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These are photos of the 2001 season.
Just in! Photos of the spectacular 2002 blooming!
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Here are some photos of a night-blooming cactus. The last time this cactus bloomed for me was about
ten years ago, so I was pretty excited when the flower buds began to appear. Please bear with me
as I hone my night photography skills....
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Too close. Flash too bright.
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I've included some of these less-than perfect photos because I still find them kinda interesting.
(And, let's face it, they're all less-than perfect!
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It's amazing how different the colors turned out. I guess
the flash can tint everything blue. But I don't know why it didn't do
it in the previous two.
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Ahhhhh, I've almost got it now.... I think I took this one
by flashlight with the camera's "night" setting enabled. I would've had better luck with
a standard 35 mm camera using a long exposure, but this was a digital camera with limited
setting options.
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Ahhhhhhh! That's more like it. After a lot of experimentation (you should see the ones that didn't make
it onto this page), I discovered that the best way was to photograph with a flash from a distance, after focusing
by flashlight.
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The next day. This is a fresh bud, just about to open up.
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The bud again. It was kinda "hairy", and that white around it is the
hairs shimmering in the sunlight.
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Yet another view of the bud.
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One of last night's flowers. It already lost a lot of its splendor,
so you can see why I wanted to be sure and see it that first night.
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The new bud opens up and is revealed by flashlight.
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And another too-close flash photo.
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Another one taken
from a distance, focused by flashlight, and shot with flash.
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I eventually more or less got the hang of photographing 'em by flashlight!
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Dum de dum....
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I never did manage to get one which completely satisfactorily
displayed the flower's beautiful reproductive organs, but
this one comes close.
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And, finally, one more overexposed flash picture.
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