This week Jen has challenged us to compose our subject off-center, obeying the Rule of Thirds.
The Rule of Thirds is a photography concept that puts the subject of the photograph off-center, which usually results in blank space in the rest of the image. If you focus closely on your subject and use a wide aperture, your photograph’s background will also be beautifully blurred in that blank space. The blurred area behind your focal point is referred to as bokeh.
So when it stopped raining I headed into the garden to experiment with the cameras settings. I think some worked, (some were a woeful failure, and I won’t show you those)..
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Update on the storm.
Cyclone Marcia caused terrible devastation where she came to land as a category 5 cyclone.
“The BOM said Marcia had weakened to a Category Two cyclone, with sustained winds of 110km/h (72mph) and gusts of up to 155km/h.
It was about 60km west of the town of Gladstone, Queensland and 65km north-northeast of Biloela, and moving south-southeast at 18 kmh but expected to weaken below cyclone strength by Saturday morning.” (For more information and photos go here to the BBC news report)
Hundreds of people in the central Queensland area are now homeless with their homes torn apart and large areas are without power. Thankfully there is no loss of life or major injuries. As it moved south it gradually lost power and by the time it reached Brisbane it was classed as a tropical low, lots of rain and some flooding, but the winds had dropped. It then veered out to sea away from our corner of Queensland. We had approx. 200mm of rain over 3 days, but no wind. As you can see in the flower photos they are flourishing in the rain.
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Luscious thirds demo, Pauline! I didn’t see anything in our news about the cyclone, despite your warning.
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It was terrible up north, but now “they” are arguing if it was a category 5 or 3. No matter what it was it still caused millions of dollars damage and a lot of heart ache.
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Beautiful colorful shots. We just returned from a 4 month trip across the eastern states and returned to many of our plants dead, because of the excessive heat. So enjoyed seeing your beautiful plants.
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That is always the sad side of travel if you love your garden. We are lucky to have some lovely friends that rent our house and care for the garden.
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Beautiful flowers in the Rule of Thirds, Pauline. I am so glad you and Jack are safe and I’m sorry to hear how bad the storm was for many.
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Thank you for the comment Jane. The sun is out again today but those poor people up north have a terrible job of cleaning up. We were certainly lucky…
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I am loving the explanation of “thirds” because I’m always baffled by it. (Bokeh ain’t bad either 😉 )
On the other front, I’m glad you’re ok, sad that there was so much devastation, but happy that no lives were lost. Sometimes I guess it’s difficult to see the good when there’s so much bad, but at least there was some important good.
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Thanks for your concern Gemma yes we have to look on the good and today the sun is shining and I can get my washing dry… 🙂
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Amazing how delicate looking flowers can not only survive a storm but thrive – lovely photos and glad you’re safe.
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Thank you, yes flowers are so resilient they are natures survivors
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Very nicely done, Pauline. 🙂 Love the way you’ve captured the glistening droplets of rain. 🙂
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We’ve had plenty of droplets these past few days Sylvia
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I had no idea about the cyclone PP! Good job it headed back to sea before reaching you, but how terrible for those people left without a home, or power. That’s what you get living in Paradise. Extreme weather!
You have probably guessed which is my favourite photo – yes, the Grevillea. I’d love to try and grow one here. Must find a house and garden with a mild climate 🙂
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There are so many varieties of grevillea Jude I think you would find one tough enough if you give it a warm sunny corner, but may have to coddle it through winter!!!
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Lovely shots Pomme – love the droplets! Such a horrible storm, glad you weathered it well. Queensland has only just recovered from their earthquake, no? How sad to see them affected so powerfully.
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No earthquakes here Tina, thank goodness, that is about the only disaster we don’t get, touch wood. But have had lots of floods, fires and cyclones over the past 2-3 years.
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Am so grateful to see your post this morning and know all’s well with you both, and no loss of lives. Thanks sooo much for a quick tour of your lovely garden, and an update on the storm. Not much Oz news gets through all the telly’s winter warnings, so your posts are especially enjoyed. xx del
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Thanks for that comment Del. Likewise we don’t get a lot of news from your part of the world unless it is major shooting and killing.
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Guess sensationalism isn’t relegated to just our hemisphere… we’re due another week of temps 20 degrees below normal. Cannot wait for March. And hopefully warmer weather. Am loving your gardens piccies!
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I don’t know how I would survive in those temps Del, can’t even start to imagine how it would feel. I guess you must have the heaters and fires going all the time.
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With electric prices as high as they are, we don’t dare! Dressing in layers really does help, from several pairs of socks right on up to a hat! And having lots of stashed fabrics helps, too. Lots of “extra blankets!”
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Yea I agree about the power prices, ours are ridiculously high too. Do you do quilts too with all your fabrics Del?
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No quilting – haven’t the patience, or abilities to combine teeny bits of coloured fabric in a pleasing pattern. Would be nice if I did. I guess! With many heavy fabrics 50-60 inches wide, they do spread out nicely for covering a person…
😉
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Glad you and yours are fine and there’s been no loss of life. Your beautiful photos are, in this context, pictures of hope and of the renewal of life.
janet
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That is a lovely comment, flowers are certainly survivors and always come back to give us joy.
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wow – had no idea about the storm – glad it was downgraded – but still looks like it left huge impact! and best wishes to those recovering.
and now for the photos – I think you nailed this on so many fronts. well because as you noticed – we had to chatter about the rule of thirds earlier and so I was reading up and looking at this and that – and well, to come here and see your variety – I said to myself “and she even included some bokeh” – so this was refreshing – and of course showing flowers is nice in general – but looking at all this white powder – well the colors were a visual treat Pomme.
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Thanks Y, that was an interesting chatter on your post. I do have a grid I use on the viewing screen of my camera and ,especially, in scenic shots I look for the magic thirds, but of course not every photo has to follow that rule, but it helps to balance an image and as you say make the eye move around the photo. Hope your spring arrives soon you must be fed up of the cold
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Isn’t the grevillea a beauty? They all are of course and the desert rose is intriguing, can you photograph it again when its open please ? 🙂
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Here is an earlier post I did when they were open Gilly, they are stunning when the bush is covered in flowers. https://pommepal.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/revitalising-rain/
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My favorite is the last one “Fungus”. Well done!
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G’day Jeremy thank you for dropping by. I loved the colour of that fungus. It is actually growing on a wooden statue and I haven’t the heart to clean it off. I’m thinking it will maybe eventually eat right into the wood.
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My favourite is the water lily – the raindrops on the one petal are so clear I can almost smell the rain.
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And so thankful there’s been no lives lossed in the storm.
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I think every one was grateful about that.
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Well we have had a lot of rain to smell just lately Jill…
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Hope the storm has abated. And you’ve done splendidly with your post.
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Thank you for your kind comment. Yes the storm left so much damage up north but has now gone out to sea leaving a huge clean up about 700kms north of here.
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Thank goodness.
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Absolutely lovely shots. I reckon your eye beats rule of thirds and all other rules hands down. I’m glad you didn’t suffer under Marcia, and the rain certainly served your flowers and your photos well. Raindrops are a great additive.
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I love to catch the raindrops on the flowers, They are one of my favourite things… I feel I am going to burst into song lol
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Funny, I was just humming that song today after I made a remark about raindrops on roses (and whiskers on kittens) to the OH. I love raindrops on flowers, they always look so refreshed – the flowers that is 😀
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A good downpour always seems to do more good than when you spend hours watering.
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A good soaking 🙂
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YES and I can put the hose away for a while…
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