Happy New Year 2008! [Fireworks]

Happy New Year!

Wishing you a safe, happy and productive New Year in 2008.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

In my last post I asked you all what photo you would like as a Christmas gift. I have received quite a few varied responses, so thank you all for your feedback. In this post I've included two of the requests. A Merry Christmas to you all, and may you have a fruitful and happy New Year in 2008!

Nature Nut / JJ Loch asked for a photo of the interior of a church decorated for Christmas.

Tom and Anna asked for an "Aussie Christmas Tree" (Most of them are the same as he American ones!)

Purple Garden Flowers - Purple Sunday

Purple Garden Flowers

Here we are at the last Purple Sunday in Advent. It's now only two days until Christmas, and the celebrations are already beginning. These next few days are an exciting time, especially for children, and we reach a culmination point on Christmas day, when gifts are exchanged and presents unwrapped, and everyone can feel the joy of the season. Although we don't get to see Santa riding through the snow here in Australia, we do get to enjoy all the colours and life of Summer in full bloom.

The flowers in this picture are a garden variety grown in the Spring to add a bit of colour to the area. Right now they are flowering profusely, probably helped by the recent rain, allowing me to capture this shot of a group of them growing together. As always, I would greatly appreciate it if anyone can identify the flowers, as I bought these in a "colour mix" packet of seeds and therfore don't know what they're called.

And now, I would like to set a question to you:
What would you like to see a photo of on this blog for Christmas?
Keep in mind that it's Summer here, so I'm not going to be able to get and winter-like shots, but send in your suggestions and I'll try to get a photo as a Christmas present for you all!

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed: 1/340, F5.7, ISO 100

Sun shining through leaves at Sunset - Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Sunset with silhouette of May Bush leaves

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed: 1/350, F4.1, ISO 200

Pink Tulip Flower - "Purple" Sunday

Pink "Purple Prince" Tulip Flower - "Purple" Sunday

Now for the surprise.......

Yes, you read it right. Pink Tulip flower. Not Purple. Well, I said I had a surprise in store for this Sunday. This Sunday is not actually Purple! As the wikipedia article about Advent says: "On the 3rd Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, a rose [colour] is used since this Sunday takes on a more joyous tone." So, this being the 3rd "Purple" Sunday, I have a pink, or rose coloured picture for you today.

I got this photo of a pink Tulip blossom at a flower festival earlier this year. We were just entering Spring at the time, and you can see many other brightly coloured flowers in the background of this picture. I used a low aperture (F4.3) while taking this photo to ensure that the flower remained in focus while the background was blurred. I think this is actually a "Tulipa Purple Prince" flower, but it looks pink to me! Please tell me if you know the proper name of this flower, it would be a great help.

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed: 1/120, F4.3, ISO 200

The Colors in the End of a Rainbow - Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Colors of a Rainbow
The End of the Rainbow - A Pot of Gold?

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed: 1/140, F4.9, ISO 800

Purple Weed (Wildflower) - Purple Sunday

Purple Wild Flower - Purple Sunday

Well, it's come round to Sunday again, only 2 Sundays to go until Christmas. As some of you will remember I have started a "Purple Sunday" series of posts, where I choose a purple subject for each Sunday until Christmas (although I'll have a surprise for you next Sunday, check out the wikipedia article for a hint!) Today I've got a photo of some purple wildflowers. I spotted these as I was getting a photo of an Agapantha flower, and snapped a few quick shots as I was passing. I used a low aperture to get the flowers in focus, while blurring the background.

This picture has an interesting pattern of drawing your eyes between the flowers themselves, and the base of the stem. The radiating stems then send your eyes back to the top of the picture again. Try it - it's amazing how much these little things affect the composition of the picture.

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed: 1/450, F3.7, ISO 100

Australian Kookaburra - Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday
Australian Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) after the Rain

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed: 1/350, F7.2, ISO 100

Agapantha Flower - Purple Sunday

Agapantha Flower - Purple Sunday

Purple is the colour of royalty. As we approach Christmas, we enter the 4 week period traditionally known as "Advent" (from the Latin "to come"). The colour purple, or violet, is used to symbolize joy and expectant hope as we wait for the royal King to come at Christmas.

In keeping with this tradition, I have chosen the purple Agapantha (agapanthus africanus) flower for today's post. Last month you saw an unopened bud, but today the flower is fully open and blooming. The stamen are clearly visible, and the small yellow bunches of pollen at their tip are sharply in focus. The green stems in the background also provide a contrasting relief from the soft purple and white of the petals.

As we enter Summer here in Australia, and America enters Winter, everyone is preparing for Christmas. But I hope that amongst your shopping and decorating, you can also take time to experience the "joy" of the season, and have a look at the wonder of nature around you.

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed: 1/89, F8.0, ISO 100