Last week I was hoping that I was done with the crocus pictures, but I just had to post this one. It’s not very polite to shove a lens up to anyone’s reproductive system but the crocus didn’t mind and I promise that no flowers were harmed in the process! In order to get this picture, I had to use an extension tube with the macro lens and this is actually the first time I’ve ever used the combo. The Sigma 150mm lens does 1:1 magnification but it wasn’t enough to completely fill the frame with the crocus so the extension tube came out of the retirement where it’s been since I got the long macro. I’ve been thinking about my flower strategy for the summer and one idea I’ve toyed with is doing more genuine macro photography. The definition of what ”macro photography” really is can be a bit fuzzy, but I think that most of my flower pictures are close-ups rather than macro – true macro starts with life-size magnification. But regardless of the amount of the magnification, the appeal of the technique for me is to completely fill the frame with the subject!

Since we now have more and more green things sprouting from the earth, I made an inventory tour of my favourite spring flower places. I was mostly interested in the daphne and wood anemone and found out that I probably won’t be shooting the daphne on 1 May like I did last year. And the wood anemone… I got a real shock in my favourite wood anemone spot. It was covered by 40 cm of snow! The place gets direct sunlight only in the morning but the nights have been cold so the morning light doesn’t do much. It hasn’t been raining either and the days haven’t been particularly warm, so this snow is not going anywhere. Will be very interesting to see when the wood anemone will bloom here and in what numbers. In a much sunnier place I saw the wood anemone already sprouting leaves.

My camera needs flowers, and so do I!