Alyssum with the 100mm macro lens – click to embiggen
OK last post of flower photos taken with the new 100mm macro lens. Wanted to share this shot of white alyssum growing in my garden. I am a big fan of this small groundcover, it flowers for months and months. Makes a wonderful show on the edge of the border and is a cheerful no fuss plant that adds a lot of value to the garden 
As well as a keen photographer I am also a gardener as well, in fact gardening first started me down the photography path, as I wanted to capture images of the flowers I was growing, and the gardens I was shaping.
Ultimate closeup! click for a big version where you can see an amazing amount of detail
Have I said how much I love this lens? Have barely scratched the surface of what it is capable of with these first images. So glad I finally managed to acquire one, now I need to go spend lots more time practicing and experimenting, esp my handholding technique. These shots are sharp because I was lying flat out on the ground, both elbows planted hard in the dirt to give me a good steady base to shoot from.
And finally to give you an idea of the massive amount of zoom this lens is giving, below is a shot taken of my herb garden, of some parsley, chives and some clover *and* more white alyssum – this shows the scale of how you would normally view these flowers, because they are actually quite tiny!
Herbs, clover and more alyssum at normal scale
There you have it, one of my favourite flowers in the garden, white alyssum (yes it comes in other colours but white performs the best) up close and very personal!
Which is your favourite garden plant? Or is there something new you would like me to point my macro lens at?
These flowers are beautiful. Pansies are my favorite because they look like little faces.
I like pansies too but for some reason they will not grow in my garden. Have tried several times but they never thrive and eventually die
Oh no! Our garden is full of them, mostly because I make the fiance plant lots ; )
Ah well I have lots of alyssum instead
I can hardly wait for spring here as its still just over freezing. We have some warm days but not nearly enough of them.
When it does finally warm (and dry) up I want to get outside and begin using my extension tubes. They fit within my budget at this time but eventually I’d like to get a macro prime.
Have you used ext. tubes before?
Dwayne
Hi Dwayne, no I never tried extension tubes but I have some friends who have them and seen many lovely images with them on Flickr and other places. I didnt want to commit funds that I could save towards the macro lens and I was having enough challenges with the lenses I already had at the time. Hope you have spring and warmth soon, our trees are all going golden and getting darker in the mornings and evenings