first row of pistils to be in focus, whereas the back ones and the petals being more blurred (thanks to a shallow 5.6 aperture) direct the eye to the heart of the flower.

Unfortunately, we arrive to the end of summer down here in Australia, so this is going to be the end of the flower series. I'll have to find other subjects to shoot during the colder months!

Cheers

The Story Behind... Bébé Fraise

Here is the Story Behind a new photo posted on my 500px portfolio, and titled "Bebe Fraise" (you can see it here: http://500px.com/photo/63144143)

Bébé Fraise (c) Gilles Royer 2014 - Nikon D200 / AF-S VR Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 with Hoya +4 filter

I took this photo today, in the garden. We have a little pot with a strawberry plant, and I've tried a few times to get a nice shot of the little flowers. First, I tried with my macro lens, but couldn't quite get the centre sharp enough - a bit hard too with the wind slightly blowing!

I decided today to try the Nikkor 70-200mm instead, with a screwed on Hoya close-up filter (+4), and I am happier with the result. The centre could have a bit more sharpness, but for a hand-held shot, with a slight breeze, I quite like the end result. 

Re aperture, I set it at f/7.1, which gives me enough focus for the overall flower, yet blurs the background nicely.

I shot this image in RAW format (as I mostly do for my macro shots), then processed in Aperture - added a bit of contrast and saturation, to enhance the definition in the yellow pistils.

You can already see in the centre what will become the 'seeds' on the mature fruit. Those are called achene, and are actually the ovaries of the flower, with a seed inside it!

As for the title, Bébé Fraise, I'm sure you've guessed by now it means Strawberry Baby

Thanks for visiting!

The Story Behind... Bouton d'Or

The Story Behind... Bouton d'Or

I've just posted a new photo on my 500px portfolio, titled "Bouton d'Or" (http://500px.com/photo/62475749)

Bouton d'Or - (C) Gilles Royer 2014 - Nikon D200 / Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1

As for most of my images, this one was again captured in natural light. Those little yellow flowers (of which I don't know the name, actually) grow in a pot, in a bush. The flowers are quite small (only  2-3cm in diameter) but the colour is very nice and strong, and I find them very elegant.

I shot this one in the afternoon, but because they are in the shade of some much bigger trees, the light was more diffused, not too harsh. The 'dew' drops were conveniently placed with the use of a spray bottle! I found that having water drops really enhances the structure and texture, so if I'm not early enough to catch some dew, I use that little trick :-)

As for composition, I cropped the original shot, only by a small amount, to remove some of the green background (and let the yellow petals stand out more), and decided to place the flower just slightly off-centre (fully breaking the rule of thirds, but rules are there to be worked around in the name of art, aren't they?). I added a bit of contrast and saturation in Aperture, to see more of the details, and opened the shadows so that the bokeh in the background shows a bit more.

Happy Sunday!