Crocus October 2008

[gote]

RE washed out pictures.
This is of course overexposure and comes from that the camera sets the exposure automatically to an average where the light flower is a rather small part in the whole picture.
What you can do depends on the circumstances and the camera.
#1: put a light neutral grey card behind the plant that takes up most of the picture.  OR
#2: set down the exposure by one to two full stops.  OR
#3: Set the camera's sensor to spotreading. OR
#4: Use an oldfashioned camera using film. OR......
There are advantages and disadvantages with all methods.
And one must remember to set #2 and 3 back.
agöte
 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Welcome to Croconutland Jim !!
Great start - thanks for showing !!! 

[Thomas Huber]

The bicoloured niveus is difficult to photograph to show the delicate blue/lavender tepals.  On screen the plant looks white to me, yet I am sure it is exactly like my own plants.  Filming in bright sunlight seems to wash out the colour.  I found the same problem with the bicoloured goulimyi.

Arthur, after having a closer look at my niveus photo I have to admit, that it is not show the blue as
in reality and I have better photos of this plant.

I agree that white flowers are very difficult to photograph, I often focus on the leaves or the soil/grit
and turn the camera in the right position after focussing (automatic-modus). If this doesn't work well
I hold my finger in front of the flower for focussing and remove it for shooting. The darker focus point
sets the exposure time down and the object will look better than focusing on pure white.


Jim, welcome in Crocus heaven. You have a wonderful 'Snowdrift' collection, when did you start and how
many corms were that?  By the way, did you notice, that the lower flower has 4 petals?

[art600]

[
Jim, welcome in Crocus heaven. By the way, did you notice, that the lower flower has 4 petals?

Thomas

Platinum star for you noticing this.

[Jim]

 Hello to everyone. Thank you for the nice welcome and thank you to Maggi for the assist on the first post. The only thing I do worse than taking pictures is using a computer. The C. banaticus "Snowdrift" was a gift from a good friend. It started as one corm a few years ago. I planted it in deep shade in a bed devoted to woodland plants. It has enjoyed this bed and increased to the point that I was able to give some away this past year. I have a corm of C. banaticus "Snowflake" nearby but it has yet to open up. I live in the States on the east coast where most of my fall blooming bulbs have yet to flower.
Jim

[David Nicholson]

Welcome from me too Jim that's a lovely banaticus, and glad to see that you have let us know where you garden.

Here's one of mine from today. Crocus medius is not the rarest, and the literature says it's one of the easiest but in my book it's one of the loveliest.

[Jim]

Hi Thomas,
Good eyes. I'm ashamed to say that I did not see that. I have been going back to school at nights and have not been able to spend the time I normally would.
Jim

[Maggi Young]

I have been going back to school at nights

One of my sisters went to night school...... now she can read perfectly in the dark....

Jim, great to have you aboard!

[ranunculus]

Is that why I only enjoy light reading, Maggi?

Welcome Jim.

[ranunculus]

.... but not the Sun!!!!!   

[David Nicholson]

That was Express Cliff, did you Mail it or use the Telegraph? In any case it Mirrored my words exactly as is normally the case in these Independent Times.

No more newspapers (Ed.)

[ranunculus]

Pity the humble Observer, David ...

[HClase]

I noticed this today and realised that it was where I'd planted some Crocus speciosus 'Albus' years ago (1998 according to my notes - Dutch source).  The last time I saw a flower there was 2004 and I thought they'd died out.

[Maggi Young]

That is strange, Howard.... good, though!! Gives hope for all those strangely empty spaces we all have here and there!

[HClase]

As you know Maggie speciosus tends to split up into tiny cormlets, so I presume this is what happened, and one of them has finally reached flowering size.   I have a patch of 'lawn' that looks wonderfully green in spring due to all the C. speciosus leaves - but I almost never see any flowers there.  The ones that come up in other places often have white anthers indicating some pulchellus blood, maybe they are better.