Picture This: Winter's Beauty

Gardening Gone Wild have been holding a monthly photography competition for a while now, and this month I decided I'd try my hand at the given theme, Winter's Beauty. For once, we've had plenty of snow here in Britain to tempt us outdoors to try and capture our winter wonderland. However, I had to make do with a quick trip around the garden just as everything was beginning to thaw, whilst desperately scouting around trying to find something just that little bit different to show you.

One of my winter joys is looking at the whorled seedheads of the many Clematis in my garden and some, similar to the one shown below (taken last December) have even sneakily crept into Garden Bloggers' Blooms Day from time to time. However, this picture could easily have been taken in the autumn, so it was reluctantly rejected as a contender.


This one (a seedhead of my wonderful sport of C. 'Crystal Fountain') with its jauntily tilted cap of snow made me smile, but I felt it didn't adequately depict Winter's Beauty either.


However, getting in close to look at the few remaining ice crystals at the heart of this C. 'Nelly Moser' made me appreciate the structure of this seedhead anew. It's like each seed has its own protective fleece to keep it snug and warm. There's also something about the soft, out of focus elements of the picture that says 'oooh shivery' to me. Therefore, this is my chosen entry for this month's competition :)

Comments

  1. Karen - An Artist's Garden21 January 2010 at 09:39

    Good choice, I think it is rather lovely, and good luck with the picture.
    K

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carol21 January 2010 at 09:40

    Lovely! Good Luck! ;>)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ms B21 January 2010 at 09:50

    I love clematis seedheads & that last one is particularly beautiful. I look forward to seeing how you get on.

    Straying slightly but still on the subject of photography, did you hear that the 'winner' of the Wildlife Photographer has been stripped of the award as the judges decided the wolf was a model that could have been hired. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8470962.stm)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Helen21 January 2010 at 12:48

    It's fun, isn't it? I'm glad you made it in under the wire. Good luck, from a fellow clematis seed head fan.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Carrie21 January 2010 at 14:12

    i love clematis seed heads too, i have a nice photo of a new green one taking way back in the summer, amazingly intricate. Good liuck - lovely pic xxx

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mr. McGregor's Daughter21 January 2010 at 15:33

    Beautiful shot! I'm becoming more enamored of Clematis seedheads, but mine don't last as long as yours.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nutty Gnome21 January 2010 at 16:31

    That is a lovely photo - way better than my entry! Hope you win :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. The Idiot21 January 2010 at 16:40

    Great images; the only downside is that I am now even more tempted than ever to trade in my point-and-click travesty of a camera for a digital SLR!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anna21 January 2010 at 17:06

    Oh yes - I think that you chose the right one VP for your entry. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  10. HappyMouffetard21 January 2010 at 20:20

    Beautiful photos, VP.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Unknown22 January 2010 at 02:12

    That's a splendid photo, VP! Actually, all three are, but I'm with you on choosing the third one.

    ReplyDelete
  12. easygardener22 January 2010 at 14:04

    I like the jaunty snow hat in the second picture - very fashionable!

    ReplyDelete
  13. VP22 January 2010 at 14:37

    Hi everyone - so glad you liked the photos :)

    Carol - welcome!

    Ms B - thanks I heard it on the radio a couple of days ago. I've updated the original post with links to the hoo-ha over the photo and the official anouncement of the disqualification.

    TIG - I'm constantly having an argument with myself for getting a DSLR, but I know I wouldn't do half as much photography as I do because they're so bulky.

    ReplyDelete

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