After first getting introduced to these pretty little flowers last spring, the Columbine (genus Aquilegia) rapidly became one of my favorites. They come in a lot of different colors, although the only ones blooming in the county-run garden that I visited this weekend were red-and-yellow ones and white ones.
Normally it’s not that difficult to get decent shots of these flowers, but the day was windy and that made it tough to control the depth of field (which normally requires a slower shutter speed) and stop the movement caused by the wind.
The pretty pink in the background of the final photo came from a patch of phlox that blanked a large area of a rock garden. I think I got some pretty good photos of the phlox, so you may see them in another posting later.
Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Columbines have been a favorite of mine for a long time.
I feel stymied in my response – half a foot of snow covers my garden. Sigh. I love Columbines as well.
Wind certainly makes flower photography challenging but you caught these well.
Columbines are one of my favorite spring bloomers. The hummingbirds in my garden really seem to enjoy them as well.
Good use of DOF to put my eye right on the blossoms, and choice of background contrast to really bring out the details and flower color. I like these flowers but sometimes am not willing to lie down in order to get your perspective!
Thanks, Mel. When things get greener, it’s easier to get the creamy green background that everyone seems to like. As you noticed, I had to work harder to get any decent kind of background here, though I think I was “only” kneeling for these. At other times, though, you can see me totally sprawled out.