There's masses of fennel shooting up all over southern Europe, in fact it's the only green shoot in a sea of burnt gold.For the life of me I can't see how it grows. We've had an intensely hot summer, with no rain for 3 months. The sun has baked the earth into dust and yet the fennel thrives. How?
So, I was taking photographs of fennel with a new lens, or rather an old lens that I've recently bought. The lens is a Carl Zeiss Planar and the photograph above is my first test with the lens. What I'm very pleased with is the blurred gold area behind the fennel, for this is the signature of a very good lens.
The blur has a name, it's called "Bokeh" (it rhymes with poker). It's a Japanese word and it describes the part of the photograph that is out of focus. The bokeh produced by this lens is beautifully smooth and contrasts well with the sharpness of the fennel.
Sadly, fennel photographs are not in great demand and this one isn't for sale, but the lens has earned its keep.
The photographs on this blog were taken by me, unless otherwise noted. If you'd like to share them with friends or use them in some way, please let people know where you found them, or send me an 
Posts
I just found your etsy shop and blog via Annechovie. The three photos on her blog post were enough to draw me into your etsy shop, and then once I saw the images of Spain and southern Europe, I was hooked. I'll be following you from now on.
ReplyDeleteI have a tender spot in my heart for Spain. I studied Spanish all four years of high school and for three years in college (it's pretty shakey by now though, since I rarely use it). My high school teacher had lived in Spain for 4 years in the 1960's and she endeared us to the country. I graduated from high school in 1977, but didn't make it to Spain until 1982 when I spent one month traveling around Europe on the trains. During that trip I visited only Madrid and Barcelona. I had my first good cup of coffee early in the morning on the day I left Madrid. You know, all through high school Spanish class you pretend to order "cafe con leche," and then suddenly there I was uttering those words "for real." A girl from Bakersfield, California had no idea until then how good coffee could be.
My husband and I returned to Europe for 10 weeks in 1997. We visited Madrid, Salamanca, Granada, Sevilla, Arcos de la Fronterra, Barcelona - and the stunning landscape through the train windows. Spain is a magical place for me. It has its own spirit, and I can feel it even in calling up the memories. Your photos are like memories, and that is really hooking into my sensibilities.
Well, I'm at work and shouldn't be on your website:/ So, I'll be back later to absorb Mediterranean Life and will also be back in your etsy shop. So glad to have found your work.
This is a beautiful photo - I love the wildflowers in Spain. Interesting that you should post about Bokeh - I bought a magazine to read on my flight to S'pore this weekend and there was little piece on the same subject!! One of these days I hope to own a 'real camera' and get some real depth of field!
ReplyDeletePhotos are wonderful. I too am an ETSIAN and art history prof. Your work is very inspiring. Great blog! Have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteColleen of
kcrlehrstudio.etsy.com
As a gardener I would think that such a lovely photo of fennel would be in demand by someone. The fennel flower is an example of one of my very favorite flower infloresence, the umbel, and if it's alright with you, I'd love to use this pic on my blog. (With full credit to you, of course!) Thank you!
ReplyDelete