I had a long think about how to approach today’s assignment and three things came to mind:

1. Follow my self-imposed rule of only taking fresh shots for Photo 101.
2. I really only wanted to use natural colours.
3. No doors!

Of I set into the great outdoors to see what I could find.

It’s an interesting thing with nature in this part of the Northern Hemisphere, just about all of the early spring flowers are yellow. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, in fact may of them are amongst my favourites, it’s just that it gets a tad predictable! So there I was wandering around with camera at the ready taking goodness knows how many shots of daffodils and primroses; the trouble was nothing had really grabbed my imagination.

Then, walking along one of the hedges at Dookes H.Q. something caught my eye, something vivid blue and beautiful in the dark under canopy of the hedge. It was a single flower of Blue Periwinkle, Vinca major, normally a native of the Western Mediterranean, but a plant that does well in Cornwall’s mild temperate climate. This little fellow had certainly stuck it’s head up a bit early, but I was very pleased to find a bit of variety in the dense hedge.

Ideally I would have set up my tripod to take macro shots, but running out of light and time I had to make do with hand-held and using a lens that was far from ideal; I think I just about got away with it! The little flower is only about ¾ of an inch, 18mm, across it’s diameter, the photo is a pretty cruel enlargement!

I hope that this pops enough colour, I like the way it stood out against the gloom of the hedge floor and it certainly made me feel happy finding it anyway!

Dookes

. . . and it’s not a door!