Trying to Conquer the Contrasts of Spring Light

Anything that sounds the least bit like a complaint or a whinge in this post should be completely ignored. It is spring. It is beautiful, and although we did have a bit of frost in some parts, I sat outside before dinner and just smiled at it all like a fool. My challenge is trying to capture it all. My brother's friend used to joke that the Queen (she's on all our lively coloured currency that only Canadians use for anything) squinted when he opened his wallet. Well, I think I'm doing the same with all this glorious sunshine....and so is my camera. I've produced more 'black velvet' photos than I've ever done before.

Here is an establishing shot taken this a.m. so you can see how things are moving along. I'm under my largest Japanese maple facing north.

Crept into my flower bed - violets, tulips and the unsophisticated smaller quince hedge all vying for attention. Light is pretty good here.

This white Epimedium is quite different from the little orange one out back - flowers are held well above leaves - putting the lens right into the low sunshine. Really looks like the flower edges are melting away into the ferns.

Is it me, or does this barrenwort look like she's trying too hard.

A dear little Viola sororia 'Freckles' starting to open. Pay no attention to that blast of light to the left and top....

So, now the light is up a little higher and smashing into the orange lily tulips (Ballerina). The colour representation is pretty good. However, with the good comes the smudge of black velvet at the bottom.

My walking buddy is at a music festival this week and so Kevin and I are on patrol. We came across this building site - formerly nice house on a big lot. And look at these trilliums!

I just adore it when they start to go all pink and pretty. (Yes, camera is definitely compensating for high light, light petals and dark green....)

Did I mention that I'd lost my patch of something that looks just like this....wonder if they'd notice.

You just know they're going to put in a good looking house when they've got a sign like this:

Ah yes, when luxury just isn't enough, I say give 'em Ultra Luxury.

Oh well, further along on our walk spotted this little Euphorbia - they've built up their rock garden so all the plants are just at hip level. Very welcoming.

OK, back home - one hour later, the Ballerinas look like they're back to the barre and out of the bright lights. That's Hosta June - very reliable, not bothered by bugs and lovely to look spring, summer and fall.

Have you ever started to photograph something - and the more pictures you take, the more you realize you're just not capturing what you're seeing. This is an Akebia quinata - called Chocolate Vine so that you buy it in the store. It doesn't smell like chocolate, but it is rather cool and I'm going to try to get a good shot over the next few days, if I have to run down both batteries trying. These flowers are girls - they're big and pink and puffy - the boys are the paler bits that dangle.

Boys hanging around, not open.

Is it my imagination, or does it look like someone didn't want her picture taken?

You can sort of see what the boys look like here.

Sort of a foolish arrangement - perhaps the reason I've never seen fruit on this vine.

So much easier to take a photo without the sun blasting off all over the place.

I think that this little Trollius is my favourite Black Velvet Photo of the day. Remember, if you're going to stroke it, the nap runs down.