Omg...can these folks shoot, or what?

Some of you may know that Gary Lewis of Phoenix Perennials in Richmond has been cajoling me for some years to teach a macro flower workshop through his nursery. Of course spring is my busiest time--weddings, gardening, portraits--so I've always said a firm no, but somehow he broke down my resolve this year.

I met with my group twice, and wow, did I luck out! They are such talented photographers. The photos here show off a magical capture from each of them. Thanks to each and every one of you for two wonderful workshop evenings...I'm sure I learned as much as I taught, and I sure admired what all of you accomplished.

We still have some people missing, but I'll add images if they come in...

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image by Bob McMorine

image by Caroline Carson

image by Clare Philips

image by Neal Boxrud

Sign-Up Time for Macro Course

I'm teaching a class on macro photography! Let everyone know! This is from the Phoenix Perennial course list. The class runs two evenings in June.

Ready for my Close-Up: Capturing the starlets of the garden in the frame of a photograph | Instructor: Jane Eaton Hamilton | Two Evenings: Tuesdays June 10 and June 17, 6-9pm | $75 | Do you long to be able to photograph flowers so that they look just as good in wet white January -- up on your wall -- as they do swaying in their sultry summer beds? Spend two seductive evenings photographing the come-hither beauties of the Phoenix Perennials June gardens. We will cover macro photography, capturing still flowers, and photographing moving flowers. Please bring a digital SLR, a 4GB memory card, and the best lens you have. Jane suggests a Canon 100 mm f2.8 or its equivalent. Participants will have the opportunity to share their best work with the class. June 10, June 17 6-9 pm

Nursery owner and rare plant expert Gary Lewis had me shoot a few of his choice and prize arisemas this week; these are a few of the lovelies up close:

Fun Things Happened in England

I loved, loved, loved going to Kew Gardens when Joy and I were in England last August, since we had, beyond its usual delights, the opportunity to search out the garden photography exhibit called 'Imagine Yesterday...Today." And such a surprisingly sweet thing it was, too. The curators of the Garden Photographers Association 2006 competition had done a wonderful job of hanging 98 masterful garden images; printed and framed and up close, the images fulfilled the promise of their small thumbnails on the contest site. My image, "Agave 1", a shot I made in the private garden of Phoenix Perennials' nursery owner Gary Lewis, and part of my exhibition series of thorny plants called "Hurt Me," won an honourable mention, and it was a lark to watch people enjoy it.