The FFF+ Group have a weekly challenge called “Snap Happy Monday". This week the theme, "colourful" was chosen by ajhaysom

These images were taken in my garden using my fathers vintage Helios lens (main image) and lensbaby. I discovered my dads lens while dusting my old camera collection (yes it is true- I was dusting) which included his old Zenit camera with the Helios lens attached. Sitting there all this time and I never twigged I could use it on my camera with an adapter.

I need some colour in my day today -just may not get to everyone's images.

Take Care and enjoy all the beautiful colours even in winter!

Tags:   FFF Happy Snaps. Monday graden Backyard. flowers vintage lens Helios Lensbaby Pink

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"So many worlds
So much to do
So little done
Such things to be" Tennessee Williams

I was searching for somewhere to practice using my dad’s old Helios lens.

I climbed through the bushes in the back garden and shot back out into the yard through the Indigofera plant. The willowy branches looked like out of focus dancers, to my eye, creating a miniature jungle world.

Just for a moment I was transported out of the tedium of sameness (Stage 4 Lockdown) to somewhere my imagination could play.

I photographed what I could see but the lens turned into something other, another little world in my own backyard.


I combined a second image throwing the flowers completely out of focus to achieve that hanging pink, grape-like bokeh.

Tags:   backyard flowers helios Indigofera australis My Backyard bokeh Nikon D750

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You may recall a few posts ago mentioning the passing of my friend Barbara. I was so pleased to see these beautiful Irises blooming in the garden over the weekend. She gave them to me many years ago.

Later that day I was doing some packing up using purple bubble wrap and wondered how it would look using it in front of the Helios lens for these Irises. I will let you be the judge.

I took two images, one with the bubble wrap and one without it. I merged them in photoshop and just revealed alitte of the sharpness in the centre of the flower. Otherwise it is close to SOC. I was using F2 in both images so a very shallow depth of field.

Tags:   Garden Iris flowers helios my backyard purple Helios 44M lens plant art

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When I was looking in the front yard for something to photograph with the Helios lens,
this "fairy" caught my attention. Delicately balancing on the Boronia flower.

As kids we usually called these seedheads fairies or robbers. I'm not really sure of the origins but the term has stuck.

12/100 (Arty Farty) x 100 Flickr 2021

Tags:   flower Helios x 100 44-2

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Given Miss wouldn't let me experiment with her, Mr B kindly gave me 5 minutes of his time for this quick image.

I recently bought an adapter for my dads old manual Helios lens so I can now finally focus to infinity. I wanted to test it out and it works like a treat. I was surprised at how sharp it is (check out the eyes) but still gives that gorgeous swirly background. I converted it to black and white and added a light texture over the background and dark vignette.

I am sure my dad would have really got a kick out of me using this lens.

Tags:   Garden vintage lens Monochrome Helios Portrait man nikon z6ii

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