Bloomin' Cactus in NS

Gallery: FloraPosted June 20, 201157 views14 comments

NS = Nova Scotia. Who would have thought. Went to the local garden centre on Saturday and found this cactus blooming on one of the benches in the greenhouse. This garden centre is great as the owner encourages photogs to come and shoot whenever they are open. She even has a twitter feed to tell you what's blooming throughout the year. How good is that!!
Anyway I was fascinated with the petals that looked like tissue paper. Now I don't know if they bloom like this in the wild but it seems such a contrast to the rest of the plant and the harsh environment it would grow in. Maybe someone can shed a little more light (pun intended) on the matter.

Canon 5D MkII 90mm T/S f16

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on June 20, 2011 at 6:35 PM

Stunning! The needles or thorns really make a great backdrop for this beautiful flower. Love the different textures... the thorns, the transparent petals, the yellow seeds in the center and the white starburst (whatever it is). That TS lens is really working for you. Excellent image.

Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments

Comment posted by Carol Hyman on June 20, 2011 at 6:50 PM

Bob, what a great garden center owner you have. I'm not familiar with this cactus but I do know that the blossoms on the cacti I've seen are extremely fragile and transparent--only a bit more tattered from the elements--the sun, heat, and winds. The image is great and I like the square format.

Nicely done.

Oh, do you have an idea what kind of cactus? Is it just called a Nova Scotia cactus?

Thanks,

Carol

Registered on January 18, 2007, 597 Posts, 8062 Comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on June 20, 2011 at 7:20 PM

This is gorgeous Bob. The thumbnail doesn't begin to do it justice. Love your control of light in the center and those papery petals are really fine. Superb image.

pat

Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on June 20, 2011 at 7:44 PM

Bob:
This is top notch! When I look at this image, I thought this must be TS or stack. The TS sure is working well for you to get everything nice and sharp. The papery petals are nicely shown and the bg thorns are great. Perfect image.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on June 20, 2011 at 8:23 PM

Exceptional detail - love it!
The center plaement works great.
Perfect exposure, colours, and dof.

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Ramamohan Pai on June 20, 2011 at 8:27 PM

Splendid, Bob. Crazy good plane of focus management and fantastic details

Registered on November 1, 2003, 550 Posts, 9037 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on June 20, 2011 at 11:19 PM

Bob: All I can figure is the owner must be a Texas wanna be

Eye popping detail and marvelous whites. Cracking shot! >=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Grabski on June 21, 2011 at 2:43 AM

Interesting contrast of gentle beauty of the flower with needles.

Registered on April 29, 2011, 122 Posts, 431 Comments

Comment posted by Carolyn Derstine on June 21, 2011 at 12:46 PM

Great photo, Bob! Love the contrast of textures in this. The fluffy, curly yellow center I find especially fascinating and you have rendered everything in such great detail. The square comp is perfect for this flower.

Registered on February 16, 2011, 610 Posts, 3684 Comments

Comment posted by Giuseppe Guadagno on June 21, 2011 at 3:21 PM

A beautiful photo of a beautiful flower, Bob.
Take care,

Registered on February 3, 2007, 827 Posts, 5052 Comments

Comment posted by Nathan Buck on June 21, 2011 at 3:38 PM

Wow Bob. The large version sings - I was not expecting it from the thumbnail, to be honest. I love the BG. I love the transparency of the petals. I love the sharpness. What a beautiful shot!

Nathan

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1101 Posts, 13589 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Jones on June 21, 2011 at 5:05 PM

Man, that's a shocking title, but once I read the explanation, it allowed me to concentrate on the image, and it is stunning in a less shocking way. The gorgeous texture of the white petals creates a frame that makes the center glow beautifully.

Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments

Comment posted by Albert Darmo on June 21, 2011 at 9:27 PM

Hi Bob

The large version is spectacular

Superb detail and light

Man! you really know how to get super results from your T/S