Flower Photography Blog

Consider The Flower Photography Blog your update on all things flower and garden! It will...

• share some of the world's amazing botanical gardens with you in both stories and photos.
• give you tips on flower and garden photography so you continue to expand your camera skills.
• keep you in the loop about new topics, changes or additions to the web site. You don't want to miss out on a garden tour or a cool new craft, right?
• let you know that my new e-zine issue (The Flower Photography Flash) is hot off the press! You can subscribe and have it sent automatically although some folks prefer to hang on to their email addresses. Back issues are all available on the web site.

To subscribe to The Flower Photography Blog, right click on the orange RSS button. (It's on the left side of the page under the yellow site buttons.) Paste the URL into your RSS reader. Or you can click on My Yahoo, Google, or one of the other buttons if you prefer one of those services. No email address required.

If you're a newby to blogging and RSS feeds, check here to get some useful information.

I'll warn you, though - you may find BLOGGING addictive!

Enjoy Mother Nature's “petal-power” and stay in touch, ok?

Jan 20, 2010, Visit VanDusen Botanical Garden For Pictures of Gardens in All Seasons!

You can't do better than this 55 acre botanical garden! Every step, in every season, you're guaranteed superb pictures of gardens at VanDusen Botanical Garden. I'll take you there!

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Jan 20, 2010, Botanical Gardens. Why Do I Love Them? Let Me Count the Ways!

The Italians gave us so much more than wine and pasta! The first modern botanical gardens for instance - a photographer's paradise!

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Jan 20, 2010, Pictures Of Roses With Tips To Make Your Own Fabulous Photos of Roses

It requires an eye for beauty AND technical knowledge to capture beautiful pictures of roses. View my rose gallery and apply the photo tips to your own photography. Then practice!

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Jan 19, 2010, Camera tripods can clear up those soft, fuzzy pictures.

Camera tripods are essential gear whether you're a novice or professional photographer. Contemplating tripods but don't know where to start? Start here!

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Jan 14, 2010, Camera backpacks take the load off! Rather, they make the load more comfortable

Without camera backpacks, photography could be a frustrating experience. Your personal answer to the perfect camera bag can be expensive - or NOT - with a little DIY.

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Dec 6, 2009, Flower photography equipment - What you need for the money you've got!

You don't need top-of-the-line photography equipment to produce great flower photos. You may only want and need a point and shoot! So let's look at all the options.

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Dec 6, 2009, My favorite convertible mittens! A photographer's best chilly day friend.

Knit up some cozy convertible mittens for chilly fall days. You know, cold hands can suck the fun out of photography! So knit away or find a friend who loves you enough to knit for you! Your fingers

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Nov 14, 2009, Gray days of fall

Those dull gray days have been hanging around for the last week... the fall leaves are being swept up and raked off the ground. That means winter's setting in. Yes, more time to look through my slides and remember the warm flower and garden days.

Has everyone tidied up the gardens and prepared for the cooler days?

I'm all excited now because the next few months are my productive writing time. My brain is overloaded with ideas. Time to get down to serious work on more informative pages for you.

Stick around and watch the pages of photo lessons grow! And there's going to be lots more flower pages as the cool days progress.

Oh, and very soon I'll have a monthly floral background with a calendar for you to download - my gift to you. An incentive to learn more about photography before spring flowers pop up.

I'm here to help you be the best photographer you can be!

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Oct 24, 2009, It's the Spring Festival in the Seoul of Yeouido!

Say good-bye to winter and celebrate spring festival. Fourteen hundred king cherry trees form a pink canopy at the National Assembly beside Seoul's Han River. Cameras ready?

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Oct 23, 2009, Pictures of Tulips and Tips To Make Your Own Tantalizing Tulip Photos

All psyched up to snap some great spring time pictures of tulips? Join me in the garden for some hints before the heat of summer.

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Oct 10, 2009, Daylilies suit their name, Hemerocallis. Hemera is day and kalos is beautiful.

The daylilies open at early light... living only a day. At sunset it withers and dies! Sunrise again, another bloom replaces it. But however fleeting in life, it's forever in photos.

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Oct 6, 2009, Jeju Island - A Botanical Fantasy Island

Discover Jeju Island, a tiny island endowed with an immensely rich botanical environment. How about meeting me in Asia's Hawaii? And bring all your photography gear.

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Oct 5, 2009, Tiniest “hummingbird” in the world!

All it takes for me to unwind and revitalize is a few days immersed in a garden with my camera. I don't take pictures every minute, though. There's also a whole lot of meditating on the sounds of birds and the heavenly perfumes.

This trip to Jeju Island's Yeomiji Botanical Garden left me with a few hurried pictures of an incredible little visitor to the conservatory. My first thought was that it was a moth from its colors and pattern. But its wings were moving at an extraordinary rate, like a hummingbird. It was the tiniest hummingbird I've ever seen! Smaller than my baby finger!

Looking through my close-up lens, there was no thin tapered "hummingbird" beak but a long thread-like proboscis and I watched it hovering and maneuvering this nectar gathering device with amazing precision. But it still looked like a moth!

And guess what? My investigations have turned up a name! I'm spot on, on both counts. It's a mixture of the two - a type of Sphingidae, a hummingbird hawk moth. It sure put a smile on my face while it darted from flower to flower, me in hot pursuit with my camera! I managed to steal a few pictures even though he didn't stay put for long. I'll add the little guy's picture to Yeomiji Botanical Garden page. You have to take a peak at nature's little marvel!

Those few minutes brought back some special memories. Every summer a pair of ruby-throated hummingbirds used to stay with me and brighten my days. They would dart back and forth through the sprinkler and occasionally hover right in front of my face. Maybe they were reminding me to put out the feeder! Those were really special moments in my garden, hearing the thrumming of the tiny wings... feeling grateful to be visited by such special little creatures. I hope they visit your garden, too!

Cheers in gardening,

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Sep 27, 2009, Three Irises for Three Black Toads!

In the 6th century wars, King Clovis experienced a long losing streak. A sympathetic angel replaced the 3 black toads emblem on his shield with 3 blue flag irises. And the course of the wars changed!

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Sep 20, 2009, Orchid Pictures; Capturing the Seductive Prima Donnas of the Flower World

No luck achieving seductive orchid pictures? Find the conservatories and botanical gardens who open their doors to orchid enthusiasts. But before you go, here's some orchid photography tips.

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Sep 18, 2009, The Cherry Blossom Festival - Pictures Of a Candy Floss World!

Though rooted in Asia, Cherry Blossom Festival now blooms round the world. Richly symbolic, infinitely beautiful, cherry blossoms are the quintessential mark of spring.

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May 26, 2009, From small beginnings!

I hope you like what you see so far! Stick around for more pages coming to you soon. I'm working hard behind the scenes putting together new and exciting information for you. Soon you'll be seeing more on photography crafts and botanical gardens. Enjoy!