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Apple Blossoms
1 May 2019
Our apple tree was a little late to blossom this year but since it has a September deadline we weren't worried. And one day last week we saw it had gotten to work without letting us know.
Apple Blossoms. Captured at f9, 1/250 second and ISO 200 with the 14-42mm kit lens at 42mm and processed in Adobe Camera Raw.
Turns out there are quite a few stages in this development.
- Siver Tip. In spring a protective coating around the buds falls off, allowing the bud to peek through.
- Green Tip. The leaves begin to emerge, showing a bit of green.
- Quarter-Inch Green Tip. The leaves slowly curl out looking for nutrients so the fruit growing process can begin.
- Tight Cluster. The leaves are fully emerged and a group of flower buds in the center of the leaf group is visible.
- Pink & Bloom. Blossoms break out of their buds during the Pink growth stage before finally emerging during Bloom.
- Petal Fall. In late spring, bees will pollinate some of the flowers and the petals will fall away.
We seem to be in the Pink & Bloom stage, which goes on simultaneously.
We're getting rather fond of dark backgrounds behind our bright flowers. It isn't always possible to stage the shot that way but it makes for a dramatic composition, spotlighting the subject with the light that does fall on it.
It was nice to return to the kit lens for a moment, too. It may not have the personality of our older glass but it has its own virtues like better contrast.
This image shows just the start of things. The trick now is to attract bees.
We have a flowering rosemary bush right next to the apple tree to do that. It worked last year, providing a handful of little apples.
We're hoping for more of the same this September.