Variegated Camellia

I went to Honeyhorn Coastal Discovery Museum this afternoon, searching for flowers.  We don’t have much blooming here in Palmetto Dunes, and I thought perhaps I would find something with color at Honeyhorn.  There were a few camellias, and I especially liked the shots I show here, but most of the blooms had been hurt by frost and really weren’t very attractive.

I moved in close, inside ten inches or so, to fill the frame with the inner portion of the flower.  I like the detail and soft colors such a shot gives, and the 105mm f/2.8 Micro Nikkor lens does a great job of resolving flower detail at this working distance.  I used a tripod and stopped down to f/36 to get optimum depth of field and sharpness, and the long shutter speed required for accurate exposure led to these soft colors within the sharp images.  I hope you enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed making them!