Lilac buds

This is a couple of lilac buds on a tree / bush in our garden

Shot with a 55-200mm lens on my EOS450D. I got my tripod out for this shot , because hand held was too difficult. The lens is not a macro lens, I'm about 6 feet away from the buds here.

There's a 'fuzzy leaf' in the foreground between the two buds which may be a bit distracting. I could have cut it off for a better shot, but hey you only cut your lilacs back in the late autumn / early winter (and this one had a harsh / pruning cut back)

[Mags]

How beautiful! Love the light coming in from above about one third from the left! Lovely purple and greens. Nice focus on the details and a great DOF. FAV!!! May I pin it, please?

[Phil Howcroft]

@marlboromaam thanks Maggie, well spotted on the light , you have a good eye for detail.

Of course you can pin :) You may pin whenever you like :) , no need to ask

[Pat Knowles]

Lilac already !!! The first I have seen this year but perhaps it's more tropical in the Nottingham area !! Beautiful light & DOF here, interesting you used the tripod !! I got one of those gorrilopods for Christmas & must admit I have only used it twice . I used to fix it on a gate but if it's a bit windy the gate wobbles so will be better in the summer I think !

[Mags]

@phil_howcroft Pinned and thank you! I'll try to remember that. =) I will still comment on your original post so you know what's been pinned though. Feels good to pin my favs again!

[Kerri]

So beautiful! Love the colors

[Phil Howcroft]

@kerristephens thank you kerri :)

[Steve Hollingsworth]

Well done phil ... Good win for the trotters today mate (;

[Phil Howcroft]

@happypat thanks Pat, yes I got my tripod out , well it was my garden so I didn't have very far to carry it. tripods allow you a bit more fxibility on the settings

[Sue Wilde]

Just perfcet phil...love the shallow DoF and the faded edges...fav for me

[🐓 Patricia Fletcher]

So much about this shot for me to learn!

[Phil Howcroft]

@tishpics patricia, just put your camera on aperture priority, select the largest aperture you can (smallest F number,,,) , make sure you've focussed on the bit you want to and then the background should be thrown out of focus !!!

[Phil Howcroft]

@swilde ahh sue thanks for the fave, glad you like

[Phil Howcroft]

@steveh thanks steve, glad you like, it was another tense Saturday afternoon for the wanderers !!

[Juliette Packham]

fav for me Phil - lovely DOF and focus - and loving those colours - superb job

[🐓 Patricia Fletcher]

@phil_howcroft Thanks for your help Phil, I've only got a Lumix point and shoot (at the moment!) but I can take quite a bit of control so I will work out how to do this and have a go.

[Judith Greenwood]

I'm a bit slow but Fav Phil. It's beautiful and I've learned I'm supposed to prune my lilacs...

[Heather 43]

Great to see you back Phil. This is beautiful. Love the softness and lighting.

[BleakHounds]

Great. Your lilacs will bloom before mine will, I think.

[Phil Howcroft]

@judithg thanks judith, I'm not a lilac expert, but the bush was really leggy, so I basically chopped it down to the ground in the autumn, now it's stunning !!!

[Phil Howcroft]

@heatherwatters thank you heather , i am pleased to be back albeit a 3 or 4 pics a week 365'er

[Phil Howcroft]

@bleakhounds thank you bleak :)

[Judith Johnson]

Love the dof in this shot. Thanks for taking me on, by the way, with your constructive comments, I really appreciate them.

[Allison Williams]

Lilacs are such a delight. This is a beautiful capture, and the background is very mystical.

[Phil Howcroft]

@busylady Judith, it's good to be following you, thanks for your kind words

[Phil Howcroft]

@allie912 Allison, these buds are quite tiny but they will indeed bloom into beautiful purple flowers. I like your use of the word mystical, it's not a word I've heard to describe my shots before !

[Constance Brinkley]

These are the shots you do so well. This is just beautiful and my favorite flower. A fav. Love it!!

[Martha]

Beautiful. Gorgeous light and details - a fav for me!

[Phil Howcroft]

@wrighty martha many thanks for your comments and the fave

[Phil Howcroft]

@seattle constance thanks for your visit, i only started doing macro flowers during my 365 !