Don’t Ask
As I have absolutely NO IDEA !!!… But apparently they’re my absolute favourite… lol…
Couldn’t decide on colour or black and white here though… Any preferences ??…
These have GOT to be in colour though… or… have they !!…
Oh, and this one… well… if anyone DOES know what it is, then I’m sure you can claim your prize from your local “Freak of Nature” outlet… View large and prick your senses… ;)
FS Photography 
Those are great! No clue what any of them are. Don’t think I’ve ever even seen the last one!
The first image I prefer in color. The second one would look great in b&w, with some contrast (and whatever else) added to bring out the details.
May 15, 2011 at 6:12 pm
Haha.. Well the last one was quite close up, but you’re not the only one who has no idea… Maybe I should ask my mum, as they were all in her garden… Maybe I’ll try the other in b&w another time.. :)
May 15, 2011 at 7:03 pm
Oh yes, flowers ARE definitely your absolute FAVORITE subject matter. Look at how well you capture them ;) Yup, such a softie for the flowers ;) Seriously B, these are lovely and I have to say I do prefer the first in color. And the second? WOW, keep that one in color too. It rocks with that gradient of color. That last one is pretty strange. lol.
May 15, 2011 at 6:23 pm
LOL… Well if you insist, although I WILL deny it obviously… SO, even YOU don’t know what they are then eh !?!?… ;)
May 15, 2011 at 7:11 pm
Well at least you’ve finally admitted your true and abiding love for the soft underbelly of nature. I, for one, always knew that your true calling was in horticulture photography. And why not? Flora and fauna need love too! AND you treat your subjects so well. Bet you sit ’em all down for a spot ‘o tea just prior to their close up too. What an accommodating photog you are!!
Buy seriously…these are lovely B :)
May 15, 2011 at 6:34 pm
Haha.. No no no.. That wasn’t an admission.. Nuh uh.. Deferably not… I didn’t even know flowers drank tea, so that is conclusive proof of my utter lack of expertise in the matter… See !!.. :D
May 15, 2011 at 7:13 pm
I’ve heard they prefer Earl Grey…but surely YOU already know that ;)
May 15, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Ummm… Ooooh, look at that rabbit chasing that bird !!!… ;)
May 15, 2011 at 9:07 pm
Very nice!
I like both versions of the first image… as you’ve probably guessed, I could never choose!
And I have no idea, either! There are only a handful of plants I’m able to recognize, and a few of those I mix-up from time to time. Just for laughs.
Wonderful shots, F.S.! :)
May 15, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Yup… You’re about as much use as I am in these matters… lol… but I guess we have to stick together in these matters eh..
May 15, 2011 at 7:15 pm
I think I prefer the colour version. The highlights of the B/W version are a bit bright for my taste. If they were a little darker and showed more detail it would be a tough choice. They’re all gorgeous.
You are giving me such a bad case of lens envy! ;-) Is this the 60mm?
May 15, 2011 at 7:49 pm
Lol… Yeah sorry about that Avital… You’re correct though that these were shot with my 60mm… As for the black and white, well I have to admit to deliberately blowing out some of the highlights, as it looked a bit drab otherwise… I know what you mean though, and it’s not something I’d normally do… :)
May 15, 2011 at 9:10 pm
My guesses for your flowers: bluebells for the first, lupin for the 2nd, and the third one, I really have no idea but it looks carnivorous!
Hands down color for the first one.
Love the soft-and-sharp-at-the-same-time focus on those first two. Very pretty.
I think a mini-Funky-slug trying to escape the jaws of the last plant would be a hoot! ;-)
May 15, 2011 at 7:58 pm
Well yeah, you could be right on the lupins, and maybe even the bluebells, although I’m pretty sure they’re not our common English Bluebell… but they might be a european import… As for the last one… lol… Well yeah it does look pretty mean, and might make a good mini slug backdrop… lol…
May 15, 2011 at 9:13 pm
These photos absolutely match with my mood and with flowering surrounding me almost everywhere! :-) where did you find such fairies, Brian? I wonder how the focus in the blurred first in the center is detached from the rest… is that a some camera trick?
May 15, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Thanks so much Irina, these were all found in my mothers garden… but there’s no camera trick or photoshop magic in the first one, that’s purely the very shallow depth of field created by the aperture I chose to use… :)
May 19, 2011 at 5:40 pm
These are beautiful, Brian, but the last one is phenomenal. Very strange looking it is.
May 16, 2011 at 3:49 am
It certainly is strange isn’t it, but I don’t recall it looking THIS strange in real life.. lol..
