Assignment: "Plants, Not Flowers" May 27 - June 10

[Saralonde]

With all the beautiful spring and/or autumn blooms (depending on your hemisphere) around, it's hard to just concentrate on plants. Looking around though, I'm sure you were able to spot the other beautiful aspects of the nature that surrounds us.

The wooded area in my backyard has an abundance of lacy ferns opening up at this time of year. Usually I like to take macro shots of the tightly curled fronds just opening up, but I decided to take advantage of the morning light and the dof I could get with my macro lens.


As always, the rules...Please note the change in closing time.

Just a note to new posters: DO NOT start a new thread for your post. Please just hit the reply button at the bottom of any current post and put your image there.

1. Your image you submit should be taken between the 27th of May and the 10th of June. Each week as an assignment closes on the Wednesday, it will be AUTOMATICALLY deemed *CLOSED* after 8am GMT ( 3am EST) and any posts after that time will not be eligible for the assignment competition. Don't wait until the last minute to post!

2. Your post must include "Assignment: Plants, Not Flowers" (to show your permission to count it for the contest) and the date the picture was taken (to show that it is a valid entry).

3. EXIF data should be intact. It helps if you can include the main points (including camera, lens, date taken, ISO, shutter speed and aperture) in the text of your message.

4. Only one entry per member (if you can't restrain yourself until the end of the first week you can post two or three separate pictures but your entry should be in a separate post and the only marked with the text above).

5. Remember the cross-site image size limit (800px on the longest side).

6. If the image does not exist in post at the end of the contest, it is disqualified. If you modify anything on flickr and re-save the image then the link is broken and the message needs edited to link the picture again before it will be included in the contest.
For everyone, please do not repeat other people's photos by quoting them until the contest is over. If you want to comment on or discuss an entry you can use a link to it (or just delete the picture from the quoted text).

7. If you are looking for the winners of the mini-contest, please check the front page of the DPS blog Saturday late afternoon (EST) and here.

Next week, a happier topic that will hopefully put a smile on your face: "Sweet Tooth". See, I do look at that long assignment suggestion thread !

[mseigafuse]

What a coincidence ... I chose a fern as my entry this week too. It must be a Pennsylvania thing



EXIF Summary:

Camera: Pentax K100D
Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/22.0
Focal Length: 260 mm
ISO Speed: 200

This was taken last night (June 2nd) and it was definitely a staged shot. I planned to shoot in my man cave (formerly known as a basement) which has brown walls. So I used one flash with a yellow gel on the wall to turn it that orangish color. I used another flash bare on the floor shooting up into the fern (which was hanging from the clip on a microphone stand). I did process this in GIMP, used the Flaming Pear flood plugin to create the water and reflections and also lightened it a bit on Flickr as it looked too dark when it got there. Maybe too much processing for some people's taste, but as one of my favorite photogs says ... this is photography, we aren't doing brain surgery here

[CharlieJ]

Lifeblood


Assignment: Plants, Not Flowers
Taken: 05/30/09
Camera: Nikon E5700
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/551)
Aperture: f/3.7
Focal Length: 27.3 mm
ISO Speed: 100

[Miss Mae]

Iris Leaves in my yard...

Taken June 1, 2009
Camera: Nikon D90
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 105 mm
Exposure: +1.15
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash

[WildRain]

Skirmish

Less than half a mile from this bridge crossing the Cedar River in Jacksonville FL there was a skirmish between Northern and Confederate troops during the Civil War.




Canon S5-IS, iso80, f/3.2 @ 1/30s, 12.12mm focal length. Date taken 6/7/9

Finally the rain clouds parted just enough at 11:40ish AM when the available sunlight can pass through the forest canopy on this fern growing where it is planted on this pipe.

[tzk333]

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Exposure: 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture: f/2.0
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off
Exposure Program: Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original): 2009:05:31 14:23:25

[Mourner]

Taken on May 30, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 450D
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1600)
Aperture: f/2.2
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Flash: Off

[karwash]

Hmmm.... seems CharlieJ and I had a similar idea... I'll go with this one for now and will try to come up with something more original during the rest of the week.



It's the bottom side of a Coltsfoot leaf (Tussilago farfara). Bright sunshine from above. Decreased saturation slightly in ViewNX.

Date picture taken: May 29, 2009
EXIF:
Camera: Nikon D40
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 200 mm
ISO Speed: 200

[sebastien.barre]

The mistral wind, blowing through the field, all year long.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1600)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 105 mm
Exposure: +1.55
ISO Speed: 100
Taken on: April 22, 2009 at 9.09am EDT

[jeadly]

This one's from a little while ago, I was just walking down my street and couldn't believe the light on this plant.