Lettuce Leaf - Fractals in Nature

Lettuce Leaf - God's Fractals in Nature

Yesterday I was out in the garden checking the lettuce plants we have growing, and I happened to look down from directly above a plant to see this pattern. The lettuce leaves formed a complicated pattern resembling the precise mathematical form of a fractal. The very fine edges of each leaf are curled in a delicate pattern which imitates the fractal's recursive spirals. This is an example of how creation is so complete - the forms which our best mathematicians struggle with are reproduced in nature without any human intervention!

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed: 1/28, F3.9, ISO 100

Thistle Spikes - Wordless Wednesday

Wordless WednesdayThistle Spikes - an Unopened Flower

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed: 1/56, F8.0, ISO 100

Daisy Flower Close Up - Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Close up photo of a Daisy Flower's Center

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed 1/30, F8.0, ISO 200

Urban Landcape - Sunset, Sun-rays, and Clouds

Sunset over Urban Rooftops

Last night I was outside during twilight, and noticed this amazing sunset. The Sun has already disappeared behind the clouds, but rays of light are still shining out and covering the sky. Although the photo above might look touched-up, I have not digitally manipulated this picture. The duotone effect (where the sun and it's rays are black-and-white while the sky near the top of the picture is blue) simply occurred naturally. This is a capture which is not likely to be seen again soon, I was lucky to be out at the right time to see it.

The photo below is of the same scene taken a few minutes later - you can see the huge difference between the pictures. In the photo below, the sun has set and the rays of light from the first picture are entirely gone, replaced instead by a reddish glow near the horizon.

Sunsets are always very beautiful to watch, and each one is different. As you can see from these photos, the scene changes even from minute to minute, giving you a very entertaining show. So why not step outside tonight, and have a look at this wonderful "theatre" of creation, free for all to see?

These photos taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
#1: (Sun with Rays Shining) Shutter speed: 1/5999, F8.0, ISO 80
#2 (Sunset over rooftops) Shutter speed: 1/399, F5.7, ISO 100

Purple Agapantha Flower (Agapanthus africanus)

Purple Agapantha Flower Blooming

As it's Spring time here in Australia, all the flowers are blossoming and the trees are growing fruit. One of the variety of flowers blooming here at the moment is the Agapantha flower, properly called the Agapanthus africanus. These purple flowers are just starting to bud - when they have opened they will turn into a loosely hanging bunch of bright purple blossoms.

The photo shown above depicts an agapantha flower that is just beginning to blossom - the left half has started to unfold while the right section is still a bud. The green of the flower blend in with the green grass in the background, and contrasts nicely with the purple blossoms just beginning to peek out of the flower. A this photo was taken with an aperture of F4.9, the background remains out of focus, thus keeping the attention drawn to the flower itself.

It was overcast when I took this photo, so the picture has a very soft look to it. There was still enough sunlight available for me to avoid using a tripod, but there weren't any hard shadows on the underside of the flower - perfect lighting conditions. I'll try to track this flower for you and get some pictures of it when it's fully developed - in the meantime you might want to check out last Summer's agapantha shots.

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed 1/280, F4.9, ISO 100

Lighting Striking Dead Tree

Lightning Striking at Night - Dead Tree Silhouette

The other night we had a big thunderstorm with lightning over here, so naturally I was out with the camera in the cold and wet while others were inside snug and warm. Actually, I wasn't so foolish as to bring the camera outside during the rain, but after the storm passed over I went out looking for lightning shots. I took a few 30-second exposures, but the noise even at ISO 80 was disappointing. Decreasing the shutter speed by increments, eventually I got down to a 2-second exposure at ISO 80. Now for lightning, there's not much chance of getting a good shot with only a 2-second exposure. But I tried anyway. And what turned out was amazing...

It was a one in a million chance. During the second exposure, a huge bolt of lightning split the sky - directly in the middle of the frame. And this is how it turned out. I find it amazing that I was able to get such a good shot on just the second try. The lightning is streaking through the darkened sky, ending in a flash of electricity near the ground. A dead tree stands in stark silhouette against the backdrop of dark purple clouds. The pitch black of the surrounding terrain serves to intensify the scene, as well as provide a natural frame for the action.


It just goes to show: don't rely on the tried and tested methods, do something different and strange - it might just work out!