Miguel Kieling's Blog

Blue spade unexpected

Just another flower post. This one wasn’t a flower I was after nor did I have any expectations upon entering for a unpretentious stroll in a house back garden. I was, certainly, eager to put to test a Canon 100mm macro I had acquired recently and was curious to check its sharpness and what it was capable of.

I wasn’t let down by this lens and am looking forward to more pictures of flowers, insects and other creatures in the near future. Shades of green always make a nice background for a flower picture and this was the case this time. I hope you enjoy it.

EF-S 100mm f/2.8 USM
1/640sec • f/2.8 • 100 mm • ISO 100
RAW proccessed with Adobe Camera Raw
TIFF proccessed with Adobe Photoshop CS4

Beauty in isolation

This photo was taken at VanDusen Botanical Garden. This  Botanical Garden in Vancouver is reviewed as one of the best in the world. I was really impressed with the sheer variety of plants, colors and shapes. It was one of those places where you don’t know where to start. Every time I have the opportunity to be in a place like this, I feel like I’m in some type of wonderland. It does make me very happy.

This flower was shot in an early afternoon hour. Despite of this, the light was somewhat diffused; there were some clouds and the branches of a tree helped to block some of the light. I’m usually using tripods when shooting flowers, but this time I didn’t use one. I was giving my Canon 70-300mm a go at this type of photography and it performed fine. The IS feature helped stabilize the glass elements and made this 300mm shot possible.

Canon EOS 50D
EF-S 70-300mm f/3.5-5.6 USM
1/320sec • f/6.3 • 300 mm • ISO 400
RAW proccessed with Adobe Camera Raw
TIFF proccessed with Adobe Photoshop CS4

Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?

Well, for most things, that’s probably true. But I really don’t think anyone would think much differently than I did when I saw this flower at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. I was just taken aback by the colours and contours of this beauty.

If anyone is planning a visit to Cape Town anytime soon, you ought it to yourself to make a stop at this pristine flower oasis. And you will see not only flowers, but also sculptures, some interesting birds and a fantastic landscape at the foot of an impressive mountain. The view of the mountain is from out of this world. What a place to relax and spend a few hours thanking God to be alive.