So what do you do when it is too wet to garden? It isn't that it has been pouring down every day but the ground is sodden. Whether it is the soil in your flower or vegetable beds or the grass on your lawn or paths, wet soggy ground just doesn't appreciate being trampled on. Walking on soggy earth will compact the ground making it less plant root friendly. Once compacted, when our heavy clay soil dries out it becomes like concrete.
So how do you occupy yourself when you can't be out and about in the garden?
I've mentioned in a previous post that one of my orchids is flowering again. At the time of my last post the first couple of flowers were just opening but now all the buds are fully opened. So of course I had to capture the moment before it faded.
But in the gloomy winter conditions it isn't easy to capture a perfect image indoors without using a flash. I tried lightening the photo below but it's a bit too bright and washed out!
I didn't want to use a flash and so the photo below was taken by lighting the flowers using a large torch. The colours look so different.
Ideally I'd love to be able to set the ISO and aperture settings on my camera to achieve the perfect result but, try as I may, I'm afraid how to set up my camera beyond the auto settings remains a mystery yet to be solved. So I decided to just play with my photos instead.
Here are just some of the results of my playtime. The trouble is that once I start I just don't know when to stop!
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You can certainly come up with lots of different results. I don't have a clue when it comes to photography, I take all my photos on the auto settings too. My orchids are just getting new buds again, they're usually in flower at Christmas and it doesn't look as though this year will be any different.
ReplyDeleteThe different results are mainly playing with some photo software, Jo.
DeleteI used to do this with children when I was teaching and now I can have the fun playing
Love the photos! I have mastered a few of the features of my camera, but even in the manual it says that in order to achieve the desired effect you should try lots of different settings! The good old Trial and Error method...
ReplyDeleteI've found some demos for my camera on YouTube, Mark but after watching the first I couldn't find where he had changed the setting described!
DeleteI have done a bit of trial and error but to be honest the auto settings seem to give the best results. It's just so frustrating having lots of dials that I'm not using.
Ah Sue, nice images, I recognise some of these effects - I did the plastic wrap on a meconopsis for a wordless post some time back. Time flies past during Photoshop playtime that's for sure - good fun though ;-)
ReplyDeleteAs for camera pics, I move a little away from auto at times but need/want to learn more to achieve better results. The problem is once you start dabbling with camera settings its a bit like photoshop in that you have diffulty in getting back to the settings you pass through and like :-D
I'm thinking of taking a course on how to use my camera off auto settings, Shirl. Trouble is I need something specific to my camera!
DeleteWe have had such a dry Spring that its nice to know its raining somewhere even if you don't really need it. Could you now send it downunder though before my own clay soil sets hard.
ReplyDeleteIf only we could, Liz
DeleteBeautiful orchids Sue....and I love your playtime pics...especially the ones that look like you're looking through a kaleidoscope. Happy memories!!
ReplyDeleteThe kaleidoscope ones make great wrapping paper Tanya, I've used designs like this when I forget to buy gift wrapping - just printed a few sheets and stuck them together.
DeleteI am weirdly grateful that it keeps raining, it forces me to take it easy, when on a sunny day I find it impossible to resist the lure of the outdoors. I am trying desperately to remember which garden it was - featured on GW some time - where they garden every day regardless of the weather, just using planks to avoid soil compaction. It struck as impressively dedicated...
ReplyDeleteWhen we stopped work we started treating the allotment as a job but have relaxed that now. We were in danger of doing nothing else and were neglecting the garden.
DeleteI think even with boards soil can be compacted.