Rear garden. September 2019 © Pete Hillman.
Tag: Roses
September Rose
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September 2018, rear garden, Staffordshire, England. © Pete Hillman.
The Beautiful Eye of A Rose
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June 2018, rear garden, Staffordshire, England. © Pete Hillman.
Blooming November
November 2017, rear garden, Staffordshire, England.
September Rose
September 2017, rear garden, Staffordshire, England.
The Sun At The Centre of A Rose
Rear garden, Staffordshire, England. July 2017.
Flash
Today I had my late birthday present come. My first speedligh flash unit, the Nikon SB-700. The weather has been rather dismal, and I thought I had been transported to autumn it has been so damp and cold here. However, between showers I manged to get a few shots in to play with my new toy. I guess I have some learning to do to get the best out of it. But it come with a nice case, some filters, a diffuser and a bounce card. I just need to get the experience to go with it.
Rear garden, Staffordshire, England in the rain, again. June 2017.
The Gift of A Rose
Layers upon layers of pure beauty unveiling its heart.
Rear garden, Staffordshire, England. June 2017.
Fresh June Rain
Rear garden, Staffordshire, England. June 2017.
Greenfly, Silk And The Rose
Please click on the images for a larger more detailed view.
Rear Garden, Staffordshire, England. May 2017.
Within The Gentle Folds of A Rose
Rear garden, Staffordshire, England. May 2017.
The First Budding Rose
Mom’s Rose, rear garden, Staffordshire, England. May 2017.
A Beautiful Chiller
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The past couple of nights we have had some pretty heavy frosts here, and the rose blooms that were tempted to come out in the milder weather and which had begun to decay in the damp atmosphere now look like they have just come out the refrigerator. Frozen popsicles they may be, but they are also frozen little wonders.
Photographs taken December 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
The Mouldering Rose
No sweet sugar-coating here
Nor no hoarfrost to set its beauty in ice
But the seasons now a confusion of warmth, chill, and dampness
Blooming at the dawn of the Winter solstice
Blooming beautiful when long sleep should be
And now the creeping, crawling mould takes hold
A lingering grip of death as it lives the rosebud succumbs
A painless demise as Beauty fades
Yet still conquers as it holds fast the edge of the precipice
The rose will fall
Yet Life goes on whatever the season or the turmoil
Photographs taken December 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
Softly, Gently VI
Photograph taken December 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
Fading Before It Has Blossomed
This rosebud was enticed by the milder autumnal climate here we have been enjoying, but when the frosts suddenly hit it was nipped, in the bud, so to speak.
This rose will not open, and the tightly packed petals are gradually slipping away, but there is also a strange kind of beauty in that itself.
Photograph taken November 2016, front garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
November Rosebud (With Greenfly)
Photograph taken November 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
November Rose
Photograph taken November 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
The Morning After Rose
This was one of those unprepared moments that we all get at times. I was warming the car up and cleaning the windows of night rain, getting ready to go to the supermarket when I spotted this single red rose in bud. The droplets of water collected on the unfolded petals looked so beautiful in the morning sun I just had to stop everything and go and get my camera to take this final shot you now see here.
Photograph taken November 2016, front garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Nikon 18-55mm lens.
Fading November Rose
Photograph taken November 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Nikon 18-55mm lens.
Softly, Gently V
Photograph taken October 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens. Manual setting ISO 500. 1/125 sec. f/6.3. No flash, hand-held.
Softly, Gently IV
Photograph taken October 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens. Manual setting ISO 500. 1/125 sec. f/6.3. No flash, hand-held.
Softly, Gently III
Photograph taken October 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens. Manual setting ISO 400. 1/250 sec. f/6.3. No flash, hand-held.
Softly, Gently II
Photograph taken October 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens. Manual setting ISO 400. 1/250 sec. f/6.3. with controlled flash, hand-held.
Softly, Gently
I find grey skies (without the rain, but just after), are ideal for flower photography. You don’t have that harsh direct sunlight, and with some camera control, you can get pretty close to the original and natural hues of your subject. Sometimes, taking a soft and gentle approach can bring about some beautiful details which contrasts with the mellowed, blurred background, especially when being this close to the subject.
This appears to be the very last flower of the season on a rose I planted in memory of my Mom seven years ago.
Photograph taken October 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens. Manual setting ISO 400. 1/250 sec. f/6.3. No flash, hand-held.
Yellow Rose
Photograph taken October 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Nikon 18-55mm lens.
October Rose
Photograph taken October 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
Rose Blackspot
Diplocarpon rosae
If it’s not greenfly attacking your precious roses it’s this fungus. Rose Blackspot is a serious fungal disease of roses which mainly affect the leaves which break out into blackish, brownish or purplish spots or blotches on the upper surface of the leaf. Diffuse and radiating strands of the fungus can sometimes be visible. It may also appear as small, black scabby lesions on young stems.
Rose Blackspot can affect all kinds of roses. It spreads rapidly through the plant and can infect others, and can ultimately weaken the rose. Usually the infected leaves turn yellow and drop off, and a whole rose can be affected this way. The fungus produces spores which are released in wet conditions and is usually spread by rain-splash.
Seen spring onwards. The spores overwinter. Found where roses are found in the wild, or in parks and gardens. Very common and widespread, affecting both wild and cultivated roses.
Photograph of Rose Blackspot (Diplocarpon rosae) taken March 2012, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2012. Camera used Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38.
Between Rose Petals
Photograph taken October 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
Into The Heart of A Rose
Photograph taken September 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens. ISO 320. 1/250 sec. f/9.
September’s End
Photograph of patio rose, taken September 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens. ISO 200. 1/100 sec. f/8.
Fly And Rose
Photograph of a fly on a rose, taken September 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens. ISO 200. 1/200 sec. f/8.
Unfolding Into Autumn
Photograph of garden patio rose, taken September 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
Solitary
Photograph of Dog-rose (Rosa canina), taken June 2016, local woodland path, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D3200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
September Rose #2
Photograph of climbing rose, taken September 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
Yellow Rose
Photograph of climbing rose, taken September 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
September Rose
Photograph of climbing rose, taken September 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
Colours Running
Photograph of garden patio rose, taken September 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
More Devastation
They are at it again. I have posted on these previously this year, and these sawfly larvae, called Large Rose Sawfly (Arge pagana), are stripping my rose-bush leaves again. They seem to be very methodical in their consumption of the leaves, completely stripping individual leaves bare before moving onto others, leaving ravaged skeleton stalks behind them. They must be another generation.
But if the little birds catch site of them, they are a good source of protein.
Please see my previous posts ‘Balancing Act’ and ‘Life In A Week’ for more information.
Photograph of Large Rose Sawfly (Arge pagana), taken August 2016, rear garden , Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens with softbox flash diffuser.
Early Stage Caterpillar
I discovered this tiny early stage caterpillar on the underside of one of my rose leaves. I wonder what it will turn into?
Photograph taken in July 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D3200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
Nature Journeys 