I do not have my own garden, but my friend and neighbor Cindy Dyer has a wonderful one that I visit often during the growing season. I was thrilled on Friday to see that one of her crocuses is blooming, the first one that I have seen this year. A second crocus had not yet opened, but I was so excited to see these colorful signs of spring that I photographed it too.
During the colder months of the year I shoot almost exclusively with a long telephoto zoom lens. For these images, however, I switched to a 60mm macro lens, a sign of the changing seasons—during the summer months my favorite lens is my 180mm macro lens. As the leaves start to reappear to on the trees, I will be photographing fewer birds and will be focusing on smaller, close-in subjects like butterflies and dragonflies, hopefully within a month or so.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Those photos are absolutely gorgeous! Seem almost self illuminated. Thank you.
Thanks, Ann. I too noticed the “glow” in the centers, an effect that I really love.
Beautiful images of one of the best signs of spring.
Thanks. I have always found that crocuses pack a lot of punch, considering their small size.
Very nice Mike! Can not wait till our gardens start blooming!
It’s hard not to be impatient–I am more than ready for spring to burst forth in all of its glory.
A beautiful sign of Spring!
Amen. I can’t wait for more signs to appear. Bring on the spring.
Yes!!
Beautifully captured, Mike! They are so luminous and a welcome sign of spring.
Thanks, Eliza. The yellow stamens (?) almost seem to illuminate the petals, serving as little candles, it seems.
Yes, that is an apt descriptor!
Yay for crocuses and Spring!
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Thanks, Mitzy, Bring on the daffodils and tulips too (although I expect grape hyacinths to be the next little flower to appear).
They might be next, haven’t seen ours just yet! 🙂
amazingly beautiful
Thanks.
Wow, impressive. Great color. 👏👏
Thanks, Ted. After the long gray winter my senses are starved for color. 🙂
Beautiful!
Thanks, Louella.
Utter magnificence. Crocuses are such hopeful flowers, lightening up the heave of the passing winter. Your first photo made me gasp, with the perfection of the light and color and shape. I also love how you cherished this flower — for we see the third photo which was clearly taken at a different time. Very special trio here, Mike, thank you.
Thanks, Jet. The lighting was such that the yellow centers of the crocuses seemed to glow. I did actually take the third shot at the same time as the other two, but it was a different bud, one that had not yet opened (the other two shots were of the same flower from slightly different angles). I really like to go for close-ups with early spring flowers, in part because the ground is bare and the backgrounds are not as nice as when there is more greenery and other colors as there will be later in the season.
Stunning … and glad you shared the bud!
Thanks, Jazz. I love buds like that, a promise of things to come.
Beautiful! Spring is coming.
Stunning colour.
Thanks, Chris. After a long, gray winter, those colors look especially vibrant to me.
Beautiful!!