Out in the garden.

 Spring is almost (officially) upon us 👍

But, while we wait for February's page to fall of the calendar, nature is already making its moves: the snowdrops are out, the daffodils are pushing through the earth and the smallest buds are beginning to swell on the twigs of trees too long denuded of foliage by the cold and dismal winter.

Looking for any excuse to get out with the camera, I held out for a while - camera in hand - until yet another rain shower had passed overhead, then made my way among these tiny new additions to our garden.

I converted a few to monochrome as well. I hope you enjoy them.

The European Pasqueflower

 This amazing little flower is growing plentifully in different areas of our garden.

We didn't move into this house until August last year, so we missed watching Spring work its magic. This year though, we've delighted in the incredible volume of different flora which we have thriving around us.

Not a gardener by any means, I also grew some seeds in the greenhouse and I've planted them out in different areas. All of them being hardy annual flowering plants, I'm looking forward to a colourful display over the summer months.

This is the European Pasqueflower. I took one flower head to my garage studio and did these still life's on my older 5D classic.

I hope you enjoy them.

A host of golden daffodils.

 I spent much of Sunday morning happily engaged in setting up a little corner of my darkroom in order to indulge a macro session.

Not long ago, I purchased a Canon 100mm macro lens, but I've had little time to use it; being retired, I find I have less time to indulge my hobby than I ever had when I was working - and I've no excuse, I'm still getting up anywhere between 4-5.30am during weekdays.

Anyway, as I said, I set up a little shoot: a freshly picked daffodil from the abundance we have growing in the garden just now. This, I placed in a small vase at shoulder height (perched on an upturned plastic bucket). I used just one very small softbox which I placed as close as possible to the flower, and spent the next two hours shooting different angles and f/stops.

Here are some of the few I've processed thus far: