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Wicked Dark
07-11-2011, 12:54 PM
Finally the giant rhododendron is blooming. I'd previously checked it 4 times before finding it today in all its glory. The bumble bees were buzzing around like mad and the early morning light breaking through the canopy was perfect. Makes getting up early to bring my husband to the airport worth it.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6029/5926931012_075003bbd1_z.jpg

This first one I processed in color because that sweet, morning light picked up the subtle color of the flowers so perfectly. Otherwise I had B&W in mind for most of them.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6134/5926931046_b0c59fab2b_b.jpg

Lucky for me the wind was almost non-existent, but I wish my tripod went higher because a lot of drama looked to be way overhead.

Am still processing, but these are two that don't suck.

Hillbillygirl
07-11-2011, 12:58 PM
Love these two shots WD, and looking forward to seeing more.

Wicked Dark
07-11-2011, 02:11 PM
Thanks girl.
As much as I'd been intending to process most of these in B&W, the tender blush in this one made me change my mind. The morning light just knocked me out.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6005/5927261406_c1ee1a53f1_b.jpg

Lizardqing
07-11-2011, 04:54 PM
Nice shots. Interesting to see the difference in the ones we have here, such as ours don't have the cool looking pattern on the top petal. Wish they did though, that makes them even more interesting!

Mad Aussie
07-11-2011, 06:25 PM
Great capture! :p

Seriously though ... I really like the 2nd shot. There's something about the detail retained in the whites that appeals to me.

Matt K.
07-11-2011, 07:32 PM
Love the B&W shot. Especially since it is showing detail in the white; if i had taken these images, the whites would have been blown out for sure. Great job, and really nice processing.

Wicked Dark
07-11-2011, 08:05 PM
thanks guys.

The light was truly scrumptious this morning and so I think that helped a lot. Plus I've been going back, and back, and back, and back to this grove with ideas.

Iguanasan
07-11-2011, 09:04 PM
I love colour and so I'm not generally a fan of black and white images, especially flowers, but there is something special about that second shot. I love it! :)

asnow
07-11-2011, 10:54 PM
My thinking was the same as MA. Love the detail in the whites in the second one.

MoinMoin
07-11-2011, 11:53 PM
Love the light on the last one - looks great in this lovely colour.

Wicked Dark
07-12-2011, 06:37 AM
thanks peeps.
the light was amazing yesterday, which I suppose it is every clear morning, but I'm lazy.
Controlling highlights is easy if you meter for them, btw. Most digital cameras will hold detail in the shadows much better than they will hold it in the highlights, so if you meter for them you should be ok. Watch the blinkies or the histogram. Digital is so easy. Plus the direct sunlight was practically horizontal at that time of day, so the harshness hasn't fully developed yet and the whites can stand it.

Wicked Dark
07-12-2011, 08:36 AM
Here's one more. I think I'm done with this series, but there may be one more if I can fix an irritating element.

http://wickeddark.smugmug.com/Portfolio/The-Black-and-White-Collection/i-bkBmw2G/0/XL/The-Indifference-of-XL.jpg

casil403
07-12-2011, 09:04 AM
I too dig the light on the last one and how it brings up the most subtle shade of pink in the stamens...lovely.

Wicked Dark
07-12-2011, 09:40 AM
Thanks girl. It is a tough choice for me to process in color or B&W, but since that's what I had in my head, here's one last shot of the grove...well part of it.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6001/5929678967_326e42e378_b.jpg

QuietOne
07-17-2011, 01:21 AM
The second one (and I'm not normally big on b&w), and the third, as much for the light as the pinks.

Wicked Dark
07-17-2011, 08:17 AM
thanks much. I like it even more when color people like my black and whites.

JAS_Photo
07-17-2011, 01:53 PM
Beautiful shots! One of my favourite flowering trees/ bushes. Sadly, they do not grow here, neither wild nor cultivated. :(