I took a trip up to the Botanics today and here's what I found....

elven

I had a fabulous time. The weather was great and the place is just so interesting. I spent a good few hours wandering about, and didn't even think of people looking at me strange when I was kneeling on a pavement to get a daisy-eye view


I put the favourites up here

Hope you likethem. Not all flower macro shots either.

If you haven't been, I urge you to go

skye

Great pictures elven...really like the the green one ( which you say is out of focus ). I think it makes it look really delicate and vulnerable - nice. I also like the maple one - really captures the coppery colour...

ChityWest

They are excellent - especially the 'maple' one and the 'light' one - imo.

The 'green' one seems to be a bit not sharp - though its hard to tell if thats a deliberate effect or not. The leathery leaf one looks like alligator skin or something and is a really good shot, The 'water' one looks really good in black and white - it makes it look like the moon reflecting in the pond instead of the sun.

What lens did you use for the light one ?

* edit - doh - re the focus on the 'green' one - I should probably pay attention to the captions next time !

Fionn

right

i've looked and i gotta say, their great do i have to put a comment on all of them?

i'll go back later for another look

very appealing indeed

elven

You don't have to comment Fionn, I only ever comment if something in the picture makes me want to.

ChityWest - I used my Sigma 28-80 on that one, although it prolly looks like a macro the flower was actually a huge thing taller than me... it was about 6-8 inches across!

I just posted the thread because I had such a fab day and I was really excited about it when I came in. It's still such a novelty to not have to worry about having enough film, and developing costs, and ISO 50 of Velvia meaning you have to use a tripod ALL THE TIME.... Everything was hand held because my tripod is still in Scotland.

Anyway I hope it inspires someone else to take a trip up there, especially on a sunny day so you get the light streaming into the glasshouses. Having said that looking at the mist outside the window just now, you could get some interesting shots of the trees and the river in weather like this.

Thanks for all the comments. It makes my day if someone takes the time to say something about a picture I've taken.

ChityWest

yep I thought it was a macro for the light one - I need to get a good macro lens and wanted to know which one for that reason. It definitely looks worthwhile heading out there.

elven

Save yourself the cash and get a set of extension tubes instead I'm very happy with mine, I've had them a good few years now. You lose a little light so some shots get difficult to handhold but I'd certainly rather have the flexibility of the three tubes plus my three lenses rather than one macro lens. But, some people just love the gear and will take any excuse to buy a new toy

PaulieC

What kind of extension tubes do you have? I got a cheapo set off ebay for about 15 quid, but they don't have lens connections so you're left with working at the largest aperture of the lens (3.5 to 4.5). This means it's very hard to work within the depth of focus, which is really slim due to the close distances you're working with.
I had a look at the Canon tubes, which have the lens connections, but they're about 200 quid for the same length of extension.
I am waiting on a lens converted which will allow me use my zuiko 50mm manual lens on the 300D and that will give me control over aperture size. All I'll need then is a really bright day

Debbio69

ive been disappointed with the Botanics as (1) it always seems to rain (2) i get chased by the evil squirelles

but you have done well here, i especailly like the japanesse red leaves, its an interestig angle!

CoolBoardr

You take good photos.

elven

I got my extension tubes from jessops, they do have the lens connections - but they only cost me £70 at the time. They don't appear to be actual canon ones, they just have 'jessops' written on the side. I think I have a 15mm, a 25mm and a 35mm. They are product code JESAETCAF on jessops.co.uk £74 quid.

I was very lucky with the weather yesterday at the gardens. If it had been dull then I doubt I'd have bothered going. I was surprised though - I only saw 2 squirrels and they were pretty shy. I must be scary looking!

Wibbler

elven wrote:

I had a fabulous time. The weather was great and the place is just so interesting. I spent a good few hours wandering about, and didn't even think of people looking at me strange when I was kneeling on a pavement to get a daisy-eye view

Elvin,

Hey! I think I saw you there yesterday afternoon. Were you the lady with the Fuji on a tripod in one of the glasshouses?

EDIT:

Oops, obviously not. Just seen that you are a canon user (but I could be mistaken about the Fuji)

I was there yesterday afternoon with the girlfriend. We stopped by on the way home from town on a whim and I didn't have my camera. You are right the weather was great. It had been years since I was at the gardens and I've resolved to go back next time the weather plays ball. Nice phots BTW!

elven

Cheers Wibbler

I saw the girl in the glass house with the tripod too... if I was less shy I would have told her to post her pictures on here hehe

I was wearing jeans and a pink jumper and a light jacket, and had an impractically large black camera bag slung over my shoulder... I noticed quite a few people there brandishing SLRs and wondered if it was actually people from this place