C and I took a last minute trip to National Trust’s Morden Hall Park in London, to test out our new macro lens. It far surpassed our expectations. I’ll set the scene… It was a gloomy day; completely overcast with no blue peeking through the clouds. Ideal for some photoshoots as there are no shadows but not ideal when you are looking for that sweet blue glow in the background. Nonetheless, I walked around trying to find little, often hidden, elements of a London park.

I had not had a macro lens before. I had only used macro-enabled lenses in the past which caused minimal joy and maximum frustration. I struggled to get the shot I wanted when standing in front of a scene. Well, the capability of this lens made anything possible and once I started clicking, it was difficult to stop. I wondered what people walking past me may think when I was standing only a few centimetres from a tree, searching for something to photograph.

Within part of the park, lay a rose garden. It didn’t have any roses and not many buds yet, considering it is winter. However, I stumbled across this ‘eye’ and thought that would be great to capture. Battling the wind, I was pleased to get the eye in focus and was quite captivated by it. It comes across as being so real! The eye of the rose bush staring at me as if watching and protecting the plant.

One of the highlights of the afternoon was this ladybug (I did find another but you will have to keep scrolling to see it). It was perched right on the end of this branch, holding onto it, in the wind. It did not move, no matter how close I got to it with the big black camera lens. C managed to photograph another animal (see next blog post!) so I was so happy to find a little creature of my own to focus on.

I also loved the twirly part of the branch. It was against a brick wall which when blurred into the background, made the perfect copper colour to highlight it. I particularly liked that one and can see the benefit of using your background to enhance an object.

The colours of these two pictures made me run at C shouting about my enchanting shots. If you look carefully, you will find an orange ladybug hiding from the wind in a dead leaf. I loved how in a seemingly dead looking flower, there was a glimpse of life attached to it. I am truly delighted at these photographs and these, along with the one below, reminded me again of why I love photography.

With a very happy sigh, I present my final favourite of the day. The pinks and subtle oranges of the background really made this tiny plant shine. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love flower photography but this may be my best yet. I can see this on the wall in my bedroom or in my office, printed on a large canvas. It is so delicately feminine and the tone of the image, so calm and tranquil. I leave this picture with you and hope it gives you as much joy as it did me and remind you that beautiful photographs can be found on a gloomy day. T x.