May 19, 2011 at 5:42 pm
So beautiful! I can’t decide whether the colour photo or black/white looks better. I love both of them :)
May 16, 2011 at 3:05 pm
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t decide… I used to be indecisive… but now I’m not so sure… ;)
May 19, 2011 at 5:43 pm
Too funny, Brian! Shoot first, ask questions later! :-)
I’m with Karen…looks like bluebells and lupine buds. That last one? Hmmm, no idea…need more photos, and not so close to figure out. Call it anything you like! :-)
May 16, 2011 at 5:02 pm
LOL… Too true… only I usually forget all about asking the questions… Maybe I’ll find out what the last one is this weekend.. Thanks Tracy.. Maybe I’ll call it Trevor… :D
May 19, 2011 at 5:45 pm
These are lovely (I like both the colour and the black and white but prefer the colour). The middle one is a lupin, the top one is some sort of blue flower (ha!!), the bottom one is hostile and will bite your ankles and then ask you to take it for walkies. I presume it’s a carnivorous plant or some species of very dangerous lettuce. In other words… I haven’t a clue!
May 16, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Thanks Val, it seems the colour version gets more votes… and LOL… Seems I’m going to have to try and solve the mystery this weekend… ;)
May 19, 2011 at 5:48 pm
Some very nice shots. I prefer the color one. The last one looks like some sort of vicious alien.
May 17, 2011 at 6:46 pm
Haha… True indeed… Thanks so much Binky.. and thanks for your comment..
May 19, 2011 at 5:49 pm
For the coloured one or black and white, I’d say colour, but with a – for example – plain white background, so that the purple really pops, or black and white with a little more dark-light contrast :)
May 18, 2011 at 1:49 pm
You could be right there, as it would have made it more unique with a white background, but that would have meant ripping them out of my mums garden to put them in my lightbox… and I wasn’t sure that would have been appreciated.. lol.. ;)
May 19, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Hm, then maybe this was a better solution, yes :) I sometimes use an old white thing (I don’t know the english word, it is the thing you put on your bed, on which you lie, does that make sense? It is like a cloth. or it is a cloth.) or just some white paper.
May 19, 2011 at 9:20 pm
Ah you mean a sheet… Yeah that would have worked… Maybe I’ll consider trying something similar next time… :)
May 19, 2011 at 9:33 pm
You know I tend to favour colour but particularly with flowers. It always strikes me as somehow wrong to take away an intrinsic part of what helps to make many flowers so beautiful – their colour. Anyway, who could resist that gorgeous blue?
If they’re like bluebells but not the English version you’d be talking about the Spanish invader Scilla hispanica. The third shot is definitely a type of lupin I’d say (lupinus polyphillus?) and the last just has to be that old garden favourite extraterrestrialis triffidis. ;)
May 19, 2011 at 4:03 pm
I’m pretty sure you’re right there, that these are the Spanish variety, as one of them was definitely called Juan… ;)
You’re probably right about the colour too, but I do like to be a bit controversial sometimes.. lol… as for the last one… well.. it’s now my mission to identify it… Thanks Jayne.. :)
May 19, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Hah! ‘Juan’ :)
I had wondered whether the last one was a close up of a type of cockscomb flower?? (but didn’t want to mention it for fear of seeming like a swot). Er…I guess I’ve just revealed myself as a swot.
May 20, 2011 at 7:39 am
Hello Mr. Slug: I have been a fan of your on Flickr for about 3 years. You were my first HDR mentor (by proxy), even before Trey Ratcliff came into the picture :)
Anyways, I just discovered you have a blog. Awesome!! Thank you for sharing your art with the world. It’s so inspiring. I recently began a photography blog, which includes a daily post called Flickr Picks, for which I choose an amazing image from Flickr and showcase it. I’d love for you to check it out when you have a free moment.
http://www.phusionphotography.blogspot.com
Thank you luv!
Cheers,
Natalie
May 19, 2011 at 4:39 pm
Wow.. Why thank you so much Natalie… That’s quite the compliment… :D
I’ll definitely check out your blog shortly… Looking forward to it… :)
May 19, 2011 at 5:59 pm
Gorgeous shots, Brian! I love both, color and b&w. For the mysteries photos, I’m pretty sure it’s lupine, and for the last one, it looks like a carnivorous flower. lol
May 21, 2011 at 1:51 am
Thanks so much Anne… Well, I can now tell you that the carnivorous mystery plant is a Begonia.. albeit a VERY young Begonia… lol..
May 23, 2011 at 7:00 am
Oh, Dear…I have been away in my bubble for too long. Look at all I’ve missed.
These shots are stunning. And the ship?? They should pay you to photograph for advertising purposes. That below decks shot is my very favorite. Feel like I’m there.
May 24, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Thanks so much Danielle… How nice would it be to be paid for doing what we love…. Real glad you think they’re that good… :D
May 27, 2011 at 9:40 pm
I love the textures and colors in these shots, and the third one is my absolute favorite!
May 26, 2011 at 3:17 pm
Thanks so much… Glad you like them… :)
May 27, 2011 at 9:41 pm