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Roses In The Garden - a book review

Roses In The Garden by Ngoc Minh Ngo Photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo celebrates rose gardens throughout the world in this beautifully produced book.  The author photographed a total of 11 gardens across the globe (Italy, Morocco, Spain, USA, UK, and Japan). Beginning with the Italian garden Ninfa (often referred to as the most romantic garden in the world), her photographs have a dreamy quality that transports the reader to these exotic locales. Closer to home, Floret Farm in Mount Vernon, Washington, is included in one of the chapters. All types of roses are included in the gardens but the majority feature old rose varieties. Many of the gardens have roses growing in wild abandon, intermingled in hedge rows, spilling over walls and fences and surrounded by pastures and rolling hills. A pictorial index lists all the roses and the gardens where they reside. This stunning book was published by Rizzoli Books and is available on Amazon and in bookstores. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, ...
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Views From a New Lens


I just got a wide-angle camera lens a few days ago and I am playing around with it and trying to decide if I like it and if it was worth the pricey investment. I don't think there are many situations in our garden where a wide-angle is useful but I always wish I had one when I'm out photographing big scenic areas.

I also don't think Blogger is the best place to do an assessment as I always feel like images lose some quality here - if anyone uses Blogger and can offer any insight, I would be interested. I've never determined the best sizes to use on this platform for optimal quality.

Enough about that. We just had a few hot days (close to 100 on Thursday) and I hope that is the end of it. It is milder today and the long-range forecast is showing cooler temperatures.


The above shot is the front pathway that I usually photograph from the opposite side. The lens is not fully extended here. 

Deodar Cedar 'Feelin' Blue' 

The photo below has the lens fully open. The lighting isn't that great because of haze from wildfires in Oregon. This was also taken late in the evening.


Zooming in, I like this capture much better -



Wiegela 'Wings of Fire'


Although a wide-angle lens, it takes very nice close shots. I'm very pleased with the sharpness of the lens so far (again, some of the sharpness is lost in the Blogger compression) -

Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' and Rose 'Double Delight'

I'm looking forward to getting out and trying the lens in bigger settings.


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. Kris PetersonSeptember 8, 2024 at 8:57 PM

    I think these shots look great, Phillip. The color seems more vivid to me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. tz_gardenSeptember 9, 2024 at 7:51 AM

    They do look great, wow that photo of your front pathway and beds is beautiful! Have fun with your new camera :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. danger gardenSeptember 9, 2024 at 9:14 AM

    I am in agreement about Blogger changing the quality of photos, it's so frustrating! That said, your photos are fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hoover BooSeptember 9, 2024 at 5:01 PM

    Yes Blogger compresses the photos. Also interesting if you go back to a really old post the quality gets poorer still--I would guess that a photo without pageviews gets relegated over time to a more and more compressed state??

    Beautiful garden, beautiful photos. The Cedar and the Wiegela are choice. What is the purple/lavender flower in the last photo?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverSeptember 9, 2024 at 7:26 PM

      I didn't know that about the old posts. I will go take a look. That flower is Cleome 'Senorita Rosalita'.

      Delete
  5. Ardith FergusonSeptember 9, 2024 at 5:33 PM

    As always, your garden looks gorgeous. I like those zoomed in photos too! Have fun with the new lens.

    ReplyDelete

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