Saturday, September 19, 2009

Tip Toe Through The Tulips...

Remember the song? All these beautiful bloom are at the Wellington Botanical Garden, SPRING has arrived!

How do we know spring is "in the air"? Believe it or not, on that day (1st September); the air was especially crisp and COOL... I did not say COLD.

We know spring is here when the BIG FAT bumblebees starts to circle the flowers to satisfy their sweet teeth (do bees have teeth?).

It is only in spring that tulips are at their full glory at the Botanical Garden... so I took out my digital camera which has been in hibernation all winter and head for the garden.


While you are at the garden, do you LOOK UP? I did and what a wonderful canopy! The remaining red maple leaves fighting for glory against the bright green spring shoots create a almost Chinese water colour painting effect!

Apart from tulips, the old magnolia trees are also showing off their flowers in stunning pastel hues! The Russian lady photographer was no less stunning... I choose to blurred her for the sake of my composition in SELECTIVE FOCUS.

This was a "grab shots" of three quick bursts. The DSLR was in "TV" mode and each shot was with a different shutter speed so the resulting aperture gave a slight difference in DOF. I don't think she realised I was taking the shots :-)

I love the yellow tulips... sitting on their emerald stalks and leaves create a soothing eye-candy!

I find that when shooting tulips it is best shooting them backlit, don't be afraid of the sun in front of you... your photography teacher might say "no no!" but the back light made the bloom and leave almost translucent! Try it out when you have the chance.

A three quarter backlit of a field of tri colour. Notice how "steep" the shadow of the trees in the background? I suppose that is the beauty of the "quality" late afternoon spring sun in New Zealand!

Sorry lah... I don't think Malaysia have that kind of light. SIGH...

Spring is the beginning of new life! Like these old tree with bright green "hanger on".

A single red tulip standing tall among all the whites! One Red Dot, hello Singapore ;)

Heading home the spring mist decent upon Karori valley, I took a shot of the setting spring sun from my house deck.


4 comments:

iml said...

It's Spring!!! All I want to do is to stand right in the middle of those lovely lovely tulip fields. Where are the red ones?

cy.leow said...

Oops! Sorry, miss out one picture! Thanks for pointing out!

heather said...

Spring has sprung! The gardens look wonderful at this time of year.The maple leaves almost look like a reflection in water.The late afternoon sun is the best! like melted butter spread over the landscape. I would go to the gardens at evensong if I could..just to see the tulips.

A Tulip Garden by Amy Lowell
Guarded within the old red wall's embrace,
Marshalled like soldiers in gay company,
The tulips stand arrayed. Here infantry
Wheels out into the sunlight. What bold grace
Sets off their tunics, white with crimson lace!
Here are platoons of gold-frocked cavalry,
With scarlet sabres tossing in the eye
Of purple batteries, every gun in place.
Forward they come, with flaunting colours spread,
With torches burning, stepping out in time
To some quick, unheard march. Our ears are dead,
We cannot catch the tune. In pantomime
Parades that army. With our utmost powers
We hear the wind stream through a bed of flowers.

Ana said...

Hi, beautiful photos. Came across your blog from Malaysian society in wellington. I was at botanical garden last saturday and the tulips were breathtaking. the photo #5, was that taken at botanical garden as well?