I looked at Kardinal on an image search and some of them look red, but some look pink and some look more orange. I think the camera, the culture, and the lighting conditions influence the photographs so it's hard to tell which is really true red. I used to have an American beauty growing up, I thought it was really red, but now I read it's on the pink side. It was not a hybrid tea, it was more like a big huge bush with red roses on it. It's probably good to go to rose shows and nursery to see them in person before selection a color that is the red that you want.

For me, I have to use most of the tricks you guys listed, because I never know when the flowers are going to be at their best. Some are open early, some in the afternoon etc. For me the ISO is always different depending on the day (bright sunshine vs. bright overcast glare). Jan - I have used the white paper thing inside for capturing true colors, but never even thought to do that outside! Good one... Floota - I don't see anything wrong with using Photo Shop either if you are really trying to represent the flower properly and not trying to jazz it up/make it look better/whiter/bluer/brighter etc. Really, the reason I try to get things right on my camera instead of in Photo Shop, is that I can't compare the flower to the picture when using the program, but I can do that right on my camera screen. I mean, I DO have a laptop but I don't want to drag it all over the back yard! :o) Maryl - I think when talking about the "true" color, for me, it would be when the flower is at its very best (open fully, but not wilted or already faded by the sun). Kind of like when people take pictures of me... I prefer not to be photographed right after working in the garden! :o) I am a bit wilted. As for printing... whoa, that is another whole matter. Don't know anything about that, as I usually don't print my flower photos.

Thanks so much, all of you. And Carol and Niecey, a belated Happy Canada Day to you both! I am having a lot of fun with this camera; I actually had nothing to do with how any of the photos turned out - I just pressed the button, sometimes holding it down, and sometimes not. I was lucky, they just turned out well! So, Iris gal, the crocus rose shot was an accident, but a very pretty one. Carla, my dear sister-in-law bought a new (very expensive) camera, and kindly gave me her old one, a Kodak DX 4330. I am thrilled with the photos it takes, and it seems very simple to use (which is VERY important for me). Since there is no instruction book, I have to check out some of the Kodak Tutorials to get the most out of it. Mark, I also LOVE Tamora's blooms, but I have to say, I'm am not crazy about the fragrance, so I just don't get too close LOL Jean, we'd love to see pictures of your Evelyn too - she sure is a beauty. Judith

One work-around I've found for that, Marlorena, is to back up and take the shot from a further distance. The camera will likely get all items in focus, doing that. Then you can take advantage of the great resolution the camera has by cropping and enlarging that portion of the photo, so it is like a close-up. Another trick is to experiment with the plane of the shot. By slightly depressing the shutter button, the camera will show you which areas are in focus in the field of view by surrounding those with green rectangles. If you tilt the camera slightly or shift it to a slightly different view, you will often find you can bring more of a view into focus by doing that kind of adjustment.