Just to let you know that I have not completely abandoned my macro subjects ( maybe you remember my last post of the flamingos), I’d like to share with you some relatively recent shots from Corfu. Edwin and I visited this Greek island in April of this year. Our main photographic goal here were the ‘orchids’. Now… as with many things in life, once arrived we soon realized we had to adjust this goal. Turned out there were almost no orchids to be found… Even in one of the orchid ‘hotspots’, the cemetery in the capital Corfu, the present orchids could be counted on one hand… We heard from visitors that it had been a long and cold winter with even snowfall, a rare happening on Corfu. 

So… OK… bad luck I guess… But hey it was our holiday so no grieving allowed! While treasuring every orchid we encountered we also opened our mind for other photographic opportunities. For example we discovered a lot of tiny grasshoppers in the flowers. Probably due to the low temperatures they were very good approachable. Ideal to use my new macro conversion lens which made it possible to focus very close.  At least… I thought so… Now I do have to warn you: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! Unless you like to torture yourself with hundreds of failed photos which are out of focus of course… The very tiny depth of sharpness almost made it impossible to take any decent pictures, that is in the field without a tripod. Now I am persistent so I kept using it during our stay but I seriously doubt whether I’ll ever use it again. In the end most successful photos were taken with the sharpness not in the most nearby area, so I might just as well have taken the pictures without the extra macro lens.

Nevertheless luckily there are some shots which I am satisfied with! 

Chances are big you are visiting my blog because you want to see some astonishing new macro pictures… 😉 Sorry, not this time no! 

Still with me now? Great! Let me tickle you with something completely different. With another subject and another approach. No macro lens used, instead a télé lens. No large lens apertures, instead very small ones. No decent manageable shutter speeds, instead very slow ones. No tripod, instead a constantly moving camera. 

I’m guessing you’ve scrolled down by now to see what I’m talking about. Although the shown pictures are blurry, moved or out of focus, you have surely detected my subject: the Flamingos… I have visited these graceful and impressive birds in the Camargue (south of France) twice now, once in autumn and once in spring. Both times were amazing. Although I did take ‘normal’ pictures I felt more need to take ‘other’ pictures. Pictures that speak to my imagination, pictures that move me, pictures that appeal to my feelings. The Flamingos with their soft colors, their majestic shapes, their ballerina like movements were just ideal for these kind of pictures. They extremely impressed me and observing them they challenged me to make ‘other’ pictures than I’m used to. 

Just sharing some pictures with you now. Hoping to challenge you too!…